Psalm 34:8 – Eating Is More than Tasting

Psalm 34:8 – Eating Is More than Tasting
September 8, 2024
 
Bill Crowder wrote in Our Daily Bread: “The beautiful bride, gripping her proud father’s arm, was poised to make her way to the altar. But not before the entrance of her thirteen-month-old nephew. Instead of carrying the more common ‘ring’—he was the ‘Bible bearer.’ In this way, the bride and groom, as committed believers in Jesus, wanted to testify to their love for Scripture. With minimal distraction, the toddler found his way to the front of the church. How illustrative it was that the toddler’s teeth marks were found on the leather cover of the Bible. What a picture of activity that’s fitting for believers in Christ or those who desire to know Him—to taste and take in Scripture.”
 
Jesus related to his followers, “Anyone who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day, because My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink. The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood lives in Me, and I in him.” (John 6:54-56) and that “I am the bread of life, No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again.” (John 6:35) What does this mean for us today? I'm glad you asked!
 
Read: Psalm 34:8
 
I like potluck. Do you like potluck? Why do we like potluck? There's usually a very good variety of food. Do you like all of the food served at potluck? Why? When I was younger my parents insisted that I try or taste everything set before me. Sometimes I would try to just lick it or touch the food with my tongue. Is this what the writer of Psalm 34:8 saying to us today? No. He knew that…
 
I. Tasting the Lord is more than licking him!
  1. David began his Psalm with, “I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. (Psalms 34:1-3 NIV)” How could David do this if he were just licking? He could not. David was fully involved in his worship of God because it was personal to him. He “extoled” God, praised him. David did it “at all times” and that Praise’ of God was always on his lips! And he invited others to do the same! David knew that saying you believe and actually devoting yourself to that faith are two different things. I had a pastor friend who used to declare that “visiting church once in a while does not make one a Christian, just as walking into Safeway does not make you a gallon of milk!” We often hear that 80% of Americans identify as “Christian”, but that does not equate them into believing in Christ! David had a personal and in-depth faith in God. He did not just “lick” God once in a while. Notice that in verse 4 he related, “I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” How could he say that? Because he knew what it was like to walk with and have a personal relationship with God! It was said of David that he was a man after God’s own heart. (Acts 13:32) We can say we “believe in God”, or that we “like God”, or that we are “Christian” but faith is more than feelings or just “licking” the Lord! Tasting the Lord is more than licking him!
 
Example: Regular sugar and alum look very similar, but are they different? Yes. And they are used for different things! Very different things! How can you tell them apart if they were not prepacked and labeled? You would, perhaps, have to taste them. You would have to get fully involved in finding out which was which. It is the same with our faith. Tasting the Lord is more than licking him!
I like a lot of things. BBQ ribs, pie, kisses from my granddaughter, a clean house, fishing and a whole lot more. But there is a difference between liking something and having a personal investment in something. Many like being an American but sadly, few actually take it a step further and vote! David understood what it meant to be personally invested in the Lord. He knew that…
 
II. Tasting the Lord is fully swallowing him!
 
  1. Too many people just want a lick of God in their lives. Why? We like free samples in life. You know, like Costco! We want to just lick something or just “try” it because we may not like it. For the Hebrew, tasting was more than licking. What the Psalmist was writing about here is the idea that you cannot know God until you know God! You cannot experience God through your parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles. You cannot sample God through others, your emotions, or just your feelings. How could David know that the Lord was “good”? He writes, “Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. (v.5)” Over and over we are encouraged to “seek the Lord” and that is what David means here. It is more than just looking for God, it is finding and discovering for yourself who he is. This is why Jesus would relate, “ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8 NIV)” This is why David would declare, “This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. (v. 6) and that “Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. (Psalms 34:9 NIV)” Faith for the Hebrew was active. He knew that he had to “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. (v. 14)” because “ The LORD will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned. (v. 22)” Jesus would declare, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. (John 3:18 NIV)” Belief is more than tasting God, tasting the Lord is fully swallowing him!
 
Example: When my folks wanted me to try some kind of food that I was unfamiliar with I had to partake of it fully. I had to take a bite, I had to chew it, and then I had to swallow it to satisfy their desire for me to try the “suspicious” food they were trying to get me to eat! You know what I discovered? I liked a lot more foods than I thought possible! I found out that I had to actually eat the food I was trying. Being a believer is more than liking Jesus, going to church, or saying you are a “Christian”. Tasting the Lord is fully swallowing him!
                                                                                                        
Conclusion:
 
Remember I began this sermon by quoting Jesus who said, “Anyone who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day, because My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink. The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood lives in Me, and I in him.” (John 6:54-56) and that “I am the bread of life, No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again.” (John 6:35) What does this mean for us today? Tasting the Lord is more than licking him! And that tasting the Lord is fully swallowing him! As David would declare: “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. (Psalms 34:8 NIV)”