Psalm 34:11-14 - April 11, 2009

Ps 34:11-14 "Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 12 Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, 13 keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. 14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." NIV

David now speaks from a Father’s heart. He speaks as if it were God speaking, calling the children to listen. How many fathers have tried to quiet the hearts of a son or daughter to get them to listen to some important principle or truth that could save them much trouble in life and help them be successful in their life’s journey? It is with that same spirit that David is calling out to God’s children! “I will teach you of the fear of the Lord.” This is the critical truth that David desires to pass on to the next generation of those who will follow. Of all the things that a father could impart, with this one passage David elevates the fear of the Lord to a position of great worth in the eyes and ears of his audience. David was a warrior, a musician, a friend of God, a leader, a king and therefore he would have much wisdom to impart in so many different spheres yet the thing that he is concerned about passing on is the knowledge of the fear of the Lord.
What follows is not a complicated message from David’s heart and yet it is both profound and life changing if embraced. Do you love life!? Do you desire to see many good days? There are a few priorities at the center of fulfilling these desires. Don’t speak evil and love the truth. Pr. 18:21 teaches us that “the tongue has the power of life and death.” When we truly understand the reality of this power a sense of accountability comes over every heart. How much human potential is destroyed by impatient, angry parents, teachers, pastors and leaders as they wound those who are looking to them for direction in life? David is calling us to fear God with our mouth. When we realize that we are either building people up or tearing them down, that we are either building God’s kingdom or destroying God’s reputation with how and what we speak a holy fear begins to creep over us.
James 3:2 states “If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. “ We might ask how this can be true, but perfect speech is a reflection of a heart that is conscious of God when we speak. If we would only stop and obey the principle that James teaches where he tells us to be slow to speak we would quickly see the fruit of that self control reflected in our relationships and in God’s endorsement upon our lives.
David follows this call to restraint in our speech with a call to be proactive in the opposite direction. Simply put, David says, “Do good, seek peace and pursue it!” How practical our God is! The foundation of the fear of God is summed up in these simple truths. Get control of your mouth and in so doing, get control of your hearts, do good to others and seek peace aggressively! This is what it is to fear the Lord. As we walk in this simple foundation a blessed life is headed our way.