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Context Matters: Taste and See That the Lord is Good

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Priscilla Du Preez (2017), public domain

Perhaps you’ve heard that Christians need to taste and see that the Lord is good, that God’s blessings extend to all of our senses. Maybe you’ve been given this encouragement in the context of celebrating the Lord’s Supper or as a reminder that God cares for your body. You may even have been told that “taste and see” means that God wants you to have all of the material blessings you can name.

Context matters. When we learn to read the Bible as a whole—not as a collection of disjointed sentences and phrases ready for posters and sermon titles—we’ll find that some familiar expressions have deeper meanings than we thought.

The Immediate Context

The phrase “taste and see that the Lord is good” comes from the middle of Psalm 34.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. (Psalm 34:8–10)

In the immediate context, tasting and seeing God’s goodness is tied to taking refuge in him; this is the path to blessedness (Ps. 34:8). Saints who fear the Lord will lack no good thing (Ps. 34:9–10).

Just after these verses, David (the psalm’s author) mentions one of these “good things.”

What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good? (Ps. 34:12)

This is what seeking the Lord must look like for anyone who wants a long life.

Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it. (Ps. 34:13–14)

The Bigger Picture

Just as we must not ignore the immediate context of Psalm 34:8, we also must not ignore the larger picture. When we read the entire psalm, we see the Lord’s goodness everywhere.

  • God answers us and delivers us from all our fears (Ps. 34:4)
  • Those who look to God are radiant and will not be ashamed (Ps. 34:5)
  • God hears and saves us out of all trouble (Ps. 34:6)
  • God delivers those who fear him (Ps. 34:7, 17, 19)
  • The Lord is near and he saves (Ps. 34:18)
  • The Lord redeems life, none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned (Ps. 34:22)

We often spiritualize the psalms, reasoning that the psalmist was facing military and physical threat while our dangers are moral or spiritual. But David wrote “taste and see” in the middle of this psalm for a reason.

David experienced the Lord’s goodness with his senses, in real life. God’s nearness, his deliverance, his salvation, his redemption, his hearing and answering—and consequently David’s crying out, looking to God, seeking God, and taking refuge in him—were just as real as honey on David’s tongue or the altar in front of David’s face.

And the goodness of the Lord is just as available to us as it was to King David.

Not an Easy Life

If we’re honest, we’d like the Lord’s goodness to eliminate all sickness, hardship, and want. But that is not reality in Psalm 34.

  • We have fears (Ps. 34:4) and troubles (Ps. 34:6)
  • We need deliverance (Ps. 34:7, 17)
  • We need to cry for help (Ps. 34:17)
  • We are brokenhearted and crushed in spirit (Ps. 34:18)

We see both from this psalm and from David’s life that turning to God does not ensure a life of trouble-free blessing thereafter. Psalm 34 is written to/for “saints of the Lord” (Ps. 34:9), so all the difficulties mentioned above come to God’s people. This is highlighted in the psalm itself: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous” (Ps. 34:19).

David, even as the anointed of the Lord, faced enormous hardship and threats to his life. In the introduction to Psalm 34 he references 1 Samuel 21:10–15. As David fled from Saul, he went to the king of Gath. But news of David’s military success preceded him, so he faked madness to save his life. And it worked! David cried for help, and the Lord heard him and delivered him (Ps. 34.17).

How to “Taste and See”

I had two questions before digging into this psalm: What does it mean that the Lord is good? How do we experience the Lord’s goodness?

The answers to both questions, from a detailed look at this psalm, are clear. When we seek God in humility, he answers and delivers us.

Seeking God in humility is difficult. It means admitting that we are poor (Ps. 34:6) and that we have fears and troubles beyond our ability (Ps. 34:17). Taking refuge in God and learning the fear of the Lord also have dramatic implications for our lives: we boast in the Lord (Ps. 34:2) and bless him at all times (Ps. 34:1), we keep our tongues from evil (Ps. 34:13), and we turn from evil and pursue peace (Ps. 34:14).

But the reward is far greater than the cost. “None of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.” Given what we deserve and what we are promised, this is the best news in the world! Even in the middle of this Old Testament book of prayers and songs, we see the work of Jesus—condemned in the place of his people.

So, while “taste and see” has no contextual reference to the Lord’s Supper, and no promise of material blessings, this psalm teaches that God’s people experience his deliverance with their senses. In our actual bodies, God delivers us, he saves us, he hears us, and he is near to us.

Context matters.

For more examples of why context matters, click here.

3 Game-Changing Facts about God’s Wisdom

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Every once in a while you see a truly game-changing scenario. Like when your team was trailing by 6 runs, but the bottom of the 9th saw a 3-run homer followed by a re-loading of the bases. And now your best slugger stands at the plate, and you’ve got a fighting chance.

Proverbs 8:32-36 speaks of one of those situations. Solomon is almost through with his 9-chapter manifesto on God’s wisdom. He’s built the foundations, and he’s about to invite you into the feast: the detailed wisdom in the rest of the book. But first he’s got a few more pitches to throw. (Sorry to keep mixing metaphors, but it’s not much different from what Solomon does!) Will you stand or fall? Walk or strike out? Get a hit and stay alive, or get caught looking to retire the side?

N. Kodama (2009), Creative Commons

N. Kodama (2009), Creative Commons

If you’re still not sure what to do with this thing called wisdom, Solomon issues a command, a promise, and a motivation.

And now, O sons, listen to me:
blessed are those who keep my ways.
Hear instruction and be wise,
and do not neglect it.
Blessed is the one who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting beside my doors.
For whoever finds me finds life
and obtains favor from the LORD,
but he who fails to find me injures himself;
all who hate me love death. (Prov 8:32-36, ESV)

The Command

“Listen to me…Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it.” This has been the most repeated command in these opening 8 chapters of Proverbs. Listening is:

  • the responsibility of the wise (Prov 1:5)
  • the prelude to discernment (Prov 1:8)
  • the failure of fools (Prov 1:24)
  • the pathway to God (Prov 2:1-5)
  • the discipline of the favored (Prov 3:1-4)
  • the urgent appeal of a father (Prov 4:1-2)
  • the perception of light and life (Prov 4:10-11)
  • the prerequisite for personal change (Prov 4:20-21)
  • the protection of purity (Prov 5:1-2)
  • the defense against destruction (Prov 5:7)
  • a young man’s preservation from death (Prov 7:24-27)
  • the conversion of fools (Prov 8:5-6)

And now, O sons, don’t neglect to hear instruction (Prov 8:32-33). You’ll be wise if you but listen. And if you don’t hear, you’re not a victim but a perpetrator of your own downfall.

The Promise

“Blessed are those who keep my ways…Blessed is the one who listens to me…” (Prov 8:32, 34). Repeatedly, Solomon has commanded wisdom’s reception, not out of a sense of disinterested duty but on account of a Godward self-interest. Gaining wisdom is hard work, but it’s worth it because your life will be better with it than without it. The one who listens and keeps the commands is “blessed.”

As Paul reasons elsewhere, “No one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church” (Eph 5:29). So, he says, take that innate self-passion of yours and direct it to your wife. Jesus reasons similarly in his summary of the law: You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Matt 22:37-40). He does not command us to love ourselves; he assumes we already do. And he expects us to love others with the same degree of fervency.

So with Solomon. Do you want what’s best for yourself? Really? If so, you’ll value what God thinks best over what you think best, since God’s best is better than your best. Hear the one you fear, be willing to change everything, and be blessed.

The Motivation

On the one hand, there is wisdom, life, and the Lord’s favor (Prov 8:35). On the other hand, there is self-injury and necrophilia (Prov 8:36). Your choice. Do such things motivate you to listen up? When you get this, nothing will stay the same.

The command, promise, and motivation: These are game-changing facts about God’s wisdom. “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil 3:8).

Wisdom Turns Nobodies into Somebodies

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Susan BoyleIn April 2009, a frumpy, middle-aged, and socially awkward Scotswoman marched on the stage of the TV show Britain’s Got Talent. Susan Boyle flouted her spunky attitude and wish to be a professional singer, while judges and audience members alike snickered and visibly mocked her. But they gave her a chance.

You’ve got to watch the video to understand fully what happened that day. Simon Cowell—the world’s most cynical and scathing judge of performance talent—shows little mercy to this nervous woman, but his bewildered expression after her first few notes is priceless. Boyle’s performance gives new meaning to the song “I Dreamed a Dream.”

Boyle’s audition was the most viewed YouTube video in 2009. She went on to take second place in that season of Britain’s Got Talent, but it was enough to secure her a record deal with Sony Music.  Her first album sold more copies than any other début album in British history, and she has since gone on to record 4 more. Two Grammy nominations and 22 million pounds later, she’s performed in Windsor Castle and had a musical written about her. She’s become an icon of success, a contemporary rags-to-riches tale.

Wisdom is like that.

I don’t mean that wisdom will earn you millions of pounds or pageviews. Nor do I mean that wisdom grants your wishes to become famous or successful. I mean simply this: Wisdom turns nobodies into somebodies.

We’re drawing near the end of Proverbs 1-9. Over the next few weeks, I’ll work through chapter 8 in my Monday posts, and I’ll show how this chapter summarizes Solomon’s entire model of wisdom. Before we get to the closing vision of chapter 9—which launches the reader into the body of the book—Solomon will remind us of all that came before. Solomon assembles the pieces of wisdom’s instruction into a few long poems placed on Wisdom’s own lips.

You and I might be nobodies. But God in his grace wants to make us into somebodies. His favor and life are stored up, ready for immediate disbursement to those who love his Son, Jesus Christ. If you grasp Christ, your wisdom from God, your life will never be the same again.

Don’t Just Find Wisdom – Keep It!

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Solomon promises blessing not only to those who find wisdom, but also to those who keep it. hold on 01

My son, do not lose sight of these—
Keep sound wisdom and discretion,
And they will be life for your soul
And adornment for your neck.
Then you will walk on your way securely,
And your foot will not stumble.
If you lie down, you will not be afraid;
When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
Do not be afraid of sudden terror
Or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes,
For the Lord will be your confidence
And will keep your foot from being caught (Prov 3:21-26, ESV).

Solomon details for a second time how wisdom satisfies.  First, notice what’s similar between this list (Prov 3:21-26) and the first one (Prov 3:13-18).  Both sections consist of six verses with a key word near the beginning and ending: This time the key word is “keep” (although, to be technical, the two “keeps” in the Hebrew text are synonyms and not the same word).  In addition, both sections give the same list of benefits.  Here’s the list from 21-26:

  1. Life (Prov 3:22).  Compare with “long life” on the first list.
  2. Adornment (Prov 3:22).  Compare with “honor.”  Wisdom makes you influential, so others will honor you.
  3. Security (Prov 3:23).  Compare with “peace.”  How could you be more secure than to have no (ultimately powerful) enemies?
  4. No fear (Prov 3:24-25).  Compare with “pleasantness.”  The more you grow in godliness, the less you will fear being ruined.  God is drawing you near, not pushing you away.  You’ll sleep better because of it.
  5. Confidence in the Lord (Prov 3:26).  It’s possible that this item is parallel to “riches” on the first list.  If so, Solomon explains what our true, lasting riches are: not anything found on earth at all, but a relationship with the Lord himself, made possible by the gift of his own righteousness.

Second, observe what’s different about the two sections: the first section is about “finding” wisdom and “getting” understanding (Prov 3:13), while the second section is about “keeping” them (Prov 3:21).  It is not enough that we “find” wisdom (Prov 3:13).  We must hold fast to it (Prov 3:18).  We must never lose sight of it (Prov 3:21).  We must keep it with us at all times (Prov 3:21).  The difference is between beginning our journey and ending it.  Remember that we never are wise; we can only become wise.  Wise people are those who keep moving in the right direction.  It might sound cliché, but it’s true: Wisdom is a journey, not a destination.  The moment we slow down, we’ve lost our way.

The purpose of this journey is to take us to the Lord.  Remember from chapter 1 that the wise are those who are moving toward the Lord.  It is critical that we stay this course.

As we “keep” wisdom, the Lord himself will “keep” us from being caught (Prov 3:26).  Caught by what, exactly?

  1. Caught by our own love for being simple?  Yes: See Prov 1:22.
  2. Caught by others who will trample us on their way to self-fulfillment?  Yes: See Prov 2:12-19.
  3. Caught by the disappointment of living in a fallen world where things do not usually turn out as we expect?  Yes: See Prov 3:11-12.
  4. Caught by our proclivity to believe that money, or anything else we might desire, will give us the life, honor, pleasantness, and peace we’re looking for?  Yes: See Prov 3:14-15.

God doesn’t want any of these things to ensnare you.  Don’t ever let wisdom out of your grasp; chase after it every day.  (See Prov 19:27.)  Only wisdom can give the satisfaction you’re looking for.

One of my daughters loves fruit.  She pursues it like a young lover; she consumes it like an American.  She’ll lie like an incumbent to get it, and she’ll scream like a banshee if you take it.  We took her strawberry picking once, before she could even walk, and she came home with the juice saturating her jumper, giving her the look of a cannibalistic fiend.  She’ll rush through dessert just to get more fruit.  Thirty minutes later, she’ll ask for more fruit in a cup to carry around the house and munch on.  She’s simply insatiable, and our produce budget can’t keep up.

We should be like that when it comes to wisdom.

The Blessings of Finding Wisdom

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Last week, we saw that those who find wisdom receive blessings.  This week we’ll unpack what exactly those blessings are.

"Treasure Chest" by Tom Garnett (2012), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

“Treasure Chest” by Tom Garnett (2012), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

Long life is in her right hand;
In her left hand are riches and honor.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace (Prov 3:16-17, ESV).

Look at what awaits you if you find wisdom:

  1. Long life (Prov 3:16).  We saw previously that Solomon understands “long life” to go beyond the grave.  You may or may not make it to age 100, but the life mentioned here is something far more significant.  It is a “tree of life” (Prov 3:18).  God took the tree of life from Adam and Eve when they sinned (Gen 3:22-24), but Jesus promised to give it back to everyone who endures in faith to the end: “To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God” (Rev 2:7).  Finding wisdom is part of this restoration process.
  2. Riches (Prov 3:16).  Wisdom does not promise you more money; Solomon just said he’s offering something better than money (Prov 3:14-15)!  The Lord offers a treasure that, unlike money, delivers from death: “Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death” (Prov 10:2).  Wisdom’s wealth is God’s righteousness, now available through Jesus.  It provides acceptance and rescue.  (See Rom 3:21-26.)
  3. Honor (Prov 3:16).  It might not mean that everyone likes you.  But there is a general trust and influence that results when you are gracious and humble, fearing the Lord: “The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life” (Prov 22:4).  Insightful people will see the outcome of your wise life and call you blessed (Prov 3:18).  In Little Women, dying Beth finds a note written by her sister Jo enumerating her virtues and bestowing such honor as Solomon pledges.  Her response?  “Have I been all that to you, Jo? … Then I don’t feel as if I’d wasted my life.  I’m not so good as you make me, but I have tried to do right.”
  4. Pleasantness (Prov 3:17).  When you seek wisdom, you may still suffer, but ultimately your way to God will become straight: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart…and he will make straight your paths” (Prov 3:5-6).  In other words, God’s will for you will become crystal clear: “For this is the will of God: your sanctification” (1 Thess 4:3).  You will seek him and love him more every day.  His commandments will seem more pleasant and less burdensome as you grow closer to him.
  5. Peace (Prov 3:17).  Our war with God has come to an end: “Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1).  We can now be agents of reconciliation for others as well: “In Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself…and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:18-19).  This peace will spill into every other relationship, wreaking havoc on disorder and waging war against conflict.

Why do we settle for less?

Finding Wisdom is Better than Anything

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We think we’re blessed when life goes well for us.  But Proverbs says we’re blessed if we find wisdom.

Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
And the one who gets understanding,
For the gain from her is better than gain from silver
And her profit better than gold.
She is more precious than jewels,
And nothing you desire can compare with her.
Long life is in her right hand;
In her left hand are riches and honor.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
Those who hold her fast are called blessed (Prov 3:13-18, ESV).

Thia section begins and ends with the word “blessed.”  Notice the many blessings that come when one “finds wisdom” and “gets understanding” (Prov 3:13).

"Treasure Chest" by Tom Garnett (2012), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

“Treasure Chest” by Tom Garnett (2012), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

Prov 3:14-15 says that wisdom’s blessings are “better.”  We’re often drawn to things like silver, gold, and jewels to give us value and satisfaction, but Solomon promises that what we gain from wisdom is better than whatever we might gain from such treasures.  “But we don’t care about money,” we might say.  “There are far more important things in life.  Love, family, reputation, productivity, influence, world peace, pets, and chocolate all come to mind.”  Solomon brushes every one aside with a sweeping, “And nothing you desire can compare with her” (Prov 1:15).

Consider the implications of this verse.  Finding wisdom is a greater blessing than having sex, even if you waited until marriage.  Wisdom is more satisfying than Thanksgiving dinner.  Wisdom will make you happier than conceiving a child will.  If your goal is to graduate, get a job, find a soul mate, help the needy, gain a hearing, start a business, write a book, join a band, fit in, get your kids through college, protect your kids from losing their faith in college, master theology, find a good church, go fishing, win the election, pay the bills, grow your church, buy a house, retire comfortably, live close to your grandchildren, leave a legacy, or be left alone, then your goal is too small.  It won’t satisfy you.  All of these things are good, but none of them can compare to wisdom.

We think we’re experts in satisfaction, but we’re like adolescents absorbed in hand-held video games at the beach: captivated in our own world while missing out on all the real fun.