Overview:
NET, "In this song of thanksgiving the psalmist praises God for delivering him from distress. He encourages others to be loyal to the Lord, tells them how to please God, and assures them that the Lord protects his servants.
The psalm is an acrostic; vv. 1–21 begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet...The final verse of the psalm, which begins with the letter pe (פ), is outside the acrostic scheme."
Repeated words:
Delivered, saved, help, rescue, protect, escape punishment.
Images:
1. The loyal followers are surrounded by angel.
v.7 The LORD’s angel camps around
the LORD’s loyal followers and delivers them.
2. The goodness of the LORD is tasty like a good food.
v.8 Taste and see that the LORD is good!
How blessed is the one who takes shelter in him!
This verb is normally used of tasting or savoring food. The metaphor here appears to compare the LORD to a tasty meal.
Structure:
In v.1-8: What would God do to those who sought the LORD's help
delivered, saved, they are blessed v.4,6,7,8
In v.9-14 The psalmist encouraged the readers to fear the Lord
fear the LORD and lack nothing v.9, 10, 11, and live a long, happy life v.12. Fearing the LORD includes not speaking evil words v.13, or use deceptive speech v.13, turn away from evil, and do waht is right, strive for peace and promote it v.14
In v.15-22 the 2 themes above combined together: the LORD saves the godly
the LORD hears the cry of the godly and help them v.15; the LORD opposed evildoers v16.
In v.17-20, David focused on the godly: the LORD is by our side to encourage us.
v.18 The LORD is near the brokenhearted;
he delivers those who are discouraged, His protection may not be seen now, but will eventually comes
v.20 He protects all his bones;
not one of them is broken
NET, Not one of them is broken. The author of the Gospel of John saw a fulfillment of these words in Jesus’ experience on the cross (see John 19:31–37), for the Roman soldiers, when they saw that Jesus was already dead, did not break his legs as was customarily done to speed the death of crucified individuals. John’s use of the psalm seems strange, for the statement in its original context suggests that the Lord protects the godly from physical harm. Jesus’ legs may have remained unbroken, but he was brutally and unjustly executed by his enemies. John seems to give the statement a literal sense that is foreign to its original literary context by applying a promise of divine protection to a man who was seemingly not saved by God. However, John saw in this incident a foreshadowing of Jesus’ ultimate deliverance and vindication. His unbroken bones were a reminder of God’s commitment to the godly and a sign of things to come. Jesus’ death on the cross was not the end of the story; God vindicated him, as John goes on to explain in the following context (John 19:38–20:18).
Reflection: David spoken from his own experiences that Yahweh saves, and he gave us vivid pictures of how good that will look like, but are you one of them that He will save? How do we make sure that? Be sure that we fear Him and we will lack nothing good (more than being saved). Fearing God involves our words, speech, doing, and how we relate to other people. God helps this kind of person, pays attention to them, and opposes the evil ones. In other words, I do not need to pray for good health and being in a well condition every day, but focus on the question, "Am I fearing God today?" If yes, then gives the rest to God.
However, fearing God may not have a life without trouble, our life may still have brokenhearted, be discouraged, facing many dangers, and even facing the dangers of breaking bones. In Jesus's case, the deliverance will ultimately come and vindication. Do I have faith like him?
Audrey
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