Come and Taste the Lord

Psalms 34:4-10; 119:81-104

Jim Davis

Try to imagine a person who loves to study recipes for delicious foods. The person becomes a collector of recipes. Thousands of recipes are collected from all over the world. You look at a recipe and ask, “How does this taste?” The reply is “Oh, I am not a cook, I am only a collector of recipes, but I believe it would make a great meal.” 

Too often this is true with life and our relationship with God. We only collect ideas about God. Our ideas about God are used to build a belief system about God. Yet, we have never really tasted God. We have the recipe for knowing God personally—for a better life, the recipe to salvage our lives in whatever circumstances we fine ourselves, but we have never tasted God. 

The heroes of the Bible approach God in a more personal way. The psalmist invites us to; “Taste and see that life with the Lord is good . . .” Listen to the Psalmist:

Psalms 34:4-10
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears. 
5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame. 
6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles. 
7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them. 

8 Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. 
9 Fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing. 
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. NIV

The psalmist invites us to come and “Taste and see that the LORD is good . . .” We are invited to experience God’s presence. The psalmist is not a collector of ideas about God—he is a poor man seeking to taste what he believes about God. He is calling upon God. He is experiencing deliverance from all his fears. He is experiencing God’s salvation in troublesome times. His shame is covered despite his failure. He is experiencing refuge in God and feeling the presence of the angels encamping around him. 

The psalmist isn’t alluding to some far off plan of God to save the human race. He is in the very midst of seeking God and experiencing salvation. He is receiving God’s blessed answers as he writes the psalm. He is speaking of how God is delivering him from his precarious circumstances. In other words, he is getting a real taste of God. It results in him falling in love with God as he tastes God’s personal deliverance. 

Meditating On God’s Ways

Throughout the book of Psalms we discover those meditating upon God’s way rejoicing as they study God’s word. They rejoice as they experience the fulfillment of his word in their lives. And at times the Psalmist is lamenting. It seems as though God is absence. You see, they are not studying just to know about God. They are seeking to see God’s activity in their personal lives. They are studying to understand how God is moving in their circumstances or how they think he should be moving. Sometimes we find them questioning why God is allowing them to be in less than ideal circumstances. They are seeking to understand God’s deliverance—or how his deliverance will come—or if it will come. 

I want you to listen to the Psalmist as he is anxiously seeking God’s deliverance. Notice how he questions God’s seemingly slow response. As you read this psalm notice—the salvation the psalmist seeks is not some far off plan of God. 

Psalms 119:81-88
My soul faints with longing for your salvation,
but I have put my hope in your word. 
82 My eyes fail, looking for your promise;
I say, "When will you comfort me?" 
83 Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke,
I do not forget your decrees. 
84 How long must your servant wait?
When will you punish my persecutors? 
85 The arrogant dig pitfalls for me,
contrary to your law. 
86 All your commands are trustworthy;
help me, for men persecute me without cause. 
87 They almost wiped me from the earth,
but I have not forsaken your precepts. 
88 Preserve my life according to your love,
and I will obey the statutes of your mouth. NIV

He is seeking to see God move in his undesirable circumstances. The Psalmist questions why it is taking so long to experience God’s deliverance. I want you to listen to his reaction as he experiences God’s deliverance. And notice how it deepens his commitment to follow God’s word more closely than ever.

Psalms 119:103-104
103 How sweet are your words to my taste ,
sweeter than honey to my mouth! 
104 I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path. NIV

Biblical writers are merely studying God’s law and mediating on God’s ways as he moves—or doesn’t seem to move in their lives. This is the personal message they seek to share with the reader. Their words reveal how they personalize God’s word as they seek to taste God. Their journals are simply sharing their experience of God with us. 

Experiencing God for Ourselves

We often take a scripture and fit it into a belief system about God without ever using the scripture to experience God for ourselves. For example we may look at Psalms 2:1-11 as only a Messianic psalm. I wonder if the writer sees the psalm as we see it today. We may understand the Messianic overtones, but it is being written in David’s personal journal. Is David only penning these words for future generations—or do the words have a very special meaning and application to him personally? 

No doubt the psalm is about his personal experience and beliefs about God. David never has a clear vision of the total ramifications of the messianic implications. We understand the messianic ramifications much clearer than David. Yet, David sees a sovereign God who rules in heaven and on earth telling him: “You are my son . . . ask of me, and I will shatter the nations who rage against you to pieces . . . you will be blessed if you take refuge in me.” We may only see the psalms application to Christ. Yet, it was overflowing with personal meaning for David as he wrote the psalm. 

The questions are: What meaning does the second psalm have for me? Is it only a fulfilled Messianic prophecy? Was all the meaning squeezed out of these words with the coming of Christ? Or does God still sit in the heavens laughing our enemies into derision as we take refuge in him? Do I look at how David’s experience of God led him to write this psalm without realizing the words offer me the very same confidence in God? 

It is absolutely important to know what we believe, but only knowing about God without seeking, experiencing and tasting God’s personal deliverance is a recipe for disaster. We cannot understand God’s plan to salvage the world until we get a real taste of God for ourselves. Evangelism is not about sharing our doctrines with the lost; it is about sharing God’s presence with those he already loves. It begins with us tasting God for ourselves. It is the only way for the lost to get a real taste of God.

Abraham steps out on the promises of God. There is no prewritten law or formula to guide his every step. God seldom gave extensive details on the front end. No does he give extensive details today.  I think there is a reason God doesn’t give the details. It is simple. God is not about to reveal his plans for us to our enemies. That would only infuriate them and they would make our lives much harder. 

God not only calls upon me to believe and follow. God also verifies his promises to me as he leads me to experience his hand upon my life. Abraham’s knowledge of God grows as he steps out to experience God’s promise. It is Abram’s experiences leading him to see that those blessing him are blessed by God, and those who curse him are cursed by God. 

God reveals himself to Abram as “Almighty God.” It is hard for Abram to grasp the full implication of what it all means. In fact, Abram laughs at God as he promises him a son when he and his wife are beyond childbearing years. It is in his experience of God giving him a son that Abram learns about God’s almighty power. 

Abram’s faith isn’t an unquestioning faith in God. His decisions often are of such nature that they in and of themselves question God. Numerous times Abram makes decisions, which have devastating consequences. He chooses to flee to Egypt during a famine. Without hesitating he trades his wife for the safety of those who travel with him.  This is actually his plan for his personal protection from the moment he steps out to follow God. He is following God but he uses this back up plan for protection more than once. He chooses to have a son by his hand maid. 

Abraham’s experiences bring him face to face with God. Twice God intervenes to save Sarah from Abraham’s deal with the Pharaoh of Egypt and king Abimelech. God appears to the Pharaoh in a dream warning them to let Sarah go. God intervenes causing serious diseases to break out on Pharaoh and his entire household.  

Knowledge of God Grows from Experience

God’ verification of his promises and blessing is seen in Abraham’s deliverance. It took Abraham the best part of at least forty years to call upon God as Jehovah-jireh. The name means, “God provides.” Jehovah-jireh defined his experience of God. It is a name he calls God as he is coming down Mount Moriah after attempting to offer Isaac as a sacrifice to God. God provides the appropriate sacrifice. Abram begins to see clearly God’s hand of providence upon his life.

I have a strong belief that it is the moment it all came together for Abraham. God has just verified every promise he ever made to Abraham. He is now able to see where God was leading him all along. What rejoicing must be his as he comes off that mountain? Now it is clear what God is doing for him every step of the way. God brings him to this moment of maturity. Hallelujah, he understands God will provide—he tastes God—how sweet it is. 

Our ideas and beliefs about God must be allowed to grow and reach maturation. It is amazing how the faith of those who walk with God in the Old Testament grew into full maturity. David calls upon God as Jehovah-ra-ah, which means “The Lord is my shepherd.” He experiences God’s hand upon his life quietly leading him through the valley of the shadow of death. 

Gideon calls upon God as Jehovah-shalom, which means “The Lord our peace.” He experiences peace as he leads 300 men victoriously against thousands of his enemies. Initially, he doubts that God has the right man for the job. He is the least of his family, and from the least of the tribes of Israel. He not only doubts—he also questions God. He asks God, “If you are for us, why are our enemies plundering and robbing Israel.” When it was all over Gideon experienced “The Lord is our peace.”

Jeremiah’s song is about Jehovah-tsidkenu, which means “the Lord our righteousness.”  He experiences God’s righteous judgment upon the evil nations of the world as he is caught up in a collapsing world order. He is imprisoned for preaching God’s righteousness. God delivers him from prison. God brings him back to Jerusalem to live as Israel is judged for her sins. He not only experiences God’s righteous judgment against Israel. Jeremiah also experiences God doing the right thing for him personally as God delivers him from a crumbling world order. 

These names for God rose out of their experiences of God, as they fought to believe and follow. 

Conclusion:

Today there is a name which stands above all names—Immanuel—which means “God is with us.” There is none other name which stands above this name. It is rich in meaning. Imagine—GOD IS WITH US. God is with us is the emphasis of the entire New Testament. 

Matthew 28:16-20
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." NIV

The theme of the New Testament is that God is with us. Jesus is not only with the disciples on this mountain; he is with us always to the very end of this age. Jesus doesn’t ask us to come to him to know about him. He asks us to come to him to taste his restful presence in our lives.

Matthew 11:28-30
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."  NIV

God moves among the fellowship of first Christians reminding them of his presence. God speaks to Paul in a vision reassuring him of his protection.

Acts 18:9-11
9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city."  11 So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God. NIV

God appeared to Paul on the deck of a storm tossed ship with a message of reassurance.

Acts 27:21-26
21 After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: "Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23 Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.' 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island." NIV

We must come to a point to where we believe that God will do as he has told us. For it is then we begin to taste God for ourselves.