The
PS 34 belongs to
Book I of the
Book of PS, composed of a collection of 150 texts arranged by five poetry books. The Book of Psalms, for its
wisdom and
basic principles of human
action, is considered the heart of the Old Testament. Book I encompasses Psalms 1 to 41. The
PS 34 is divided into 23 verses.
The Psalms are
poems-prayers addressed to God, the privileged way to address and speak to Him. These prayers represent
human experiences and
religious conscience.
They portray the
commoner with his faults, insecurities, fears, and hopes. Even today, we can identify with the Psalmist and draw inspiration from these texts to
pray and
plead with God when we feel
lost and
anguished or to express our
gratitude for some blessing.
"There are enemies or friends; there is life or death, health or illness, pain or joy and, most of the time, there are no changes or gradations. Words are like stones and poetry like boulders carved by chisel"; "The Psalms are a bit like mountain paths, simple, especially when walking on snow, but they lead to the peaks; they are paths toward the peaks of meeting the Lord." - Carlo Maria Martini, Cardinal of Milan.
Psalm 34 - God protects the Righteous
1 From David, when he pretended to be mad before Abimelech and was
cast out by him, he departed.
2 I will bless the Lord at all times;
your praise will always be in my mouth.
3 My soul rejoices in the Lord.
May the humble hear it and rejoice.
4 Exalt the Lord with me;
let us all together exalt his name.
5 I sought the Lord, and He answered me: He
delivered me from all my fears.
6 Those who beheld him were radiant,
and their faces will not be disappointed.
7 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard
and saved him from all his troubles.
8 The angel of the Lord pitches his tent
around those who fear him and delivers them from danger.
9 Taste and see how good the Lord is;
happy the man who takes refuge in it.
10 Fear the Lord, you who are devoted to him,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
11 The rich are impoverished and go hungry,
but those who seek the Lord will lack no good.
12 Come, children, hear me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
13 Who does not enjoy life
and would not like to have long days of prosperity?
14 So keep your tongue from evil
and let your lips avoid lying words.
15 Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and strive for it.
16 The eyes of the Lord are turned to the righteous,
and his ears to their cry.
17 The face of the Lord turns against those who do evil,
to erase their memory from the earth.
18 The righteous cried out, and the Lord heard
and delivered them from all their troubles.
19 The Lord is near to troubled hearts,
and He saves those broken in spirit.
20 Many are the tribulations of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him from them all.
21 He keeps all his bones;
not a single one of them will be broken.
22 Wickedness will eventually kill the wrongdoer;
and those who hate the righteous will therefore be condemned.
23 The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
those who trust in him will not be condemned.
Meaning and interpretation
Psalm 34 is an
individual thanksgiving prayer that follows a wise style. This Psalm reveals that God is on the side of the poor and afflicted,
caring for and
protecting them.
God is the one who guarantees and carries out
justice, which, in the Bible, means fundamental
morality. It is implied that these are
good and naturally
trust in God. As for the wicked, God allows their destiny to be traced by the path and laws integral to their evil and transforms it into a precise justice mechanism.
The
angels represent a
mediation between God and humans that may have several objectives, such as ensuring
communication or
protection. This mediating function of protective angels can be performed by human beings or even the realities of nature.
The
Sapiential Psalms are books of Sacred Scripture (
Libri Sapientiales ) that contain, above all,
moral sentences from ancient Israel - Proverbs, Job, Qohelet (Ecclesiastes), Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Song of Songs, Wisdom. These prayers are filled with ancient inspiration, wisdom, life experiences, and people's history. They analyze
human behavior,
ethical choices and consequences, and the search for the
meaning of life and death for each of us and as a society.
Various themes are addressed in these Psalms, such as justice/injustice; sinful/righteous; wisdom/foolishness; bad/good; fidelity/infidelity; the honor or lack of it, the virtue that exists in prudence in speaking, in being fair, in knowing how to be rich. The existence of God is never questioned. He is Creator, Lord, Judge, Wise.
The
Wisdom Psalms are also understood as a guide for everyone to
meditate on the issues of their daily lives and the mysteries of life. The Psalmist uses his own and others' experiences to
discerning the path based on correct moral principles. They are based on the assumption that what we do in this world, we pay for in this life. The wisdom style appears in Ps 1; 14; 34; 36; 37; 39; 49; 53; 73; 74.
The Book of Psalms
The Joy and Happiness of the Righteous in Communion with God
The Psalms are
prayer-poems addressed to God, the privileged way to address and speak with Him. Depicting the
commoner, with his failures, insecurities, fears, and hopes, we can still identify with the Psalmist and be inspired today in Psalms to make
prayers and
supplications to God in times of trouble or express our
gratitude for some blessing received.
Despite being written in Antiquity, the Psalms still
move,
sensitize,
awaken feelings,
inspire and
enchant. In them, we can identify
anguish and
joy, deeply human feelings, praises, supplications, teachings of reflection on spiritual wisdom, and prophetic words.
Written for
different situations, some Psalms are intimate, revealing the author's relationship with God; others provide guidelines and advice for life; others are compositions for specific liturgical events such as rituals and pilgrimages.
The
Book of Psalms comprises a collection of 150 poetic texts and is divided into five parts, called Psalm Books or Booklets. Each Book closes with short
hymns of praise to God. The division into five parts was considered to correspond to the five books of Moses, and it is assumed that each passage in the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible, called Torah by the Jews) was read in parallel with the corresponding Psalm. Its main forms are
lamentation,
supplication,
praise, and
gratitude.
The Power of Prayer in Dialogue with the Divine
The Psalms elevate our thoughts to the Divine, and
prayer is the
power of the word. Prayer is the language of faith. Any thought, word, or image addressed to God is called
prayer. Through it, we come into contact with our
God within; therefore, it is powerful in
transforming life. Prayer can produce
miracles, turn dreams into reality, and give us hope for
change,
harmony, and
peace with ourselves and the world.
Each Psalm has an
intention that helps us
meditate and
walk with our God. For many theologians, the Book of Psalms has a prophetic or messianic tone as its verses refer to the coming of Christ into the world of men to guide them through the uncertainty and doubts of Human existence.
The
prayer has the power to call the
Spiritual Universe full mode, honest, sincere, conscious, for spiritual self-protection, family protection, and those who are dear to us, to have peace of mind, spiritual and physical, for prosperity and success, to protect health and relationships, to ward off negative energies and, above all, to connect us to something bigger than ourselves, from this
peace, well-being, hope, and goodness in front of everyone and everything result.
Faith can change our lives. It gives us
tranquility and
spiritual strength to face challenges. It helps us to
meditate on our mission in life and to create a
balanced and healthy environment for ourselves and those we love. When you pray, fill your heart with
love and
determination. The Psalms will guide you toward
peace and
communion with higher energy.
