From the Pastor’s Pen

Final thoughts on Psalm 34:11-14

Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.  Who is the man who desires life, And loves many days, that he may see good?  Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit.  Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.          NKJV

Oh, how important it is to have the fear of the Lord.  To some this is a ridiculous concept. They say that the Lord is supposed to be your best friend and fear should not be a part of the relationship.  However, the Scriptures say, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Prov. 9:10).  We learn that there are consequences when we do not listen to God and this fear leads to wisdom.  The Lord gives us His commandments for our protection—for our own good.  It is the Lord’s wisdom that we are to desire rather than the world’s wisdom.  Considering this, the next verse is very appropriate.  

 If we desire to see many good days we will keep our tongue from evil and our lips from speaking lies.  How quickly our tongue can give away whether we are in fact wise or foolish.  We must realize that if we would see good, we must do away with gossip, cursing, and slander.  These sins are all destructive, inflaming others or damaging reputations.  Our tongues are to be used for healing—for the profit of others (Prov. 12:18, 15:4).

 Finally, we are exhorted to seek peace.  This is not the peace of the world, which promotes tolerance of everything, including sin, in order to avoid conflict.  To the contrary, the very fact that we follow Jesus and preach His words will bring us into conflict with the world (I John 3:3; John 15:18-20; Matt. 10:34-37; II Tim. 3:12).  The peace that we are to seek is harmony with God; the assurance of knowing that we are right with Him.  The only place that we can find this peace is in listening to God; submitting ourselves to His will (Phil. 4:9).  And what are the results when we submit to the His will?  The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:7).

Have you put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and found that peace of God which surpasses all understanding?