Gospel Hope to Despairing Persons

This poor man cried and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. (Psalm 34:6)

Psalm 34 is titled in such a manner that we know accurately its context. It was written after David feigned madness and escaped a threat in 1 Samuel 21:10-15. This matters because Psalm 34 has the flavor of a message meant for particular ears. At the outset David identifies himself as one who boasts in the Lord, but then he invites some congregation to join him in magnifying and exalting the Lord. That congregation is described in 1 Samuel 22:2 - "everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented, gathered to him; and he became captain over them." David is captain of the distressed, broke and unhappy folk, 400 of them we are told. What will David say to them?
David testifies to God's deliverance in his own life- and to similar deliverance for others, presumably persons who had entered into this band of despairing ones. (Psalm 34:4-7) Then he does something bold. He invites them to try the Lord and see for themselves that he is good. This is not a "give my church a try and see if it fits your liking", or even a "give my god a try and see if he matches your tastes." Such invitations are cowardly. This is bold - He says "Taste and see THAT the Lord is good." He does not invite them to entertain the possibility that the Lord might not be good, he invites them only to venture upon the Lord (that is put all your trust in Him, invest all in Him) and they will find Him good. "How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him," David says. He goes on and plainly illustrates how man is blessed. Not by gain, but by the absence of want - "for to those who fear Him, there is no want." Not by might, even that of a lion, but by trust. (34:10)
We do not know what those distraught and despairing men expected from drawing near to David. Maybe they expected to engage in rebellion and achieve a revolution. We do know what David preached to them. He preached the mercy of a God who is "near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Whatever the cause of the discouragement, the deliverance is never far away. "The Lord redeems the soul of His servants; And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned. " (Psalm 34:22)