Commentary - Psalm 34:11-14

Bird's-eye view

In this section of Psalm 34, David, having tasted and seen that the Lord is good, turns from praise to pedagogy. He adopts the posture of a wise father or teacher, gathering the "children" to instruct them in the foundational principle of all true living, which is the fear of Yahweh. This is not a theoretical lecture; it is intensely practical. The fear of the Lord is not a subject to be mastered in a classroom but a skill to be learned in the cut and thrust of daily life. David connects this holy reverence directly to the universal human desire for a long, good life. He then lays out the syllabus for this course, and it involves rigorous discipline of the tongue, a decisive break with evil, the active pursuit of good, and a relentless chase after peace. This is covenantal wisdom, where piety and practicality kiss each other. True blessedness is not found in esoteric experiences but in Spirit-empowered obedience that begins with the fear of God.

The logic is straightforward: if you want a life that is actually life, a life overflowing with good days, then here is the curriculum. It begins with the right relationship to God, which is fear, and it works itself out in how we speak, what we refuse to do, what we actively do, and the state of our relationships. This is not a list of suggestions for self-improvement. It is the divine pattern for a life that has been redeemed from the pit and set on a rock.

Outline

Context In Psalms

Psalm 34 is an acrostic psalm, written by David when he feigned madness before Abimelech. The context is one of deliverance from a tight spot, a deliverance he attributes entirely to the goodness of God. The first ten verses are a cascade of praise and testimony. David has been rescued, and his immediate response is to bless the Lord at all times and to invite others to join him. This section, beginning with verse 11, marks a shift in tone but not in theme. The praise of the first half of the psalm becomes the premise for the instruction in the second half. Because God is a great deliverer who hears the cries of the righteous, it is therefore the height of wisdom to become one of those righteous ones. The instruction on the fear of the Lord is not abstract theology; it is the practical outworking of having experienced God's salvation firsthand. It answers the question, "Since God is so good and powerful, how then should we live?"

Key Issues

Verse by Verse Commentary

Verse 11: Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.

David begins with a warm, paternal summons. "Come, you children." This is the call of a spiritual father, a seasoned veteran in the faith who has learned wisdom through hard-won experience. He is not lecturing from an ivory tower; he is gathering his sons and daughters to pass on the most valuable inheritance he possesses. The posture he requires is one of humility and attentiveness: "listen to me." Wisdom is not absorbed by osmosis; it must be received with a ready ear. And what is the subject matter? It is the central pillar of all biblical wisdom: "the fear of Yahweh." This is not a craven, cowering terror before a cosmic tyrant. That kind of fear is the fruit of sin and is cast out by perfect love. The fear of the Lord is a clean fear, an awe-filled reverence and worshipful respect for the God who is both infinitely holy and astonishingly gracious. It is the beginning of wisdom because it properly orients the creature to the Creator. To not fear God is to be a fool, living in a universe you do not understand. David's offer to teach this fear indicates that it is something that can, and must, be learned. It is a cultivated virtue, a disciplined response to the reality of God.

Verse 12: Who is the man who delights in life And loves many days that he may see good?

Here David connects his curriculum to a fundamental human longing. He asks a rhetorical question that expects a hearty "I am!" from every listener. Who doesn't want to delight in life? Who doesn't want to love their days and see good? This is not a trick question. God is not a cosmic killjoy who demands that we despise the life He has given us. The Scriptures are clear that life is a gift, and the enjoyment of it is a blessing from God's hand. The desire for a long and prosperous life is not inherently sinful; it is woven into the fabric of our created nature. David is not rebuking this desire; he is channeling it. He is saying, in effect, "You want the good life? You want to see blessing and not curse? I am about to tell you how to get it." The world offers a thousand different paths to this goal, all of them leading over a cliff. The path of wisdom, however, begins with the fear of the Lord and leads to genuine, lasting good. This is covenant theology in miniature. Obedience is the path to blessing. Not because our obedience earns God's favor, but because God has designed the world in such a way that walking in His ways is the only way to experience the goodness He has built into it.

Verse 13: Guard your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit.

The first practical outworking of the fear of the Lord is the government of the tongue. This is not accidental. James tells us that the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity, and that the one who can bridle his tongue is a perfect man. The fear of God must be installed as a sentry at the gate of your mouth. "Guard your tongue from evil." This is an active, diligent watchfulness. Evil here refers to speech that is destructive, harmful, or wicked. This includes slander, gossip, cursing, and malicious talk. Then he adds the parallel, "And your lips from speaking deceit." Deceit is falsehood, the twisting of words to mislead or manipulate. A man who fears God will be a man of his word, because his God is the God of truth. To lie is to act like the devil, who is the father of lies. This instruction is intensely practical. The tongue has an immense capacity for both good and evil. A life of blessing is impossible if the mouth is a constant source of cursing and deceit. The fear of God makes you weigh your words, knowing that you will give an account for every idle one. It makes you slow to speak and quick to listen, because you know that God is listening too.

Verse 14: Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.

The discipline extends from our words to our actions. The instruction comes in two pairs. First, "Depart from evil and do good." This is the great divorce and the new marriage. Sanctification has both a negative and a positive aspect. We are to turn away from evil. This is repentance, a decisive break with the old ways of sin. It is not enough to simply try to manage our sin or keep it within respectable bounds. We are to depart from it, to flee from it as from a serpent. But this turning from sin is not an end in itself. We turn from evil in order to turn to righteousness. We are to "do good." This is active, engaged obedience. The Christian life is not one of passive avoidance of sin, but of the energetic pursuit of righteousness, mercy, and justice. We are to be about our Father's business. The second pair of commands is "Seek peace and pursue it." Peace, or shalom, is not merely the absence of conflict. It is wholeness, well-being, and right relationships. We are to "seek" it, which implies a deliberate and intentional effort. But it is more than that; we are to "pursue" it. The word suggests a chase, a relentless hunting down. This means we are to be proactive peacemakers, not passive peace-keepers. In a world full of strife, we are to be agents of reconciliation, first with God through the gospel, and then with one another. This pursuit of peace is hard work, but it is the work of those who have been called the children of God.

Application

The wisdom of this psalm is not for framing on the wall; it is for living in the street. The central lesson is that true piety is intensely practical. If you call yourself a Christian, if you say you fear God, then that fear must manifest itself in tangible ways. It starts with your mouth. How did you speak to your spouse this morning? What did you say about your boss at the water cooler? Are your words building up or tearing down? The fear of God means you take your speech seriously, because God does.

Furthermore, your life must be characterized by a clear trajectory: away from evil and toward the good. This requires daily decisions. It means saying no to certain websites, certain conversations, certain business practices. And it means saying yes to opportunities to serve, to give, to encourage, to build. It is not enough to not be doing bad things; we must be actively engaged in doing good things. Christianity is not a spectator sport.

Finally, we are called to be relentless pursuers of peace. This will make you a strange bird in a world that thrives on conflict, outrage, and division. It means you will have to swallow your pride. It means you will have to forgive when you would rather hold a grudge. It means you will have to be the first to extend the hand of reconciliation. This is not a call to be a doormat, but a call to be an ambassador of the Prince of Peace. The good life that David speaks of is not a life of ease, but a life of fruitfulness, and that fruit grows only in the soil of a heart that truly fears God.