Dress in Radiance!
[Psalm 34:1-7]
In Ephesians 5:27, the Bible tells us that the purpose of husbands loving their wives is to “present her to Himself as a glorious church” before Jesus. The “glorious church” referred to here is one that is “without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but holy and blameless” in the eyes of the Lord (v. 27). This is the purpose of our Lord, who is the head of the church, in loving our church. He loves us to the end so that He may present us as His glorious church. So, how should husbands help their wives become glorious wives? In Ephesians 5:25-26, Paul answers this: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.” In other words, the Bible teaches that husbands are responsible for cleansing their wives with God’s word to make them glorious wives.
In today’s Scripture, Psalm 34:5 says, "They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed." Here, the phrase “were radiant” means "to be clothed with radiance," or "to become light" or "to shine like a lamp" (Park Yun-seon). The meaning of this verse is that David, who pretended to be mad before Achish and was rejected, or others in similar “distressed” situations (v. 2), receive spiritual grace while waiting upon the Lord and can see the future blessed hope clearly (Park Yun-seon).
Today, I would like to reflect on Psalm 34:1-7 under the title, “Dress in Radiance!” I want to meditate on what those who are clothed in radiance do, and I hope that as we learn these lessons, we will obey them and live lives of radiance.
First, those who are clothed in radiance praise God (Psalm 34:1-3).
In Psalm 34:1-3, the psalmist David expresses the call to praise God with three different words. By using these three words, David teaches us a more comprehensive meaning of praising God:
(1) "Bless"
Look at Psalm 34:1 in today's passage: "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth." The Hebrew word for "bless" here means "to kneel." This refers to a posture of worship or humility. It teaches us that when we praise God, we must do so with a humble attitude. In this humility, what specific divine attributes of God should we praise? David praised God's goodness and faithfulness (Psalm 31:21). Therefore, to bless God means not only to praise His goodness and faithfulness during worship but also to reflect His goodness and faithfulness throughout our lives of worship.
(2) "Boast"
Look at Psalm 34:2 in today's passage: "My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad." The phrase "boast in the Lord" means recognizing that all good things come from God and giving glory to God for everything (Park Yun-seon). This type of boasting is something the "humble"—those who have been humbled through suffering—hear and rejoice in (Park Yun-seon). It is a boasting that encourages and gives hope, especially for those going through difficulties.
(3) "Exalt"
Look at Psalm 34:3 in today's passage: "Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together." The word "exalt" here is similar to the term "magnify," meaning "to make great." Our God is already great; how can we, as humans, make Him even greater? The answer is that we should desire for God's greatness and majesty to be revealed through our weakness and humility.
So, how should we praise God? The Bible teaches us three key principles:(1) We should praise God "always" (Psalm 34:1).
In 1 Thessalonians 5:16, the Apostle Paul says, "Rejoice always." In Psalm 34:1, David encourages us to bless the Lord at all times. To do this, we need to meditate on and experience God's works in our lives. By doing so, we will be able to praise the Lord for what He has done. But does this mean that if we do not experience God's works, we cannot praise Him "always"? No. There is one eternal reason we can praise God always: the work that He did on the cross. Every time we remember this unchanging act, the one time God acted for our salvation, we must praise Him for the work of salvation He has done.
(2) We should praise God with "our soul" (Psalm 34:2).
David did not just praise God with his mouth, but with his soul. To praise God "with the soul" means to dedicate our entire person—our mind, emotions, and will—in worship (Park Yun-seon). We should not just praise God with our lips but with our whole being, using our intellect, emotions, and will.
(3) We should praise God "together" (Psalm 34:3).
This refers to "communal praise." David does not just call on himself but invites those who are in difficult situations, like him, to praise God together. Why does he ask this? First, because even his own soul needs the cooperation of others to rise up and praise God. Second, because he is so thankful for the grace he has received, he wants others to add their thanks as well. Third, because the grace he has received benefits other believers. Fourth, because other believers also have the hope of receiving the same grace (Park Yun-seon).
Even when we find ourselves in situations where we cannot praise God, we should think about the grace of salvation that God has given us through Jesus Christ. Even in those times, we should praise God with our soul. In particular, we must trust in the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness and be assured that, through all circumstances, His good will will be accomplished (Romans 8:28). By doing so, we will give great glory to the great Lord with our praise. As we do this, we, as those who are radiant with His light, can shine brightly in this dark world with the light of Jesus Christ.
Second, those who are clothed in glory call out to God (Psalm 34:4-6).
In Psalm 34:4-6, David expresses his prayer to God with three key terms:
(1) "I sought"
Look at Psalm 34:4: "I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears." The word "sought" here means "to seek God with effort" (Park Yun-seon). It refers to the act of earnestly and continually praying to God (Park Yun-seon).
(2) "They looked to Him"
Look at Psalm 34:5: "They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed." The phrase "looked to Him" means to eagerly seek God's salvation and to gaze at Him. In this complicated and deceptive world, if we do not look only to the Lord, we will inevitably fall into all kinds of temptation (Park Yun-seon). Those who look to the Lord, seeking His salvation and focusing on Him, will not be ashamed.
(3) "They cried out"
Look at Psalm 34:6: "This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles." The term "cried out" refers to "calling out loudly and pleading before God." Such prayers are valuable not because of the volume of the cry but because of the sincerity of the heart (Park Yun-seon).
When David sought God with effort, eagerly sought His salvation, and looked to Him, and when he cried out loudly before God, what was the response to his prayer? It was that God delivered him from "all his fears" (verse 4) and "all his troubles" (verse 6). This teaches us that prayer is all-powerful. When we pray, God delivers us internally from all our fears. Therefore, God no longer allows us to fear our enemies or our circumstances but rather establishes us as those who fear the Lord (verse 7). Also, when we pray, God delivers us externally from all our troubles. Our God is a God of salvation.Those who are clothed in glory are those who praise God and cry out to Him. Such people receive God's deliverance. They experience God's gracious salvation from all their fears and troubles. Therefore, while we live in this dark world, we, as those clothed in glory, must humbly praise God. In the faith that all good things come from God, we must exalt the great name of God. We must always praise God, remembering the grace of the cross of Jesus Christ, and praise Him with our souls. We must also praise God together with our brothers and sisters. We must pray. We must seek God with effort and cry out fervently while longing for salvation. When we do this, God will hear the cries of those who fear Him and will save us from all our fears and troubles.
"O my soul, praise God. O my soul, pray to God."
With a heart desiring to be built as a glorious, radiant church through obedience to the words of Jesus Christ,
Pastor James Kim
(Longing for the power of praise and prayer)