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Contextualization as Servant not Master

August 12, 2026 By Peter Krol

Matthew Adams has some helpful reflections on our use of context in Bible study. In particular, he’s noticed a trend, where people hand the keys to cultural context to drive the car of interpretation.

Of course, context matters. Context is a crucial aid to interpretation to help us grasp the meaning of the text.

Only after we have understood a passage within its literary context, its historical setting, and its place within the unfolding history of redemption do we finally ask how it addresses our own culture.

But cultural context is not an excuse to deny the plain meaning of the text. Nor is it our job to adjust the Bible to be more palatable in our own culture. So, for example, cultural context may help us to understand why Paul said a particularly difficult thing to a certain audience. But that does not mean we are authorized to dismiss that message as being therefore irrelevant to our cultural audience today.

The mission of the church has never been to make the gospel comfortable within the world. It has been to proclaim the Word of the Lord until every knee bows before King Jesus.

Check it out!

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Tres esferas de aplicación

August 11, 2026 By Peter Krol

This is a Spanish translation of a post from our archive. For the original post in English, please click the “Publicación original” link at the top of the post. For further explanation of why we’re posting articles in Spanish for a season, see this announcement.

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Publicación original de Peter Krol, traducida por Sarah Oiler

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La semana pasada escribí sobre las dos direcciones que podemos seguir con nuestra aplicación. Esta semana, quisiera proponer otra manera de pensar en la aplicación: las tres esferas. A lo largo de las próximas semanas, explicaré cada una de ellas con más detalle. Después las integraré en un solo modelo que te dará pasos prácticos para seguir cuando quieres aplicar cualquier pasaje de la Escritura.

Las tres esferas de la aplicación son la Cabeza, las Manos, y el Corazón. Estas esferas representan tres aspectos diferentes de tu vida en los que puedes obedecer al Señor y ser conformado a la imagen de Jesús.

“Head” by Tinou Bao (2006), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution license

La Cabeza representa todo lo que piensas y crees. Esta esfera involucra pensar los pensamientos de Dios y creer su verdad. También involucra identificar las mentiras que crees así que puedes reemplazarlas con la verdad.

Te rebelas contra Dios cuando crees lo que no es la verdad (Romanos 1:25).
Cuando conoces la verdad de la Palabra Conocible de Dios, ella te liberará de la esclavitud al engaño (Juan 8:31-32).
“La fe” es lo que demuestras cuando dejas a un lado el engaño y confías profundamente en lo que es verdadero, aunque no sea visible inmediatamente (Hebreos 11:1).

“Hands” by John Lambert Pearson (2007), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution license

Las manos representan todo lo que haces. Esta esfera involucra imitar al Señor y sus embajadores, aprender nuevas habilidades para ser más eficaz en la edificación del Reino de Dios, y abandonar los patrones viejos de conducta egoísta.

No te has arrepentido verdaderamente de tu pecado hasta que tu vida cambia (Lucas 3:7-8, 10-14)
El cambio involucra creer la verdad (lo cual coincide a la esfera de la Cabeza), renunciar a tu conducta vieja, y desarrollar nuevos hábitos de obediencia (Efesios 4:20-24, con ejemplos específicos en Efesios 4:25-32).
Cualquier “fe” que solo se preocupa por una declaración doctrinal no es la fe verdadera. Tu doctrina importa (otra vez, la aplicación de la Cabeza), pero solamente si se pone en práctica (Santiago 2:14-17).

El corazón representa quién eres. Esta esfera involucra llegar a ser una persona nueva que desea al Señor más que todo y refleja una sabiduría piadosa y un carácter abnegado.

Cambiar tu comportamiento sin cambiar tu corazón es una abominación (Isaías 29:13-14).
Conocer lo correcto (la aplicación de la Cabeza) y hacerlo (la aplicación de las Manos) sin haber renacido y sin tener nuevos deseos y esperanzas en Cristo no vale para nada (Gálatas 6:15-16).
Un corazón semejante a Cristo con amor por Dios y por el prójimo es mucho más valioso que la religiosidad y el buen comportamiento (Marcos 12:32-34).

Cada una de las tres esferas son importantes. Gran parte del desafío de la observación es descubrir cómo aplicar con cada esfera sin perder el equilibrio de las tres.

¿Cuál de las tres esferas es más fácil o más difícil para tí? ¿Por qué?

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Context Matters: Apart From Me You Can Do Nothing

August 10, 2026 By Ryan Higginbottom

Perhaps you’ve heard that no one can do anything apart from Jesus. You may have been told this saying refers to our complete reliance upon God. Or, you may have read this phrase during leadership or evangelism training, urging your frequent communication with Jesus.

Context matters. When we learn to read the Bible in context—not just as a collection of memorable phrases—we’ll find that some familiar verses take on richer and deeper meanings.

The Vine and the Branches

The phrase “apart from me you can do nothing” is just a portion of John 15:5. This is part of a long conversation Jesus has with his disciples on the evening of the Last Supper, after Judas departs (John 13:30). Jesus tells them he is the vine and his father is the vinedresser (John 15:1); God takes away branches that do not bear fruit, and he prunes every fruit-bearing branch (John 15:2).

Because of their parallel nature, we need to read John 15:4 and John 15:5 together.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:4–5)

In the immediate context, “you can do nothing” is related to “bear[ing] fruit” and “apart from me” stands opposite to “abide in me and I in him.” We cannot know Jesus’s full meaning in John 15:5 without understanding “abiding” and “bearing fruit.”

Abiding

In one way, the metaphor of the vine and branches makes clear the meaning of “abide.” Branches draw nourishment and life from the vine; without that connection, they die.

Abiding in Jesus is not an extra level of discipleship—it is essential! He is life itself; anyone who does not abide in Jesus is thrown away like a branch from the vine and burned (John 15:6).

Abiding in Jesus is also connected to both Jesus’s words and his love. If anyone abides in Jesus, his words abide in them, and their prayers will be answered (John 15:7). Jesus tells the disciples not just to abide in him but to abide in his love (John 15:9). He then explains what this means—if the disciples keep Jesus’s commandments, they will abide in his love (John 15:10). Jesus teaches this not as a burdensome duty but so their joy will be full (John 15:11).

We should also notice the similarity between the words “abide” and “abode,” or dwelling. Unfortunately, some translations obscure this link. Jesus is going to prepare a place for his disciples in his father’s house (dwelling); he wants them to be where he is (John 14:2–3). He speaks of his connection with the father as “the father abiding in me” (John 14:10, NASB). Throughout this discourse, Jesus’s relationship with his disciples shares many features of his relationship with his father.

Any disciple that wants to bear fruit must abide in Jesus and Jesus must abide in them (John 15:5). This mutual abiding, along with the other context summarized above, points to a unity, knowledge, obedience, and love that is life-sustaining and supernatural.

Bearing Fruit

As with abiding, bearing fruit goes hand-in-hand with following Jesus. Jesus says that bearing fruit is the way a person proves to be a disciple (John 15:8). In the metaphor of the vine and branches, bearing fruit is what normal, healthy branches do.

If anyone loves Jesus, they will keep his commandments (John 14:15), and thus we see a connection between bearing fruit and keeping Jesus’s commands. Jesus knows that we need help in this calling, which is why he promises to send “another helper”—the Holy Spirit (John 14:16). The Spirit abides with the disciples and will be in them (John 14:17, NASB).

We see this essential link between love, obedience, and the presence of God in John 14:23.

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.” (John 14:23, NASB)

So bearing fruit is a Spirit-powered yet normal part of being a disciple of Jesus. And it happens as we abide in, love, and obey Jesus.

Abide in Him

Apart from Jesus we can do nothing. When we read this verse in context we see that Jesus is not primarily warning against self-reliance nor dismissing the contributions of non-Christians. Yes, he is drawing a sharp line between those who follow him and those who do not. But this is a call to life.

Those connected to the vine are animated by the life-giving Spirit, and they are fruit-bearing by nature. Apart from the vine, there is no nutrition, no life, no fruit.

Context matters.

This was originally published in 2020.

For more examples of why context matters, click here.

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10 Reasons to Choose Sexual Immorality

August 7, 2026 By Peter Krol

Though Solomon gives 10 solid reasons to avoid sexual immorality in Prov 6:24-35, we still do it. Why would we do such a dumb thing?

Because in our folly, don’t we believe what is not true? Don’t we lose sight of what really matters? We turn inward to focus on ourselves, and we set aside the fear of the Lord. We allow immorality’s smooth promises to woo us.

Have you capitulated to any of the following lies, in opposition to the corresponding truth from Proverbs?

1. It’s not that bad

To preserve you from the evil woman,
from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. (Prov 6:24)

Perhaps sexual immorality is a mistake—even one that will leave me feeling guilty for days. But “evil”? Let’s try not to use such inflammatory language.

2. I’m free in Christ

Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes. (Prov 6:25)

I’m saved by grace, so I’m free in Christ (to sin, that is). Of course, I don’t want to commit immorality; it’s just a besetting sin. I’m not truly captive to it; I’ll just have to struggle with it for the rest of my life.

3. It won’t cost much

For the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread,
but a married woman hunts down a precious life. (Prov 6:26)

I can afford a loaf of bread. A second look never hurt anybody. Anyway, Jesus already paid my debts.

4. I can handle it

Can a man carry fire next to his chest
and his clothes not be burned?
Or can one walk on hot coals
and his feet not be scorched?
So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
none who touches her will go unpunished. (Prov 6:27-29)

Christians need to play with fire; it’s how they learn discernment. Plus, these pictures and sex scenes don’t tempt me as much as they used to.

5. It won’t hurt anybody

People do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,
but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold;
he will give all the goods of his house…
[A jealous husband] will accept no compensation;
he will refuse though you multiply gifts. (Prov 6:30-31, 35)

God gave me this hunger, so what else was I supposed to do with it? At least I’m not hurting anybody. This is just between me and God.

6. I can relate with people who struggle with this issue

He who commits adultery lacks sense. (Prov 6:32a)

Pornography and masturbation are so common today. I’m happy to be a wise counselor for others who struggle with it the way I do.

7. I can’t live without it

He who does it destroys himself. (Prov 6:32b)

Jesus, please don’t come back too quickly. At least not until I get to experience great sex. My singleness is such a burden. Or my marriage isn’t fulfilling me as I had hoped. I won’t be happy unless I get to look and touch again tonight. And tomorrow night. And the next.

8. It will make the pain go away

He will get wounds… (Prov 6:33)

Life is so hard. I’ve got deadlines I don’t think I can meet. There’s unresolved conflict so intense it makes me feel sick. My parents (or children, spouse, roommate) won’t stop nagging me. I failed my exam. My life is spinning out of control. I just need to get away from it all.

9. I’ll confess it to my accountability group

He will get wounds and dishonor,
and his disgrace will not be wiped away. (Prov 6:33)

It’s a normal part of life. Everyone struggles with sexual sin. I’ll never be able to change it, but at least I keep it in the light by confessing it to others who will respect my transparency. And I don’t judge them, either. There’s nothing to be ashamed of here.

10. It will be worth it

For jealousy makes a man furious,
and he will not spare when he takes revenge. (Prov 6:34)

What I am feeling at this moment is more important than anything else. Feel, look, touch; don’t think. My assistant or supervisor makes me feel so much more loved than my spouse does. My fantasies should override my misgivings. Nobody will know about it.

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Of course, these lies are foolish, but that doesn’t stop us from believing them in the midst of temptation. The one who fears the Lord will identify the lies, replace them with the truth, and act accordingly. As we heed the reproofs of discipline, we find the way of life (Prov 6:23) in the one who died to give us life (John 15:12-14).

Which lies are you most likely to believe? Are there others you would add to the list?

This post was first published in 2014 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

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Bible Reading Tips for Beginners

August 5, 2026 By Peter Krol

This piece by Kevin Halloran would be a great one to send somebody just getting started with reading the Bible. It covers the most important background, offers strong motivation, and provides a practical path toward a habit of communion with God through his word.

Halloran gives 15 practical tips, some of which are:

Understand what the Bible is
Understand what the Bible does
Read prayerfully
Read humbly
Read in community
Read in context
Expect difficulty
Don’t give up

I commend this article for your consideration and to share with friends and converts.

Check it out!

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Dos direcciones para la aplicación

August 4, 2026 By Peter Krol

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Publicación original de Peter Krol, traducida por Sarah Oiler

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Pensamos que la aplicación rica es complicada, pero Jesús mostró que puede ser bastante sencilla.

“Uno de ellos, experto en la Ley, le tendió una trampa con esta pregunta:

—Maestro, ¿cuál es el mandamiento más importante de la Ley?

—“Ama al Señor tu Dios con todo tu corazón, con toda tu alma y con toda tu mente”—respondió Jesús—. Este es el primero y el más importante de los mandamientos. El segundo se parece a este: “Ama a tu prójimo como a ti mismo”. De estos dos mandamientos dependen toda la Ley y los Profetas.” (Mateo 22:35-40, NVI).

La frase “toda la Ley y los Profetas” es muy completa. Jesús dijo que todo lo que Dios quiere que hagamos se resume en dos cosas: amar a Dios y amar al prójimo.

“The Fork in the Road” by i_yudai (2008), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

Estos dos mandamientos muestran dos direcciones en las que podemos aplicar cualquier pasaje bíblico: hacia dentro y hacia fuera. Podemos esforzarnos por llegar a ser personas más semejantes a Cristo, que amen a Dios más apasionadamente (aplicación hacia dentro), y podemos procurar ser personas de influencia más abnegadas que amen a los demás como Cristo nos ha amado (aplicación hacia fuera).

Por ejemplo, Efesios 6:4 tiene una aplicación práctica inmediata hacia dentro para los padres: ser un padre más paciente, cariñoso, y semejante a Cristo con tus hijos. Instruirlos y disciplinarlos en los caminos del Señor. Podríamos ser más específicos, pero pienso que entiendes la idea general.

Sin embargo, llevar tu aplicación hacia fuera profundizará tu conocimiento sin importar si eres varón con hijos en casa o no. ¿Cómo puedes ayudar a los padres alrededor de tí para que sean padres mejores? ¿Cómo puedes aprovechar al máximo esta etapa actual de tu vida (soltería, jubilación, etc.) para servir a otros y ayudarlos en la crianza de sus hijos? ¿Qué puedes hacer para servir en el ministerio infantil de tu iglesia? ¿Cómo puedes reflejar el carácter de Dios al ser una figura paterna para los niños sin padre en tu comunidad? ¿Cómo podrían estos asuntos influir en tus oraciones por tu iglesia y comunidad?

Practiquemos más con Lucas 2:1-21. Antes identificamos el propósito principal de Lucas, que es: “Dios envió a Jesús para nacer para que pudiera salvar a los humildes y reinar sobre ellos con bondad. Esto glorifica a Dios al máximo.”

La aplicación hacia dentro puede dar lugar a las preguntas siguientes:

¿Me considero una persona entre los humildes o entre los petulantes?
¿Estoy abierto a la corrección y a la salvación del Señor?
¿Cómo puedo dar más gloria a Dios cuando me salva de mis pecados y necedad?
¿Dónde siento el dolor de mi debilidad? Dónde estoy resistiendo la obra del Señor para cambiarme?
¿Quien puede ayudarme a ser más honesto acerca de mi necesidad de Cristo? ¿Cómo puedo invitar a esa persona a aconsejarme?

La aplicación hacia fuera nos lleva en una dirección diferente, pero igualmente importante.

¿Estoy proclamando fielmente a otros el mensaje de la salvación de Cristo?
¿Cómo puedo ser más efectivo al dirigir cada conversación hacia el poder salvador de Cristo para rescatar a los humildes?
¿Cómo puedo sazonar mi conversación con sal para mostrar dónde las personas confían en sí mismas y necesitan a Cristo?
¿Creo que el Señor puede salvar a cualquier persona?
¿Cómo puedo orar para que Dios salve a mi familia extendida? Mis vecinos? Mis colegas?
¿Por qué permanezco en silencio y valoro más mi propia gloria y comodidad que el glorioso rescate que Dios hizo a los pecadores?

Al estudiar la Biblia, recuerda considerar ambas direcciones de la aplicación: cómo puedes cambiar y cómo puedes ayudar a otros a cambiar. De esto dependen toda la Ley y los Profetas.

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10 Reasons to Avoid Sexual Immorality

July 31, 2026 By Peter Krol

Easy sex will keep you from being wise.

To make this point, Solomon lists ten consequences of sexual immorality in Proverbs 6:24-35. Before reading my list, I urge you to read the passage yourself and see how many consequences you can observe. Perhaps making your own list will help you to remember these things when you face temptation.

1. You’ll participate in evil

To preserve you from the evil woman,
from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. (Prov 6:24)

Immorality is evil, and temptation is an invitation to do evil. But wisdom preserves the wise from evil. When you believe the smooth and deceitful promises of immorality, you choose guilt by association: You are now evil as well.

2. Your desire will take you captive

Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes. (Prov 6:25)

It was for freedom that Christ has set you free, but immorality seeks to enslave you. Capitulation will become easier and easier. Resistance will become more and more difficult. Far better for you to rid your heart of these fantasies while you can.

3. You’ll lose everything

For the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread,
but a married woman hunts down a precious life. (Prov 6:26)

The cost begins low: only a loaf of bread. But with diminishing returns, you’ll need to give more and more until your very life is forfeit. Immorality hooks you while it’s cheap. A glance here, a touch there. But before you know it, you can’t sleep without sexual release. You simply can’t keep your hands off, and you’ll lose everything in the process.

4. Your punishment is inevitable

Can a man carry fire next to his chest
and his clothes not be burned?
Or can one walk on hot coals
and his feet not be scorched?
So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
none who touches her will go unpunished. (Prov 6:27-29)

You can’t tinker with immorality and hope to escape. You may be able to cover it up for a time, but you will eventually be found out. God sees everything, and he is a consuming fire.

5. You can’t repay what you’ve stolen

People do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,
but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold;
he will give all the goods of his house…
[A jealous husband] will accept no compensation;
he will refuse though you multiply gifts. (Prov 6:30-31, 35)

The point is not to justify theft, but to condemn sexual immorality. People can understand a thief’s motives, though they still make him repay what he stole. How much less will they understand you when they find you out?

Perhaps you rob your present or future spouse of your best love and attention. Maybe you steal someone’s innocence. Or perhaps you continue supporting the horrific porn industry, which destroys young women and holds them captive. Pictures are never harmless; we must not lie to ourselves.

6. You’ll lack sense

He who commits adultery lacks sense. (Prov 6:32a)

There goes wisdom and, along with it, life and peace and satisfaction and joy.

7. You’ll destroy yourself

He who does it destroys himself. (Prov 6:32b)

We do it because it feels good. But, like an alcoholic who destroys his liver, or a smoker who disregards his lungs, we kill ourselves with good feelings. Easy sex is all about self-gratification, but Jesus said that he who loves himself loses himself. Wisdom pierces these feelings to find the truth.

8. You’ll create your own wounds

He will get wounds… (Prov 6:33)

It’s like touching a hot stove. Or using credit cards to spend money you don’t have. Or picking a scab. Or playing hopscotch on the interstate. You’ll hurt for it later, and you’ll have brought the hurt on yourself.

9. You’ll find dishonor and disgrace

He will get wounds and dishonor,
and his disgrace will not be wiped away. (Prov 6:33)

You set yourself up for constant reproach and a bad name. You’ll always be that guy who ran off with the girl and ruined a good thing (family, ministry, career, etc.).

10. You’ll lose every time

For jealousy makes a man furious,
and he will not spare when he takes revenge. (Prov 6:34)

Sexual immorality rightly infuriates. Jealous husbands will not spare on the day of revenge.

But what if your immorality doesn’t involve seducing a married person? Then there’s no jealousy to fear, right? Wrong: “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Rom 12:19). Remember that God, the Great Husband, has a special place in his heart for those with no human protectors. Can you watch your back when it comes to him?

If, like me, you have already failed in the sexual realm, take heart and remember there’s always hope in Christ. He provides a way out. This list is not to consign you forever to guilt and punishment, but to warn you from future folly. So please don’t make the fatal mistake of presuming his past grace enables your continued self-destruction.

This post was first published in 2014 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

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Great Resource for Studying the Bible in Context

July 29, 2026 By Peter Krol

You should check out Bible & Context. The site is designed to help “readers see the words, world, argument, and story around every passage so Scripture can be read clearly, faithfully, and in context.”

The site has guides that you can search by Scripture text. The guides include simple maps, historical info, cultural practices, and the train of thought to help you study each passage in context. Care is given to controversial matters, highlighting why interpretive differences exist.

There is much here that can benefit your Bible study. Check it out!

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10 razones por qué deberías aplicar la Biblia a tu vida

July 28, 2026 By Peter Krol

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Publicación original de Peter Krol, traducida por Sarah Oiler

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Para burlarse de la muerte y el mal y encontrar la buena vida verdadera (Deuteronomio 30:16-20).
Para dar fruto todo el año y nunca tener que amontonar las hojas (Salmo 1:1-6).
Para poder ir al campamento del Señor (Salmo 15:1-2).
Para obtener el tesoro más dulce (Salmo 19:7-11).
Para conseguir un buen seguro para las inundaciones (Mateo 7:24-27).
Para ser aquel de quien Dios presume ante todos sus amigos (Efesios 2:4-10).
Para recordar a qué debes parecerte (Santiago 1:23-24).
Para poder compartir todas las buenas cosas con la gente de Dios (3 Juan 5-8).
Para mostrar que Dios realmente te ama (Apocalipsis 3:19)
Porque todos los demás están haciéndolo (Apocalipsis 7:9-10, 13-14, 14:1-5, 19:6-8)

Vale la pena.

Sin mencionar la oportunidad de cumplir tu propósito en la vida al dar gloria al único Señor, que es digno de toda alabanza (1 Corintios 10:31).

¿En qué otras razones puedes pensar?

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Context Matters: Taste and See That the Lord is Good

July 27, 2026 By Ryan Higginbottom

Priscilla Du Preez (2017), public domain

Perhaps you’ve heard that Christians need to taste and see that the Lord is good, that God’s blessings extend to all of our senses. Maybe you’ve been given this encouragement in the context of celebrating the Lord’s Supper or as a reminder that God cares for your body. You may even have been told that “taste and see” means that God wants you to have all of the material blessings you can name.

Context matters. When we learn to read the Bible as a whole—not as a collection of disjointed sentences and phrases ready for posters and sermon titles—we’ll find that some familiar expressions have deeper meanings than we thought.

The Immediate Context

The phrase “taste and see that the Lord is good” comes from the middle of Psalm 34.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. (Psalm 34:8–10)

In the immediate context, tasting and seeing God’s goodness is tied to taking refuge in him; this is the path to blessedness (Ps. 34:8). Saints who fear the Lord will lack no good thing (Ps. 34:9–10).

Just after these verses, David (the psalm’s author) mentions one of these “good things.”

What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good? (Ps. 34:12)

This is what seeking the Lord must look like for anyone who wants a long life.

Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it. (Ps. 34:13–14)

The Bigger Picture

Just as we must not ignore the immediate context of Psalm 34:8, we also must not ignore the larger picture. When we read the entire psalm, we see the Lord’s goodness everywhere.

God answers us and delivers us from all our fears (Ps. 34:4)
Those who look to God are radiant and will not be ashamed (Ps. 34:5)
God hears and saves us out of all trouble (Ps. 34:6)
God delivers those who fear him (Ps. 34:7, 17, 19)
The Lord is near and he saves (Ps. 34:18)
The Lord redeems life, none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned (Ps. 34:22)

We often spiritualize the psalms, reasoning that the psalmist was facing military and physical threat while our dangers are moral or spiritual. But David wrote “taste and see” in the middle of this psalm for a reason.

David experienced the Lord’s goodness with his senses, in real life. God’s nearness, his deliverance, his salvation, his redemption, his hearing and answering—and consequently David’s crying out, looking to God, seeking God, and taking refuge in him—were just as real as honey on David’s tongue or the altar in front of David’s face.

And the goodness of the Lord is just as available to us as it was to King David.

Not an Easy Life

If we’re honest, we’d like the Lord’s goodness to eliminate all sickness, hardship, and want. But that is not reality in Psalm 34.

We have fears (Ps. 34:4) and troubles (Ps. 34:6)
We need deliverance (Ps. 34:7, 17)
We need to cry for help (Ps. 34:17)
We are brokenhearted and crushed in spirit (Ps. 34:18)

We see both from this psalm and from David’s life that turning to God does not ensure a life of trouble-free blessing thereafter. Psalm 34 is written to/for “saints of the Lord” (Ps. 34:9), so all the difficulties mentioned above come to God’s people. This is highlighted in the psalm itself: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous” (Ps. 34:19).

David, even as the anointed of the Lord, faced enormous hardship and threats to his life. In the introduction to Psalm 34 he references 1 Samuel 21:10–15. As David fled from Saul, he went to the king of Gath. But news of David’s military success preceded him, so he faked madness to save his life. And it worked! David cried for help, and the Lord heard him and delivered him (Ps. 34.17).

How to “Taste and See”

I had two questions before digging into this psalm: What does it mean that the Lord is good? How do we experience the Lord’s goodness?

The answers to both questions, from a detailed look at this psalm, are clear. When we seek God in humility, he answers and delivers us.

Seeking God in humility is difficult. It means admitting that we are poor (Ps. 34:6) and that we have fears and troubles beyond our ability (Ps. 34:17). Taking refuge in God and learning the fear of the Lord also have dramatic implications for our lives: we boast in the Lord (Ps. 34:2) and bless him at all times (Ps. 34:1), we keep our tongues from evil (Ps. 34:13), and we turn from evil and pursue peace (Ps. 34:14).

But the reward is far greater than the cost. “None of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.” Given what we deserve and what we are promised, this is the best news in the world! Even in the middle of this Old Testament book of prayers and songs, we see the work of Jesus—condemned in the place of his people.

So, while “taste and see” has no contextual reference to the Lord’s Supper, and no promise of material blessings, this psalm teaches that God’s people experience his deliverance with their senses. In our actual bodies, God delivers us, he saves us, he hears us, and he is near to us.

Context matters.

This was originally posted in 2020.

For more examples of why context matters, click here.

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