I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. (Psalm 34:1)
Through the years, I have heard this verse sung, recited and proclaimed but seldom, if ever, have I heard it discussed within the context to which it is dedicated: A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.
When David was forced to flee from Saul having only the sword of Goliath, he ended up in the land of the Philistines surrounded by the friends and family of the man he had slain. No doubt, his presence among them wielding the sword of one their champions was like pouring salt into a wound. When the king realized that David was among them, he said things that caused David to become alarmed, thus prompting him to feign insanity by scratching on the doors of the gate, and letting saliva drip down his beard (1 Samuel 21:13). In the end, the Philistine king, convinced that David was mad, drove him away.
So how do we get from such a bizarre scenario to “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth”? I’ll suggest that there are seasons in our life that can be quite bizarre, even unbelievable, were it not for the fact that it was actually happening. Apparently even in this brief season — pretending to be mad in order to be spared — David felt it necessary and maybe even advantageous to praise the Lord continually. Later on, his son Solomon would list twenty-eight different times or seasons, all of which have a purpose (see Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). Some are good while others are not so good; some are sad and some are joyous; David was determined to bless the LORD in all those times.
It sounds so easy when we’re writing these things on paper or singing the lyrics of a song; but real life often makes it difficult to do as David determined to do. Certainly, it is not impossible; it is simply a matter of choice. We must choose to thank and bless the LORD even in the most difficult of times. Not doing so will not help our situation; if anything it tends to make matters worse, especially when we get too deep into self. I’ve never had to pretend to be insane in order to avoid getting killed but I have, like you, had some bizarre times in my life when it was too easy to be overwhelmed by my circumstances. But every season in our life has a reason; and in those times that we feel like we are going crazy, God still protects, preserves and provides for us. Therefore let us join with David and determine that, “His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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