A Psalm of David when he feigned madness before Abimelech, who drove him away and he departed.
I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul will make its boast in the Lord;
The humble will hear it and rejoice.
O magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
— Psalm 34:1-3
David’s boast was not that he had killed Goliath, that he had married Michal, that the women of Israel had endorsed him, or that as a young man he had surpassed many much older than he. I believe David’s feeling was, “How glorious it is that I have followed the Lord. What a wonderful decision!”
Before this time, David was too busy to boast in anything, for he was making himself manifest for the Lord’s sake. That was right and proper, for without that manifestation, the Lord would have never been able to bring David to this point. Now the Lord was stripping away these things to bring David down from such a height to such a depth. He had nothing outward left to boast in. He now could say with assurance,
My soul shall make its boast in the Lord.
— Psalm 34:2a
Adapted from David: After God’s Heart, page 65.
Tomorrow: “Boasting Only in the Lord (3)”