Psalm 34:8 - Try It, You'll Love It!

Psa 34:8 (KJV)  O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed
is the man that trusteth in him.

David writes this psalm for the spiritually immature, who need
to be instructed in the ways of God. One thing David thinks we need
to know is how to live in a way that brings the blessing of God.
How do we face the hard times? When we hurt, we want to know: Have
we done something wrong? Has God deserted us? What do we need to do
to receive God's help? These are good questions. If we pay
attention to David, we will get some answers. [Quiet Time SB]

The psalmist invites others not to take his word, but to put the
matter to the test for themselves. "Taste" is from the Hebrew "to try
the flavor of," here meaning, "to experience". The surest proof of
religion is found in personal experience. Without Christian experience
the religion of Christ is only theory, and as mere theory it has no
saving power. [SDA Commentary]

If we have gone through life trusting in our own judgment, we
may find it hard to commit our will to God and his plan for us. But
if we refuse to seek God's help and direction, we may never know
just how good he can be to us. He has the power and the wisdom we
need to have victory in our struggles with sin and temptation. [Life
Recovery SB]

"Taste and see" does not mean, "Check out God's credentials."
Instead it is a warm invitation: "Try this; I know you'll like it." When
we take that first step of obedience in following God, we cannot
help discovering that he is good and kind. When we begin the
Christian life, our knowledge of God is partial and incomplete. As we
trust him daily, we experience how good he is.  [Life Application SB]

Taste is an important figure of speech in the Bible. Everywhere
it's used figuratively. Taste suggests full participation in and/or
experience of the thing enjoyed. Here, the invitation to "taste and see
that the Lord is good" is a call to rely fully on Him and to
experience the benefits of a personal relationship with God. [Victor Bible
Reader's Companion]

Let any man in this spirit approach his Maker, and plead the
promises that are suited to his case, and he will soon know whether the
doctrine be of God. He shall taste and then see, that the Lord is good,
and that the man is blessed who trusts in him. This is what is
called experimental religion; the living, operative knowledge that a
true believer has that he is passed from death unto life; that his
sins are forgiven him for Christ's sake, the Spirit himself bearing
witness with his spirit that he is a child of God. (Adam Clarke
Commentary)

When we look to the world, we are perplexed, and at a loss. But
on looking to Christ depends our whole salvation, and all things
needful... By taste and sight we both make discoveries, and have enjoyment;
Taste and see God's goodness; take notice of it, and take the comfort
of it. He makes all truly blessed that trust in him. As to the
things of the other world, they shall have grace sufficient for the
support of spiritual life. And as to this life, they shall have what is
necessary from the hand of God.... Those who trust to themselves, and think
their own efforts sufficient for them, shall want; but they shall be
fed who trust in the Lord. [Matthew Henry Commentary]

"I wanta go up to blueberry hill" were words from many of my
summer campers at Camp Winnekeag in northern Massachusetts. The campers
knew that about the middle of July the hill back of the camp would be
loaded with sweet little blueberries. They would eat all they could,
then pick more and bring them down to the cook for muffins and
pancakes. She never disappointed them. She would get up every morning with
her staff and bake blueberry muffins for the campers. The campers
looked forward to breakfast.
Blueberries were first eaten by the American Indians. Besides
eating fresh berries, they would also put them out to dry. When Lewis
Cass saw his first blueberries in 1831 outside the Indian lodges he
called them whortleberries. The deep blue of the berries has a powdery
coating called bloom; that is why they look rather whitish.
There are two basic kinds of blueberries, the wild and the
cultivated. The cultivated are larger and not as sweet as the wild berries.
The State of Michigan, where we now live, is the largest producer of
blueberries in the United States, producing about 50 million pounds each
year.
Many people like blueberries the first time they taste them, but
others have to acquire a taste. A person does not know if he likes
blueberries until he has tasted them, but once one likes their flavor, he is
"hooked." Blueberries are made into pies, syrups, fritters, fruit soup,
pudding, muffins, pancakes, and other desserts. When frozen, they are fun
to pop in the mouth and suck. They are good to the taste.
David invites us to "taste" Jesus. He will be sweet and good.
When we trust in Jesus and He has all of our confidence, we will
benefit from His wonderful sweetness. He is a God of love, and that love
is ready to be poured out on each of us. Ask God to pour out His
sweet love on you today. [Talking Trees & Singing Whales by Charles C.
Case]

The word "taste" here means properly to try the flavor of
anything, to eat a little so as to ascertain what a thing is,.... It is used
here in the sense of making a trial of, or testing by experience. The
idea is, that by putting trust in God-- by testing the comforts of
religion-- one would so thoroughly see or perceive the blessings of it--
would have so much happiness in it-- that he would be led to seek his
happiness there altogether.... If those who are in danger would look to him;
if sinners would believe in him; if the afflicted would seek him;
if the wretched would cast their cares on him; if they who have
sought in vain for happiness in the world, would seek happiness in
him-- they would, one and all, so surely find what they need that they
would renounce all else, and put their trust alone in God. (Barnes'
Notes)

You may have heard it said that a person does not really know
who his friends are until the bottom drops out. I think there is
great truth to that. All of us have experienced the pain of
discovering that people we thought would be faithful - no matter what - were
simply "fair-weather friends." You know, friends whose loyalty hinges
upon the climate or circumstances. As long as the relationship is
enjoyable, they are with you all the way. But when it begins to demand some
sacrifice on their part, they are hard to find. The ultimate measure of
friends is not where they stand in times of comfort and convenience, but
where they stand in times of challenge and controversy. That being the
case, apart from adversity of some kind, we would never know who our
faithful friends really are.
In the same way, we will never know in a personal way the
faithfulness of Christ apart from adversity. As a result, our faith in Him
would never increase. It would remain static. One of the primary
reasons God allows us to face adversity is so that He can demonstrate
His faithfulness and in turn increase our faith. If you are a
believer, you. have made a decision to trust Christ with you eternal
destiny. But you will not experience His faithfulness in that particular
area until you die. God wants more from you and for you than simple
intellectual acknowledgement of His faithfulness. It is His will that you
experience it now.
If our lives are free from pain, turmoil and sorrow, our
knowledge of God will remain purely academic. Our relationship with Him
could be compared with that of a great-great-grandfather about whom we
have heard stories, yet never met personally. We would have great
admiration, but. no intimacy, no fellowship. There would always be a sense
of distance and mystery.
That is not the kind of relationship God wants with His
children. Through the death of Christ, God has opened the way for us to
have direct access to Him. He went to great lengths to clear the way
so that nothing stands between Him and His children. There is
potential now for intimacy between us and our Creator....
God is in the process of engineering circumstances through which
He can reveal Himself to each of us. And both history as well as
our personal testimonies bear witness to the fact that it is in
times of adversity that we come to a greater realization of God's
incredible faithfulness to us. (How to Handle Adversity by Charles Stanley)
[Inspirational SB]

It assaults our pride to acknowledge that there are things we
don't know or problems we can't overcome. But when we stop trying to
do it ourselves, we are in a position to receive the help God
sends. List questions that you have for God. Don't tell him what to do,
just ask. Then sit quietly for a while and listen. [Quiet Time SB]