No shame (2 Sam 18-20; Psalm 34; Romans 2)

Given what we are seeing in Romans, Psalm 34 makes an incredible promise:

Those who look to him are radiant,
    and their faces shall never be ashamed. (v5)

In Romans we are seeing that there is no one righteous, whether religious or irreligious, all fail to keep God’s Word. But here in Psalm 34 is a wonderful promise of no shame.

It’s a Psalm written by David after the LORD rescued him from Abimelech (the royal title for the king of Gath). We read about the event in 1 Samuel 21 where the same king is called Achish (his actual name). David had been in a tight spot, so tight that he had pretended to be mad. In Psalm 34 David delights in the LORD for his rescue. David had real fears, but the LORD delivered him from them all (v4).

This suffering king encourages others to experience what he has experienced, to discover that those who look to the LORD will never be put to shame. To taste and see that the LORD is good, to know that the LORD will always do what is best for his people. We may not always understand that it is for our good when we are in the middle of it, but as Spurgeon so wisely said “in heaven we shall see that we had not one trial too many.” Even when we are in the midst of the trial we can take comfort that the LORD is near the broken hearted (v18).

How can we know this? Because our king Jesus experienced worse than David, and yet the LORD delivered him out of the all. Even as Jesus died for our sake on the cross, the LORD fulfilled the words of this psalm by ensuring not one of his bones were broken (v20). If we take refuge in Jesus, then we will be delivered (v22), we will have no shame, because He has taken it all, and we will become more and more radiant as we look to him. The day is coming, “we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2).