Special Saturday Edition
Ethan Barton, Pastoral Resident, Tallowood Baptist Church
Taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the one who takes refuge in him! Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing!
That’s from Psalm 34, and it reminds us how greatly God’s blessings abound and how joyously we ought to worship him for it. Those in Solomon’s day were much better than we are at recognizing that all good things must come from God. Even this foreign queen of Sheba heard about Solomon’s wisdom and how all his endeavors were flourishing, and then witnessed it firsthand, and immediately knew it could only be the work of God whom Solomon served. God is to praised for all the innumerable blessings we have!
The visiting queen couldn’t help but praise God—though, interestingly, not for making Solomon a happy man. Rather, she praised God for the wonderful effects God’s gifts were having on the kingdom. Everyone who got to hear Solomon’s wisdom was better off and happier for it, and justice and righteousness were abounding in Israel. God’s will was being carried out, his glory was spreading worldwide, and his chosen beloved people were flourishing. That’s the precise definition of a true golden age.
We love to say that following Jesus is a relationship, not a religion. But what does that actually mean? It means God is entirely devoted to blessing us, and we are entirely devoted to blessing him. When we are blessed with great things in this world, may we use them to bring him glory. Taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the one who takes refuge in him! Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing!
