From the Hebrew טָעַם (taam): to taste; and figuratively, to perceive by experience. Semantic force: Taste is the sense that cannot be exercised at a distance. You may see food across a room and smell it from the doorway, but tasting requires taking it in. Theological depth: The command is an invitation to test God experimentally rather than to accept a description of Him. Scripture is content to be checked, and here it insists on it.

Supporting Scriptures

Logos Unveiled

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version. Written by Brother Adamson Ndhlovu — what is taught here is set out in the statement of faith.

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Nigh unto Them of a Broken HeartOld Testament

“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”

(KJV)

The same psalm names who finds this most readily, and it is not the impressive.

If So Be Ye Have TastedNew Testament

“If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”

(KJV)

Peter quotes the line to Christians under pressure, assuming they have already done it.

The Exposition

The title attached to this psalm places it at the lowest point of David's life: when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech, which is the polite summary of an episode where David, fleeing for his life, pretended to be insane in a foreign court — scrabbling at the gate and letting spittle run down his beard until they threw him out. Out of that comes O taste and see that the LORD is good. The verb is taam, to taste, and it is the one sense that cannot be exercised from a distance. You can see a thing across a room and smell it from the doorway, but tasting requires taking it into yourself. David is not asking anyone to admire a doctrine about God's goodness. He is saying: try it, and find out. That is a striking invitation, because it is checkable, and religion is not usually so confident. The psalm assumes God will hold up under experiment. And note who is most likely to accept the invitation, because the psalm says so plainly a few verses later: The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit (). The tasting is not for the strong. It is offered to a man who has just faked madness to survive, and to anyone in a similar condition since. Peter, writing to Christians scattered by persecution, quotes this line as something they have already done — if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. He is not introducing the idea. He is reminding people who have.

The Altar

Choose one promise of God and act on it this week as though it were true. That is what tasting means here.

Daily Reading & Meditation

Passage:

Focus: Read the psalm knowing what its title says about when it was written, and notice how little of it is about David's circumstances.

Ask yourself: Is your confidence in God's goodness based on things you have actually experienced, or on things you have been told? Ask when you last tested one for yourself.

My Father in heaven, I thank You that a man who had just feigned madness to save his life wrote "taste and see that the LORD is good", and meant it as an invitation. I have believed a great deal about You that I have not tested. Give me courage by Your Holy Spirit to act on Your word and find out. In the name of the Lord Jesus, in whom I have tasted that You are gracious. Amen.

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