Taste and see that the Lord is good…
Summary: Comparing the Lord to a taste may seem a bit strange, but the metaphor carries with it layers of meaning that can be very helpful to understanding how we are to share the Gospel with others.
The idea of spiritual food may seem strange, but “taste” is a very appropriate description of what it is like to experience the Lord. The taste of something is hard to describe in words, but we know immediately whether we like it or not. Taste is something that connects directly with who we are.
Psalm 34 begins with, “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.” David is telling us about the Lord and his experience with him. Like trying to describe a taste, he has difficulty finding the right words. Finally, he says:
“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”
He wants us to experience the Lord for ourselves. This is the only way to really share a taste that you like; you offer it to someone so they can taste it for themselves.
But what if you don’t like it?
Over one thousand years after David wrote his psalms, Paul writes:
“For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life.” (2 Corinthians 2: 15-16)
Not everyone likes the same thing. If our heart is aligned with God, we are going to be drawn to the “aroma of Christ.” If our heart is opposed to God, the New International Reader’s Version (NIRV) puts it this way: “To those who are dying, we [the representatives of Christ] are the smell of death.”
It is, in a way, a simple test. Do you like God or not? How you respond tells the rest of us everything we need to know.
I have personal experience with both sides of this conundrum. My journey to faith in God has been a convoluted one. I was raised in a church environment, but the church’s message and doctrine didn’t speak to me. It seemed twisted and false. I studied religion in a secular setting and found that even more distasteful. It was so bad it seemed poisonous to me. Then, like Elijah, I heard God in a “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12, KJV).
When I discovered the real God, I found a taste that I liked. I can’t describe it to you other than to say that for me it is the taste of life. All I can do is offer it to you to try for yourself.
Application: Taste and see that the Lord is good…
Food for Thought: How can we best offer a taste of the Lord to the world around us?
How can we best offer a taste of the Lord to the world around us?
By being salt to the earth, letting them experience things in a different way, a righteous way.
By being a light and showing them what they have been feeding themselves, showing them how sweet swerving the Lord is.
By being fruitful and sharing it with other believers as we have fellowship glorifying God. Then inviting them to sit at Gods table of wisdom knowledge and understanding.
But I think the best way to offer the world a taste is to reflect Jesus to all you meet, treating people with compassion, and understanding that we hate the sin but love the person.
And whenever you can pray with everyone.
Tim,
Beautifully said! FIVE gold stars for you today!! 🙂
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
Prayer honors God and illuminates the source of our strength.
Compassion opens the door to a person’s heart.
Sharing fruitfulness is an encouragement to other believers.
Burning with God’s Love is a light to others.
I had the same initial response as T. My mind went to the salt and light of Matthew 5: 13 – 16. By being salt to add flavor and be a preservative, we can keep the world from further decay.
In the ancient Greco-Roman world, salt was used for many things, but one was as a preservative. The only way for salt to work as a preservative would be to have contact with that which would decay. We need to be influencing the world by sharing Christ and living Christ to hopefully and prayerfully prevent decay and glorify God in the process. The Colossians 4: 5 – 6 principle can be employed consistently. When it is, that is a good way to help the world taste the Lord.
Thank you, Rich!
“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:5-6)
Grace & Salt…
God’s grace is shown in so many ways; forgiveness, patience, love, understanding, and as Tim pointed out, compassion. Salt is the means to preserve Grace in us, as you point out, Rich.
Very interesting passage. Thank you!
I wasn’t going as far s you did Rich. I was going for the pun factor. I found out it gets more stars…….. but now I might have let the cat out of the bag.