Psalm 34:19-20 Now Available feat. Aaron Strumpel
Psalm 34:19-20 is now available on all streaming platforms!
THE VERSE
[19] Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.
[20] He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.
Psalm 34:19-20 gives us good and bad news. First, the bad news:
The afflictions of the righteous are many.
We’d prefer they’d be few or none, but that’s not God’s promise. Many come to God expecting Him to snap His divine fingers and make their lives better, extracting them from any troublesome situation they might be in. They imagine life going from glory to glory, and as troubles arise, God will squelch them instantly. Yes, God indeed promises deliverance! But this deliverance is eventual, not necessarily immediate. Until then, the afflictions are no less painful. Jesus echoed this reality in John 16:33 when He told His disciples, “In this world you will have trouble.”
Whether we like it or not, afflictions and troubles are a human reality until the day we die.
Second, the good news:
The deliverance of God is complete.
While the righteous experience afflictions, that is not the end of the story! To clarify: the “righteous” in the Psalms and Proverbs are not those whose lives are perfect. The righteous are those who put their faith in God and His provision for them and seek to trust in and follow Him in response. Verse 19 tells us God will deliver the righteous “out of them all” (aka all the afflictions). We don't know when the deliverance will come. A quick survey through the lives of faith found in Hebrews 11 reminds us God’s timing isn’t always the same! For some, the deliverance comes in this life. For others, in the life to come.
What is universally true for all is this: full deliverance is coming.
God will never fail us in this promise! It might not be on our timetable or exactly as we imagined. There may be days and seasons of grief and confusion, but God will complete the work He started in us; this includes our deliverance!
Not only does God deliver us from all our afflictions, but He also “keeps” all our bones and that none of them are broken. What does this mean? Some think it’s simply a poetic statement of God’s ability to keep and protect the whole person. Others see it as an allusion to the Passover lamb’s bones not being broken (Exodus 12:46) and ultimately fulfilled by Jesus on the cross and quoted in John 19:36. Commentator A.F. Kirkpatrick tied these realities together:
“The promise to the righteous man found an unexpectedly literal realization in the passion of the perfectly Righteous One.”
Ironically Jesus was perfectly righteous and yet wasn’t delivered when He cried out to His Father. Why? So that we might find deliverance in Him! In the same way that He was raised from the dead, so will all those who find their hope and righteousness in Him…
Christian, though afflicted know that Your Keeper holds You perfectly and that Your Deliverer is coming! Rest in that hope.
The Song + The Artist
This song was written by Aaron Strumpel and Joel Limpic and then recorded in Aaron’s studio in Lafayette, CO with some friends.
Song Credits
Aaron Strumpel - Vocals, rubber bridge guitar
Joel Limpic - Acoustic guitar
Kristina Meyer - Backing vocals
Christian Rey Uribe - Electric guitar, piano
Song written by Aaron Strumpel and Joel Limpic. Mixed by Brian Eichelberger. Mastered by Connor Hedge.
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