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.
21 Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
-Psalm 34:19-22
One of the most important steps we can take when studying a passage is to notice when the same word is used in different places. In Psalm 34:19-22 the word “affliction” is used two different times, once in relation to the righteous and once in relation to the wicked. That’s interesting in and of itself. Both the righteous and the wicked will experience affliction. The passage doesn’t make a distinction between the fact that afflictions will occur both for the righteous and the wicked. The distinction is seen in the outcome.
Verse 19 says that “many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” In last week’s fighter verse devotion we saw that deliverance in this context doesn’t necessarily mean deliverance from experiencing physical affliction, but can also mean ultimate deliverance from the wrath and condemnation we deserve into eternal pleasures in the presence of Christ. In fact, verses 19-20 demonstate this because the Gospel of John tells us that verse 20 refers to the death of Christ on the cross. It is his bones that are not broken. (36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” John 19:36).
Therefore, when we read that the Lord delivers the righteous out of their afflictions and keeps their bones, all we have to do is look to Christ and see what that means. It means that we may have to suffer physically, but in the midst of that suffering God is accomplishing eternal good in us resulting in our deliverance. And, just as Jesus victoriously defeated death and rose from the grave, we too will one day join him in his glorious resurrection and be delivered out of all of our afflictions.
Afflictions for the wicked, however, have a very different outcome. They are not redemptive nor are the wicked delivered from them. In fact, verse 21 says their afflictions will slay them. Again, it’s not that the righteous avoid afflictions and the wicked have to face them; instead, it’s that the wicked are destroyed by their afflictions and the righteous are sanctified and delivered by means of them.
In light of these realities, David concludes Psalm 34 with a powerful reminder of the redemption available for all who trust in Christ. Through the cross our lives have been redeemed. The price has been paid. And, therefore, when we turn toward Christ and take refuge in our Heavenly Father there is no condemnation (There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1).
The hope of Psalm 34 is not that we will never have to face difficult days or tremendous afflictions. The hope of Psalm 34 is that we can have confidence on the last day; confidence that we will be delivered from every affliction never to face suffering again. Why? Because the righteous one has already suffered in our place. There is no condemnation left for us because it has all been poured out on Christ himself.