Note: Abimelech means "king," and Achish was a prince of the Philistines in David's time.

Introduction: David wrote Psalm 34 while reflecting on an unusual experience early on in his life, before he became the King of Israel. He was fleeing for his life from king Saul, and decided that it would be wise to leave the country. He went over to the territory occupied by the Philistines, and lived there for several years. Once when the Philistines began to be suspicious of his motives, he pretended to be insane. They lost interest in him, and his life was preserved. Psalm 34 is wide-ranging in its thematic material, and a series of sermons could be drawn from this Psalm. Today I wish to speak only of what it says concerning the use of the tongue. In this Psalm, David mentions five principles for using our tongues (our voices, our words) wisely.

I. Our everyday lives should be filled with words of praise (vs 1). There is ALWAYS something to be grateful for.

"I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips" (Psalm 34:1).

"My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you-- I, whom you have redeemed. My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long" (Psalm 71:23-24).

I'm thankful for the crisp Fall air; for warm wiggling puppies; for the starry night sky; for the bright sunlight; for my family; for apple pie, mom and baseball, and so on. There is so much to be thankful for!

Most of all, praise God for salvation. God the Father loved us and chose to save us. God the Son bled and died for us on the cross. The Holy Spirit regenerates us and sanctifies us. Our sins are forgiven and there is a wonderful eternity ahead. Be grateful!

II. We should use our tongues to encourage people (vs. 2).

There is an ancient children's rhyme: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." When do children say that rhyme? When they have just been hurt by someone's words. The rhyme is untrue. Words hurt more than sticks and stones. But it is also true that our words can bring health and healing to the soul of someone with an aching heart.

David writes: "My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice."

In Proverbs we read:

Prov 10:20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver...
Prov 10:21 The lips of the righteous nourish many...
Prov 12:18 ...the tongue of the wise brings healing.

There are so many people who are "afflicted." There are many who need to be nourished. There are many who need to have their souls healed. God has given each of us a powerful tool to help others: our tongue. YOU can have an important ministry of encouragement. YOU can do a lot to heal broken hearts. YOU can bring a blessing with a postcard or a kind letter. Let's strive to use our tongues to build up our families, our friends, our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

III. We should use our tongues in corporate worship (vs. 3).

"Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together."

That's part of what we do when we come to church on Sunday morning. We pray, we study God's word, but we also praise Him. Let me urge you to be ENGAGED in our worship service. Don't just go through the motions. Don't come to church looking for someone there to make you have a religious experience. This is YOUR worship service. Come prepared to worship God. When you pray, when you recite the creed, when you sing the songs, put your heart into it. It is up to you whether you worship God or are just wasting your time. Use your tongue to worship God together with everyone else who is here.

Psalm 35:18 "I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people."

IV. We should use our tongues to ask God for help (vss. 6, 17-18).

Psa 34:6 "This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

God does not give us everything we ask for. But, I want to assure you that God hears our prayers, and that God sends help. We are very forgetful when it comes to answers to our prayers. But think back. Can you not remember times when you were in great distress, and you cried to God for help, and help came?

V. We should use our tongues to support righteousness and truth.

We are not all great speakers, but as the Lord gives us opportunities, we should use our words to stand up for what's right in the community, and in the church. We should not allow false teachers and liars to go unchallenged.

Paul urged Timothy to use his Bible-teaching gifts in this way:

2 Tim 4:2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction.
2 Tim 4:3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.

And Paul wrote to Titus:

Titus 1:10 For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group.
Titus 1:11 They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach--and that for the sake of dishonest gain.
Titus 1:12 Even one of their own prophets has said, "Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons."
Titus 1:13 This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith...

Conclusion: The Apostle James tells us that nothing is more difficult than making good use of the tongue:

James 3:5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.
James 3:6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
James 3:7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man,
James 3:8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
James 3:9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness.
James 3:10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.

With our tongues, we can do great harm. But also we may do much that is good. May God help us to use our tongues in His service. Amen.