Taste and See

Psalm 34:8 Oh taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

There are times that my heart cries out as I watch how we as westerners attempt to establish a relationship with the infinite Lord. We tend to believe that a spiritual relationship is derived from information that we would read and conjecture into an intellectual understanding. In other words, the more that I understand what is written about you, then the more I will understand you. (Try this with your spouse and see how well that works). We proclaim that one needs to develop a relationship with Jesus, and then we are given a book and are told that the relationship can only exist within the parameters of this book and the things that we teach. That would be like giving me a manual on my wife and then telling me the parameters of what I can experience with her. Sorry, but not interested!

We have lost our Hebraic foundations that would emphasize a living experience over informational knowledge. The problem with a living experience is that it is different for each person. These experiences can be messy at times and even confusing, but I have to say that after 25 years of marriage with my wife, I have become accustomed to confusing and messy. I have also discovered that confusing and messy can be an incredibly beautiful experience, if I allow myself to learn and grow on the way through. Could it be that confusing and messy is something that is hard to control? Heaven knows how we love to be in control of things and have things in proper order. (Well, if not then what would the neighbors have to say about us?)

I digress. Let us begin with Abraham.

Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.

In Hebrews 11:8 we see Abraham responding to God’s invitation, an invitation to journey with the Infinite into a place that is beyond Abraham’s present understanding. It was Abraham’s willingness to walk with God into the unknown that was recognized as righteousness. Please note that in verse 9 we see that Abraham was already in the promised land and dwelt there as an alien. Could it be that Abraham was not looking for a physical place, rather he was looking for that which he did not understand, a city with foundations whose architect and builder was God. He was looking for that which was beyond what man could make, it was a dwelling place where he and his God could habitat together. This journey of Abraham’s was not to receive something from God but to walk in union with his Lord. To have a new perception of God through the experience of the journey.

If we look at Psalm 34:8 we see a picture of David expounding on the experience he had in walking through a hard place and taking his refuge in his relationship with his God. He encourages us to taste so that we might see or experience the wonder of walking through something with God. From the Hebraic viewpoint the word taste (ta’am) would indicate a perception through an experience, in other words until you partake of relationally then perception cannot occur. The word see (ra’ah) in letter definition would indicate that through the head and breath, it is revealed. Putting the phrase taste and see together would indicate to us a journey into that which we cannot perceive ahead of time but in embracing the unknown and partaking thereof we gain perception and reality of both mind and spirit.

As you may see, this is far beyond just doing what you are told and learning about Him from a book. God wants to take us beyond ourselves that we may experience Him on an intimate level. To have our eyes opened to what we presently cannot understand in ourselves and begin to experience the wonders of the unknown and the vastness of the Christ reality. Jeremiah 9:23 tells us that if one is to boast then let him boast in that he knows and understands God, but like any good marriage this only occurs over time through the confusing and messy things that we walk through together. Remember that relationships take time and have to be worked out daily to truly be discovered.

Do you want to have a relationship with God that goes beyond what you can think and even imagine? Well then be prepared for a journey into the unknown where it will at times be confusing and even messy, and just like in a marriage, if you are willing to keep moving forward, then woven throughout the journey will be a beautiful experience of splendor and glory!

Are you ready to “Taste and See”?