“The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;
But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.”
Psalms 34:10 NASB1995
Verse 10 of Psalm 34 is interesting. David says that the young lions do lack and suffer hunger. Our world is full of “young lions and lionesses” (and old lions, too). It’s a predator-versus-prey relationship between so many entities and people in our world. Companies compete with companies and initiate “hostile” takeovers or file endless lawsuits; countries desire to overtake and rule other countries through force and be the “Lion Kings”. People often see themselves as competitors in everything that they do - their jobs, their hobbies, their marriages, their relationships, their hours at the gym. But it’s never enough - all of that energy and hunger often leads to a sense that something is lacking in their lives. Someone else has one more dollar or a bigger house or a better car. Young lions are always hungry and the life of a predator is very hard, indeed.
Those that seek the Lord instead shall not be in want of any good thing! Let’s look at the Charles Spurgeon exposition/explanatory notes from Precept Austin:
EXPOSITION:
Ver. 10. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger. They are fierce, cunning, strong, in all the vigour of youth, and yet they sometimes howl in their ravenous hunger, and even so crafty, designing, and oppressing men, with all their sagacity and unscrupulousness, often come to want; yet simple minded believers, who dare not act as the greedy lions of earth, are fed with food convenient for them. To trust God is better policy than the craftiest politicians can teach or practice. But they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. No really good thing shall be denied to those whose first and main end in life is to seek the Lord. Men may call them fools, but the Lord will prove them wise. They shall win where the world's wiseacres lose their all, and God shall have the glory of it.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Ver. 8-10. See Psalms on "Psalms 34:8" for further information.
Ver. 10. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger, The old lions will have it for them, if it be to be had. But they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. As they would feel no evil thing within, so they shall want no good thing without. He that freely opens the upper, will never wholly close the nether springs. There shall be no silver lacking in Benjamin's sack, while Joseph has it to throw in. Grace is not such a beggarly visitant, as will not pay its own way. When the best of beings is adored, the best of blessings are enjoyed. William Secker.
Ver. 10. People are apt to fancy that a wild beast's life must be happy--in a brute's sense--and that the carnivorous and graminivorous creatures which have never come under the dominion of mankind are better off than the domesticated quadrupeds which buy their quieter and safer lives at the price of ministering to the luxuries or necessities of their human lords. But the contrary is the case: the career of a flesh eating animal must be wretched, even from the tiger's or leopard's point of view. They must often suffer pangs of long continued hunger, and when they find and kill food they frequently have to wage desperate war for the enjoyment of their victim. The cry of almost every wild beast is so melancholy and forlorn, that it impresses the traveller with sadness more even than with fear. If the opportunity occurs for watching them in the chase, they are seen to sneak and sniff about, far less like "kings of the forest, "than poor, dejected, starving wretches, desperate upon the subject of their next meal. They suffer horribly from diseases induced by foul diet and long abstinence; and very few are found without scars in their hide--the tokens of terrible combats. If they live to old age their lot is piteous: their teeth are worn down, their claws are blunt, and in this state numbers of them perish by starvation. Not one half of the wild animals die a natural death; and their life, so far as can be observed, is a series of stern privations, with desperate and bloody fights among themselves. Clipping from "Daily Telegraph."
Ver. 10. They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. There shall be no want to such, and such shall want no good thing: so that he must be such an one to whom the promise is made; and he must also be sure that it is good for him which is promised. But oftentimes it is not good for a man to abound with earthly blessings; as strong drink is not good for weak brains. Yea, if anything be wanting to a good man, he may be sure it is not good for him; and then better that he doth want it, than that he did enjoy it; and what wise man will complain of the want of that, which if he had, would prove more gainful than hurtful to him? As a sword to a madman, a knife to a child, drink to them that have a fever or the dropsy. "No good thing will God withhold, "etc., and therefore, not wants themselves, which to many are also good, yea, very good things, as I could reckon up many. Want sanctified is a notable means to bring to repentance, to work in us amendment of life, it stirs up prayer, it weans from the love of the world, it keeps us always prepared for the spiritual combat, discovers whether we be true believers or hypocrites, prevents greater evils of sin and punishment to come; it makes us humble, conformable to Christ our Head, increaseth our faith, our joy, and thankfulness, our spiritual wisdom, and likewise our patience, as I have largely shown in another treatise. Richard Young, in the "Poor's Advocate, "1653.
Ver. 10. I remember as I came through the country, that there was a poor widow woman, whose husband fell at Bothwell: the bloody soldiers came to plunder her house, telling her they would take all she had. "We will leave thee nothing, "said they, "either to put in thee, or on thee." "I care not, "said she, "I will not want as long as God is in the heavens." That was a believer indeed. Alexander Peden's Sermon, 1682.
Ver. 10. Take a survey of heaven and earth and all things therein, and whatsoever upon sure ground appears good, ask it confidently of Christ; his love will not deny it. If it were good for you that there were no sin, no devil, no affliction, no destruction, the love of Christ would instantly abolish these. Nay, if the possession of all the kingdoms of the world were absolutely good for any saint, the love of Christ would instantly crown him monarch of them. David Clarkson.
Ver. 10. (last clause). Part of his last afternoon was spent by Columba, in transcribing the Psalms of David. Having come to that passage in the thirty-fourth Psalm, where it is said, They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing, he said, "I have come to the end of a page, and I will stop here, for the following Psalms 34:11, "Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord, "will better suit my successor to transcribe than me. I will leave it, therefore, to Baithen." As usual the bell was rung at midnight for prayers. Columba was the first to hasten to church. On entering it soon after, Dermid found him on his knees in prayer, but evidently dying. Raising him up in his arms, he supported his head on his bosom. The brethren now entered. When they saw Columba in this dying condition they wept aloud. Columba heard them. He opened his eyes and attempted to speak, but his voice failed. He lifted up his hands as if to bless them, immediately after which he breathed out his spirit. His countenance retained in death the expression it wore in life, so that it seemed as if he had only fallen asleep. "Story of Columba and his successors, "in the Christian Treasury for 1848.
The story about Columba is fascinating! Saint Columba is one of three patron saints of Ireland (the other two being Saint Patrick and Saint Brigid of Kildare). According to Wikipedia, he lived a couple of centuries after Patrick and evangelized in Scotland and Ireland. Columba saw that those who seek the Lord shall not want of any good thing; he read this as he was transcribing the Psalms. He stopped at this point, leaving the next verse to a colleague and then he died! His good thing at the end was the best of all things - seeing our Lord!
This commentary from Enduring Word is also good:
Those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing: Even one as strong as the young lions may lack and suffer hunger; but David testified of God’s greater provision.
“The word ‘lions’ may be a metaphor for those who are strong, oppressive, and evil.” (Willem VanGemeren)
“Were there lions prowling around the camp at Adullam, and did the psalmist take their growls as typical of all vain attempts to satisfy the soul?” (Alexander Maclaren)
David experienced a good thing from God in his deliverance among the Philistines. He knew that the good thing was not due to his own strength or might; it was the goodness of God extended to those who seek the LORD.
“Although God doth usually take a special care to supply the wants of good men, and hath oft done it by extraordinary ways, when ordinary have failed, yet sometimes he knows, and it is certainly true, that wants and crosses are more needful and useful to them than bread, and in such cases it is a greater mercy of God to deny them supplies than to grant them.” (Matthew Poole)
“Paul had nothing, and yet possessed all things.” (John Trapp)
David experienced a good thing from God by being delivered from the Philistines, even though his antics created part of the situation. Sometimes the good thing may be the lack of something that is earnestly desired, like the things that many people pray for in our intercessory prayer chain. As our pastor said in a recent sermon (preaching on 1 Thessalonians 5), we are to be thankful IN all circumstances, not FOR all circumstances. We may not like something that has happened, but the basic truth of our relationship with our Savior is that the things surrounding our past, present and future are rock solid (we are forgiven, we are given a plan from Him in obedience, and we are assured of a glorious eternal life).
My next devotional examines Psalm 34:11 - Listen and be taught the fear of the Lord.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Although my eyesight has not been healed, I know that You will provide all good things that are needed for me to rest in Your promises. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Precept Austin was accessed on 08/31/2025 to review commentary for Psalm 34:10
Commentary from Enduring Word by David Guzik is used with written permission. Minor formatting changes have been made to improve readability.