Psalm 34: Who is the Man Who Desires Life?
Psalm 34:12 - Are you living your life for Him and to do good for Him?
“Who is the man who desires life
And loves length of days that he may see good?”
Psalms 34:12 NASB1995
We all desire life. We want a life free from want, free from illness, free from persecution. But do we love the length of our days so that we can do good or so that we can have the most toys and fun? I admit to enjoying traveling and love experiencing new places. But I’m slowing down due to some physical ailments and travel is not as easy as it used to be.
So what do I do with my days? According to our pastor in a recent sermon, bodies that are not busy become busybodies! Cute, huh? I love writing these devotionals and there are plenty of other things to do to be obedient to Him and keep busy. Many things we used to waste time and money on (like rabidly following sports teams) are now viewed in the rear-view mirror. At the end, it all comes down to your readiness to see Him.
Here’s Charles Spurgeon’s Exposition/Explanatory notes from Precept Austin:
EXPOSITION
Ver. 12. Life spent in happiness is the desire of all, and he who can give the young a receipt for leading a happy life deserves to be popular among them. Mere existence is not life; the art of living, truly, really, and joyfully living, it is not given to all men to know. To teach men how to live and how to die, is the aim of all useful religious instruction. The rewards of virtue are the baits with which the young are to be drawn to morality. While we teach piety to God we should also dwell much upon morality towards man.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Ver. 12. It is no great matter to live long, or always, but to live happily. That loyal prayer, "Let the king live" (in every language) imports a prosperous state. When the psalmist saith, "Who is the man that would see life?" he explains himself presently after by "good days." Vivere among the Latins is sometimes as much as valere, to live is as much as to be well; and upon this account it is that, on the one hand, the Scripture calls the state of the damned an eternal death, because their life is only a continuance in misery; so on the other hand the state of the blessed is an eternal life, because it is a perpetual abode in felicity. Nathanael Hardy.
Ver. 12. The benefit of life is not in the length, but in the use of it. He sometimes lives the least that lives the longest. Seneca.
I like that Seneca quote - sometimes those who live the least live the longest. We have to use our time effectively and purposefully. Seeking God in obedience and having Him answer you is the ultimate goal. By the way, I decided not to share the commentary from Enduring Word as it was pretty minimal for this verse and actually repeated the Charles Spurgeon exposition.
WOW - that was pretty short, but to the point. My next devotional examines Psalm 34:13 - Keep your tongue from evil.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Please help me to keep my life focused on what matters, no matter how much time I may have. 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 8/31/2025 to review the commentary for Psalm 34:12.