The Nugget:
Psa 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. (KJV)
Psa 34:18 So near is he to patient hearts, so ready to defend the humbled spirit. (Knox translation)
Psa 34:18 The Lord is near to them that are of a contrite heart; and will save the lowly in spirit. (LXX., Brenton translation)
Psa 34:18 Near is Jehovah to the broken of heart, And the bruised of spirit He saveth. (YLT, Young’s Literal Translation)
Psa 34:18 Jehovah is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. (UASV, Updated American Standard Version)
Psa 34:18 The LORD is near the brokenhearted; he delivers those who are discouraged. (NET Bible)
Psa 34:18 The LORD is near to those who are discouraged; he saves those who have lost all hope. (GNB, Good News Bible)
Psa 34:18 The LORD is near to those whose hearts are humble. He saves those whose spirits are crushed. (GW, God’s Word translation)
Psa 34:18 The Lord is near the broken-hearted; he is the saviour of those whose spirits are crushed down. (BBE, Bible in Basic English)
Psa 34:18 The LORD is close to those who have suffered disappointment. He saves those who are discouraged. (ERV, Easy to Read Version)
Psa 34:18 The LORD is there to rescue all who are discouraged and have given up hope. (CEV, Contemporary English Version)
My Comment:
The Lord is very much aware when we are discouraged or have suffered disappointment. We must not give up hope. Overcome depression by getting to know God better by reading and studying the Bible. Paul wrote to the Christians at Rome that “Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us. Those things were written so that we could have hope. That hope comes from the patience and encouragement that the Scriptures give us” (ERV).
By personal experience I know God works through His written Word to encourage and bring to saving faith those who are desperately hopeless. In one case I learned from a student’s mother at the Parent-Teacher conference that the mother believed I had been of more help to her daughter in my English class than were all the sessions her daughter had with a psychiatrist. The daughter came to faith in Christ when she followed my suggestion to read the Bible for herself. When I met the mother again, the mother asked me to show her in her Catholic family Bible the verses that would help her. I believe from the daughter’s report that the mother came to true faith in Christ. The daughter told me, “Mr. Smith, I don’t know what you did to my mother but now she reads the Bible all the time.” What I did was share with the mother a number of helpful Bible passages. She had me insert bookmarks in her Bible so she could return and read those passages over again.
Another student told me she threw her pop bottle at her psychiatrist when she did not at all agree with the advice he was giving her. I shared with her what the Bible said. She came to experience saving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. She, in turn, informed me of another student, a former student of mine, asking if I remembered her. I said I certainly did. I told her I continue to pray for her. She told me that my prayers have been answered because her friend, my former student, came to saving faith the day after her high school graduation.
Yet another student came to me with some Bible questions. He came twice after school to talk with me about the Bible. I informed him to avoid any church or literature that does not teach the Bible with the same balance of truth found in the New Testament. I later encouraged my student to learn about hermeneutics, apologetics, cult apologetics, Bible prophecy, and more. Many years later he told me I have been a help to his Christian life. I heard him just this week on a local Christian radio station teaching accurately about Bible prophecy.
All of these students I have mentioned have been greatly helped by getting to know the Bible better. It transformed their lives.
Dig deeper into the subjects mentioned in Psalm 34:18 by reading and studying the cross references shared below from the Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury. I will add additional cross references here that are not given there.
Psalms 34:18
is nigh. Psa 75:1; Psa 85:9; +*Psa 119:151; Psa 138:6; *Psa 145:18, Deut 4:7, Pro 15:29, **Isa 55:6, Act 17:27.
unto them, etc. Heb. to the broken of heart. T1342. *Psa 51:15, 16, 17; Psa 69:19, 20; Psa 109:16; *Psa 147:3, 2Ch 34:27, *Pro 15:13, +*Isa 57:15; *Isa 61:1, Jer 23:29, Joel 2:13, *Luk 4:18.
and saveth. *Psa 37:40; Psa 119:8.
such as, etc. Heb. the contrite of spirit. Heb. ruach, +Gen 41:8; +Gen 2:7. 2Ki 22:19, *2Ch 7:14, Pro 16:19; Pro 19:3, **Isa 57:15; *Isa 66:2, Jer 44:10, *Ezk 36:26; *Ezk 36:31, +*Mat 5:3.
Those were good old days back in those English classes and the after school Bible studies! Jerry Smith was always there to help.
It is encouraging to see and read a response from a former student who was there at exactly the time I wrote about! Thank you, Gary Lindell, for reading and commenting here!