Taste and See

Hi Guys, came across this note by Jacques Crafford and thought it was very good :)
Enjoy!!

"Psalm 34:8 "O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."

How does one taste and see that the Lord is good? To taste and see that the Lord is good is to INCLINE YOUR EAR to His love and grace and to "approach" Him in the light of no condemnation.

Heb 4:16 "Let us therefore come BOLDLY unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find GRACE (divine influence) to help in time of need." 2 things that stand out in this verse is the fact that God's throne is called the throne of GRACE. At the throne of grace you won't find condemnation or accusation (John 5:45) The only thing you'll find at the throne of grace is... GRACE. Secondly it talks about BOLDLY approaching BECAUSE of the finished work of the Cross. I love the AMPLIFIED version of Heb 4:16 "Let us then FEARLESSLY and CONFIDENTLY and BOLDLY draw near to the throne of grace..."

Let me just make it VERY CLEAR: Approaching the throne of Grace does not mean you "go" somewhere or "do something" to ask for forgiveness. "Coming to the throne of Grace" is our everyday approach towards God, on what basis we relate with Him, and merely our listening to Him confirm our identity in the UNDERSTANDING that we ARE forgiven by the perfect sacrifice ONCE AND FOR ALL (Heb 10:10-19; Heb 9:24-26) ITS ONLY IN KNOWING THAT WE ARE FORGIVEN THAT WE CAN APPROACH GOD WITH BOLDNESS for eg. Nobody walks into the Bank manager's office with boldness when asking for a loan extension. Likewise when you ask someone for forgiveness you do it from a state of lowliness or remorse and never with BOLDNESS.

To get back to the scripture of tasting, lets quickly look at the greek translation of the words TASTE and SEE:

The word TASTE translated as taw-am': FIGURATIVELY to PERCEIVE (Perception)
The word SEE translated as raw-aw': in this context means to EXPERIENCE/to literally EXPERIENCE FOR YOURSELF

Paraphrased: PERCEIVE and EXPERIENCE that the Lord is GOOD

Our perception (TASTE/taw-am) of who God is has to change for us to (EXPERIENCE/raw-aw) this goodness which is why FAITH is so important. Now first of all faith is not a willpower decision for Jesus... Faith is a PERSUASION. We cannot benefit from this compelling love if we dont believe in it (are not persuaded about it). Faith is something that happens to a person upon hearing the SPOKEN Word of God (Rom 10:17) that comes through the GOOD NEWS. (1 Cor 2:5)

Paul emphasized what our FAITH PERSUASION should be focused on in Eph 3:17-19 "that Christ may dwell in your hearts by FAITH; that you, being rooted and grounded in LOVE may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height (of this love), and to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God." The LOVE in this scripture is NOT love FOR Christ but the LOVE OF CHRIST towards us, the breadth, length, depth and height thereof, and that through PERSUASION we may be able to comprehend/EXPERIENCE it.

The CRUX: We need to be persuaded about the REALITY of HIS LOVE and GOODNESS and it can only come through hearing and understanding the Gospel. So what does it mean to taste and see that the Lord is good: TASTE (approach and perceive Him AS IF HE IS GOOD) and EXPERIENCE for yourself (that He REALLY IS GOOD!!!!) You will know if you EXPERIENCE the love of Christ because you will never be the same and its quite impossible not to get excited about it. Luke 2:10 - GOOD NEWS of GREAT JOY!

Jesus defines this in John 5:44 where he draws the absolute connection between faith (believing) and the importance of seeking the Glory (opinion) that COMES FROM God - Joh 5:44 "How can you believe, you who receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from God only?" - Jesus is not rebuking them for seeking glory from men but He actually stresses the silliness of believing (HOW CAN YOU BELIEVE?) when your not seeking the GLORY that COMES FROM GOD ALONE which in essence OUTSHINES the glory that could ever come from man. (1 John 5:9)

This GLORY (Opinion) is the GLORY REVEALED IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST AS IN A MIRROR... Joh 17:22 "And I have given them the glory which You have given Me, that they may be one, even as We are one," - Now 2 Cor 3:18 makes perfect sense! With unveiled faces (FREE AND BOLD ACCESS) we BEHOLD (PERCEIVE) the GLORY OF THE LORD as in a mirror (AS IF TRUE) are being TRANSFORMED (INTO EXPERIENCE)

It all boils down to this. The moment you see God for Who He is, you will see yourself in Him, His image and likeness. When Peter got the revelation of Christ, Jesus responded by revealing his new identity.

2 Pet 1:2 "Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord" Pursue the KNOWLEDGE that will multiply to you GRACE (Divine influence) and PEACE and you will know for sure you are busy with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Now, go taste and see that the Lord is GOOD!"