PSALM
84
PRAISE
ON THE PATH
TO
PEACE
INTRODUCTION: This was a psalm
of ascents, a song sung by those making a pilgrimage to the temple to worship. The
subtitle calls it a psalm of the sons of Korah. They would sing God’s praises
as they traveled up the road leading to the temple. They were anticipating
entering not only the temple but the presence of the Lord they experienced when
worshipping there. They had a spirit of reverence and humility along with
joyful anticipation of worship. They had a joyful expectation of
revitalization. From a New Testament perspective, much of this Psalm can relate
to our longing for Heaven and the permanence of God’s presence in our forever
home. We will try to reflect both the historical and the prophetic aspects of
Psalm 84 in our study.
Psalm
84:1 How amiable3039 are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!
Susie: I have always thought of amiable as
“friendly,” but the word is often translated “lovely;” so we looked it up:
The
New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible:
3039 –
yediyd – loved—amiable, (well-) beloved, loves.
Susie: The connotation of amiable here seems to
be that God’s house is well-loved.
Susan: Why is the plural used for tabernacles? It
could be remembering all the places the tabernacle had been set up as a tent
during the wanderings in the wilderness.
Susie: The psalmist could also be reflecting on
the Lord’s tabernacle here on earth, a physical representation of His presence,
and the Lord’s dwelling in Heaven, the ultimate tabernacle.
Susan: God is referred to as the “Lord of Hosts.”
God is the commander of armies of angels.
Susie: Recognizing God’s power in commanding the
hosts of heaven is proclaiming Him to be the supreme Leader over all.
Psalm
84:2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart
and my flesh crieth out for the living God.
Susan: This reminds of the verse about the deer
panting:
Psalm
42:1 (NASB) As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O
God.
Susie: Many of the people going up to worship at
the tabernacle, and later the temple, only made that pilgrimage once or twice a
year. They were longing for that opportunity to worship God and experience His
presence in a way they did not at home.
Susan: There were three Holy Days on which people
would try to travel to Jerusalem to worship: Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast
of Tabernacles.
Susie: This could compare to our weekly worship
in our churches’ sanctuaries. It could also apply to that day when we will
worship God in the place where Jesus IS the tabernacle because His presence
fills His home . . .
Susan: . . .the place He has prepared for us
that we may dwell with Him forever!
Susie: Those who thirst for God will have that
thirst quenched when they surrender their lives to Jesus. He has described His
Holy Spirit that comes into each believer as a river:
John 7:38 He that believeth on
me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living
water.
Susan: Jesus
promises to quench our thirst:
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do
hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Susie: Jesus
even told the woman at the well that those who trust in Him will never thirst
(spiritually) again:
John 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the
water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give
him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Psalm
84:3 Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and
my God.
Susie: Sparrows and swallows would make nests
around the tabernacle and later the temple, even inside the outer courts where the
people would worship. The psalmist would love to live that close to the
sanctuary of the Lord.
Susan: Even the birds knew to make their homes
near the safety of the presence of the Lord.
Susie: They animals and birds know Who provides
for them. The same God provides for the people who follow Jesus and serve Him.
Luke 12:6 Are not five
sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
Matthew 6:26 Behold the fowls
of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet
your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Psalm
84:4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising
thee. Selah.
Susie: Certain Levites, the gatekeepers, and
others who served daily in the temple lived on the temple property. Among these
were the sons of Korah (1 Chronicles 9:19). Korah had rebelled in the
wilderness and been one of those swallowed up by the earth, but his children
were spared and continued in service to the Lord. They even had the privilege
of dwelling in the Lord’s house.
Susan: Those who trust in Jesus experience the
Kingdom of God here and now because His presence dwells within us in the person
of the Holy Spirit. Jesus already considers us seated with Him in Heavenly
places:
Ephesians 2:6 And hath raised
us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Susie: We are blessed by knowing that we have a
future home with the Lord when we pass away from this earth or He returns.
Susan: We will be immediately with the Lord when
we are freed from our earth-suit.
2 Corinthians 5:8 We are
confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be
present with the Lord.
Psalm
84:5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways
of them.
Susan: I like this verse in The Voice
translation:
Psalm 84:5 Blessed are those who make You their
strength, for they treasure every step of the journey [to Zion].
Susie: Those whose strength comes from the Lord
value and rejoice in every step that brings them closer to the place of
worship.
Psalm
84:6 Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also
filleth the pools.
Susie: Baca was an arid, dry valley on the way to
Jerusalem. The singing pilgrims, raising their praises to God would turn the
desert-like area into a place of joyful noise.
Susan: The worshippers watered this place with
their joyful song.
Susie: This would be similar to how the rain left
pools of water during the rainy season.
Psalm
84:7 They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth
before God.
Susan: The anticipation of their time of worship,
of being in the presence of God, fueled them for their journey.
Susie: Our anticipation of Jesus’ return and
living abundantly with the Lord forever fuels our sojourn on earth as well. As
children of the Lord, we endure the trials of this life in joyous expectation
of eternity:
Romans 8:16-18 The Spirit
itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if
children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that
we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that
the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory which shall be revealed in us.
Psalm
84:8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.
Susan: The write acknowledges God’s sovereign
authority and is humbly asking that God please hear him. Selah means to think
about, pause to ponder, meditate on the previous portion of the psalm.
Psalm
84:9 Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.
Susie: The psalmist now draws God’s attention to
the protector of Israel, the anointed one, the king.
Susan: “Behold” can have the connotation of
“watching over” someone to care for them.
Susie: So verse 9 is a prayer for the Lord to
continue preserving their king. . .
Susan: . . . to continue His watch-care over the
king He has chosen to shepherd His beloved people of Israel.
Psalm
84:10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a
doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Susie: Historically, the psalmist is saying one
day worshipping in the house of the Lord, the tabernacle or temple, was better
than one thousand days anywhere else. He would rather work one day there in the
most menial job than to live among wicked people . . .
Susan: . . . in affluence.
Susie: Does this relate to our future forever
home with the Lord as well?
Susan: I would rather be with the Lord, in His
presence, than to be with anyone else, anywhere else.
Susie: Do we have to wait for death or the Lord’s
return to be in His presence?
Susan: No, absolutely not. Thank the Lord that
through the presence of His Holy Spirit, God abides with His people all the
time. Salvation, trusting our lives to Jesus, causes the Holy Spirit to move in
and make our bodies His temple.
Susie: We can avail ourselves of the intense
presence of the Lord through Bible study and prayer every day.
Susan: Just as our physical bodies need to have
food, water, and exercise to thrive, our spirit needs to feast on God’s word,
drink in His spirit, and exercise our faith to grow in Him.
Matthew 4:4 But he answered
and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word
that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
John 4:34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the
will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
Susie: God’s presence is not limited to our
future home with Him or even to the worship time at our church. He is with us
at all times and promises He will continue being with us in this way until His
physical return to earth.
Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus
came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in
earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even
unto the end of the world. Amen.
Susie: Our focus needs to be on the Lord and His
purposes rather than on earthly riches. Along with the psalmist we need to
prefer the lowest position in God’s kingdom to the highest position in this
world if that worldly position comes with compromising our beliefs.
Luke
9:25 (CJB) What will it benefit a
person if he gains the whole world but destroys or forfeits his own life?
Matthew
6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these
things shall be added unto you.
Psalm
84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory:
no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Susan: God is the light and protection for His
people.
John
8:12Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he
that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Revelation
21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it:
for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
Susan: God gives His people not only mercy, but
grace. Grace is favor, blessings, that one cannot earn or deserve. It is
unwarranted, completely a gift rather than payment for work accomplished.
Susie: We see this in Israel’s history as they
continually rebelled against God and even worshipped idols. Although He would
allow them to suffer consequences of their sins, He would forgive and restore
them over and over and over. For example, read the books of Judges and Hosea.
Susie: If God does not withhold good things from
the righteous and we are made righteous by the blood of Jesus, does this mean
God is going to give us every little thing we ask for?
Susan: The operative word here is “good.” God is
our Father, and because He is our parent (His favorite job), He knows what is
best and is going to provide the best things for us. We may not perceive what
things are best because we do not see things from God’s divine perspective. We
do not know what is best because we are not God.
James 1:17 Every good gift and
every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights,
with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
Psalm
84:12 O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
Susie: This is as true today as it was when this
psalm was written over 2000 years ago.
Susan: Trusting God is the prerequisite for being
blessed—happy, content, fulfilled.
QUESTIONS
1.
Do we anticipate our weekly worship attendance
with joy and expectation?
2.
Are we longing for our home with the Lord,
anticipating the splendor of His glory and the peace of His presence? Are we
THIRSTY for HIM?
3.
Do our praises water a dry, thirsty land, cause
others to thirst for Jesus?
4.
Have you learned what it means to rely on the
strength of the Lord rather than your own? How is that accomplished?
5.
How does the fact that God is all-powerful,
all-wise, and all-knowing comfort you when you pray?
6.
We are tempted to make success and prosperity
into gods. Riches are not inherently wrong if a person has the correct
attitude, but what does the psalmist say in Psalm 84:10?
7.
Who is the provider of every good thing we
need? Who determines the definition of “good thing”?
No comments:
Post a Comment