Transcript

Pastor William Frey once told the following story: When I was a younger man, I volunteered to read to a degree student named John who was blind. One day I asked him, “How did you lose your sight?” “A chemical explosion,” John said, “at the age of thirteen.” “How did that make you feel?” I asked.

John responded, “Life was over. I felt helpless. For the first six months I did nothing to improve my lot in life. I would eat all my meals alone in my room. One day my father entered my room and said, ‘John, winter’s coming and the storm windows need to be up—that’s your job. I want those hung by the time I get back this evening!’

“Then he turned, walked out of the room and slammed the door. I got so angry. I thought Who does he think I am? I’m blind! I was so angry I decided to do it.

“I felt my way to the garage, found the windows, located the necessary tools, found the ladder, all the while muttering under my breath, ‘I’ll show him. I’ll fall, then he’ll have a blind and paralyzed son!’”

John finished saying, “I got the windows up. I found out later that never at any moment was my father more than four or five feet away from my side the whole time.”

In the Old Testament, God’s glorious presence resided in the tabernacle and then later the temple in Jerusalem.

Today, under grace, having trusted Christ as your personal Savior, God’s Word says we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and that we are temples of the Spirit. Because God dwells in us, our bodies are a temple.

As a blessing of grace, we have the presence of God indwelling us. Like that blind young man, perhaps we don’t realize He’s right there with us, but He always is and He never leaves us. He is with us in all of life’s experiences.

We enter into a personal relationship with God the moment we are saved from our sins and placed into Christ. And now in that relationship, and with His indwelling presence, God wants us to grow closer to Him.

In that spiritual growth, God would have us live out a similar passion of the Psalmist here for nearness and closeness to God, to seek Him and know Him more deeply.

It’s been said well that, “Spirituality is not a formula; it is not a test. It is a relationship. Spirituality is not about competency; it is about intimacy. Spirituality is not about perfection; it is about connection.”

How strong is your connection to the Lord? That is the question we will consider as we walk through this Psalm.

Psalm 84:1-2: “To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.”

Psalm 84 has been called “The Pearl of Psalms,” and it is. In its literal interpretation from the past, it is expressing the joy of a Jewish pilgrim traveling to Jerusalem to the temple to celebrate one of the three feasts required of the Jews to attend.

The pilgrim traveling to Jerusalem, focuses his attention on the thought of being in the very presence of the Lord God at the temple.

Later it had the purpose of spelling out the deep longings of exiled Jews to be back at the temple in Jerusalem once again.

Prophetically into the future, it speaks of the blessing of Israel when their kingdom is established on earth and their Messiah-King rules from Jerusalem, and redeemed Israel’s utter joy in going up to the holy city to Him and to be in His very presence.

Today under grace, it has principles for our relationship with the living God.

The Psalm was a song as seen by the musical notation, “Selah,” used in verses 4 and 8. Also, you find at the beginning of the psalm that it is addressed, “To the chief musician upon Gittith, a psalm for the sons of Korah.”

Fifty-four other Psalms are directed to “the chief musician” which speaks of the master, director, or chief overseer of music in their services of worship in Israel.

The words “upon Gittith,” speaks of an instrument to accompany the singing from Gittith, or Gath in Philistia, which is said to have been a “guitar-like harp.”

And this was a “psalm for the sons of Korah.” Eleven Psalms are addressed to the sons of Korah. In Israel’s past, Korah led an insurrection against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. He was slain by the Lord when the earth swallowed him and those who rebelled with him. But Korah’s children were not killed because of their father’s sins.

Korah was a Levite, and the tribe of Levi had the service of the Lord at the tabernacle. The sons of Korah continued in this service and according to 1 Chronicles 9:19 were “keepers of the gates…keepers of the entry” of the tabernacle.

Later, they became choral and instrumental music leaders for the worship at the tabernacle. 1 Chronicles 6:32 tells how “they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing.”

Thus, in verse 10 when it says, “I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God” and as the Psalm was sung as a song, these “sons of Korah,” who were both singers and doorkeepers, would have enjoyed singing this and probably really belted this Psalm out. The Psalm was for them to sing at the temple.

Verse one breaks out in praise, praise for the dwelling place of God. The writer says “How amiable,” or how lovely “are thy tabernacles, O Lord of Hosts.” To the Psalmist, it was a place of unparalleled beauty, unique splendor, and unspeakable glory.

The word “Tabernacles” being plural refers to the temple as a whole with its various divisions. He speaks of the divisions and “the courts” for the worshippers in verse 2.

God’s tabernacles, His temple at that time was amiable and lovely because it was the place where God’s glory dwelt, and because it enabled the Israelite to come into the presence of the Sovereign God, who is the all-powerful “Lord of hosts,” or the angelic hosts, all the armies of heaven.

Now, of course, in His greatness, God’s presence was not limited only to the temple, but the temple at that time did have God’s presence and glory and was symbolic of it.

The Psalmist went on and wrote that his soul longed and even fainted “for the courts of the Lord” and for communion with Him, yearning just to be near Him.

The word “fainteth” means to turn pale, to become weak and spent. The writer “longeth, yea, even fainteth” which speaks of such a longing as to make one faint or become weak and nearly pass out. He was totally consumed in his longing for God.

With his whole being, he desired God. Verse 2 says with his “soul, “heart,” and “flesh,” he longed, fainted, and cried out for the living God. With his entire being, he was consumed by an all-encompassing desire to worship and experience God’s presence.

The Psalmist cried out with his whole heart and body for the “living God.” The words “crieth out” speak of rejoicing, crying out with joy. Knowing the living God, being in His presence, causes the heart to cry out first and then this cry goes out through the mouth. This is a cry of joy for His goodness, grace, faithfulness, and love.

Psalm 84:3-4: “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. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.”

I like verse 3. The Psalmist’s yearning for God here even caused him to be jealous, to be envious of birds, of all things. He envied and admired the sparrows and swallows who made their nests and home in the temple courtyards near the altars of God His King.

He was jealous of birds, which were able to live in God’s house, so near to His glorious presence at all times, wishing that he could do that.

I’ve had the opportunity to visit the western wall in Jerusalem two times now. There are birds that make their nests in the wall. As I watched them flying around above us, and there were many of them, I thought of this Psalm.

I thought of the Psalmist’s jealousy of birds to be so near God’s presence by making their nests in his temple. It made me think of having that kind of passion to be close to the Lord. I know I need to keep growing closer and closer to the Lord.

Our connection with God could be stronger for all of us. True blessing is found in being near the Lord. The closer we are to Him, the more blessing and strength we find in Him.

The Psalmist wasn’t only jealous of birds, but also of the men, or the priests and Levites, who were constantly engaged in the service of God in the temple.

The writer says blessed are all those who dwell in God’s house serving the Lord at His temple. And then the Psalmist reasons, that to have such a duty and privilege in doing that service, they must be continually praising the Lord, and they will in the future.

“Selah,” is a musical notation allowing for a pause in the music and for thought on what was just said or sung. I like seeing “Selah” in Scripture. It’s like God’s reminder to us, to stop and think about that.

The Psalmist wanted the reader or singer to think about the blessedness of being in God’s presence and how great our desire should be to commune with Him.

And as we stop to think about it, may we remember that 1 Corinthians 6:19,20 says, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

For the believer, our bodies are the temples of God. We have the presence of the living God within. We don’t have to be jealous of birds! But do we live with that realization? Do we live in light of that grace?

Our hearts long for many things in this world. We want financial security, a certain car, the perfect home, the right job, this and that experience. But even after we have many of these things, the heart still aches for more and something else.

But if we would long for the Lord and knowing Him, and seek a stronger connection to Him by His Word, we will find strength, wisdom, peace, and cause for true joy.

Stop and think about verse 4 too. “Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house: they will be still praising Thee.” And think about your loved ones who are with the Lord in heaven. Blessed are they that dwell in His presence. They are blessed and they are praising God.

Psalm 84:5-8: “Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.

“They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God. O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.”

The writer spoke of those in God’s presence in His house. Verses 5-8 focuses in on the traveler going to God’s presence in the temple. For those pilgrims, the writer blesses those who find their strength and put their confidence, not in themselves, but in the Lord.

We, too, are earthly pilgrims on our way to God’s presence in heaven. And blessed is the man whose strength is in God as we travel through this life and this world.

The second part of verse 5 correlates to the latter half of verse 4. In other words, “In whose heart are the ways of them” goes with those who are dwelling in God’s house, those who he writes of saying, “they will be still praising thee.”

The “them” of the “ways of them,” are those serving in the temple who are “praising” God as they minister. So he is saying that as these pilgrims are traveling they’re praising the Lord as they go, just like those already in God’s presence, serving in the temple.

That’s what we are to be doing as well. In our hearts, we “rejoice in the Lord always,” as we journey through life on our way to being with the Lord.

The writer says that as the Jewish pilgrims are traveling they pass “through the valley of Baca.” The valley of Baca is said to have been an arid, waterless place on the way to Jerusalem. But as these pilgrims go in the strength of the Lord, praising Him as they go, they transform this sad, arid valley into a place of joy.

Warren Wiesbe pointed out, “‘Baca’ is a Hebrew word meaning ‘balsam tree,’ and the sap of this tree oozes like tears. The ‘Valley of Baca’ is a name for any difficult and painful place in life, where everything seems hopeless and you feel helpless.”

The Valley of Baca has also been called the “Valley of Weeping.” It speaks of the low times in our lives that we “pass through” on our way to the Lord’s presence.

But as the believer find their strength in the Lord and gives thanks in everything, even in the difficult valleys, that valley can be made “a well,” or a spring, a fountain, and the rain “filleth the pools.” The Lord can turn the place of weeping into a place of blessing, and use it in our lives to bring us closer Him.

Keeping this in the context of Israel’s program, there is a prophetic thought here also for Israel going through the valley of Jacob’s trouble, the 7-year Tribulation, but heading toward the earthly kingdom, which Peter refers to as the “times of refreshing.”

Speaking of the earthly kingdom, the Lord says in Ezekiel 34:26, “And I will make them and the places round about my hill [or Jerusalem] a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.”

Speaking again of the travelers to the temple, the Psalmist wrote, “they go from strength to strength.” This is good. It means that as they traveled step by step, day by day, they gained strength as they neared God’s house, joyously anticipating their arrival.

Verse 5 says that their strength was in the Lord as they journeyed. And as their got nearer to the temple, they went from “strength to strength,” the strength of His presence.

And also by the weary travelers encouraging one another they went from strength to strength: singing psalms of praises such as these, speaking of the temple, comforting, helping, lifting each other up, they were strengthened by one another on their journey.

And we “go from strength to strength.” We “can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” We find our strength in Christ. In our lives, we find daily strength to live for and serve the Lord through His indwelling presence as we walk by faith.

And we are going from strength to strength, the strength of His presence in heaven. Instead of getting weaker, we can get stronger. Though the outward man may perish, the inward man is renewed day by day. And as we get closer to home, we can gain spiritual strength at the anticipation of being in the presence of the Lord in heaven.

And we too can go from strength to strength as the church encourages each other, worships together, and lift each other up in our Christian walk as well.

Finally in verse 7, the travelers arrive in Jerusalem at the temple, and appear before God. And in the earthly, millennial kingdom, Israelites will do the same in the future when they come face to face with their King, the Lord Jesus Christ. One day, we too will arrive and appear before God and our Savior in heaven.

In v. 8, the Psalmist now calls out to God in prayer, the sovereign Lord of hosts and faithful God of Jacob. The One who is infinitely high is also intimately nigh. And He hears the prayers of His people.

“Selah,” stop and think about all this.

Psalm 84:9-12: “Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed. 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.

“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. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.”

The Psalmist prays and further address God as “our Shield.” God is a defense, as a shield in the day of battle. The writer prayed that God would “look” upon his anointed, or the king of Israel at that time with favor and blessing.

This translates into the future millennial kingdom, when the presence of God will dwell in the temple in the Person of Israel’s Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

In that day, God will look upon Israel’s king, His Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus, with favor and blessing, and Israel will be safe from all harm in that day. God will be her Shield, and they will dwell safely in the peace of that kingdom.

The Psalmist then reaffirms his love for the temple and God, stating that one day at the temple in the presence of God was better than a thousand days spent elsewhere.

He doesn’t say one year, or one month, or one week, but just one day, was of more value than 1000 days, nearly 3 years, spent anywhere else in the world. Just one day of fellowship with God was a thousand times better than anything else.

To be a servant in the house of God was better than living in the lavish tents of the wicked, which refers to the temporal nature of the world, and “the pleasures of sin for a season” as Hebrews 11:25 says.

Being in God’s presence as a doorkeeper in God’s house was infinitely superior to this. There was no comparison. Being in the presence of God’s glory and goodness is better than anything this world has to offer.

He says “I’d rather just stand at the door of the temple, and just be near to God.” Just being close to Him, just being a humble doorkeeper at an entrance of a court anywhere in God’s house, even if he was never able to enter inside, was preferred to dwelling on the inside of the tents of the wicked.

He found that being near God was more profitable for his soul, more to be desired than a thousand days spent elsewhere.

He found more joy, more blessing, more strength for his soul in just one day spent in the presence of God, being near Him, than he could in a thousand days spent anywhere else, doing anything else. Do we have this strong of a desire for God?

Colossians 3 says to set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Romans 12:2 says to be not conformed to this world. We’re taught these things to drive us to God. This world has nothing to offer in comparison to what we find in God.

Everything and anything else falls short of Him. The greatest blessing for our lives is to be near the Lord and to know Him.

What we find in knowing God is that He is a sun and shield, who gives grace and glory.

To us, as believers, the Lord is all we need. He is to us what the sun is to our earth, giving light and life, warmth and joy. We find life and life abundantly in the Lord. The light of His Word, illumines our path, and guides our steps.

Here in Wisconsin during the winter, often it is cloudy and overcast and we don’t see the sun for a while. After a prolonged period without it, when we have a sunny day, we are glad for it and it “brightens” our day.

God is a sun. We find everlasting joy, warmth, comfort, and gladness in Him. And He is our “shield.” We find spiritual safety in Him. He is our defense.

God is a giving God. He gives “grace and glory.” Grace and glory are connected. The bestowment of the one is followed by the other. Grace comes before glory. We are saved by God’s grace, and now we have the hope of glory.

And in the journey of life, God gives grace, His undeserved kindness, comfort, and strength for the journey. At the end of the journey there is glory waiting, He will give glory and welcome us into His glorious presence.

In conclusion, the Psalmist looks up to God, and with a heartfelt exclamation, declares, “O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in Thee.” True blessing in life is found in trusting God, and in constantly trusting Him. The one thing that makes man blessed is trusting in God, trusting Him at all times for all things in all circumstances.

The verse is an encouragement for all to trust Him, and find this real blessing.

Have you trusted Him as your Savior? Just believing that Christ died for your sins personally, was buried, and rose again, you are saved from all your sins and you are ready for heaven, all as a gift of God’s grace.

Having trusted Christ as Savior, God’s desire is that we the Psalmist’s heart and passionate longing for the presence of God and to be near Him.

The Psalm applies to Israel’s hope in the millennial kingdom and to be in the presence of the Lord and her Messiah in the Temple.

But it makes you think of our hope when we will enter Christ’s presence in heaven and the glory of that day. Better is just ONE DAY in His presence the Psalmist says, and think of it, that when we go to be with the Lord in heaven, we will never, ever leave His presence. We’ll be with Him eternally, and we will praise Him forever and ever.

May that grace transform our lives now.