Psalm 84
June 6, 1999
For sometime I have been drawn to the description of King Solomon’s
dedication of the temple because of what happened when the ark was brought into
the temple. If you have your Bible, please turn to 1 Kings 8:5-7. I will
read those three verses, and then I will read verses 10-13 as well. 1 Kings 8
verses 5-7 and verses 10-13:
King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before
him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that
they could not be counted or numbered. Then the priests brought the ark of the
covenant of the Lord to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the
most holy place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread
out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a
covering above the ark and its poles. . . . And when the priests came out of
the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests
could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord
filled the house of the Lord. Then Solomon said, "The Lord has said that
he would dwell in thick darkness. I have built you an exalted house, a place
for you to dwell in forever."
The Bible is very clear. Yahweh-God, the God of Israel, the God who made all
that is––that God was in some way enthroned above the cherubim/
above the ark of the covenant. In fact, the Old Testament refers five times (1
Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 6:2; 2 Kings 19:15; 1 Chronicles 13:6; Psalm 80:1; 99:1;
Isaiah 37:16) to the God "enthroned above the cherubim."
Since God was enthroned there––above the ark of the covenant, it was
perfectly understandable that when the ark entered the temple "a cloud
filled the house of the Lord," a cloud which made clear that "the
glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord." Solomon built a house for
the Lord to dwell in. The filling of the temple with the dark cloud demonstrated
that the Lord had indeed taken up residence there.
But Solomon knew that the temple was not the exclusive dwelling of
God. In fact, he knew that no place could fully house the God of Israel. In 1
Kings 8:27, we hear Solomon praying later in this same temple dedication
service. Solomon prayed, "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Even
heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less this house that I
have built!" God’s presence/God’s person is far greater than the
temple. There is no way the temple could house the whole of God; but, in some
mysterious way, God did reside in the temple. He was enthroned above the
cherubim/above the ark of the covenant, that ark of the covenant which was
housed in the portion of the temple described as "the holy of holies"
or "the most holy place." All of this is why the temple as well as the
tabernacle before it are referred to as "the house of the Lord."
Imagine going somewhere knowing that God is going to be there in a profound
and powerful and personal way––the living and holy God enthroned in a
building right here on earth. And imagine that when you arrive a great festival
is taking place.
The Israelites celebrated three great festivals every year in Jerusalem. They
were Passover, the feast of Weeks, and the feast of Tabernacles. They could only
be celebrated in Jerusalem, so they were pilgrimage festivals; that is,
they were festivals which the people had to travel to Jerusalem to observe.
And we have psalms which convey the power and the joy of those pilgrimages to
Jerusalem. Psalm 122 is one of those psalms. Its very first verse says, "I
was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’"
Psalm 42 conveys the pain of one who remembered being part of those great
pilgrimages; that psalmist’s pain was due to the fact that personal enemies
made it impossible for the psalmist to travel to Jerusalem for the festivals.
But even through the psalmist’s expression of pain we hear the great joy of
those pilgrimages. Psalm 42:1-4 says,
As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My
soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the
face of God? My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me
continually, "Where is your God?"
These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the
throng, and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and
songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
Hear the joy of the pilgrimage.
Psalm 42 is integrally joined to psalm 43, and most scholars interpret them
together as one psalm. In verses 3-4 of Psalm 43 we read,
O send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring
me to your holy hill and to your dwelling. Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God my exceeding joy; and I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.
In the midst of oppression, the psalmist’s spirits were lifted by the
memory of traveling to Jerusalem, of traveling to the house of the Lord for a
festival of worship and praise.
Now we turn to the passage upon which we will focus. It is Psalm 84. J.
Clinton McCann Jr, in The New Interpreter’s Bible says,
"Psalm 84 is perhaps the most expressive and beautiful of all the songs of
Zion" (2:1012). Psalm 84 is indeed a beautiful psalm. And it is with joy
that I turn to it now. Listen to its first few lines; and, if you have your
Bible, please follow along as I read from the New Revised Standard Version.
"How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, indeed
it faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the
living God." Through these words we hear the psalmist’s passionate desire
for Jerusalem, for the temple, for the presence of God. The psalmist says,
"my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God."
You and I are not traveling to a physical Jerusalem. Our destination is not a
sacred place of worship on Mount Zion. But every Christian is traveling; every
Christian is a pilgrim. We are all on a journey to "the house of God."
Hebrews 11:9-10 is talking about Abraham but presenting him as a model for
Christians when it says that he lived "like a stranger in a foreign
country. . . . For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose
architect and builder is God."
And even the psalmist’s longing in Psalm 84 is a longing for more than just
the physical temple. The psalmist longs for "the living God."
Hans-Joachim Kraus is likely correct when he indicates that the phrase "the
living God" refers to God as the one who gives life, and Kraus well
conveys the intensity of this psalmist’s desire for "the living God"
when he writes, "the human being in its totality, waits for life from
Yahweh and yearns for his nearness" (Psalms 60-150, trans.
Hilton Oswald [Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993], p. 168 [emphasis is mine]).
Like the psalmist we participate in our pilgrimage with a passionate hunger for
the living God.
Now listen to the first two verses of Psalm 84 again, and listen this time
with a hunger to draw nearer to the living God. Psalm 84:1-2: "How lovely
is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, indeed it faints for the
courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God."
Do you hear how intense is the psalmist’s hunger for God? The psalmist’s
soul is so hungry for God’s presence that it "faints." The soul of
the psalmist is greatly lacking in strength because of the distance between that
soul and God. As a result, nearness is hungered for and sung for. The psalmist’s
soul needs revival, a revival that comes from being in God’s presence.
Now please look with me at verses 3-4. The psalmist says,
Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where
she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise.
The psalmist looks with envy at little birds, because they are able to live
on and around the temple. The psalmist longs to have that same privilege, to be
always in the presence of God singing God’s praises.
Now please look with me at verses 5-7. These three verses I will be reading
from the New International Version, because I prefer its rendering.
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on
pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of
springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to
strength, till each appears before God in Zion.
The psalmist reveals that the setting of a person’s heart on pilgrimage
brings about blessing. In the previous verse the soul was fainting. Here we read
of going from strength to strength as the pilgrims draw nearer to God in Zion.
Here we read of the Valley of Baca, and the impression is given that this
unknown valley was normally not a pleasant place but a dry and depressing place.
But, due to the blessing of pilgrimage toward God, it becomes a place of springs
and pools. Blessings, strength––do your hear it? Because the pilgrims are
moving toward God they are receiving blessings, they are becoming stronger.
Verses 8-9 say, "O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of
Jacob! Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed." In the
middle of this pilgrimage psalm we read a prayer for the king referred to as the
"anointed." This should remind us that our pilgrimage must not become
a self-centered journey that detaches us from the issues, needs, and people in
our world. The psalmist prays for the leader of the nation. So should we––even
as we draw near to God and because we are drawing near to God.
And listen to the psalmist’s finale. Listen to verses 10-12.
For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would
rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of
wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of
hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you.
The goal of the pilgrimage is "the house of God," and it is such a
blessing that to be there for just one day is better than being anywhere
else in the world for a thousand days.
There is considerable debate concerning the translation and meaning of the
second half of verse 10, the section about the doorkeeper. The Hebrew word
translated as "doorkeeper" is found only here in the entire Bible.
When a word is that rare it is commonly a translation problem, but let me tell
you what I think this word means. I do not think it refers to a doorkeeper
or a gatekeeper; I think it is referring instead to someone who is waiting
at the gate, waiting to get into the temple. I think the following
contemporary paraphrase well conveys the psalmist’s intending meaning, and you
can criticize me for creating this paraphrase. I think the psalmist is saying,
"I would rather be stuck in line waiting to get into the house of the Lord
than to be comfortably established in some rich person’s residence."
Remember, at festival time all of the Israelites who wanted to worship God would
be seeking to enter the gates of the temple grounds. It follows, therefore, that
those not in line to enter the temple were either banned from entering or had no
interest in entering. They were the wicked people. The psalmist seems to me to
be saying that the lines may be long, the progress may be slow; but I still want
to be headed into the temple grounds to be near to and worship the Lord God. The
difficulty is nothing in comparison to the joy of being in the presence of my
God. Because, the psalmist says, "the Lord God is a sun and shield; he
bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who
walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you." The
hardship of the pilgrimage is not even seen as hardship, because of the joy of
being in the presence of God Almighty.
Now think back to what you have heard. Did you hear the three beatitudes
contained in this psalm? We normally think only of the "blessed are"
or "happy are" statements of Jesus when we hear the term
"beatitude." But it is perfectly legitimate to categorize any
statement as a beatitude that begins with "happy are" or "blessed
are." Psalm 84 has three such beatitudes. Two of them are right next to
each other. Look again at verses 4-5. Verse 4 says, "Happy are those who
live in your house, ever singing your praise." Verse 5 follows that
beatitude by saying, "Happy are those whose strength is in you, who have
set their hearts on pilgrimage." And the final few words of this psalm are
a beatitude: "happy is everyone who trusts in you."
I wanted to conclude our study of this psalm by focusing upon these three
beatitudes to make what I think is an especially important point. Those
Israelites who really loved God did not see it as a hardship to make three
journeys a year to Jerusalem. They did not complain about the demands of such a
journey. They rejoiced in it, and they did so because they longed for the
life-giving presence of God. They longed for it to such an extent that they felt
weak until they were actually on their way. They loved it so much that
beatitudes came to mind when they thought about making a pilgrimage to
Jerusalem.
Feel the power and the joy of living with hearts set on pilgrimage, a
pilgrimage deeper and deeper into God’s heart. Feel the power of taking Psalm
84 as a defining paradigm for the life of faith. You might even add to it the
complimentary sentiment of Psalm 27:4 which says, "One thing I asked of the
Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the
days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his
temple."
As I studied Psalm 84 and other biblical psalms like it, I reflected upon
Psalm 27:4 in light of being a pilgrim moving further into the heart of God. As
I did so a contemporary praise song imprinted upon my mind, and I sang it over
and over for weeks. I want to recite the words of it to you right now. I want
you to feel the drawing and blessing power of the presence of God.
O Lord, You’re beautiful.
You’re Face is all I seek
And when your eyes are on this child,
Your grace abounds to me.
Sisters and brothers, may we all focus on the joy of being in God’s
presence, focus upon the wonder of being surrounded by His glory, focus upon the
beauty of the Lord. When we do that, sin does not allure. Greed for worldly
things dies. Eyes once drawn to pornography are drawn to that no more. People
who had always been guided by pride and power are now guided by their passion
for God. Hatred is conquered by the joy and majesty of God. The way we see
everything is changed. Our eyes are fixed on the living God and the wonder of
God’s beauty and glory and love.
Students of Scripture have noticed something about one of Jesus’ beatitudes
that emphasizes the point God wants us to affirm and take hold of. In Matthew
5:8 Jesus says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see
God." It seems to me a valid contention that the reward of "seeing
God" conforms to the attribute of being "pure in heart," because
it is "the pure in heart" who most want to see God. Focusing
upon the seeing of God is what causes us to have pure hearts.
I believe that purity indeed comes from focusing upon one thing. That one
thing is the face/the presence/the glory/the person of God. Passionate desire
for God is what generates life-saving, life-transforming Christian purity.
Desire to see God. Desire that one thing, and purity of heart will be granted
by the God whom you seek.
We so often fight evil from our own strength. When a person’s heart is set
on pilgrimage toward God, the power comes from God and from our absolute
fixation on Him. I believe that Psalm 84 can help us in our battle against evil
and in the whole of our Christian pilgrimage. Psalm 84 can do that as it causes
us to feel the power of drawing ever further into the presence of God.
Adam is going to come in just a moment and lead us in two songs that focus
upon God and the wonder and joy of being in His presence. After the singing of
those songs we will gather around the table of the Lord and partake of the bread
and the cup. Please, during this communion, seek the presence of God. Allow
yourself to sense what the writer of Psalm 27 sensed. The power and the absolute
contentment of beholding "the beauty of the Lord." Let’s deepen our
relationship with God as together we eat the bread and drink the cup. Let’s
set our hearts on a pilgrimage that takes us further into the presence of our
God.
INVITATION
I believe that the Lord God is "more precious than silver,"
"more costly than gold," "more beautiful than diamonds." And
I believe that true life is found when we can truthfully say to God that
"nothing I desire compares with you" (from the song, "More
Precious than Silver" by Lynn DeShazo).
Can you say that this morning? Can you proclaim that no desire compares with
your desire for God? If we can help you in anyway to put God first in your life,
we want to do that. We will pray with you, study the Bible with you, love you,
and seek to focus the eyes of your heart on our glorious God. If you are ready
to be baptized into the saving power of Christ’s death, we will rejoice in
assisting you in taking that wonderful step. We just want God to be first in
your life. Please, come now, as we stand and sing.
