How to Receive a Wonderful Blessing
Psalms Series • Sermon • Submitted
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· 45 viewsThe journey of faith is shaped by its destination. The journey is the church and the destionation is Christ
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
{{talk about my trip to Colorado — I will still chime in online on YouTube, but it might look a bit different}}
Today is our Communion Sunday! At the very core of the life and worship of the early church was the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. This tradition is called the Lord’s Supper because it refers back to the last supper that Jesus had with His disciples in the Upper Room on the night before His death. In the early church, it was called the “agape/love feast” to recognized the love of God; and later, it was called the “Eucharist,” taking its name from the Greek verb εὐχαριστέω, which is the Greek verb that means “to thank.” Thus, part of the Lord’s Supper is to gather together and express gratitude for what Christ accomplished in our behalf in His death.
It is fitting; therefore, to look at a Psalm this morning that celebrates our coming together.
Transition:
Psalm 84 is one of the most beautiful and most beloved psalms in the entire Psalter. Spurgeon calls it “the pearl of the Psalms.” He comments: “If the twenty-third be the most popular, the one-hundred-and-third the most joyful, the one-hundred-and-nineteenth the most deeply experimental, the fifty-first the most plaintive, this is one of the most sweet of the Psalms of Peace.”
It is a song, and also related to the Songs of Ascents (Pss. 120–34). The prayer for the king in in verse 9 (“your anointed one”) suggests that the Israeli monarchy is still there, so 586 BC would be the latest possible date before the first wave of the Babylonian takeover.
We have seen a little of the affection for the Lord’s house in the first Korah collection (Pss. 42–43). A love and desire to be present in God’s temple is in near every book of the Psalter.
Scripture Reading: Psalm 84
To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
3 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.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.
8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed!
10 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 dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!
Here we are in Book 3. It was compiled during the exile, when the country was in fear of the end of David’s dynasty (Ps. 89). To begin Book 3, Psalm 73 gives a much needed perspective on the temple: that the conundrum of the prosperity of the wicked comes to a resolution when we enter the temple. In anticipation of Psalm 84; Psalm 76 tells us that “his dwelling place” (“tabernacles”) is in Zion. Last week, we read of the destruction and the burning of the temple in 586 BC, and now Psalm 84 begins a second “Sons of Korah” collection (first Korah collection is Ps. 42–43) by celebrating the temple.
Transition:
The word “Selah” at the end of verses 4 and 8, marks out the three strophes or stanzas of the psalm. The word “blessed” concludes the first and third strophes and begins the middle one.
You could say this is a mini Psalmaic Beatitudes which forms our outline:
I. Blessing to those who dwell in God’s house (84:1–4)
I. Blessing to those who dwell in God’s house (84:1–4)
You know it is a fun Psalm to go through as a Pastor when it starts off talking good things about being in church!
How lovely are your dwelling places, O Yahweh of hosts!
“lovely”
This word also signifies devotion. Love = loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person — in our context, it’s The Person, Jesus, the Christ!
How lovely are your dwelling places, O Yahweh of hosts!
“your dwelling places”
This is plural! perhaps because the temple contains many compartments, or it is a plural that emphasizes its importance. I wonder too, if in principle, it can be an allusion to us today that there are several other good biblical lovely churches around the world.
How lovely are your dwelling places, O Yahweh of hosts!
LEB “O Yahweh of hosts!”
Some translations say, “LORD of Hosts,” or even “LORD Almighty”. This title is “LORD of hosts” hosts is the angelic army— He leads in supreme protection, and also this title is associated with the ark — the symbol of God’s presence-- God with us!
My soul longs and even fails for the courtyards of Yahweh. My heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
“longs/yearns” Genesis 31:30 uses this verb to describe Jacob’s longing to return to his father’s household.
My soul longs and even fails for the courtyards of Yahweh. My heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
“courtyards of Yahweh/courts of the LORD”
These were the court of the priests and the court of Israel, where the congregation stood during worship. Herod’s temple also had a court of women.
My soul longs and even fails for the courtyards of Yahweh. My heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
“my heart and my flesh”
That is, “my whole being” enjoys the living God.
Even a bird finds a home, and a swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, near your altars, O Yahweh of hosts, my king and my God.
“Even the bird/sparrow”
The open courts were an easy place for birds to make a nest, and the psalmist longingly reflects on their easy access to the temple.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they can ever praise you. Selah
“Blessed are those who dwell in your house”
Three exclamations (vv:4, 5, 12), beginning with “blessed” build on the idea of the temple. The first strophe/stanza (84:1–4) stresses the privilege of being in the Lord’s house; the second, the privilege of journeying to the Lord’s house (84:5–8); and the third, the privilege of trusting in the Lord of the house (84:3–12).
Transition:
I. Blessing to those who dwell in God’s house
I. Blessing to those who dwell in God’s house
If somehow this was not enough to celebrate with, the Sons of Korah sing the blessings of the pilgrimage to God’s presence.:
II. Blessing to those who journey to the Lord’s house (84:5–8)
II. Blessing to those who journey to the Lord’s house (84:5–8)
Blessed is the man whose strength is in you; in their heart are the highways to Zion.
“Blessed is the man… in their heart are the highways to Zion/whose hearts are set on pilgrimage”
The temple is the “strength” of these people. Literally, the verse reads: “Blessed is the man whose strength is in you, (the) ways in their heart.” The personal pronoun “you” could refer either to the Lord or to the temple. Since the pronoun in verse 4 is clearly the Lord, it logically follows that in verse 5, it also means the Lord (“whose strength is in you” [the Lord]); but in verse 5b, since this half line focuses on the journey (“paths,” “roads”) the pronoun “their” at the end of the line (lit., “in their heart[s]”) seems to be pilgrims: “[its] ways are in their heart[s]” (NIV: “whose hearts are set on pilgrimage”).
Illustration: A description of pilgrimage
Church History: Spurgeon compares the pilgrimage to the temple represented by this psalm to the English pilgrimages to the shrine of Thomas of Canterbury and Our Lady of Walsingham, religious pilgrimages that were so popular as to affect the entire country. Among their effects, they caused the formation of roads, the erection and maintenance of hostelries, and “the creation of a special literature.… Families journeyed together, making bands which grew at each halting place; they camped in sunny glades, sang in unison along the roads, toiled together over the hill and through the slough, and, as they went along, stored up happy memories which would never be forgotten. One who was debarred the holy company of the pilgrims, and the devout worship of the congregation, would find in this Psalm fit expression for his mournful spirit.”
Spurgeon, Treasury of David
Passing through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring. The early rain covers it with blessings as well.
“Valley of Baka”
This could be a valley that pilgrims pass through on their way to the temple. Some propose the Valley of Rephaim, where mulberry trees grow (beka’im = mulberry trees). The point is that these pilgrims, transformed by their love for the temple, in turn transform this valley into a spring.
They go from strength to strength, until each appears before God in Zion.
“from strength to strength”
This is likely an allusion to the walls of the city with their ramparts/fortified walls — impenetrable! (see 48:13).
They go from strength to strength, until each appears before God in Zion.
“appears before God in Zion.”
This is the goal of the pilgrims and of the psalmist, and it contains virtually the same language as Exodus 23:17 where all males are instructed to “appear before the Sovereign LORD” three times a year.
Transition:
II. Blessing to those who journey to the Lord’s house
II. Blessing to those who journey to the Lord’s house
We are to sing of the blessings of being in Church, we are to sing of the blessings of the journey there; and last, we are to sing of the blessings of trusting in our Lord
III. Blessing to those who trust in the Lord (84:9–12)
III. Blessing to those who trust in the Lord (84:9–12)
In the last men’s Bible study, we had discussed how our trust immensely affects the intensity of our suffering and our hope to endure to the end
Look at our shield, O God, and have regard for the face of your anointed one.
here is the reference to the King
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 dwell in the tents of wickedness.
“Better is one day in your courts”
“A thousand elsewhere” is parallel to “tents of the wicked,” and the message is that “one day in your courts” is better than a thousand in the ill-gotten opulence of the tents of the wicked.
Because better is a day in your courtyards than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be at the threshold of the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
“doorkeeper” The Korahites were keepers of the temple gates (1 Chron. 9:17–27; Neh. 11:19). In David’s plans for the construction of the temple, and after the Levites would be no longer needed for packing and moving the tabernacle, David assigned them to other roles, like doorkeepers, guards of the temple treasures, and singers (1 Chron. 24–25). Doorkeeping may have been among the more menial tasks, thus implying the lowest rung of the Levitical ladder.
This one verse changed several lives!
Illustration:
Church History: Rowland Prothero gives a brief summary of the influence of the Psalms on monks. Through the Psalms men and women heard God’s call to service, regulated their lives, ordered the canonical hours and activities, and were directed where to build their monasteries; to the chanting of the words of the Psalms they dedicated their abbeys and churches, baked their eucharistic bread, cast their bells, and buried their dead. Thomas Aquinas (1225–74), for example, the great Catholic theologian and author of the Summa theologica, heard the call of God to monastic life through Psalm 84:10 (“I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked”), and he became a Dominican monk. As a rule, the monastic orders required their members to memorize the entire Psalter.
True Story: British New Testament scholar N. T. Wright tells the story of his father, who returned from World War II in 1945, having spent five years as a prisoner of war. After his death in 2011, from his diaries and papers the family began to piece together some of his major life decisions. For example, the senior Mr. Wright was offered a position in the Territorial Army, a civilian organization that supported the regular army and encouraged the new generation. At the same time he had been approached with the offer to become a churchwarden in a local church, assuming responsibilities for many things in the life of the church, such as ringing the church bells, handing out books to congregants, and taking up the collection. He chose the job as churchwarden, and upon reflection, the family reckoned that his sentiments lay with Psalm 84: “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God” (84:10).12
Because Yahweh God is a sun and a shield; Yahweh gives grace and honor. He does not withhold good from those who walk blamelessly.
a sun and shield. The Lord gives light to those who yearn for the courts of the Lord, and he protects them on their way to the house of God.
O Yahweh of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts you.
“blessed” This is the third and final beatitude, pronouncing blessing on the one who trusts in God.
So What?
So What?
Since a pilgrimage to the temple stands behind the psalm, we can look at the destination (temple) as the shape of the journey. That is, while our journey represents an important destination, the destination has a way of shaping the journey, giving it a certain quality and nobility, as well as a determined focus.
We are called to follow the three nuances of the word “blessed”:
The first blessing is nuanced by the psalmist’s description of the joyous privilege of being present in the temple. To be in God’s presence is to praise Him, and as the psalmist ruminates on the experience, he is envious of a sparrow that makes the temple courts home. This emphasizes both joy and contentment! What can we say about our own joy and contentment in church and in our own experience of worship. Since our spiritual longing for the Lord’s house is in fact a longing for God, our yearning is not therefore so much for the physical building as for the presence of God that dwells in and among God’s people who worship here. Longing to be in God’s presence to worship and being here in church go hand in hand—it is why John MacArthur is adamant on fighting California’s attempt to shut down churches and it is why I have not yet closed Grace Baptist Church’s in-person services. The anticipated joy of the destination, Christ, gives a silhouette of joy to the journey, church.
The second “blessed” is nuanced, like the first, by its focus on the journey to the temple. It is the spirit of the pilgrim, a spirit shaped by faith, that determines to a great extent the character of the journey. As pilgrims we find that the strength for the journey grows out of our anticipated arrival, and we can say with the psalmist that we “go from strength to strength” (84:7). That is, rather than focusing on tired feet and worn sandals and the dangers of the road (such as the corona-virus), our psalmist highlights the journey by its high points, “strength to strength,” which puts the face of strength on the journey rather than weariness. The destination determines the joy of the journey, here the determinative factor is the character of the pilgrims themselves, “whose hearts are the highways to Zion” (84:5b).
The third “blessed” is again nuanced by emphasizing the blessing of trusting in the Lord, which comes with the experience of dwelling in God’s presence. It finds the pilgrims at their destination, the house of God; and, finally having arrived in God’s presence, or having become aware of God’s presence in and among his people, the pilgrims acknowledge even the most inconsequential task in God’s house to be a far greater privilege than to “dwell in the tents of the wicked” (v:10). N. T. Wright observed that the temple:
N. T. Wright, Case for the Psalms
established “a bridgehead for God’s own presence within a world that has very determinedly gone its own way” His comment that God is determined to “re-create the world from within”8 goes with verse 5, that the “paths” to the temple have been internalized by the pilgrims. That is, we absorb God’s ways, and through his power working in us he re-creates the world from within. Chesterton puts the matter in different words, but with essentially the same meaning,
Chesterton, Orthodoxy
when he says of the believer, “Can he hate it [the world] enough to change it, and yet love it enough to think it worth changing?”
Ultimately the arrival (not just the anticipated arrival) justifies the character of joy and strength with which its anticipation has silhouetted our journey.
So What?
So What?
In Conclusion:
For us today in a world which is telling us that it is no longer safe to gather together in a church, Christ’s teaches us, and proclaims to the world that he is the true temple: [[John 2:19]]
Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up!”
The world, with the power of satan, is doing its best to destroy that temple!
And our solution today is to abide in Christ as the true goal of the Christian life: [[John 15:10]]
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.
The abiding power of Christ re-creates us, our nation, and the world from within the context of the church—God’s people assembled together.