PSALM 84
Strong desire to be with the LORD verse 1- 4
How amiable are YOUR tabernacles – O LORD of hosts
my soul longs – yea – even faints for the courts of the LORD
my heart and my flesh cry out for the LIVING God
Yea – the sparrow hath found an house
and the swallow a nest for herself
where she may lay her young – even YOUR altars
O LORD of hosts – my King – and my God
Blessed are they that dwell in YOUR house
they will be still praising YOU SELAH
Strength from the LORD verse 5- 7
Blessed is the man whose strength is in YOU
in whose heart are the ways of them
Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well
the rain also fills the pools
They go from strength to strength
every one of them in Zion appears before God
Supplication to the LORD verse 8
LORD God of hosts – hear my PRAYER – give ear
O God of Jacob SELAH
Sanctified by the LORD verse 9
BEHOLD – O God our shield
and look upon the face of YOUR anointed
Sanctified living produces grace verse 10- 11
For a DAY in YOUR 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
Sanctified living includes trust verse 12
O LORD of hosts – blessed is the man that TRUSTS in YOU
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 My soul longs, yea, even faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cries out for the living God. (7442 “cries” [ranan] means call out, to sing for joy, to produce a song with a response of joy, give a ringing cry, shrilly or whimper.)
Our life after we become believers is to be different than when we are without Christ. Without Christ there is very little joy concerning the future. Many people think they don’t need Christ in their life because they think they have joy in what they are doing at present without HIM.
It is a joy that doesn’t last. It might look good and we might seem to be having a good time with friends instead of having the joy that comes from serving Jesus.
God wans us to realize that the life with Christ in it is MUCH BETTER than a life without HIM both now and for eternity.
Those who are without Christ seem to be having a good time. They seem to have wild parties. They seem to have friends that really love them while they are partying. It seems that life couldn’t be better but when the music stops and the “friends” go home we are alone and lonely.
With Christ HE promises to never leave us or forsake us. In this world it seems that many of those who call themselves “friends” will be gone when the going gets tough. They are fair weather friends but the disappear when our life seems to be falling apart.
God is not a fair-weather friend but a genuine friend even when things are not going well. We need to count on HIM every moment of every day to be with us through good times as well as bad times.
There will be time periods in our life when we need genuine friends that stay with us in both good times and bad. The LORD is not just a fair-weather friend, but HE is there when the things are good and bad. HE wants us to trust HIM daily.
We need to cry to HIM when we need HIM and HE will always be there for us. Trust HIM more than any human friends. HE will not let you down and HE will send those who will encourage us.
CHALLENGE: We need to turn to the LORD and HIS genuine followers for help to get through the challenges we face each day.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 5 “Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). Strength – 5797 עֹז [ʿoz, or (fully), ʿowz /oze/] n m. From 5810; TWOT 1596b; GK 6437; 93 occurrences; AV translates as “strength” 60 times, “strong” 17 times, “power” 11 times, “might” twice, “boldness” once, “loud” once, and “mighty” once. 1 might, strength. 1A material or physical. 1B personal or social or political. James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: People tend to consider themselves to be strong or capable enough to accomplish tasks themselves. But the psalmist reminds us all that the truly strong individual is the one that knows their strength is in the Lord. For the believer, no matter what happens in our life He gives strength for the journey. The valley of Bacca (weeping) may be a difficult point in the journey but with the Lord it becomes an oasis.
As we face the difficulties of the journey in life the strength of the Lord is the difference between weeping and being refreshed. May you live in God’s strength as you go through this day!
CHALLENGE: Take a few moments to be strengthened and refreshed in the Lord today! It is a long day without His refreshing presence! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
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: 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.” (“Thousand,” 505 אֶלֶף [ʾeleph] 1 a thousand. 1a as numeral. 2 a thousand, company. 2a as a company of men under one leader, troops [Strong, J. (2001). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software]).
DEVOTION: The psalmist describes the desire of the follower of the Lord for a relationship with Him through worship. This stanza uses hyperbole to describe how the worshipper is to view being in God’s presence. He compares one day spent with God with a thousand spent apart from Him.
God frequently gives us “mountain top” experiences where we refresh our Christian experience of God and come way renewed in our intention to serve Him with a whole heart. We come away so excited about our Christian lives that we feel as though we could not be closer to God. Even Sunday worship can be an emotional high for us as we draw closer to the Lord.
Yet Monday arrives, and we realize that we are in a world which has been affected by sin. The pressures and temptations all seek to push in a direction that makes us forget who we are as children of God, and we find ourselves emotionally and spiritually drained. We sometimes even wonder what this commitment to the lordship of Jesus Christ is all about. In short, we feel as though we are spending “one thousand days” (in the words of the psalmist) far apart from God.
One key during this time is to take short times of worship throughout our day to refresh and renew our spirit. God wants us to be in relationship with Him throughout the day, both by means of the Word and prayer. He will use these things in our mind to draw us ever closer to Him and to see life from His perspective. Also, do not forget to be a part of a group of Bible-believing followers who encourage one another along in their walk with the Lord and worship Him wholeheartedly each week.
CHALLENGE: If you feel as though your relationship with God is not as strong right now as it should be, stop and take a minute to reflect again on all that He has done for you on and through the cross. You will be amazed at how this revives your spirit! (Dr. Marc Wooten – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 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. (8549 “uprightly” [tamiym] means without blemish, perfect, having integrity, what is complete or entirely in accord with truth and fact, or without defect.)
DEVOTION: With the help of the Holy Spirit we can live a life that is pleasing to the LORD. We have to learn to be totally depend on HIM to lead and guide us through each challenge the LORD allows in our lives.
Our total dependence in the LORD is not easy to accomplish in our life as the world, the flesh and the devil are always trying to lead us away from the LORD rather than helping us get closer to the LORD.
We need friends that genuinely love the LORD to help us as we face the world, the flesh and the devil each day. This means friends that are praying for us and encouraging us to grow closer to the LORD.
Our life needs to have meaning and that can happen as we grow closer to HIM as HE will open the right doors for our future service to HIM. HE will introduce us to friends who are genuine. HE will give us a life partner that loves HIM and will help us grow closer to HIM and our genuine friends.
CHALLENGE: We need to ask the LORD for help each day to face the trial that come our way. Our walk can only improve as we understand HIS leading better and better each day.
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: 12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusts in YOU. (835 “blessed” [’esher] means happiness, good fortune, or state of joyful mind.
DEVOTION: Who do you trust? Do you have a friend you can tell anything and know that they will not spread it? We are not a trusting generation. Most people don’t have one person that they can tell a confidence.
There is one that all those who have faith can trust in and that is the LORD alone. HE will always keep our confidence. HE will always be watching over HIS children. All of HIS children can come to HIM at anytime with any trouble and HE will listen. The Psalmist would rather be in the house of the LORD than any other place. It is a place of safety. It is a place of strength.
This word for happiness is used three times in this psalm. Many in our country don’t understand what good fortune is. Many define “enough” as “a little bit more.” Some don’t know what the word “contentment” means. Some are never “satisfied.”
The psalmist is telling us that we need to be those who trust in the LORD alone. We are not to put our full trust in our possessions or position or people. We are to put our belief in the LORD. HE is the one WHO has promised to never leave us or forsake us. We should be in the state of joy in the fact that we can praise the LORD in a house of worship on a regular basis.
We should get our strength from the LORD. We should believe God. We can trust in HIM to do only the best for our spiritual growth. We have to keep these thoughts always before us.
So often we forget all the benefits we receive from the LORD and only think of the suffering HE allows in our lives. Remember the promises. The psalmist wanted to be like the birds of the air that could make their nest in the house of the LORD. He wanted to dwell in the presence of God all the time. That should be our desire.
We should want to be in the presence of God and HIS people on a regular basis. Is that our desire? Are we longing and fainting for the presence of the LORD? Are we crying out for the LIVING God?
How can we dwell in the presence of the LORD? We have to walk uprightly. How can we walk uprightly? Base our life on the Word of God. Remember that the only way we can base our life on the Word of God is to meditate on it day and night.
CHALLENGE: Our daily desire should be to be in the presence of the LORD. The only way we can do it is to meditate on HIM from the time we get out of bed until we go to sleep in the night. Our choice is a daily one!!!
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Prayer for the presence of the LORD verse 1- 12
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Altars verse 3
House of the LORD verse 4
Praising verse 4
Court of the LORD verse 10
House of God verse 10
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1- 3,
LORD of hosts verse 1, 3, 12
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 2, 3, 7-11
Living God verse 2
King verse 3
LORD God of hosts verse 8
Hears prayers verse 8
God of Jacob verse 8
God our shield verse 9
LORD God verse 11
sun and shield
give grace and glory
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Dwell in the tents of wickedness verse 10
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Wickedness verse 10
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Soul longs for God verse 2
Cry out verse 2
Blessed verse 4, 5, 12
Praising verse 4
Strength verse 5, 7
Heart following LORD verse 5
Prayer verse 8
Anointed verse 9
Grace verse 11
Glory verse 11
Walk uprightly verse 11
Trust verse 12
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Tabernacles verse 1
Courts of the LORD verse 2, 10
Dwell in house of the LORD verse 4, 10
Valley of Baca verse 6
Zion verse 7
Anointed of God verse 9
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
Longing is written all over this psalm. This eager and homesick man is one of the Korahite temple singers, and the mood of the psalm is not unlike that of Psalms 42 and 43, which are a product of the same group. Perowne suggests that here we may be listening to the self-same voice; if so, the singer has now come out of the gloom from which he was already beginning to break free in the earlier song.
Three times he uses the word ‘Blessed’, or ‘Happy’: once wistfully (4), once resolutely (5), once in deep contentment (12). These can guide us in exploring the movement of the psalm. ….
7a. The nearer the goal, the stronger its pull; so that the pilgrims, so far from flagging, press on more eagerly than at the start. In terms of a life’s pilgrimage the analogy is perhaps not so much between the godliness of a man’s youth and age (where extraneous factors disturb the comparison) as between following God at a distance and at closer quarters, since faith and love grow with exercise. With the expression from strength to strength, cf. the New Testament phrase, ‘from glory to glory’ (2 Cor. 3:18, av, rv), which is closely linked, as here, with a concentration on seeing and knowing God himself. ….
: 11 …. The final line of the verse, too, contained even more than was yet evident. It may seem a truism that what God will withhold is not ‘nothing’, but no good thing (cf. 34:10); yet the gospel showed the unimagined length and breadth of this (Rom. 8:32; Phil. 4:6–19). The limiting phrase, from those who walk uprightly (i.e. with an undivided heart), is not an arbitrary condition but as logical as the one in the promise ‘Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it’ (81:10). Jeremiah uses the language of our verse to express the converse of it: ‘your sins have withholden good things from you’ (Jer. 5:25, av).
12. The last of the three beatitudes, like its predecessors, sums up the thought of its stanza (see the end of the opening remarks on the psalm). By his disciplined response to nostalgia the psalmist has found the blessing of ‘those who have not seen and yet believe’ (John 20:29), and can teach us to treat our present state of glimpses and longings as he treated his: not only as a spur to pilgrimage but as a chance to respond to God already in delighted trust.
(Kidner, D. (1975). Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 16, pp. 333–334). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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This passage is a companion to Psalms 42 and 43, because it expresses the same yearning for the formal place of worship. Technically it is a pilgrimage song, though it is not in the collection of pilgrim psalms (Pss. 120–134). In Psalm 84 the pilgrim declared the blessedness of a believer who in faith journeys to the temple to pray to the Lord. The author is unknown; it was to be sung by the Korahites.
To yearn for the temple meant to long for the living God Himself (cf. 42:2). In that day people could approach God through the temple priests. The psalmist’s faith was thus in the living, powerful Lord God.
84:10–12. The pilgrim-psalmist stated why he longed to go to Zion: he was confident that God would answer his prayer. Reaffirming his intense love for the temple and its courts (cf. v. 2), he said that one day there was better … than a thousand elsewhere; to be a servant there was better than living in the lavish tents of the wicked. The reason, of course, was that God was at the temple and would bless and protect (be a Sun and Shield; cf. comments on 3:3) and bestow favor and good things (cf. 16:2; 34:10) on those who would walk blamelessly. Another prerequisite for receiving God’s blessings is trust.
(Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 855). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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In its depth of longing and hunger for God himself (2), its sense of the efficacy of the sacrifice God has provided (3), its resoluteness of faith (5–7), its blissful contentment with God (10–11), this psalm rebukes our meagre spirituality.
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1–4 Longing. The soul is the essential ego, heart and flesh the inward and outward aspects of personality: thus the whole person is caught up in a consuming longing for God’s house and for God himself. The thought of the security of the birds that nest on and around the Lord’s house leads to the thought of that which secures the safety of all who dwell there (4), the altar where sinners are reconciled to the Holy God and he to them. 3–4 The sequence is: ‘The birds are safe in their house; it is the place of God’s altar; we are safe in his house.’ The altar is the key to our security.
11 explains v 10: life with God is preferable to any other life because he is sun, the source of light (27:1) and life (56:13), shield, protector from every threat; by his favour, ‘grace’ he draws us to himself and then shares his glory with us (2 Pet. 1:3–4)
(Carson, D. A., France, R. T., Motyer, J. A., & Wenham, G. J. (Eds.). (1994). New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 540). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.)
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84:1–12 This psalm, like other psalms of ascent (Pss 120–134), expresses the joy of a pilgrim traveling up to Jerusalem, then up into the temple to celebrate one of the feasts. The pilgrim focuses his attention especially on the thought of being in the very presence of the Lord God. The NT believer-priest, in an even greater way, can come into the presence of the Lord (cf. Heb 4:16; 10:19–22). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ps 84:1–12). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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The Light turned yellow: The light turned yellow, just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection. The tailgating woman was furious and honked her horn, screaming in frustration, as she missed her chance to get through the intersection, dropping her cell phone and makeup. As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up.. He took her to the police station where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a holding cell. After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects. He said, “I’m very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, _________ the guy in front of you and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the ‘What Would Jesus Do’ bumper sticker, the ‘Choose Life’ license plate holder, the ‘Follow Me to Sunday-School’ bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk, so naturally….I assumed you had stolen the car.” Priceless ! ! ! !
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Daily Hope
Today’s Scripture
Genesis 4-7
Yesterday we began the journey through the Bible! The first two chapters establish Who the author is and how creation all began. The Fall of man is recorded in chapter three and now we begin to encounter the nuclei of all biblical doctrine. While some will debate the importance of Genesis and the validity of its statements, there is foundational truths that resonate throughout the remainder of the Bible.
In chapter 4, notice the conflict that erupts between brothers and the cause for the first recorded fatality. Also be attentive to the excuses and attempts to minimize the severity of the act. How is that revealed in us today?
In chapter 5 do not miss important facts due to the genealogy. Why did people live so long during this time and why was the firstborn the only one mentioned?
In chapters 6 and 7, the ungodly multiply and sin abounds. What made Noah favorable to God and everyone else worthy of death? The consequences of sin was so complete that all creation outside the ark was destroyed. Do we see sin the same way that God does?
As you read this section be mindful of how God speaks and the hardness of heart and resistant ears man has toward their Creator. Is our world similar to what we are reading in this section?
Pray for your neighbors and friends who demand their rights and independence. Spend some time in prayer asking God to keep us and our society from such hardened and calloused hearts.
With an Expectant Hope, Pastor Miller
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Man rebels and faces God’s judgment.
INSIGHT
Faith is believing what God has said, not merely hoping for something. It is not like wishing upon a star when, if you believe hard enough, your wish will come true. Faith is trusting God’s Word.
God told Noah to build an ark and save himself from the coming deluge. Noah had never seen an ark, but he believed God and was obedient to what he knew (Genesis 6:22). He believed the Word of God and acted on it. That’s faith. (Quiet Walk)
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THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS A MIND
And he that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit.
Romans 8:27
The Holy Spirit clearly has a mind. In Romans 8:27 we read, “the mind of the Spirit”—this is in connection with prayer. He is also the one who loves, because we read that “the fruit of the Spirit is love” (Galatians 5:22); and it is His function to shed abroad the love of God in our hearts (Romans 5:5). And, likewise, we know He is capable of grief, because in Ephesians 4:30 we are warned not to “grieve” the Holy Spirit
The ultimate doctrine about the Spirit, from the practical, experiential standpoint, is that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, so that whatever I do, wherever I go, the Holy Spirit is with me. I know nothing that so promotes sanctification and holiness as the realization of that. If only we realized, always, that in anything we do with our bodies, the Holy Spirit is involved! Remember also that Paul teaches that in the context of a warning against fornication. He writes, “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you…?” (1 Corinthians 6:19). That is why fornication should be unthinkable in a Christian. God is in us, in the Holy Spirit: not an influence, not a power, but a person whom we can grieve.
I am going through these details not out of an academic interest, nor because I happen to have a theological type of mind. No, I am concerned about these things, as I am a man trying myself to live the Christian life, and as I am called of God to be a pastor of souls, and I feel the responsibility for the souls and conduct and behavior of others. Wherever you are, wherever you go, if you are a Christian the Holy Spirit is in you; and if you really want to enjoy the blessings of salvation, you do so by knowing that your body is His temple.
A Thought to Ponder
If you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit is in you.
(From God the Holy Spirit, pp. 11-12. By Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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