Praise God for His Communion with Us
Book of Psalms Chapter 84
We should ask ourselves, are we longing to go to the House of the Lord, or do we see it as a burden?
This Psalm begins with added words that say, "My soul longs for the courts of the Lord".
Psa 122:1 A Song of degrees of David. I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.
We may not know who wrote this Psalm, but we can be sure that it was the Holy Ghost that led that person!
We should all strongly desire to be in the house of God at the appointed times.
1Ti 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
How terrible it will be for those who use the House of God to promote their lies and falsehood!
We know that there is a great falling away of the Gospel in America and much of this can be blamed on the false messages coming from the pulpits.
We all need to find a place of worship where the truth of God is preached.
We go to the House of God to hear what God has to say and not what someone who is a child of the devil has to say.
Assembling in the House of God is a commandment of God!
Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
Heb 10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
Heb 10:21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
If we love the Lord, we will go to see Him and hear what He has to say regularly.
There are so many other places in this world where people would love to go to the House of God but cannot because of the politics in their country.
Our souls are craving to be with the Lord Jesus and Prayer and Worship are what we have until He comes to take us home.
Because we are filled with God's Holy Spirit, we will always have the desire to go home to Heaven!
*****Psa 84:1 To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!
Here again, we see the instructions to the Head Musician to accompany this Psalm with a Harp. There was probably more than one of them.
Who was Korah? Korah was the son of Izbar the brother of Amram. Amram was the father of Moses.
It was this Korah who rebelled against the leadership of Moses.
Two hundred and fifty princes who were men of renown joined with Korah and God sent down fire from Heaven and destroyed them.
Two more, Dathan and Abiram came out and stood in rebellion at the door of their tents and God opened the earth and dropped them straight into Hell with their wives, their children, and all their possessions.
These sons of Korah mentioned here became the leaders of the music provided at the worship service.
The sons of Korah never rebelled again and remained close to the Lord and were the choir at every worship service.
The word "amiable" is a term of affection used in romantic poetry.
Whoever this Psalmist was, guided by the Holy Spirit, loved to worship the Lord in any place where people gathered to do so.
Psa 27:4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
This psalmist just loved to be in the presence of God, and we should all be able to say this!
*****Psa 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.
It is not a beautiful building. It is not the beauty of the sanctuary or the color of the carpet that we are to acknowledge when we come to the house of the Lord.
If we are not seeking the Living God, we are coming to the House of God for the wrong reason!
This Psalmist ached to be at the House of God.
The place we go should be a place where people go to experience God's glorious presence, seeking a movement of God.
Soul, heart, and flesh mean every part of our being should want to get closer to God.
Most of this world refuses to accept that there are three parts in our nature.
The soul.
The heart.
The flesh.
This psalmist knew the truth!
It is a privilege to be able to go to the House of God!
Many places do not allow a place to worship Jehovah God, the Lord Jesus Christ.
In every House of God, there must be an altar where we can offer up our prayers and give ourselves to the Lord.
*****Psa 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.
This psalmist says that every animal in God's creation seeks a place to build a home because it is in their nature.
It is no different for humanity!
We desire a place we can call home, and it is the House of God where we can learn about our true home and be with others, who are seeking the same thing.
He says even the birds loved to build their nests close to the house of God.
In the Tabernacle and the Temple, there were three altars.
1) There was the altar of the burnt offerings in the outer courtyard, where sacrifices were offered.
2)There was the altar of incense in the inner courtyard which is a picture of offering our prayers.
Note how the smoke of the incense altar rose toward Heaven.
3) Then there was the "Mercy Seat", the Ark of the Covenant.
This is the altar upon which the blood of the atoning sacrifice was sprinkled, where God's presence was centered.
Sparrows and swallows were abundant in ancient Israel, and they were considered a worthless nuisance, but not to this Psalmist because they were a creation of God.
If they found a place to lay their eggs at God's house, then maybe they represent any stranger who might be trying to get into the House of God.
We are all strangers in this foreign land, "the world" but we can find refuge in the House of God.
When I first stepped into this Church, I knew I had found what I was missing in my life, praise the Lord it felt like home.
We should all love to be in the presence of God!
The Jews could not go into the Holy of Holies, but the Lord Jesus Christ removed the obstacles that keep us from going right into the Throne Room of God.
Today God's presence is within us, but we are still to gather with all those who love the Lord as we do, we also need to set aside some time daily to be with the Lord.
If we truly love the Lord, we will want to be close to Him and we do this through worship and prayer.
Heb 6:19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
Heb 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
We can get many blessings by being in the house of the Lord.
*****Psa 84:4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.
Psa 84:5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.
For those descendants of Korah, they would spend their lives taking care of the House of God, and they loved it.
What a job!
It is a blessing to go to the House of God!
It is a blessing to be in the presence of God!
We are made whole when the Holy Ghost comes to live within us!
This is also when we can feel the joy of the Lord!
This is when we can continuously give God the praise He deserves!
We can never give the Lord too much praise because we know greater rewards still lie in our future.
We find that our strength surely comes from the Lord God of all creation.
With Jesus in our hearts, we are just as determined to get to our home in Heaven as those Jews who were determined to be in the presence of God as they traveled to Jerusalem to worship a Living Savior.
We will one day certainly be in the actual presence of God, but the closest we can come to this today is to worship in the House of God.
For those who do not like to worship in the House of God, they will certainly not like Heaven!
Many Jews traveled many miles to worship at the Temple of God and today, Christians struggle to get out of bed on Sunday and get in their car and drive to the House of God.
I admit I have laid out also, but I missed a blessing on those occasions when I said to myself, I just do not feel well enough to go today.
I do not think I ever came into this church feeling bad that I did not leave feeling better!
This has not happened very often.
We must not ever lose our longing to worship!
*****Psa 84:6 Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.
The valley of Baca would be the "Valley of Weeping" and maybe like the "Valley of Death" and not a real place.
These are places of grief that we feel in our hearts for some reason.
I think we all have visited both these places on many occasions.
It is the rain of "God's Grace" that can get us through these times of grief.
If our heart is filled with the Lord, then the blessings of the Lord can come from even these places and can cause an increase in righteousness and even true holiness.
This Baca represents the troubles and trials of this life, the painful experiences we all suffer.
Being in God's presence we will forget these trials and look forward to blessings, even the "Showers of Blessings".
Ezk_34:26 And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.
The Holy Spirit is teaching us that we can make pools of refreshment out of life's deserts if we gather in the House of God where we can find the presence of God!
What happens to us when we are obedient to God?
*****Psa 84:7 They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.
Our relationship with God gets stronger and stronger.
This is added to the blessing we can get on our journey to Heaven's gates.
The journey of the Jews to worship in the Temple is a picture of our journey in life.
We will face many obstacles, but there is no reason we cannot enjoy the trip.
Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and "confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth".
We do not have to fear death as it is like pouring grease on a walkway, we just slide on into Heaven a little bit quicker.
We should remember if we die in our service to the Lord, then this was His plan to bring us home.
This is when we will spend eternity with the Lord.
Heb 11:14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
Heb 11:15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
Heb 11:16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
There are certainly many dangers as we travel home, both trials and temptations yet, we are blessed on our journey because the Lord is traveling with us, all the way.
Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
We will get stronger as we travel as we grow in the "grace" of the Lord.
2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
Our hope is in the Lord so our hope will sustain us at every step of the way!
*****Psa 84:8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.
There is nothing wrong in asking God to hear our prayers.
If we are one of His children in good favor with the Holy Spirit who abides within us, God will certainly hear our prayers and if He hears our prayers He will answer our prayers.
We must live our lives in such a way that the Lord will always hear our prayers.
That way is to live according to the Word of God!
Who are we speaking of? We are speaking of The Lord God Jehovah, Yahweh, the God of all of Heaven's angelic forces.
Here again, we see that the angels have a Commander, and this Commander knows every move His angels make, and they will not go against Him at any time without His knowledge and He will stop them before they do anything against His Sovereignty.
God has never lost control of His created beings.
The angels have only one time to make a mistake against the Lord, but we as His created humans know that He is the God of the second chance.
God has pledged His "Mercy" and His "Grace" to all those who call upon Him!
God is our shield, and we can hide ourselves in Him.
*****Psa 84:9 Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.
To assemble in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is a blessed thing to do!
This is what the Church of the Living God must do!
He is still the God of Hosts because He is still the God that fights our battles for us!
God's anointed is not David, God's anointed is the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.
At his best David was a "type of Christ"!
God the Father proclaims this of His Son.
God the Holy Spirit makes sure it is written for all the world to see.
God the Son is the fulfillment of the written Word of God!
Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Mat_3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Mat_17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
Mrk_1:11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Luk_3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
The Lord Jesus Christ is Israel's protector just as He is for the Church!
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Messiah who came from the line of King David.
Remember the Lord Jesus Christ was one hundred percent God and He was one hundred percent man while He was upon this earth.
Do not be fooled by this.
If the Lord Jesus came down in all His glory all humans would have died.
It was the glory of God that was laid aside so He could come with His message of salvation.
2Sa 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
2Sa 7:13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
2Sa 7:14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
2Sa 7:15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
2Sa 7:16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
It is the Messiah who is our guide, our shield, and our protector as we go through this thing called life!
It is the Messiah who will gather us up and take us home to our place in Heaven.
*****Psa 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.
Psa 84:12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
It was the Lord Jesus Christ who opened my mind to the truth of the Gospel!
Psa 40:6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
There are so many blessings that come from a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus that we cannot even know them all.
A personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ brings complete satisfaction.
I will be like this Psalmist and say that one day in the courts of the Lord Jesus is far better than a thousand of the best days life has to offer.
When we get to Heaven, we will begin a never-ending day!
The worst job in Heaven, if there is such a thing, is also far better than to dwell in the home of the richest man upon this earth.
We just cannot compare apples to mansions!
We cannot compare a meal on earth to a meal at the Lord's Table!
There is total satisfaction in the Lord!
1Co_10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.
Whatever task I have in Heaven I will be satisfied with it!
*****Psa 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.
It is only our Lord Jesus Christ who could make such a promise as this!
It will be a pleasure to serve in God's presence!
The Lord Jesus Christ is my sun while I complete my days on this earth!
Jhn_8:12 Then 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.
Why is the Light of Jesus Christ needed?
Act_26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the light of my life!
Isa 60:19 The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.
Isa 60:20 Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
The Lord Jesus Christ is also my "shield".
Psa 3:3 But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
Psa 3:4 I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.
The pure fact is that the Lord will never leave us unprotected or uncomforted!
We should just read about how blessed we are.
We should know how blessed we are to have the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior!
We freely get all these things if, we have faith in the One True God!
Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
There should not be a day go by where we have not prayed for God's help through that day.
The world is simply this wicked!
Why would we not accept these blessings when there is nothing in this world to compare them to?
The one thing we must remember is that there is no work that we have to do to receive these blessings of God.
The Lord Jesus Christ has completed all the work for our salvation and all we need to do is believe that these things are true and accept His gift.
It must be complete faith.
God is all good, there is no good without the Lord!
There is no good that He will not show us in due time.
After meeting Jesus, we must walk in truth and holiness and these things are not that hard!
Amen
