Psalms Reading – 3.20.2022
Psalm 84
For the director of music. According to gittith. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.
8 Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty; listen to me, God of Jacob.
9 Look on our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one.
10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
12 Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.
This psalm of Zion reminds us of Psalms 42-49 which, also, speak of delighting in God’s dwelling place, the temple established on Mount Zion in Jerusalem.
The psalmist is separated from Jerusalem and thinks about how beautiful the temple area is. He has such a deep yearning that his soul even faints to be there. His whole being cries out to go and meet with the Lord in this glorious place. He speaks with envy that the most insignificant birds have found a home near the very altar of God.
There are three different “blesseds” in this psalm. The first is for those who live in God’s presence and are continually worshiping Him. The second is for those who have found their strength in the Lord as they make pilgrimage to worship Him in Jerusalem.
The Valley of Baka is not a known location in Scripture, but Baka means a balsam tree and sounds like the word for “weeping.” If we go with the imagery of weeping, we can imagine the pilgrims are shedding tears because of the pain of being separated from God, and yet weeping for joy as they go to worship God. Their tears are so profuse that they turn the arid ground into a place of springs as God also provides rain which should be recognized as showers of blessing. It is on such difficult spiritual journeys that our inner strength grows stronger and stronger.
Our spiritual pilgrimage may not be an actual trip, but is one that, inevitably, goes through dry valleys, where we, with God’s presence and provision, leave behind blessing for others who travel the same path. Ultimately, our spiritual journey to meet with and worship the Lord demonstrates our faith and trust in Him which, also, makes us among the blessed.
Memory Verse: Psalm 80:3, Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.
Question(s) to Consider: Do you have the same passion and drive to be present with Jesus as the psalmist did? How can you see your life as a pilgrimage of growing closer to Christ each and every day? Will you do anything differently to make it so?