Psalm 84:1 How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.
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.
4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.
5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.
6 Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.
7 They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.
8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.
9 Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.
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.
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.
12 O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
—Bro. James Bell
MEMORY VERSE: When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory. He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer. —Psalm 102:16-17
CENTRAL THOUGHT: A place in the Church of God is a most desirable and enjoyable dwelling. It is far better than a thousand lures of sin in the world around us.
WORD DEFINITIONS
Psalm 84:1 “Amiable”: Loved, well beloved, enjoyable, pleasant.
Psalm 84:6 “Valley of Baca”: Valley of weeping.
Psalm 84:10 “Be a doorkeeper”: To be in the vestibule or to wait at the threshold. The Septuagint word used here is “abject,” which means the lowest place available.
LESSON BACKGROUND
Just who the author of this 84th Psalm is and the conditions that prevailed when it was written we don’t really know, but we are persuaded that it is truly an inspiration of God and has great value to us in the Church of God today.
A love for the worship of God and the fellowship of His saints is a very vital ingredient in successful Christian living. The presence of the Lord and the sweetness of His spiritual blessings is held so sacred and dear by the true children of God. Our appetites are keen for His life-giving manna from above. We greatly treasure our habitation in His courts of love. Just as a bird finds a place for her nest, even so we have found a habitation in the Lord.
Verses 5 and 6 in our lesson are a little vague, but the Septuagint has a very good rendering which we want to share with you: “Blessed is the man whose help is of thee, O Lord; in his heart he has purposed to go up the valley of weeping, to the place which he has appointed, for there the lawgiver will grant blessings.” How true this is in the Christian life! When trials and hard places come our way, we know that there is good for us in it all, and we purpose to go and pray our way through the valley of weeping until we reach the place that God has in mind for us, and the Lord answers prayer and brings us forth with joy abounding.
Anyone who really tastes and sees that the Lord is good agrees with the Psalmist when he said that a day in the courts of the Lord far exceeds all that we spent in sin. What a blessing to be in the house of God, the Church of the living God, the Pillar and Ground of the truth!
—Bro. Leslie Busbee
QUESTIONS
- What are some of the things that we can truly enjoy in the Church of God? What did the sparrow and the swallow finding a nest mean to the Psalmist?
- What do people do who dwell in the Church of God? What do we do in the valley of weeping?
- Why are we not ashamed to ask God to look upon and behold us? What is the comparison between living in sin and living for God?
- Is the way of the saints better than the ways of the world? How much better? In what ways?
- In what way is our God a sun and a shield?
- Share situations in which God has given you “grace and glory.” What will He do for those who walk uprightly
COMMENTS AND APPLICATION
When we compare the way of holiness and the blessings of God with the ways of the world wise choice! How sweet and pleasant it is to live for Jesus! How sweet His Word is to our hearts. It causes praise and righteousness to spring forth in our hearts. His presence accompanies us through the valley of weeping, turning it into a well of springing, living water abounding with blessings.
How He guides and teaches us vital lessons for the good of our souls! How glad we are that we have escaped the sinful ways of the world and the people of this wicked age! How we and those things that are contrary to Him, we rejoice that we have, like Mary, made the yearn to see others who are captivated by the devil wake up to their wretchedness and come to Zion on this high and holy way! Just one day with the Lord reigning in our hearts is better than a thousand days spent in the vanities of this beggarly world. Much rather would we fill just the lowliest place in the Church of God that His beauty our eyes may behold!
I recall a day when I attended a family get-together and was so vexed and grieved at the ungodly attire of some of those present. But later that evening, during the prayer service at the chapel, God visited my soul with this Psalm. Oh, how the words in verse 10 just vibrated in my soul! How much better is the meek and modest dress and deportment of the saints of God in Zion! How cheap and ignorant are the customs of the people of our time! Exposing their bodies in such lustful and shameful ways is just an index to the corruption of their hearts. We have found a much better way! With God giving us light and shielding us from all harm, we enjoy the best of life in every way.
—Bro. Leslie Busbee
REFLECTIONS
It is a beautiful thing to be a part of a home where there is harmony and purpose. Where there is joy, laughter, and a genuine enjoyment in being among those who truly love you. A refuge where each member is considered precious and valuable, and the concerns of each one, no matter how small or insignificant, are addressed. A place where discipline and correction are given by the parents in gentleness, with an eye toward pointing all to God’s will in every situation. Where all of one’s needs, be they spiritual, emotional, temporal, or physical, are met. When one has experienced living in a home like this, this sense of belonging to a unit with eternal purpose keeps those who have grown up in such a blessed haven near and always seeking for ways to return.
I believe it is much the same in God’s church. The security found in an atmosphere of Godly love, gentleness, and kindness draws God’s universal family together; we are “knit together” as the Apostle Paul states in Colossians 2. And this familial bond fosters the willingness to receive the reproof and instruction that God imparts to us through the anointing of His ministers to preach His Word, and through the precious dealings of His Holy Spirit. In such an environment, the desire to remain in God’s presence and in fellowship with His people is strong. I have personally experienced what the Psalmist expressed, that it is much more fulfilling to serve in the kingdom of God with others who are like-minded than to explore anything the world has to offer.
There is, however, a role each one of us has in nurturing this bond of perfectness. Our Heavenly Father will always demonstrate His care for His children, but it is also important that we, as brothers and sisters in Christ, maintain this sense of belonging together in humility and charity as we each strive to carry out the purpose for which God has called us.
—Bro. Fari Matthews
And oh, the blessedness of the one who walks not in darkness, but always delights in God’s instruction!
Thanks for stopping by! I pray you were blessed!