Sunday
Morning Bible Study
January 25, 2004
Psalm 84 – Journey to Joy
To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm for the sons
of Korah.
Gittith – Gittiyth – from “Gath”, “a
wine-press”; a musical instrument from Gath? and
used in three Psalm titles- Ps 8:1; 81:1; 84:1; a song title used for the Feast
of Tabernacles
wine-press – perhaps a song of joy?
Each year, the people were to make a pilgrimage to the central place of
worship for the various feasts. The
Feast of Tabernacles was supposed to be a feast to remind the people of how God
took care of them in the wilderness when they came out of Egypt.
It’s likely that this song was written for those pilgrimages. It is a song
of anticipation, longing for God’s presence.
It’s possible that this Psalm may have been written by David.
The sons of Korah were a family of worship leaders appointed by David.
:1-4 The blessings of being in God’s
house
:1 How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of
hosts!
amiable – y@diyd – beloved; lovely
tabernacles – mishkan – dwelling place, tabernacle (tent)
I find it interesting that the word here is plural (more than one).
:2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the
courts of the LORD
fainteth – kalah – (Qal) be at an end; to be spent, be used
up; to waste away, be exhausted, fail
Lesson
Motives for going to church
Spurgeon: “Some need to
be whipped to church, while here is David crying for it.”
In the Catholic church, you are supposedly going to go to hell simply for
not going to church. It’s considered a terrible sin. How’s that for motivation
to get people to go to church?
Illustration
Go To Church
A husband and his wife arose one Sunday morning and the wife dressed for
church. It was just about time for the service when she noticed her husband
hadn’t moved a finger toward getting dressed. Perplexed, she asked, “Why aren’t
you getting dressed for church?” He said, “Cause I don’t
want to go.” She asked, “Do you have any reason?” He said, “Yes, I have three
good reasons. First, the congregation is cold. Second, no one likes me. And
third, I just don’t want to go.” The wife replied, wisely, “Well, honey, I have
three reasons why you should go. First, the congregation is warm. Second, there
are a few people there who like you. And third, you’re the pastor! Get dressed!”
Are you pushed to go to church or pulled? Are you here because of some kind
of outward pressure, or is there a tugging in your heart to be at church? Are
you here only because your parents made you come, or because you want to be here?
Finding joy in the journey depends on what you’re thirsty for.
:3 Yea, the
sparrow hath found an house,
The songwriter talks about wishing he could be like a bird (vs. 3) that
gets to build its nest in God’s house.
He thinks, “Wouldn’t that be the coolest thing?”
:4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they
will be still praising thee.
blessed – ‘esher
– happiness, blessedness
dwell – yashab – to dwell, remain, sit, abide
Lesson
Joy in God’s House
1. Where is God’s house?
In David’s day, “God’s House” was where the Ark of the Covenant was. The Ark
was moveable, from place to place.
Eventually it settled in a more permanent structure, the Temple
in Jerusalem. In the New Testament, we find God’s House
described in several ways.
a. The church gathered together is a
temple
When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, one of his main
objectives was to deal with their divisiveness.
They had broken into different factions and were filled with strife and
jealousy towards each other.
(1 Cor 3:16-17 KJV) Know ye not that ye
are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? {17} If
any man defile the temple of God,
him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which
temple ye are.
The word “ye” (vs. 16) is plural (“you-all”). Some have used these verses to try and
discourage people from committing suicide.
That’s a noble thing, but this is the wrong verse to do it. Here the idea is that when the church is
together (“you-all”), God’s Spirit is present and we are a “temple” of God.
b. Your body is a temple
Another issue Paul was concerned about for the Corinthians
was that of immorality (“fornication”).
He wrote,
(1 Cor 6:18-20 KJV) Flee fornication. Every sin
that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth
fornication sinneth against his own body. {19}
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in
you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? {20} For ye are bought with
a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are
God's.
Here Paul is saying that each of us, individually, is a
temple. The Holy Spirit dwells in each
of us, and that makes our bodies a temple.
This is why we ought to be careful how we treat our bodies and
especially that we stay away from immorality, which is sex outside of marriage.
2. How do we get joy in God’s House?
a. Cultivate a thirst for God (Ps.
84:2)
Hang out with people who make you thirsty
If you eat salty popcorn at the movie theater, you’re
going to want something to drink. Especially when they show those slides of the big tall Cokes on the
screen before the movie.
Jesus said we’re supposed to be the “salt of the
earth”. Hang out with salty people.
b. Cultivate a sense of God’s
presence.
“Dwell in His house” (Ps. 84:4)
(John 15:1-4 KJV)
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. {2} Every branch in
me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every
branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth
it, that it may bring forth more fruit. {3} Now ye are clean through the word
which I have spoken unto you. {4} Abide
in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it
abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Learning to “abide” in Christ isn’t some kind of action we
perform. It’s learning to stay put,
learning to “settle down”, learning to “be at home”,
Abiding in Christ primarily requires that we begin to
understand God’s presence in us and around us, and that we “be at home” with
Him.
We may at times “feel” like we’re far from Him. Sometimes it’s because we’ve been rebellious
and it seems as if God has left us. Yet
His closeness is only as far as you turning around and asking for help.
David wrote,
(Psa 139:7-8 KJV)
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy
presence? {8} If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in
hell, behold, thou art there.
David wrote,
(Psa 16:11 KJV)
Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy;
at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
c. Worship Him
“they will be still praising thee” (Ps. 84:4)
Jesus said to the Samaritan woman that worship would one
day change. One day it would not be
limited to one location:
(John 4:21-24 KJV) Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the
hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the
Father. {22} Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for
salvation is of the Jews. {23} But the hour cometh,
and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in
truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. {24} God is a Spirit: and
they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
There is a greater sense of God’s presence when we give
Him worship.
(Psa 22:3 KJV)
But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest
the praises of Israel.
Joy comes when we learn to praise Him, even when it’s
difficult, even when it’s a “sacrifice”.
(Heb 13:15 KJV)
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God
continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
:5-8 The blessings of strength from God
:6 Who passing through the valley
of Baca make it a well
Baca – Baka’ – “weeping”; from bakah – to weep, bewail, cry,
shed tears
One suggestion is that this is a place called “Bochim”
(“weeping”, Judges 2:1-5), located in the Jordan
Valley near Jericho.
Another suggestion is that this isn’t a specific place, but a figure of
speech – “going through the valley of tears”. A couple hundred years ago, the
phrase was “the vale of tears”
Note that the pilgrims pass “THROUGH” the valley of tears. Don’t let tears make you stop. Keep pressing on to the place of worship.
:7-8 They go from strength to strength
(NLT) They will continue to grow stronger, and each of them will
appear before God in Jerusalem.
I think there’s a hint here of the strength we get from coming together. At
the Feast of Tabernacles, the people were all making their way to God’s
Tabernacle. They didn’t travel alone,
they traveled in groups and when they all got to the place of worship, it was a group, a “congregation”. As the people got further
along on their journey, they found more strength.
Lesson
The journey together strengthens us
God works through those around us to turn desert places into wells and
rivers.
Charles Spurgeon writes,
This teaches us that the comfort obtained by a one may often prove
serviceable to another; just as wells would be used by the company who came
after. We read some book full of consolation, which is like Jonathan’s rod,
dropping with honey. Ah! we think our brother has been here before us, and
digged this well for us as well as for himself. Many a “Night of Weeping,”
“Midnight Harmonies,” an “Eternal Day,” “A Crook in the Lot,”
a “Comfort for Mourners,” has been a well digged by a pilgrim for himself, but
has proved quite as useful to others. Specially we
notice this in the Psalms, such as that beginning, “Why art thou cast down, O
my soul?” Travellers have been delighted to see the
footprint of man on a barren shore, and we love to see the waymarks
of pilgrims while passing through the vale of tears.[1]
:9-12 The blessings of trusting God
: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.
doorkeeper – caphaph – (Hithpoel)
to stand at or guard the threshold; comes from the Hebrew word for threshold (saph); perhaps
you could translate this “thresholder”.
There was an actual position known as a “gatekeeper” or “guard of the
threshold”.
(1 Ch 9:19
KJV) And Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brethren, of the house
of his father, the Korahites, were over the
work of the service, keepers of the
gates of the tabernacle: and their fathers, being over the host of
the LORD, were keepers of the entry.
Did you notice that this fellow was a “son of Korah”, the same as in the
title of the Psalm?
The worst day in God’s kingdom is better than the best day in the world.
(Ps 84:10 The Message) One day spent in your house, this beautiful
place of worship, beats thousands spent on Greek island beaches. I’d rather
scrub floors in the house of my God than be honored as a guest in the palace of
sin.
The best day is one spent in God’s House. Where is God’s house? (review
from verse 4)
It’s here as we’re gathered together on Sunday mornings.
It’s every where you go in God’s presence, when Jesus lives inside of you.
:11 no good thing will he withhold from them that
walk uprightly.
Lesson
Trust God’s best
What a wonderful promise. Do you think this promise applies to you?
(Rom 8:28
KJV) And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to his purpose.
The “good” things aren’t always the sweet, happy things.
Joseph.
Joseph was an amazing young man with insight and some kind of ability with
dreams. Because he was his father’s
favorite son, his brothers were jealous of him and one day sold him as a slave
to Egypt.
When he arrived in Egypt,
he was bought by a man named Potiphar. Because Joseph was such a good slave, he
quickly rose in position in his master’s house.
(Gen 39:7-12 KJV) And it came to pass after these things, that
his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. {8} But
he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath
committed all that he hath to my hand; {9} There is none greater in this house
than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art
his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? {10}
And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not
unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. {11} And it came to pass about this
time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of
the men of the house there within. {12} And she caught him by his garment,
saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him
out.
Now if you are looking for an example of a person who is “walking
uprightly” (Ps. 84:11), this is it.
Here’s a fellow with an opportunity to sin and get away
with it, and he says no. He understands
that if he sins he isn’t just ruining his own life, but he’s sinning against
God.
So what kind of “reward” is God going to give Joseph for
being a good guy?
Initially, Potiphar’s wife is
going to lie about Joseph and he’s going to wind up in jail for something he
didn’t do. He’s going to find himself
forgotten by anyone who could help him out.
Is this any way to reward a guy who’s doing what’s right?
Actually, God is at work in all these things, getting
Joseph into position for the day that he’ll interpret a dream for Pharoah and wind up saving the world from a coming
famine. He’ll end up saving his own
family at the same time as well.
You may not see it now, but God is working all things together to the good
for those that love Him.
Illustration
The Road of Life (Author
unknown)
At first I saw God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I
did wrong, so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die. He was
sort of like a president. I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I didn’t
really know Him. But later on when I met Christ, it seemed as though life were
rather like a bike ride, but it was a tandem bike and I noticed that Christ was
in the back helping me pedal. I don’t know just when it was that He suggested
that we change places, but life has not been the same since. When I was in
control, I knew the way. It was rather boring, but predictable...It was the
shortest distance between two points. But when He took the lead, He knew
delightful long cuts up the mountains and through the rocky places at breakneck
speeds...it was all I could do to hang on! Even though it looked like madness,
He said, “Pedal!” I worried and was anxious and asked, “Where are you taking
me?” He smiled and didn’t answer and I started to learn to trust. I forgot my
old life and entered into the adventure. And when I’d say, “I’m scared, “He’d
lean back and touch my hand. He took me to people with gifts that I needed,
gifts of healing, acceptance, and joy. They gave me gifts to take on my
journey, my Lord’s and mine. And we were off again. He said, “Give the gifts
away; they’re extra baggage and too much weight.” So I did, and I found that in
giving, I received, and still our burden was light. I did not trust Him, at
first, in control of my life. I thought He’d wreck it; but He knows bike
secrets, knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners, knows how to jump
clear dangers, knows how to fly to shorten scary
passages. And I am learning to shut up and pedal in the strangest places. And
I’m beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face with my
delightful constant companion, Jesus Christ. And when I’m sure I can’t do
anymore, He just smiles and says, “Pedal.”
:12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that
trusteth in thee.
(John 6:28-29 KJV) Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that
we might work the works of God? {29} Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath
sent.
This quote was on a website for people who were making comments about the
upcoming movie “The Passion of the Christ”
“This film is for kitten-religion
people who can’t takes responsibility for their own
salvation and their own life.”
I don’t know about the kittens, but the truth is we can’t handle our own
salvation. It requires a price greater
than what you or I could pay. This is
exactly why Jesus came, in order to die in our place, to pay for our sins.
We certainly have to take responsibility with what we’ll do about Jesus.
Trust Him. Walk with Him.
Invite them to Christ – don’t just pray.