Strength in You – Psalm 84

“Strength in You”
Psalm 84

INTRODUCTION:
In 1995, Greg Maddox, the pitcher for the Atlanta Braves, won the Cy Young award for an unprecedented 4th time. The Cy Young award is given to the outstanding pitcher in each league. When he received his 3rd Cy Young award, Maddux reflected and said, “It’s very exciting! You always set goals, but to win a Cy Young, or three of them, was never a goal. Anytime you exceed your expectations, it’s more gratifying.”

Heaven is going to exceed our expectations. The blessings that God gives us should exceed our expectations on a regular basis. Our worship is a result of our faith that God serves our time and our adoration.

Do you love worshipping God as much as Jesus did?

Do you love worshipping God as much as David did?

Do you love worshipping God as much as the sons of Korah did? The sons of Korah were descendants of Levi whom David appointed over the worship in the temple of God. Psalm 84 is written by a son of Korah and it seems to be a call to Israel to come worship God and in the temple of God. Let’s compare our hearts and our love for worship to the thoughts shared here.

THERE IS STRENGTH FOR THOSE WHO DWELL IN GOD’S HOUSE - 84:1-4:
First, the psalmist praises the loveliness of God’s dwelling places. Wherever God is, there is beauty.

The expression “Lord of hosts” is a designation for God from the military context - “hosts” refers to an army. Not only does God oversee a plurality of armies (“hosts” is plural), but those armies also are angels! Immortal from man’s perspective!

Because of the loveliness of God’s dwelling places, the psalmist wants to be there with all that he is. His soul “longs” to be there. He “yearns” to be in the courts of the Lord. His heart, his flesh sing for joy to the living God, in contrast to the dead or non-living idols which the pagans around would worship.

Verse 3 is another way of saying what Jesus says about the sparrow not falling to the earth without the Father knowing. God has caused the birds to have a house; swallows have a nest for themselves and for their baby-swallows. God’s “altars” are a place of refuge for the psalmist.

The psalmist calls God his “King” and his “God.” To meditate on God being our King is to grasp the idea that God is our Ruler, the One who makes the laws by which we live. And we respect that; we honor that. To meditate on God as our “God” is to grasp the fact that He is our Creator. He made us from the dust of the earth and He can do anything to us, with us, or for us as He desires.

There is strength for those who dwell in God’s house.

Since the “house of God” is no longer a physical temple but the spiritual temple which is the church (1 Tim. 3:15), then we know that this promise exists for Christians. There is strength available for us: Eph. 6:10.

THERE IS STRENGTH FOR THOSE WHOSE STRENGTH IS IN GOD - 84:5-8:
Where do we find our strength? Is it in our spouse? A friend? Children? Even the church? Human beings will fail us. I hesitate to say they “always will,” but there are failures in humanity. You know the expression “to err is human, to forgive divine.” “To err is human.” That’s why we need to find our source of strength in our God.

In the one’s whose strength is in God are the “highways to Zion,” the path that leads into the presence of God. You understand that “Zion” here is a poetic designation for Jerusalem which is where the temple of God was located. So “highways to Zion” is a figure of speech for the road that leads to the temple, to the presence of God.

These highways pass through the “Valley of Baca” (there is no “valley of Baca” in Palestine; it might refer to “weeping” on the way to Jerusalem or to the “balsam” trees on the way to Jerusalem) and they make it a spring so full of water are they. “Baca” might be translated “balsam trees.” Again, so abundant are the waters that the early rain covers the valley with blessings.

Those who are going to worship go “from strength to strength.” That is, they build on their strength; they get stronger and stronger, as they go up to the temple to worship Jehovah God. And each is able to appear before God in Zion. This is an anticipation of everyone worshipping in the presence of Jehovah God.

“Lord God of hosts” the psalmist prays in verse 8, “hear my prayer.” If we want anyone to fight for us, it is the God who has tens of thousands of angels at His command! And why do we worry and why do we fear!? “Give ear,” the psalmist prays to the “God of Jacob.”

You remember that Jacob was well-known for having wrestled with God in Genesis 32. And he was winning! Or at least God allowed Jacob to win until he touched the muscle of his inner thigh and it caused him to quit. God wants us to have a relationship with Him. So we pray. And He listens.

The one whose strength is in God will find that strength. Jesus Christ is our “way” to God, correct? John 14:6. He is the “highway to holiness.” We find strength living in Jesus Christ and absorbing His teachings and His promises into our minds, our hearts, our lives.

THERE IS STRENGTH FOR THOSE WHO TRUST IN GOD - 84:9-12:
Notice the further metaphors the psalmist uses for God.

He is our “shield” (ver. 9). That is, God defends those who follow Him from the assaults of Satan. We need to use God as our shield more often and we will not allow Satan to deceive us and to influence us. That happens when we respond to Bible questions with Bible verses. And we don’t doubt those Bible verses. We don’t apologize for them. We simply say, “The Bible teaches and I accept it.”

When God “looks upon the face of His anointed” (ver. 9), it is likely a reference to the promise of Numbers 6:22-27: “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’ “So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.”

This promise was verbalized by the priests whenever the camp of Israel stopped on their travels and they set up the tabernacle. May the Lord shine His face on you. That is another way of saying, “May God bless you.” The “anointed” might also be a reference to the King, God’s anointed representative on the throne of Israel.

In verse 10, the psalmist states that a day in God’s presence is better than 1,000 days outside of God’s presence. Isn’t there truth in that!? Where would we rather be than in worship to God? What is more fulfilling that worshipping God? What has better long-term repercussions, especially into eternity, than worshipping God? We should never say there is no value in worshipping God. There is value in worshipping God every minute of every day of every year. How could we ever think that there is no value to studying God’s word for one more hour? Praying to God for one more hour? Singing praises to God for one more hour? Having fellowship with others of God’s family for one more hour?

The psalmist in fact says that he would rather stand on the threshold of the temple than dwell in the tents of wickedness. He would rather be barely into the place of worship, barely into the presence of God, than be in the tents of the wicked. Where would we rather be?

Why does the psalmist feel this way? Notice his metaphors for God in verse 11: The Lord God is a sun and shield. We’ve talked about God being our shield; He is also our sun. He provides our warmth, our energy, our food, our blessings. God’s presence in our spiritual lives is just as necessary for our spirits to thrive and survive as the sun is to our physical existence.

The Lord gives us grace - He constantly gives us what we do not deserve. And He gives us glory. He honors us with His blessings. He praises us with His love. He glorifies us with His condescension. In fact, “no good thing does God withhold from those who walk uprightly.”

“I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread” (Psalm 37:25). God will provide for us.

Again, the psalmist calls God the “Lord of hosts” and then gives a blessing to the man who trusts in the Lord.

If you trust God, you will find strength. If you trust yourself, you will find failure, doubt, fear.

We see the face of God in Jesus Christ; Paul writes: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).

It is far better to walk with Jesus Christ than to run with the devil. The devil cannot give good things; the devil is a liar (John 8:44). But Jesus give every good and perfect gift (James 1:17) because Jesus does not change. That’s why we know these promises from Psalm 84 are for Christians as well.

Take home message: Dwell in God’s house, find strength from Him, and trust Him.