Aug. 27th, Dwelling With God- Psalm 84
Presence of God- it’s often Said God speaks through other people: A friend of mine was having a bit of marital-tension in his household and was trying to figure-out just what to do about it.
In the course of our conversation, I happened to mention to him that: "You know, quite often God speaks to us through our wives."
My friend looked at me kind-a funny and said, "Wow! I didn't know God used that kind of language!"
Let’s Pray. Background on Ps 84: A song of the sons of Korah, according to the NIV study Bible: they were a “levitical choir made up of the descendants of Korah appointed by David to serve in the Temple liturgy. The Korahites represented the Levitical family of Kohath son of Levi.”
There is a sense of longing in this song. The author would love to be back near the presence of God.Psalms 84
84:1 For the director of music. According to gittith. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
How lovely is your dwelling place, O 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, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Selah
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, 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, O LORD God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob.
Selah
9 Look upon 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 O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.
(from New International Version)Question(s) that need to be answered: How can I dwell with God?
Answer is another question: Where is the presence of God?: (can relate to different phases of life or different individual relationships with God)
OT definition, Jesus Christ’s reinterpretation of God’s Presence
This psalm as pointing to a different understanding of God’s presence.
A. Its at home. Right where we expect it. Where we build our nest. Blessing in being resident where God’s presence is. Home in the figurative sense equates with stability. The ideal is a life where we always and in a stable rooted fashion make God central to our life. Now not all of us here had stable homes growing up- maybe now home isn’t even what we’d call a place of peace. But some are placed with a time in their life where they are able to set down deep spiritual roots. Where life is full of dwelling with God and praising God. The birds were able to nest in the temple.
Notice v. 4 says “Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.” The psalmist assumes that anyone blessed enough to have a home in and near the presence of God, would of course always be praising God. That is indeed the ideal. But some folks though they set up a nest with God-[Illustration] they let their relationship with God turn into a lopsided marriage- you know where the one spouse shows affection and the other is totally oblivious, living as if the other spouse doesn’t exist. I think some Christians live their life that way. They set up a nest- that is they enter and started a committed relationship with Christ- and then slowly they drift off and lose affection for God and cease praising him- they no longer nest there in order to praise God- its just kind of habit and convenient. So sometimes God knocks birds like that out of the nest- and says its time you get out- and go on a journey and re-learn what life is all about.
B. Its on the road. Even through valleys of weeping- and dry times- God’s presence is available in times of change and journey. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca [weeping], they make it a place of springs; The RSV and Niv are the most correct english translation in this case they clearly say “make it” a place of springs- not just “find”- in faith they believe that water, a metaphor for life, can be found in dry and desperate places and times.
So advice for the darkest and dryest times: Don’t Despair (give up), Don’t Deny (paint a false picture or pretend), DIG- don’t just stand there on the dry ground wishing you had some water- start moving some dirt and when you tire of digging let your fellow travelers dig for you- If for some reason- maybe pride, maybe shame- you find yourself in a dry, dark valley alone and your soul is tired of digging through the dirt and you are sure that you are Doomed to this terrible valley alone. Drop and Dial. Stop doing it all by yourself- and call someone-Notice the “they” in the psalm, the journeyers are never alone. Christian reality is not one of a journey of complete solitude- but one of community) there are people who love you and if you just told them what you are going through and asked for some help- asked them to listen- asked them for something that would bring you hope- they would drop everything and be there for you. Believe it its true. Church we need to make sure its always true. Brothers and sisters if you ever get a call, or a note from someone in a dark valley asking for hope- whether its someone who is going through an illness, has lost a spouse, needs help with school, finances, a broken relationship- whatever it is- if you get that call you better treat that as if God himself was calling.
Do we have brave enough faith to believe that there are blessings from God even in the dryest most seemingly lifeless places in our journey? And then on top of our digging God graciously adds the rain- so that we have pools of water- in this case pools is a word that can also mean blessings.
Blessing in pushing through and journeying into God’s presence a different appreciation than residence. In faith- God blesses us where we’re at.
C. In common situations (the door keeper truth). V.10 “Better is one day in your courts than thousands elsewhere.” What a beautiful declaration- it is better to be in the presence of God- even if it is not the inner sanctuary- even to be near God- is better than life without God. Message Translation, “One day spent in your house, this beautiful place of worship, beats thousands spent on Greek Island beaches.” Being a doorkeeper at the temple is a difficult job. You would have to make judgment calls on who could come in- sometimes you would have to tell people that they would have to take care of something before they could come in or leave something at the door- you would be part of the system of worship, but your attention would be divided. You would always be at the edge. There is no shame in being “just barely saved” [if time tell the story] as one of my friends likes to say, just far enough into life with God that you are the best person to help people come in further. But that would be far better than to be off reveling and enjoying selfish and silly pleasures apart from God- living as if there was no God- dishonoring the reason for your existence. Again Peterson’s translation, “I’d rather scrub floors in the house of my God than be honored as a guest in the palace of sin.” We must look at this verse through the reality of Jesus Christ- that he was a friend of sinners and invited to eat at their homes. He did not go in order to indulge selfishly, but rather to be yeast, salt and light. We must see that by the grace of God in faith, and by nothing we do, God can inhabit our daily actions. God cares how well we open doors. God can inhabit how we act in school. God can inhabit how we treat our siblings, our parents our spouse- ignoring not believing these to be places as places that God can inhabit, only prevents the outlets that God’s grace can be shared with the world. As Christians we believe, humbly, that the presence of God dwells in us- that we are mobile mini-temples- not that we deserve worship, but that through our broken attempts to live like Christ- some folks may see the light, life and love of God through us coming near to them. You think your daily actions, your career, your hobbies, aren’t important to God= you think that your career isn’t a spiritual one, your hobby isn’t holy- you better think again- God’s right there ready to shine through- we need only open the door.
D. Lives of ongoing obedience- Sometimes the most pleasurable and spectacular thing we could do in life might also be the farthest away from God we could ever get. And it is very possible that the most simple, obedient task we do- if we do it unto the Lord- maybe the closest we ever get to the very center of the presence of God. This is good news.
Story illustration of the Valentines Dinner...I still hold that was one of the most sacred times of worship I ever experienced and we never sang a song- at least not a musical one..
Micah 6:8 simply says “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” And when Jesus is asked what is the most important commandment, he says “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul and your mind and the second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself.” NT: Where is God’s presence guaranteed? Whenever two or three come together in my name. Matt 18:20, “Whatever you did to the least of these you did unto me” Matt 25- God is present in us through our obedient love.
What kind of belief says that one day somewhere is better than a 1000 elsewhere? Isn’t survival always good? No. Our faith says better is one obedient day living in God’s true presence- than years of surviving outside of God. It’s cliche but its true- the safest place to be is in the hands of God. This is true not because we will always biologically survive- that’s not what God promises to save us from all peril and harm. But if we obediently stay in God’s presence God will give into our lives now and in eternity blessings and goodness- it says so right in V. 11.
The good news: God is Sun and Shield- source and protector- God can shine into even the darkest of situations. God is shield/sovereign in the face of any worldly power/enemy. No darkness is stronger than God’s light- no weapon has been formed that can beat God’s shield, we may fall into a valley and we maybe attacked by disease or broken by loss or hatred- but with God these are never the last verse- there will be always be redemption- always. Do you believe it? What is the key to dwelling with God? Trusting God, Believing God is the key to having God’s presence and dwelling with God:
V. 12 “O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man (person) who trusts in you.”
Trusting in God- that is faith- is the road that leads to life with God- for now and life for eternity. Not based on heritage- white trash- super wealthy- all the same to God, intelligence- it doesn’t say “blessed is the person who completely understands you, perfection- it doesn’t blessed is the person who doesn’t make mistakes, or worldly power- it doesn’t say blessed is the person who controls the most people and resources. The simple truth is blessed are people who trust God.
The light of the Sun- S-U-N is available to all just as the love of the Son is available to all who would receive it. There is no better place than to be in God’s presence
In the course of our conversation, I happened to mention to him that: "You know, quite often God speaks to us through our wives."
My friend looked at me kind-a funny and said, "Wow! I didn't know God used that kind of language!"
Let’s Pray. Background on Ps 84: A song of the sons of Korah, according to the NIV study Bible: they were a “levitical choir made up of the descendants of Korah appointed by David to serve in the Temple liturgy. The Korahites represented the Levitical family of Kohath son of Levi.”
There is a sense of longing in this song. The author would love to be back near the presence of God.Psalms 84
84:1 For the director of music. According to gittith. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
How lovely is your dwelling place, O 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, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Selah
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, 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, O LORD God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob.
Selah
9 Look upon 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 O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.
(from New International Version)Question(s) that need to be answered: How can I dwell with God?
Answer is another question: Where is the presence of God?: (can relate to different phases of life or different individual relationships with God)
OT definition, Jesus Christ’s reinterpretation of God’s Presence
This psalm as pointing to a different understanding of God’s presence.
A. Its at home. Right where we expect it. Where we build our nest. Blessing in being resident where God’s presence is. Home in the figurative sense equates with stability. The ideal is a life where we always and in a stable rooted fashion make God central to our life. Now not all of us here had stable homes growing up- maybe now home isn’t even what we’d call a place of peace. But some are placed with a time in their life where they are able to set down deep spiritual roots. Where life is full of dwelling with God and praising God. The birds were able to nest in the temple.
Notice v. 4 says “Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.” The psalmist assumes that anyone blessed enough to have a home in and near the presence of God, would of course always be praising God. That is indeed the ideal. But some folks though they set up a nest with God-[Illustration] they let their relationship with God turn into a lopsided marriage- you know where the one spouse shows affection and the other is totally oblivious, living as if the other spouse doesn’t exist. I think some Christians live their life that way. They set up a nest- that is they enter and started a committed relationship with Christ- and then slowly they drift off and lose affection for God and cease praising him- they no longer nest there in order to praise God- its just kind of habit and convenient. So sometimes God knocks birds like that out of the nest- and says its time you get out- and go on a journey and re-learn what life is all about.
B. Its on the road. Even through valleys of weeping- and dry times- God’s presence is available in times of change and journey. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca [weeping], they make it a place of springs; The RSV and Niv are the most correct english translation in this case they clearly say “make it” a place of springs- not just “find”- in faith they believe that water, a metaphor for life, can be found in dry and desperate places and times.
So advice for the darkest and dryest times: Don’t Despair (give up), Don’t Deny (paint a false picture or pretend), DIG- don’t just stand there on the dry ground wishing you had some water- start moving some dirt and when you tire of digging let your fellow travelers dig for you- If for some reason- maybe pride, maybe shame- you find yourself in a dry, dark valley alone and your soul is tired of digging through the dirt and you are sure that you are Doomed to this terrible valley alone. Drop and Dial. Stop doing it all by yourself- and call someone-Notice the “they” in the psalm, the journeyers are never alone. Christian reality is not one of a journey of complete solitude- but one of community) there are people who love you and if you just told them what you are going through and asked for some help- asked them to listen- asked them for something that would bring you hope- they would drop everything and be there for you. Believe it its true. Church we need to make sure its always true. Brothers and sisters if you ever get a call, or a note from someone in a dark valley asking for hope- whether its someone who is going through an illness, has lost a spouse, needs help with school, finances, a broken relationship- whatever it is- if you get that call you better treat that as if God himself was calling.
Do we have brave enough faith to believe that there are blessings from God even in the dryest most seemingly lifeless places in our journey? And then on top of our digging God graciously adds the rain- so that we have pools of water- in this case pools is a word that can also mean blessings.
Blessing in pushing through and journeying into God’s presence a different appreciation than residence. In faith- God blesses us where we’re at.
C. In common situations (the door keeper truth). V.10 “Better is one day in your courts than thousands elsewhere.” What a beautiful declaration- it is better to be in the presence of God- even if it is not the inner sanctuary- even to be near God- is better than life without God. Message Translation, “One day spent in your house, this beautiful place of worship, beats thousands spent on Greek Island beaches.” Being a doorkeeper at the temple is a difficult job. You would have to make judgment calls on who could come in- sometimes you would have to tell people that they would have to take care of something before they could come in or leave something at the door- you would be part of the system of worship, but your attention would be divided. You would always be at the edge. There is no shame in being “just barely saved” [if time tell the story] as one of my friends likes to say, just far enough into life with God that you are the best person to help people come in further. But that would be far better than to be off reveling and enjoying selfish and silly pleasures apart from God- living as if there was no God- dishonoring the reason for your existence. Again Peterson’s translation, “I’d rather scrub floors in the house of my God than be honored as a guest in the palace of sin.” We must look at this verse through the reality of Jesus Christ- that he was a friend of sinners and invited to eat at their homes. He did not go in order to indulge selfishly, but rather to be yeast, salt and light. We must see that by the grace of God in faith, and by nothing we do, God can inhabit our daily actions. God cares how well we open doors. God can inhabit how we act in school. God can inhabit how we treat our siblings, our parents our spouse- ignoring not believing these to be places as places that God can inhabit, only prevents the outlets that God’s grace can be shared with the world. As Christians we believe, humbly, that the presence of God dwells in us- that we are mobile mini-temples- not that we deserve worship, but that through our broken attempts to live like Christ- some folks may see the light, life and love of God through us coming near to them. You think your daily actions, your career, your hobbies, aren’t important to God= you think that your career isn’t a spiritual one, your hobby isn’t holy- you better think again- God’s right there ready to shine through- we need only open the door.
D. Lives of ongoing obedience- Sometimes the most pleasurable and spectacular thing we could do in life might also be the farthest away from God we could ever get. And it is very possible that the most simple, obedient task we do- if we do it unto the Lord- maybe the closest we ever get to the very center of the presence of God. This is good news.
Story illustration of the Valentines Dinner...I still hold that was one of the most sacred times of worship I ever experienced and we never sang a song- at least not a musical one..
Micah 6:8 simply says “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” And when Jesus is asked what is the most important commandment, he says “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul and your mind and the second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself.” NT: Where is God’s presence guaranteed? Whenever two or three come together in my name. Matt 18:20, “Whatever you did to the least of these you did unto me” Matt 25- God is present in us through our obedient love.
What kind of belief says that one day somewhere is better than a 1000 elsewhere? Isn’t survival always good? No. Our faith says better is one obedient day living in God’s true presence- than years of surviving outside of God. It’s cliche but its true- the safest place to be is in the hands of God. This is true not because we will always biologically survive- that’s not what God promises to save us from all peril and harm. But if we obediently stay in God’s presence God will give into our lives now and in eternity blessings and goodness- it says so right in V. 11.
The good news: God is Sun and Shield- source and protector- God can shine into even the darkest of situations. God is shield/sovereign in the face of any worldly power/enemy. No darkness is stronger than God’s light- no weapon has been formed that can beat God’s shield, we may fall into a valley and we maybe attacked by disease or broken by loss or hatred- but with God these are never the last verse- there will be always be redemption- always. Do you believe it? What is the key to dwelling with God? Trusting God, Believing God is the key to having God’s presence and dwelling with God:
V. 12 “O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man (person) who trusts in you.”
Trusting in God- that is faith- is the road that leads to life with God- for now and life for eternity. Not based on heritage- white trash- super wealthy- all the same to God, intelligence- it doesn’t say “blessed is the person who completely understands you, perfection- it doesn’t blessed is the person who doesn’t make mistakes, or worldly power- it doesn’t say blessed is the person who controls the most people and resources. The simple truth is blessed are people who trust God.
The light of the Sun- S-U-N is available to all just as the love of the Son is available to all who would receive it. There is no better place than to be in God’s presence
posted by Palouse Fed. Church at 4:49 PM
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