Psalm 84 – Dwelling Place
Where do you dwell, hang-out? Where you spend your time says a lot about who you are. Do you hang out with God? What are the benefits of hanging with God, as we learn in Psalm 84 – dwelling place?
Psalm 84
Psalm 84 – dwelling place, is a psalm of the sons of Korah.
The psalm begins with a statement about God’s home, in this case the Temple: “How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty!” (1)
The writer longs for God’s abode:
“My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” (2)
There is room in God’s house for even the smallest bird, a sparrow.
“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.” (3)
There are many blessings associated with the Lord’s house.
“Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.” (4-7)
The writer goes on to state how it is better to stay one day with God, than thousands somewhere else; better to be the lowliest of servants in God’s house.
“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.” (10)
The rewards of dwelling with God:
“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.
Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.” (11-12)
The Pearl of the Psalms
Charles Spurgeon said that Psalm 84 was the Pearl of Psalms. “If the twenty-third be the most popular, the one-hundred-and-third the most joyful, the one-hundred-and-nineteenth the most deeply experiential, the fifty-first the most plaintive, this is one of the most sweet of the Psalms of Peace.” Enduring Word Bible Commentary Psalm 84
In this psalm, a difficult place, the Valley of Baca, was transformed into a spring, complete with rain and pools of water. As some commentators state:
“The sense or meaning of the Valley of Baca is uncertain. Commentators usually suggest that Baca speaks of tears and weeping, or of drought and dryness. Thoughts of difficulty and trouble are present in either.
“Kidner gives the other sense: “Baca…is thought to indicate a tree or shrub which grows in arid places; hence New English Bible, ‘the thirsty valley’.”
“The valley of tears, as this valley might be called, for the trouble or vexation which travelers found there by reason of drought, or otherwise.” (Poole) Enduring Word Bible Commentary Psalm 84
While going through the “thirsty valley,” God blesses with water. We go from strength to greater strength.
“The rich relationship with God is a never-ending supply of strength for the journey, even in difficult seasons … The farther they travel onward in that way, instead of being faint and weary, as travelers in such cases [should] be, they grow stronger and stronger.” (Poole)
“They proceed from one degree of grace to another, gaining Divine virtue through all the steps of their probation.” (Clarke) Enduring Word Bible Commentary Psalm 84
Homelessness
What is it to be without a home? In my twenties I worked in a homeless shelter. I lived in the shelter, meaning I never truly got away from my work. In order to get some space, I would walk the streets of Lansing, looking for places to hide. I became homeless myself.
As I wrote in my spiritual autobiography: “From the fiercely independent street people I learned how to find quiet time and solitude even amidst the hustle and bustle of the city streets. I learned how to grab moments of time for myself, moments of quiet knowing full well that I may have to be moving on again at any time, being chased away by the police or the owner of the restaurant or the librarian.”
Home may be “the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household,” but it is so much more than this. Many wax poetic about home. Home is where the heart is, they say. Or, home is the place where when we go there, they have to take us in. While we recognize our true home lies with God, it helps to have a place where we can go, with people we trust and love; where we feel safe and accepted. This fills an important human need.
Psalm 84 – Dwelling Place
On the first day of a four-day retreat in my early twenties, I remember being given John 14 to contemplate. Verse 23 stood out to me. “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”
What does it mean to have Jesus make his home with me?
I reflected on this passage throughout the retreat. If God made his home, or dwelt, in me, then no matter where I go, I carry that home with me. I am never homeless; I am never truly alone.
This is the dwelling place of Psalm 84 – dwelling place. It is the place where we go from strength to strength, grace to grace. Where we have what we need to get through the difficult places in our life’s journey. A home we carry with us no matter where life takes us.
What about you? What is your experience of home? Does God have a dwelling place in your heart?
(For another take on this psalm, see Psalm 84: How Lovely is your Dwelling Place – Patricia M Robertson)
This post is part of a series of blog posts on the Psalms. Sign up to follow this blog and receive a free copy of Still Dancing, the second book in my Dancing through Life Series. click here to sign up
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