How blessed is the man whose strength is in you,

In whose heart are the highways to Zion!

Psalm 84:5

What does it mean to be blessed? One of the features of Psalm 84 is the repetition of the phrase “How blessed.” This phrase occurs in verses 4, 5, and 11. This phrase is an incomplete comparison. It is a way of saying that one is greatly blessed. In fact, it may mean that one could not be more greatly blessed. In this case, the one who dwells in God’s presence could not be more greatly blessed, the man whose strength is in the Lord could not be more greatly blessed, and the man who trusts in the Lord could not be more greatly blessed. The blessing of verse 5 builds upon and further explains the blessing of verse 4. In ancient Israel, it was not possible for people always to be at the temple. Some could only come for the three major festivals. This was especially true after the Babylonian exile, and in the time of the Jesus and the early church, when Jews were scattered all across the Roman Empire. While this psalm may or may not have been composed after the exile, the point is that many people had to make a great journey to the temple to experience the presence of God. However, their strength could always be in the Lord. We should not rely upon our own strength and resources but upon the Lord’s. Ephesians 6:10 may be an echo of Psalm 84:5, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” Strength from the Lord comes from spending time in his presence. Strength from the Lord comes from trusting in the Lord (cf. v. 12). The faithful Israelite always desired to be in God’s presence and draw strength from him. This is why the psalmist remarks that the highways to Zion were in his heart. While his body may not be in the temple, his heart was always yearning to go and be there. This reference to the highway to Zion could refer to a pilgrim’s journey to the temple for one of the festivals, a procession in and around Jerusalem, or praise to the Lord as a parallel expression with “they are ever praising you” in verse 4. The point is that spending time in God’s presence was the passion of the pilgrim’s heart.

Is spending time in God’s presence the passion of your heart? Do you seek to be with him every day? We can’t do this in our own strength. Our strength must come from and be in the Lord. We can only gain this strength by spending time in his presence.

Dear Lord, we want our hearts to be aflame with knowing you. Give us the strength and the discipline to spend time with you and experience your strength. We will never experience the greatness of your blessing without it. Amen.

Psa. 84:1        How lovely are Your dwelling places,
O LORD of hosts!
2     My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
3     The bird also has found a house,
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,
Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
My King and my God.
4     How blessed are those who dwell in Your house!
They are ever praising You.     Selah.

When I was growing up, I loved to hear my father sing. He had a resonant and operatic bass voice and was often asked to sing solos at our church. One Sunday he sang a song based on Ps 84 that struck a chord in my heart: “How Lovely are Thy Dwelling Places.” It was a song of great beauty and its melody has been in my mind and heart ever since. Psalm 84 speaks of the psalmist’s desire to dwell in the presence of God. The psalmist speaks of God’s dwelling places as lovely or beloved. He is referring to the temple, as verse 2 makes clear. Interestingly, he uses the plural for both dwelling places and courts. The temple was a complex of buildings that included a courtyard, living quarter fro the priests, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies. The presence of God specifically dwelled in the Holy of Holies above the Ark of the Covenant.  Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and then only once a year on the Day of Atonement. While God is omnipresent, his special, manifest presence is seen in the temple. The entire temple complex was considered the dwelling place of God and this is where the people of God gathered to worship him.

As beautiful as a building the temple must have been, the psalmist’s point is not the architecture; it is the presence of God. The temple is where the people of Israel went to worship God and to experience His presence. This is what the psalmist finds lovely. This is what he calls beloved. But what exactly is lovely about God? This is not an adjective that many people use of God. I think the psalmist finds God lovely because he is both perfect in His character and perfect in his works.

God is perfect in His character. He is loving, gracious, kind, just, and merciful, even though He is also holy, righteous, and so pure, He cannot have anything to do with sin. He has chosen to save us, to make us his children, to relate to us and spend time with us, even though we are sinners. God initiated a covenant with us where He caused us to love and obey Him and where He continually forgives our sins (Jer 31:33-34; Ezek 36:25-28).

God’s works are lovely. Just look at the world that He created. Look at the people he made. He made things pleasing to the eye and nourishing to the soul. The psalmist meditates on all these things and he sees his God, the Lord of Hosts, the Lord who leads armies, and the Lord who rules over all, as lovely and beloved. Thus, he longs to spend time with him. He longs to worship him. He longs to fellowship with him. It is not a routine thing; it is the desire of his heart. Notice the terms that he uses: “my soul,” “my heart,” “my flesh.” His entire being is involved, spirit, soul, and body. The longing is deep like hunger and thirst. There is desperation in the psalmist’s voice, like in the song “Breathe”: “I’m desperate for you.” But there is rejoicing also. The psalmist is full of anticipation at meeting with the Lord. His heart is filled with joy and the body and voice respond with singing. He sings to the living God, the God of life, the God who gave him life, both physically and spiritually.

In verse 3 the psalmist thinks of the birds and how privileged they are. The birds are like temple singers, filling the air with joyful song. They make their home in the dwelling place of God. In God’s presence there is life, rest, safety, security, joy, and peace. The birds feel so secure that they even lay their eggs and take care of their young. There is no thought of danger in the presence of God. They even make their nests near the altars where incense and sacrifice are made, the place of restoration, forgiveness, and thankfulness. The temple is the epitome of the undisturbed, fulfilled life. The psalmist longs for the intimacy with God that the birds appear to enjoy.

No wonder he cries out, “How blessed are those who dwell in Your house”! Those who dwell in God’s presence and have continual access to the temple are very blessed. They enjoy intimacy with God on a continual basis. Those who continually dwell in God’s house and presence are always praising him. They praise him for his greatness, grace, and goodness. They praise him as the Lord of hosts; they praise him as their King;  they praise him as their God.

The psalmist longed to get away from the bustling world to meet God inside his dwelling place, His holy temple. We no longer need a physical temple to enjoy God’s presence. We are the temple of God both individually (1 Cor 6:19) and corporately (1 Cor 3:16). We can enjoy God’s presence at any time. We can meet God anywhere, any time. However, our longing and desire for God should be the same. So often we do not take to time enjoy God’s presence, to talk with him, read his Word, and pray. We take his presence within us for granted. We neglect him as a person might neglect his own family. Such a thing should not be. We need to realize how desperate we need God. We need to realize how hungry and thirsty we are. We are dehydrated and we don’t even know it. The enemy has convinced us that we have better and more important things to do with our time than to spend time with God. We do not recognize that all those things are worthless without him. We stay so busy we do not recognize our own need. But going into a church can help us step aside from the busy mainstream of life, so we can quietly meditate and pray. We find joy, not simply in the beauty of the building, but also in the prayers, music, lessons, sermons, and fellowship.

You may not have the emotional connection with God that this psalmist does, but you do have the same needs. The difference is that the psalmist truly thought about God and how much the Lord has done for him. He was aware of his neediness and how God alone can satisfy it. Pause right now and think about where you would be without God. Maybe your life circumstances would be much different; maybe they wouldn’t be. But how is your soul? Where is your joy? What do you have that is lasting? What things truly matter? When we seek God and spend time in his presence, both individually and corporately, our souls will be nurtured. Going to church to worship God and fellowhsip with others and receiving (as well as giving) encouragement is just as important. The psalmist recognized this because he was not on this pilgrimage alone. He was joined by others. We are God’s family. We need times alone with our Father and we need family time with him. Neither should be neglected.