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| Psalm 84 |
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Rev. Johnson V 20th November 2011
Most kings fretted over establishing a strong army above everything else. But David spent his time organizing a strong worship team. He knew that real power lay in worshipping and praising God, and not solely n the might of his army. David is also a reflection of God’s character – who forgives us and invites us to be part of His kingdom, to work for Him. David invited the sons of Korah to be part of his worship team. Psalm 84 was written by the sons of Korah. The sons of Korah were not from an ordinary family. They were descendents of a notorious family and the details of this can be found in Numbers chapter 16. The sons of Korah were not from good ‘stock’, yet David invited them to be part of his carefully selected and trained worship team. David took worship seriously and the sons of Korah found a place amongst David’s best musicians and singers. Psalm 84 is particularly poignant in the context of the historical details that surround the ancestry of the Korah family. The family descended from Korah, a member of the Levite group, who was one of the members of the Israelite community who came out of Egypt (see Exodus 15). God led the Israelites out of Egypt and through many dangerous areas, in a miraculous way. God may not choose the safest route but He will always keep you safe no matter what is in store. Moses was God’s chosen servant in leading the people out of Egypt and into the promised land. Moses was called according to God’s purposes and he was anointed to do His work. And people began to grumble. They grumbled about why Moses was the only one who did this, when they too could sing, preach etc. But the anointing is in the call of God, not in the singing, preaching or in miraculous signs and wonders. And the people revolted, led by Korah and a few others. But Moses didn’t have to defend himself, God did it for him and got involved in this affair. God told Moses that he would destroy all those who stood with Korah and the others were to separate themselves and distance themselves from the tents of Korah. And God brought fire and a big earthquake that swallowed up Korah and his band of rebels, swallowing up their tents and families. However there were a few sons of Korah who during the earthquake, ran from under the tent of their father, Korah, and ran into the safety of the altar in the Tent of Meeting. They turned away from the sins of their father and ran with their eyes fixed on God. And it was these descendents of Korah who sang Psalm 84. Inspite of the way their family was wiped out, they still choose to worship God because they saw His goodness and righteous judgment. Our worship should not depend on our circumstances, but it depends on the character of God. Details of Psalm 84 Verse 1 – When we like something, we tend to appreciate it more than we do anything else; we tend to talk of it in superlative terms. It is the same when our relationship with God, is on the correct track. If we are in love with our Father, we talk of Him as the most beautiful person we have ever met. Verse 2 – the Psalmist talks about how his heart yearns for His Maker – that he is emotional about God – that is emotions are involved in his relationship with God. It is not enough to worship God in our minds, we also need to be emotional about Him. We must learn to cry, laugh and express our worship in emotional ways in His Presence. Verse 3 – sparrow and swallow near the altar is a representation of how the sons of Korah ran from the tent of their family and went running to God’s altar. The swallow has its nose on its beak and it therefore has an unusual way of drinking water. Unlike other birds, it cannot drink water by bending its head, because the water will flow into its mouth and out of its nose. Instead it swoops down to a lake, takes a gulp of water and then flies straight up into the sky, perpendicular to the earth, in order to retain the water in its beak and to prevent it from flowing out. The sons of Korah were like this. They looked straight up to God to help them knowing that He was their only refuge. The term attributed to God in this verse is Lord of Hosts, which when translated means Lord of the Armies. God’s army works in supernatural ways. Verse 4 to 6 – valley of Baca means the valley of teams in Palestine. Some time ago, the Israelite army met the Palestine army in the valley of Baca and that’s where the Israelites were completely destroyed. Sometimes we have to pass through situations that are similar to the valley of Baca. But even though we are passing through, we can irrigate the area and make it a reservoir before we move on. Verse 7 and 8 – God of Jacob means He is the God of covenants. We must learn to be happy and confident in God. Verse 11 – He is the sun and shield. He is grace and glory. If we walk in an upright manner before God, and maintain our relationship with Him, His blessings will come upon us. It will not miss its target. The blessings He intended for us, will come to us alone. Praise God! |
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