NESTED

Years of putting off trimming the arborvitae had turned it into a monster hedge probably fifteen feet high. Our servant-hearted son came by to help his dad finish the arduous task. In doing so, they pulled out a small nest, carefully wound with twigs and plastic strips, well glued with mud. Sturdy, hidden, it had served its purpose as a bird's nursery.

“Even the sparrow has found a home,” wrote one of the temple musicians, “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” (Psalm 84:3). It's a beautiful set of words to inscribe on sacred art. It's also a beautiful reminder how God cares for even the humblest birds.

First: context. It's believed this psalm was written by one of the temple workers (“sons of Korah”) who had to be absent from his duties in Jerusalem for a while. While we acknowledge that God doesn't dwell in the structures we call now churches, for ancient Jews the temple was revered and respected. From the rituals for sacrifices to even the places where its janitors served (the “parbar” or western colonnades), everything was prescribed and honored.

Yet birds came and found homes. As they chirped and flittered about, carrying on bird life, they had protection and purpose. Notice: these were not powerful birds (like eagles) or beautiful ones (like peacocks). They were ordinary bird life. Sparrows symbolized something almost worthless. Bible-time boys who caught sparrows to sell worshipers for sacrifices could earn two farthings (the smallest, least valuable copper coin) for five birds. Swallows are known for always flitting about. Yet when it comes times to nest and hatch eggs, they settle down. What an image of finding our peace and purpose in God. Such was the observation of St. Augustine (A.D. 354-530) in his famed quote: “Our hearts are restless till they rest in thee.”

This whole psalm throbs with a yearning for authentic worship: “Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you” (84:4). But the psalm doesn't stay inside the temple:

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. (v. 6)

In those days, a trip wasn't as simple as filling the car with gas and hitting the highway. Travel was by cart, animal or sandaled feet. It was hard and hot. It took days and days. But the traveler to Jerusalem kept his eye on the goal: the temple, a divinely-planned, human-constructed worship center. A place to come apart and focus of God's holy character, divine plan and perfect purpose.

The psalm ends with this encouraging word:

The Lord bestows favor and honor; No good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. (v. 11)

This is not some paste-on-every-situation verse. It's a statement of the character of God. Even in pain and loss, we will eventually learn the “good thing” He could bring of it—if we strive to walk close with him, with “blamelessness.” It's the same principle as Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.”

We don't always have those blessings in our line of vision. Sometimes, like a little bird nest, they're tucked away behind layers of ordinary branches and needles. But if God could give perches and protection to birds, can He not also take care of me? Jesus affirmed that truth: “Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matt. 20:31). Even abandoned nests attest to that.

LONGING (Psalm 84)

Grain elevators--symbols of God's abundance

(An ongoing series on psalms to study during times of depression, as recommended in pastor-counselor David Seamands' book, Healing for Damaged Emotions.)

She was physically blind, but spiritually she saw much. One day in 1874, prolific hymn-lyricist Fanny Crosby was visiting with a New York hat-maker who also composed music. He played his newest tune and asked if it suggested any words to her. She exclaimed, “Close to Thee,” and soon dictated the poem that came to her. It began, “Thou my everlasting portion.”  This phrase, used often in the psalms, referred to how the Levites (who took care of the tabernacle, and later the temple) didn’t get land allotments in Canaan like other tribes because God was to be their “portion.”

Whenever I re-read Psalm 84, composed by a Levite whose job description was “temple doorkeeper,” I think of that phrase. “Blessed are those who dwell in your house,” he wrote (v. 4), “they are ever praising you.” Even though they weren’t out farming or doing other jobs, God provided for them. His supply (as symbolized by these grain elevators) and His presence were enough.

PRESENCE

This sweet psalm is one I’ve marked up a lot in my Bible. Even this morning, as I prepared to write about it, I found myself moved to tears in thinking about the writer’s enjoyment of God’s presence. Through the day, the Levites who protected the tabernacle’s physical location (as did this writer as “doorkeeper,” v. 10) or carried on tasks connected to sacrifices, had a constant awareness of God’s holy presence. Steps away was the secluded gold-covered chest or “ark,” crafted after the exodus from Egypt, and holding the stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments. 

But ordinary earth life still took place: the sparrows (considered worthless birds, selling for the least valuable coin) and the swallows (symbols of restlessness) flitted around, their nests in nooks and crannies.

PROTECTION

Verses 5-7, which speak about “pilgrimage,” bring images of ragged, tired Jews making the long, dangerous pilgrimage to this sacred worship center. The author speaks of them passing through the “Valley of Baca.”  “Baca” implies “weeping.” Depression has a way of keeping tears close to the surface. Even this morning as I prayed for someone in spiritual need who has maligned me, I wept. I knew God saw those tears, and true to Fanny Crosby’s hymn, the Lord Almighty seemed close to me.

For such times, I have this psalm’s promise: 

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.” (84:11).

PURPOSE

From the heart of this nameless doorkeeper come these reminders:

*Dwell on the loveliness of Jesus (v. 1)

*Praise (v. 4)

*Trust (v. 12)

As we continue our pilgrimages (v. 7) our weaknesses will grow to strengths, our low times to joy and ecstasy when we pass through eternity’s doors to see Him in all His glory. From time to time, I need to be reminded of this truth, and Psalm 84 does that for me.

Making 'Psense' of Psalms--Psalm 84: Longings

The doors of one of the older churches in
my town--always a reminder to me
of the "Doorkeeper's Psalm."

Part of a continuing series on selected psalms.
If “going to church” has become stale for you or someone you care about, this psalm offers a glimpse into true worship of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I am thankful for the opportunity to worship with my church family, but know some there are spiritually or mentally “elsewhere.” Oh, that we all shared the attitude of Psalm 84’s authors, who opened with simplicity and deep devotion: “How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty!”

Psalm 84 is a bouquet arranged with the most delightful flowers in the garden. Like blooms picked at the peak of color and perfume, it emanates loveliness. Charles Spurgeon, author of the mammoth “Treasury of David” psalms commentary, called Psalm 84 one of the choicest and sweetest of the psalms. One possible reason: it expresses a believer’s longing to be as close to God as possible.

UP-CLOSE AUTHORS

The psalm was written by the “Sons of Korah,” a branch of the Levite tribe that helped maintain the temple as doorkeepers and janitors. Other Levite branches performed the sacrifices and provided music. The Korahites’ role was defined in First Chronicles 26, a chapter people may find boring for all its names and instructions. You may have even heard some wit claim that 1 Chronicles 26:18 is the “golfer’s verse.” The King James version renders it, “At Parbar, westward, four at the causeway, and two at Parbar.” No, it’s not about golf. “Parbar” is an uncommon Hebrew word referring to the temple’s western colonnade. The word apparently puzzled King-James-era translators, who just used the Hebrew transliteration (spelled out in English letters). More recent translations render it: “As for the court to the west, there were four at the road and two at the court itself.” This verse reminds us that God took care of all the details for security at Israel’s house of worship, even assigning men to watch the doors.

Its tone of “yearning” may make Psalm 84 sound like other pilgrim songs, like the “ascent psalms” (120-134) sung en route to Jerusalem. But verse 10 suggests it comes instead from the worshiping hearts of Korahite temple workers: “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”

BLESSING #1: THOSE WHO REST IN GOD

Three verses begin “Blessed are.” The first addresses those who rest in God, as symbolized by birds that nested in the open arches of the temple:
Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. (v. 4)
“Your house” refers, of course, to the temple and its system of sacrifices dating to the giving of the law after the Exodus. Every Jew knew that those God-inscribed tablets were stored in the temple, under great security behind heavy curtains, in a sacred box called “The Ark of the Covenant.” Today, we know that God doesn’t dwell in man-made buildings (Acts 7:47-50), but we’re to show reverence for the buildings where we gather to worship. Part of that reverence is having an open heart, knowing that God is approachable, even by the so-called “insignificant.” That’s what the section on birds teaches.

*Sparrows. In Bible times, sparrows were considered nearly worthless, sold two for a farthing (the smallest, least valuable copper coin). But Jesus said no sparrow falls to the ground without God noticing. If God pays attention to common birds, so much more is true of us: “Don’t be afraid,” Jesus said, “you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31).

*Swallows. These birds were symbols of restlessness. They flit all over the sky, all day long, until time comes to build a nest and settle down. How appropriate is the now-famous observation of Saint Augustine in his Confessions: “Our hearts are restless till they rest in thee.”

BLESSING #2: PILGRIMS

As the temple’s doorkeepers, the Korahites saw many pilgrims who had drawn on God’s strength and protection for the arduous and dangerous journey to Jerusalem by foot, donkey or wagon: “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage” (v.  5). Verse 6 might baffle those who can’t locate it on Bible maps: “As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools” (84:6). “Baca” is a Hebrew word for the balsam tree, whose sap can ooze like tears.

The psalmist isn’t referring to an actual geographical location, but to any of us going through this “vale of tears” in our spiritual lives. Life “down here” is not all bliss. We live in a fallen world. Heartbreaks will come. We’ll feel slashed by the harsh storms of adversity. But our true pilgrimage is not to some earthly destination, but to Heaven, to the home of God (Hebrews 12:22). We’ll be strengthened as we continue the journey, step by step, by faith.  This is the Christian walk: living with focus, and encouraging others along the way, until we appear before God!

BLESSING #3: THOSE WHO TRUST GOD

This blessing comes at the psalm’s conclusion: “O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you” (v. 12). Earlier parts of this psalm seemed to portray someone relishing the presence of God within the temple environment. This verse reminds us that we can enjoy the presence of God anywhere, by faith. The closing verses remind us that God’s attributes are of far greater comfort and hope than anything on earth.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. (v. 11a)
God, who created the sun, is our “sun” for daily illumination and warmth in life’s dark and cold times. As our “shield,” God is what he declared Himself to be when making a covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15:1: “I am your shield, your very great reward.” No matter what happened in the future, God would be there to protect Abraham.

Then, in a verse many have cherished and memorized, Psalm 84 declares God’s goodness to His children:
No good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. (v. 11b)
These words are echoed in Paul’s letter to the Romans, in which he affirmed God’s love and purpose even in life’s difficult times:
And we know that in all things God works fore the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)
Author Ruth  Meyers, in The Satisfied Heart (Waterbrook, 1999, p. 155) remarked of this passage: “He won’t hold back a single blessing from us if we relate to Him as Lord of our life—of our thinking and choosing, of our feelings, our actions, our relationships.”

This sense of “oneness” with God was what the Korahites sought and cherished. But in Old Testament days, being “right” with God depended on constant sacrifices for sins. That ended when Jesus came and died for all our sins. God sees us as “blameless” through His Son. What the Korahites sought, we now can have. No matter how grand or how simple the building of our worshipping community, when God’s people gather with humble hearts, then it can be a place of true, holy loveliness.

 

Next: Psalm 90

Birdhouses and Psalm 84

A birdhouse-lover lives about a block away. Dozens of bird-size boxes adorn her trees. As I walk past, the “happy chirp” volume is high. I thought of this display when recently studying Psalm 84:

 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.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
They are ever praising you. (vv. 3-4)

I always considered Psalm 84 the “glad-to-be-in-church” psalm. James Montgomery Boice gives a different viewpoint in calling this “The Psalm of the Janitors.” The subtitle indicates this was “of the sons of Korah,” one of eleven such psalms so dedicated. The Korahites were part of the temple staff, charged with gate-keeping (1 Chron. 26:1) and singing.
 

Until now, I never gave much thought to the birds, knowing how they will find anywhere to nest. They’re often fluttering through the rafters of warehouse stores, despite the efforts of management to get rid of them. But Boice brought my attention to something else: the types of birds mentioned.

Sparrows were symbols of worthlessness. In Bible times, they sold two for about a penny or five for two cents (Matt. 10:39, Luke 12:6). Yet these “worthless” birds made their homes near the altar of Israel’s worship center. Jesus said that even when they fall to the ground, God knows about it. He added, “Don’t be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matt. 10:29, 31).

Swallows symbolized restlessness. They’re constantly on the “fly” until they nest and raise young. Bible teacher John Stott wrote that he thought the swallows were the same as the screaming swift, still found at the Mosque of Omar in Jerusalem. We, too, are restless and flittering about until we come to rest in God. As St. Augustine famously said, “Our hearts are restless till they rest in thee.”

I find a comforting sense of continuity in this psalm. First, the Korahites composed a song alluding to temple birds. Then Jesus based parables on them. And they’re still around! It reminds me how with God, a day is as a thousand years (Psalm 90:4). Nothing is too insignificant to Him. If birds find rest under His watchful eye, how much more does He care for His cherished children.

We too can “nest” near His altar and find that resting place. We can “dwell” in His house through fellowship with other believers, and through those hidden, private times of prayer and reflection. So blessed, praise should be our automatic response (v. 4).

Worth-ship and rest. Take a lesson from birds? I think we can.

Threshold Anxiety

Threshold anxiety. You may not find this malady in psychology books, but our cat Augie has it.

All fifteen pounds of cat huddle near the door, scratching a corner to let us know it's time to go out. But when someone comes and opens the door, the cat hesitates.

Who knows what's running through its mind? Is my arch enemy, the one that left me with ragged ears, lurking behind the hedge? How cold/hot is it? How soon will the humans let me back in after my rounds? Is that prickly door mat still there?

A gentle nudge on the cat's back legs encourages him to make that giant leap over the threshold and the hated prickly door mat.

Our cat's antics make me think about life's thresholds, like the one described in Psalm 84:10: "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."

In Hebrew, the original language of Psalms, "doorkeeper" is saphaph, meaning "to keep oneself at the threshold." It's the only time that word is used in the Bible.

Oh yes, there are other mentions of "doorkeepers," such as those named as doorkeepers of the ark (1 Chronicles 15:23, 24). The word there is shoer and it means--surprise!--"keeper of the door." These men were essentially "sacred bouncers," charged with stopping foot traffic at the most sacred part of the temple that housed the Ark of the Covenant.

But the saphaph doorkeeper had more than security duties on his heart. The psalmist begins with phrases that almost gush out of his heart: "How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty." Then the deep, irrepressible emotion: "My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God."

Having had a glimpse of eternity, this person isn't satisfied with spiritual mediocrity. He wants God to overwhelm him, to quench the deep thirst of his heart.

He's at a spiritual threshold.

No wonder, later in the psalm, that he picks his most-wanted spot: doorkeeper at the threshold of God's courts and house.

Thresholds are typically the timber or stone under a door. They help seal out bad weather and offer security from those who might dig under a door--at least in the olden days of houses plopped on a piece of ground.

And here's the application: Jesus is the threshold.

He died on the cross-shaped timbers.

He was the stone that the builders rejected (Psalm 118:22).

He bids us stand on Him, the link between the temporal and the eternal. He is pleased when we yearn, even faint, for the courts of the Lord. It's worship when our hearts and flesh cry out for the living God.

Someday, we'll pass over that threshold to Heaven. We'll see Him face to face, blessed beyond blessing beyond blessing, all our anxieties forgotten.

Join me at the threshold?