Psalm 84

It has not been uncommon for us to study a Psalm penned by David, but tonight’s Psalm is one
of the few written by the author the Sons of Korah. The authorship is of special recognition given the
nature of this Psalm. Of the 12 tribes of Israel the Levites were not given any specific land area but were
to be fully devoted to the tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant with Aaron descendants to serve as
priests. Of the 3 sons of Levi (Gershon, Merari and Kohath) Gershonites were responsible for the
tabernacle and the tent, its covering, the screen for the doorway of the tent of meeting, the hangings
of the court, the screen for the doorway of the court, its cords and everything else pertaining to them.
The Merarites duties were the frames of the tabernacle, its bars, pillars and sockets, the pillars around
the court with their sockets and their pegs and their cords. While the Kohathites dealt with the
ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the utensils of the sanctuary and everything else concerning
them.

Unlike the Gershonites and Merarites, Kohathites were not permitted to transport the items by
cart but only on their shoulders. Furthermore if they were to touch the items they would die so they had
to painstakingly wrap the items in special coverings before they could be transported. In the constant
wandering of Israel in the wilderness, their duties were arduous. Up come Korah a grandson of Kohath
along with some rebellious Reubenites and they challenged Moses and Aaron position and
representatives and priest before God. Moses told them to burn incense before the Lord and God will
show who is rightly appointed by God. When these burned the incense before God, He told Moses to
tell everyone to stay back from their families. Then God in a demonstration of His approval of Moses and
His disapproval of Korah, all their household were swallowed up by earth and fire came from the Lord
and burnt up all the men burning incense. However Numbers 26:11 tells us some sons of Korah survived
probably because of their youth and not joining in their father’s rebellion. These are the descendants
who wrote these psalms hundreds of years later.

So one would expect having such a bad experience in temple worship these sons of Korah would
bear some resentment in taking part. However the psalm opens with a longing to be a part of the
corporate worship. The psalmist likens it to coming home as would a bird to its nest to be with her
chicks, even as birds have made their nest in the temple courtyards and are constantly near the
presence of God. For the Old Testament saint this however was mostly limited to the time of pilgrimage
to celebrate the various feasts. Many Jews did not permanently abide near the temple so their time
there was special and very meaningful. There were three prescribed times of feast that pilgrims would
attend every year in Jerusalem. The feasts were the Unleavened Bread, Weeks/Pentecost/Harvest and
Ingathering/Tabernacles/Booths. As the pilgrims went to that city called Jerusalem which is at 2,700ft in
elevation, they would sing songs of worship to God. Psalms 120=134 are titled songs of ascents and it
believed that these were the songs that those on pilgrimage to worship would sing which would
culminate at the temple. Thus we have in verse 5, “How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, In
whose heart are the highways to Zion!” Highways there reference their path to Jerusalem even as the
psalm goes on to reference the landmark of the valley of Baca which is on the way to Jerusalem.
 So as New Testament saints, are these the sentiments that we should have as we come to
church? Should we be singing a song of ascents as we drive up the incline that is Tunapuna Road? Yes in
two senses. Yes because though the structure of the temple no longer stands in Jerusalem, Paul tells
Christians in 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of
God dwells in you?” We are a temple of God through the indwelt Holy Spirit thus when we come
together in corporate worship we do experience what the psalmist longed for three times a year. We
have a more constant and easier access to the presence of God through our corporate worship and we
not to take that lightly. What the psalmist longer for, ever so often we indulge in frequently through the
work of Jesus applied to our lives. Also it should convict us that we would abscond this because of
arbitrary circumstances. This is a time where we can boldly enter into the presence of the Lord and that
by itself should excite us knowing that we have a better way than those of old. Also in another sense this
should be our attitude knowing what awaits us to enter into the permanent presence of the Lord when
depart from this life and are clothed with immortality. The pilgrimage of our life will be over and we
would have ascended the hill of the Lord as in Psalm 24, the clean hands and pure heart would be not
our own but be graced to us in Christ. Therefore we can inherit the kingdom set before us as sons and
be forever grateful in worship. So today as believers we sing in praise and adoration, looking forward to
that day when we would enter into that final holy city of Zion.

The psalmist could say in verse 10, “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I
would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”
The psalmist did not count it as drudgery to be at the temple, or even a fulfilment of an obligation.
There was true joy not just for being in the location but for worshipping God at that location. This
location was of particular significance to the Jew as this was the place Mt. Moriah, where the Lord
appeared to David (2 Chronicles 3:1). However, almost 1000 years later Jesus dealt with the issue with a
Samaritan woman. In John 4 the issue she raised is as a Pentateuch only Samaritan, is it right to worship
at Abraham first altar in Shechem or should she follow Jew who accept the entire Old Testament canon
and worship according to David in Jerusalem based on 2 Chronicles 6:6? Jesus said that a time is coming
where the location of temple worship would not matter, true worshippers will the Father in spirit and in
truth. That time is now, once we as believers get together in any place at any geographical location and
worship the Father in spirit and in truth. So we could echo the psalmist and say better is one day in Your
courts than a thousand outside. We are grateful that God has given us a building with facilities and
comfort that we worship in a most orderly way. But our worship is not confined to this building, neither
is it to when we are together. We worship wherever we are with full access the presence of God.
Nevertheless we come together in corporate worship as the Bible commands us and for us to hear the
preached word, partake in the sacraments and operate in our gift to one another.

Finally, allow me to return to the Sons of Korah, the author of this psalm. A name that
references how stiffed-necked and rebellious the nation of Israel was. How a family tried to usurp their
responsibilities at the tabernacle and challenge God appointed leader for his position. God severely
judged them even worse than the Egyptians. But God did not allow their name to die. Out of that line
flowed Samuel the prophet, they were restored to some responsibilities for the tabernacle and temple
and they some fought alongside David and earned a reputation as being good warriors. So out of such
ignoble beginnings, the Sons of Korah now rejoice in their role in the temple worship and can possibly
look bad and be amazed of where God brought their family line. Many times I would hear the questions
from those who claim Afrocentric consciousness that, “how can you worship the God that your
ancestors’ slave masters used to justify slavery?” However, while I can reference apologetics of the
Christian support of the abolitionist movement and the Bible’s imperative against manstealing, there is a
legitimate question how could the church have supported this? The book of Acts states that God, “made
from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their
appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they
might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.” Out of such a barbaric
event as the Transatlantic Slave Trade, God allow for African pagans to be brought to another part of the
world, preached the world of God and largely embrace Christianity as a community. God is able to take
people from bad beginnings and bring them into His righteous kingdom. Many of us bring about raised
eyebrows when despite our past we are now true worshippers of God. But such is the nature of God, he
makes all things new, even to come together and worship in His house.