Commentary

Bird's-eye view

Psalm 84 is a song of intense, holy longing. It is the cry of a soul that knows where true life is to be found, and that is in the presence of the living God, particularly in the context of corporate worship. The psalmist, one of the sons of Korah, expresses a desire for God's house that is so profound it is physically felt. He contrasts his own distance with the nearness of the humble sparrow, which finds its home at the very altars of God. The psalm then moves from this personal longing to a declaration of the objective blessedness of those who get to dwell in that house, whose entire existence becomes one of perpetual praise. This is a pilgrimage psalm, and it teaches us the proper orientation of the Christian heart. We are all on a pilgrimage, and our destination is the house of God, the New Jerusalem, a reality we taste and see every Lord's Day when the saints are gathered.

Outline

1. The Beauty of God's House (v. 1)
- a. An Exclamation of Love (v. 1a)
- b. An Address to the Covenant Lord (v. 1b)
2. The Believer's Intense Longing (v. 2)
- a. A Soul-Deep Craving (v. 2a)
- b. An Embodied Worship (v. 2b)
3. The Enviable Security of the Humble (v. 3)
- a. The Sparrow's Home (v. 3a)
- b. The Swallow's Nest at the Altar (v. 3b)
- c. A Personal Confession of Faith (v. 3c)
4. The Blessedness of Dwelling and Praising (v. 4)
- a. The Happiness of God's Inhabitants (v. 4a)
- b. The Unceasing Activity of Heaven (v. 4b)
- c. A Pause for Contemplation (v. 4c)

Psalm 84:1

How lovely are Your dwelling places, O Yahweh of hosts!

The psalm opens not with a petition or a complaint, but with a heartfelt exclamation. This is a burst of worshipful adoration. The word for lovely here means amiable or dear. The psalmist is not simply admiring the architecture of the temple; he is declaring his deep affection for the place where God has chosen to make His name dwell. These are the dwelling places, plural, referring to the entire temple complex, with its courts and chambers. For us in the new covenant, this points directly to the Church. The gathered saints are the temple of the Holy Spirit, the house of God. If your heart does not leap at the thought of gathering with the people of God for worship, you need to ask why you are so out of step with this psalmist. And who is the master of this house? It is Yahweh of hosts, the Lord of Armies, the commander of the angelic legions. The most powerful being in the universe has made His home with men. The juxtaposition of His infinite might with His intimate presence is what makes His house so lovely.

Psalm 84:2

My soul has longed and even fainted for the courts of Yahweh; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.

The desire expressed here is all-consuming. This is not a casual preference, like wanting to go to a particular restaurant for dinner. The psalmist's soul, his very being, longed and even fainted. This is a deep, spiritual yearning that has physical consequences. He is lovesick for the courts of Yahweh. This is the proper Christian posture. We ought to feel the absence of corporate worship as a genuine loss, a true deprivation. And notice the totality of his response. It is not just his soul; his heart and my flesh sing for joy. This is embodied worship. Our faith is not a disembodied, gnostic affair. Our bodies, our flesh, are caught up in the praise of God. And who are we praising? Not a dead idol or a philosophical abstraction, but the living God. He is the source of all life, and our worship is the response of the life He has given us back to Him.

Psalm 84:3

Even the bird has found a home, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she sets her young, At Your altars, O Yahweh of hosts, My King and my God.

Here the psalmist looks with a kind of holy envy at the most common of creatures. A sparrow, a swallow, they have found what his soul longs for: a home in the house of God. They build their nests and raise their young in the eaves of the temple. They enjoy a constant, untroubled proximity to the presence of God that the psalmist, for whatever reason, is currently denied. And where do they make their home? At Your altars. This is a staggering thought. The birds are nesting at the very center of Israel's worship, the place of sacrifice, atonement, and communion. The place where sin is dealt with is the place of ultimate security. For the Christian, this is a beautiful picture of the cross. Our only safe place, our only true home where we can raise our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, is at the altar where the Lamb of God was slain. The psalmist concludes this thought with a personal profession: My King and my God. This is not just God in general; this is his God, his sovereign. It is this personal relationship that fuels the longing.

Psalm 84:4

How blessed are those who dwell in Your house! They are ever praising You. Selah.

From his personal longing, the psalmist moves to an objective declaration of fact. How blessed are those who dwell in God's house. The word is ashre, which means happy, fortunate, content. This is the state of those who live in God's presence. In the immediate context, this refers to the priests and Levites who had the privilege of serving in the temple day and night. But in the new covenant, it refers to every believer who is a part of the household of faith. And what is the characteristic activity of these blessed dwellers? They are ever praising You. Their life is one continuous act of worship. This is not a chore; it is the spontaneous and joyful result of being near to such a glorious God. This is what we were created for, and it is a foretaste of what we will be doing for all eternity. The verse ends with Selah. This is a directive to pause. Stop and think about what was just said. Meditate on the profound happiness that comes from dwelling with God and the eternal destiny of praise that awaits His people. Let the truth settle deep in your bones.

Key Issues

The Centrality of Corporate Worship
The Nature of Spiritual Desire
The Security of the Altar
The Meaning of "Selah"
The Sons of Korah and the Gospel of Grace

Application

The central application of this psalm is a diagnostic question for your own soul: do you long for the house of God? Do you feel a genuine ache when you are kept from the gathering of the saints? Our culture trains us to be consumers of religious experiences, to shop for a church that "meets our needs." This psalm rebukes that entire mindset. We do not come to church to get our needs met; we come because God is there, and He is lovely, and being in His courts is our soul's true home.

This psalm teaches us that true worship is holistic. It involves our soul, our heart, and our flesh. It is not enough to have right thoughts about God; our affections must be stirred, and our bodies must be engaged. We are to sing for joy to the living God.

Finally, we must see that our only access to this blessed state is through the altar. Like the sparrow, we find our security only at the place of sacrifice. Christ is our altar, and His death is what makes it possible for us to be brought near to God and to become dwellers in His house forever. Therefore, let us cultivate this holy longing, and let us never take for granted the profound privilege of being able to draw near to the courts of the Lord of hosts.