Devotional Short Note to Psalm 84: The
world opinion fan out by liberalism in an age of secularism, just as in the
days of Ahab and Jezebel, of inclusiveness and equality of all and anything,
comes with a price. The price of giving up particularism, sectarianism,
difference, and being a special separated remnant for the Lord. This world
jurisprudence “ethic” if you will, was not acceptable for David in this Psalm. He
did not say, “how lovely/beloved is the pagan temples around”. He said: “How
beloved are Your tabernacles, O Lord of Hosts” (84:2). This Lord is a jealous
God who does not have room for religious pluralism which is again the dominant
religion of the world, just as it was in the days of Elijah. Just as it was in the
days of Elijah, gay-ministry was at the heyday, and also woman-ordination since
the ethics of treating everyone, regardless of who they are, equal, sinful or
sins is not in this equation at all. This is not the thinking of true Adventism
but the thinking of Kenneth Rose in his book Pluralism: The Future Religion. Why tabernacles? It is not the temple
but is a reference to the concept of Most Holy + Holy + Outer Court divisions.
They all belong to the Lord. The Lord is not just sitting in a dark room there
in front or is just behind the pulpit in the church. He is in the hearts of
everyone who believes and outside those who don’t. The Holy Spirit does not
share space with evil in this equality push-drive by the media today. In some
countries you cannot become Judge unless you give-up your particularism and
swim together with the “inclusive Utopia”. Sheer madness blooming. The fakeness
of the media is their epistemology or way of thinking derived from their
lifestyles which ultimately determines their methodology and finally inevitable
lead to their products they produce and sell to the world. Also to our eyes
daily. So we have to be like this Psalmist, David. We have to be particular
about who is the most lovely for us. David’s “soul desires and also completes
(kaleta) for the courts of the Lord” (84:3). David does not worship the image
of Buddha or that of Mary in a church, he worships “unto the living God”
(84:3b). Sparrows and swallows find a nest they
can build for themselves for their breeding and raising the young (84:4). In
the same vein the soul of David finds consolation and comfort near the altars of
the Lord of Hosts, His “king” and his “God”. “Happy are the dwelling-ones in Your
house” (84:5). Some people were wondering if David noticed swallows and
sparrows making nest in the roof of the tabernacle. Regardless of this
possibility, David had an eye for nature. He called himself a bird, or dove at
other places in Psalms. “They praise extensively [od] You” (84:5b). Happiness to the human is those who find
strength in the Lord (84:6a). “From the highways in Your heart” (84:6b). Why “from
highways”? It is from the wide road of pluralism and inclusiveness and seeking
the narrow road of righteousness and right doing and particularism. The psalm is for those officiating in
the service of God faithfully. Positive outlook on their work for what makes it
positive is no horizontal existentialism but a vertical one. “In You” (84:5a) and
“In Your heart” (84:6b) and “the human that trust in You” (84:13b). The called
out ones turning away from evil, the faithful pass in the Baca valley also the
blessing of the early rain [experience with the Holy Spirit outpouring] clothed
them (84:7). They go from strength to strength. They appear unto God in Zion
(84:8). This will be eventually in the eschaton as the book of Joel the prophet
outlined with his use of the seven Zions in Joel. In the final one God is with
the faithful together in Zion in the eschaton. From 84:9-13 David is praying. He cited
a well-known formula maybe from a liturgical note by someone and used the Selah
mark to indicate that he is citing (84:9). Then David talks a language that became
well familiar with as general of the army: a shield. God is his shield (84:10).
God the Father is looking upon the face of Christ “Your Anointed” (84:10b). It
is not upon David that it is looking but upon the role and function of Christ. The well-known millennium consideration
of John in Revelation 20 is also considered by David here in 84:11: “For good
is a day in Your courts from a millennium [not in Your courts]” (84:11a).
During the millennium Satan will be bound in loneliness on earth since all the
evil are dead. The faithful during this millennium are in the courts of the
Lord in heaven but even one day with the Lord is better than living a whole
millennium in that future eschaton scenario. “I had rather stand at the threshold of
the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness” (84:11b-c).
Similar to 84:9 David reformulate the sentence to echo the same: “O Lord of
Hosts, happy is the human that trusts in You” (84:13).
In the Jezebel Bibles these days, they
are taking out the particularistic phrases that separate denominations and
religions to serve their pluralism agenda as Utopia for the Lord. David had no
sympathy for their cause.