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.