Longing for Public Worship (Psalm 84:1-4)

This psalm was written for the sons of Korah. They were one of the temple divisions and had special responsibility for participating in the praise of God. Korah was one of the descendants of Levi who led a rebellion against the leadership of Moses recorded in Numbers 16. The Lord severely judged those rebels when the ground opened and swallowed them. Yet all his family were not destroyed on that occasion and here are their descendants, many centuries later, participating in the worship of God at the temple. So in their participation we see evidence of the grace of God. It is also a reminder that the best singers are those who have a real personal grasp of the grace and mercy of God. The question that comes to us here is, ‘Are we spiritually identified with the sons of Korah?’

A particular role that the sons of Korah engaged in, as well as singing, was that of doorkeepers (1 Chron. 26:1), and the author of the psalm mentions this activity in verse 10. The author of the psalm was recalling how he had seen the sons of Korah engage in this activity when he had attended the worship services at the temple on previous occasions. Many people may not have noticed what they did, but this psalmist did and his assessment was that he would have loved to serve the Lord with them. Do we notice the little roles that people play in the church?

Moreover, we can see that the sons of Korah were prepared to fulfil major roles and minor roles in the worship of God. Their big role was to lead the praise when necessary and it would always be a public occasion whereas whenever they opened the doors in the temple courts they may not have been noticed. In the church, some people only want big roles and other people only want minor roles, but the sons of Korah would say to us, ‘Why don’t you do both?’

It is not clear where the author was, although it is evident that he was unable to get to the temple to worship God. Obviously, he is worshipping God at that moment in isolation, yet we can see from what he says that he was not content with such an experience. He does not ask God to make his solitary experience as good as what he could have if he was at the temple. This is a reminder that a true worshipper prefers corporate worship to individual worship. When we say this, we are not demeaning individual worship, but we have to watch that we don’t demean public worship.

What was his individual worship like at that moment? He tells us in verse 2 that he was full of great joy in the living God. So when he makes this assessment of corporate worship he does not make it out of a negative individual experience in which he senses the absence of God. Instead God is very real to him. He knows that in contrast to the idols of other peoples, his God is the living God.

As we look at this section of the psalm, we should observe two details from it to help with our own participation in public worship. The two details are feelings about public worship and faith concerning public worship. We can see his feelings in his descriptions of his reactions concerning public worship and we can see his faith in the different ways he speaks about God.

His feelings

I would suggest that the psalmist reveals his feelings in four ways. The first is in verse 1 when he says that God’s dwelling place is lovely. This description might surprise us initially because we know that the temple was a place of continual sacrifice. So why should the psalmist think that a place of sacrifice was lovely? The answer to that question is that he realised the effectiveness of the sacrifices, that they provided a way for him to be forgiven for his sins. As he looked at the sacrificial substitutes for his sins, he could say to himself, ‘Because of them I am forgiven!’

Second, the psalmist expressed his feelings when he said that he was longing intensely for the courts of the Lord. It is important to note that the strength of his longing was caused by anticipation and not by deprivation.  He was full of longing because he expected to receive benefits when he reached there, and his longing for such was so strong that he almost fainted with excitement. What could he experience there that would cause such anticipation? I would suggest that he was looking forward to enjoying fellowship with all the others who would be in the courts of the Lord. Thousands of people would be present in those courts (think of the numbers on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2). It would be great to speak to them all about their own accounts of mercy and grace. And something else that he would be looking forward to enjoying would be the priestly blessing as recorded in Numbers 6:24-26: ‘The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.’

Third, the psalmist describes his feelings when he refers to sparrows and swallows living near the altars of the temple. Maybe he had seen them there. In describing those birds, the psalmist is referring to the amazing sense of security he and the other worshippers would enjoy in the presence of God. Although his God was holy, and although he has sworn to punish sinners, the amazing fact is that the psalmist realised that joining in the public worship was a very safe place for him. The sacrifices offered for his sins made him secure in the presence of God. A dog or a cat would not have been able to get to the birds near the altars, and the enemies of his soul would not get near him either, although the world and the flesh and the devil could make lots of noise.

Fourth, the psalmist also stated his intense desire to hear the praises of God (v. 4). This is a basic feature of a genuine religious life. If this is absent, it means that we are wanting something else instead? If the Lord is not being praised, then something inferior will. But those who have discovered the God of mercy want everyone to praise him meaningfully. The more worshippers the better. Of course, in those days of the temple, it was the priestly choirs who sand, and he is looking forward to hearing the songs of the sons of Korah and the other choirs.

What about our feelings in public worship? We don’t go to a magnificent building, and why would we want to since all magnificent buildings will one day disappear. But we do go where we see a sacrifice that is effective, the sacrifice of Jesus; we do go to have fellowship with those whom Jesus has blest and we do go to receive the priestly blessing of Jesus; we gather in a very secure place if we are in Christ; and we gather to hear by the ears of faith the innumerable number who praise God for sending Jesus. What are our feelings like?

His faith

We mentioned earlier that the psalmist’s faith is revealed in his descriptions of God and there are several of them. The first name that he uses is ‘Lord of hosts’. By this name, he means that the Lord is surrounded by large numbers of worshippers. The worshippers may be the angelic hosts or he may be referring to the hosts of Israel. When we turn to the description of Mount Zion given in Hebrews 12, we see that both sets of hosts are there. Of course, the point he is making is not so much that they love to be with the Lord, but that the Lord loves to be with them. Is that not incredible, and it is true? We are in the presence of the Lord of hosts.

Second, he refers to God as the Lord, that is Yahweh or the covenant God of Israel. When we speak of the covenant, we should have in mind the love and the faithfulness of God. It was because he loved us that he arranged for us to be converted and it is because he is faithful that we can be confident that he will always be for us. Think of many gathered in the courts of the Lord would be able to speak of his faithfulness!

Then, thirdly, he speaks of the Lord as the living God. What comes into our minds when we think of the living God? An obvious detail is that he exists, that he is very different from the dead idols that the pagan nations worshipped. God is the source of life, the Creator of all things. Since he is the source of all life, it must mean that he is willing to share life with others. That is what God did at the beginning when he brought creatures into existence. And he also gives spiritual life as well when we are born again.

Fourthly, he speaks of the Lord as his King, which is a reminder that the psalmist saw himself as a subject of a sovereign. Yet he also recognised that because he had such a sovereign he was secure because he knew that his King would look after him. And it is important to observe the psalmist’s use of personal pronouns in this regard. The God in whom he had faith was one with whom he had a very strong personal relationship.

Of course, when we sing the psalm we do so through the consequences of the coming of Jesus. We know from Isaiah 6 that Jesus is the Lord of hosts, we know from his name Jesus that he is Yahweh the Saviour, we know from what he says about himself in John 10:10 that he is the source of abundant life, and we know from his own words given shortly before he ascended to heaven that all power is given unto him in heaven and on earth. He, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, is the God described in Psalm 24.

So how is our worship as we gather together in public? Two important questions arise: what do we feel about being here and what do we believe about the God that we are focussing on?