Posted: 9/28/06
BaptistWay Bible Series for October 8
The joy of worshipping together
• Psalm 84
By David Wilkinson
Broadway Baptist Church, Fort Worth
Years ago, when our family lived in Nashville, my friend Gerry called me on a Thursday night to tell me his wife had the flu, leaving him with a ticket to the homecoming game at his beloved alma mater, the University of Georgia. I like football, so I was delighted to go along for the ride. But I was unprepared for my introduction to “Dawg” devotion.
As any bona fide college football fan would readily attest, game day begins long before kickoff. In this case, the anticipation began as soon as we headed south for the drive to Atlanta. It gathered momentum throughout the evening at the home of Gerry’s former college roommate, where all conversation after “hello” was devoted to the glories of UGA football.
By mid-morning the next day, the anticipation had reached full speed. Although the campus in Athens was only an hour away, the pilgrimage from the Atlanta suburbs began five hours before kickoff.
We ate lunch at a local restaurant packed with red-clad fans. After squeezing into the campus bookstore to buy UGA sweatshirts and other paraphernalia for Gerry’s children, we began the long walk to the stadium, joining one of the multiple streams of boisterous fans converging into a sea of red.
An hour later, as the Bulldogs’ kicker approached the ball for kickoff, I stared in amazement as Jerry—a brilliant physician and otherwise intelligent human being—rose with the throng and barked at the top of his lungs.
After reading Psalm 84 with its description of the joy of worship, I wondered: What if Christians approached our Sunday morning gatherings with as much anticipation and exuberance as those Georgia football fans?
Familiar notes
Throughout our study of the Psalms, it may be helpful to return to previous passages to be reminded of the prominent themes and larger purposes of this inspired collection of poetry, song and prayer.
The language of Psalm 84 reverberates with familiar themes encountered in earlier lessons. The longing for God’s presence (v. 2) echoes the opening lines of Psalm 42. The series of beatitudes (vv. 4, 5 and 12) picks up the refrain with which the book of Psalms begins (1:1). The love for the house of God (vv. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 10) and the rituals of worship are reminiscent of Psalms 22:22, 25; 23:6; 27:4; 42:4; 43:4; and 73:17.
Pleas and praise for God’s provision and protection, including the images of God as sun and shield (v. 11), repeat the notes of Psalms 1:6, 3:3; 22:4-5; 23:4; and 27:1, 5. The contrast of God’s care for the righteous and judgment of the wicked (vv. 10-11) returns to a familiar theme found in Psalms 1; 3:7-8; and 73:27-28.
First and foremost, however, this is a psalm of worship. The language of praise and worship, especially as expressed in the form of music (v. 4), captures the spirit of the Psalter as the hymnal of God’s people (Psalms 13:6, 27:6; 42:4; and 43:4).
Psalm 84 often is classified as a hymn of praise to Zion (with Psalms 46, 48, 76, 87 and 122), but it also belongs in spirit to the collection of pilgrim songs (Psalms 120-134). It also can be paired with Psalms 42-43. While the latter speak of the thirst for God, Psalm 84 testifies to the fulfillment of that yearning in the joy of being in the presence of God.
Sacred space
The psalmist’s six-fold references to the sanctuary or temple—from God’s “dwelling place” (v. 1) to “the house of my God” (v. 10)—offer an important reminder of the importance of “place” in the worship of God. God’s Spirit may be everywhere, but that does not mean God is placeless. God comes to us in time and space. Our sanctuaries, our places of worship, are made holy by God’s presence.
In the spirit of the Old Testament’s description of worshippers in joyful procession to the temple, we go to worship God as a community of believers who gather for that purpose. As Old Testament scholar James L. Mays reminds us: “God dwells in heaven, but he has place on earth. We ‘go’ to God. Every visit to a temple or church or meeting of believers is in a profound sense a pilgrimage. We ‘go,’ not just for practical or personal reasons; we go theologically.”
When we go in the spirit of the psalmist, we go with joy. The psalmist’s longing for “the courts of the Lord” (v. 2) and his joy in worshiping in the house of God (vv. 2, 4 and 10) echo the familiar refrain of Psalm 122:1: “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’”
They also challenge our tepid appreciation for the centrality of corporate worship in the life of faith. Indeed, the psalmist’s yearning stands in stark contrast to our frequent reluctance to get out of bed on Sunday morning to “go to church.”
Language of worship
The psalmist’s use of various terms for God—“Lord of hosts” (vv. 1, 3 and 12), “Lord God of hosts” (v. 8), “God of gods” (v. 7), and “God of Jacob” (v. 8)—represents more than creative use of synonyms. The language speaks to the vast richness of God’s nature, to God’s sovereignty and to God’s covenant relationship with the people of Israel.
In the mystery of God’s love for us, we worship not only the God of the universe and the God of time and eternity, but also the God who is our God. God is both the subject and object of our worship. As such, genuine worship calls for giving our whole selves, our “heart and flesh,” to God (v. 2).
Out of this spirit and understanding of genuine worship, the psalmist declares he would rather have a single day standing at the mere threshold of the house of God (in keeping with the literal meaning of the phrase, “I would rather be a doorkeeper”) than a thousand days spent elsewhere (v. 10). May the psalmist’s experience of the irreplaceable place of worship be true for each of us.
Discussion questions
• In what ways does this psalm call you to the purpose of worship?
• Does the psalmist’s exclamation of sheer joy in anticipation of worship resonate with your experience? Why or why not?
• Try substituting the name of your church for each of the psalm’s references to the house of God (verses 1, 2, 3, 4 and 10). Does this express your attitude toward worship?
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