28 May | EVERYONE
"Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless." Psalm 84: 10-11
The silence of the desert was broken by the echo of voices that were lost in the immensity of those lands. Men, women, and children sang with feeling and emotion. One of the hymns they sang was Psalm 84, which was part of the so-called "songs of Zion."
This psalm was sung as a kind of processional praise as they went to Jerusalem to participate in religious festivals. Jews from all parts of Palestine went in groups to the temple. Jesus and his earthly parents participated several times in this pilgrimage. On one such occasion, a preadolescent Jesus stood in the temple talking to the doctors of the law.
Although this psalm was sung by the pilgrims of those times, the message to God's children of all ages is eloquent and can be applied to the Christian experience.
For the Jewish people, the temple signified God’s presence. There, the shekinah, or the glory of the Lord, was manifested. That is why the composer of this psalm says, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere."
From the days of Adam and Eve, humanity turned away from God and walked in their own ways of destruction and death. Going to the temple, for the Jews, in a way meant returning to God and turning to the Creator.
Take Action
Do you want to praise God in the beauty of His sanctuary? Do you prefer, like the psalmist in today's text, the companionship of the Lord to any alternative option? Turn to Him and walk trusting in His love and protection! Sing "Sun and Shield" (if possible, with your family).