by Henry DeVries
For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness. (Psalm 84:10 ESV)
Psalms is one of my favorite books in the Bible, probably because they were meant to be sung. One of the things I always love to read in the psalms is what comes before it, the title to each psalm. The title may tell us who wrote it, but more frequently it is directed to the musician, to say what tune or instrument should be used. The title for Psalm 84 says: For the Chief Musician. On an instrument of Gath. A Psalm by the sons of Korah. Korah was a Levite who spoke against Moses in the book of Numbers. God settled the dispute, and the ground swallowed Korah and his followers. God doesn’t mess around! The sons of Korah didn’t die though, and they became keepers of the temple, a group trusted to lead praises in the temple, and they were also doorkeepers of it.
This psalm is a psalm of longing, the reader/singer is asking to be in the Lord’s house, to sing praises to God in His house. This starts to hit home now during this time of pandemic. Oh how we wish everything was back to normal, we could all go to church and sing, and the choirs would be there to add their music to the service as we all praise God together again. This will happen, we will all be together in church and will sing like we never have before, but there is an even greater place, when we finally sing God’s praises with all who went before us in heaven.
Almighty God, help us to love your Church, and sing praises at your altar, until the day when we gather at your heavenly throne. Amen.