Psalm 84

Psalm chapter 84. This is a Psalm that is written of, it's saying, of the "Sons of Korah." You'll remember that Korah was a family line that served in the tabernacle. And then later, once the temple was built, they became servants in the temple so they were of the Levite lineage. You'll also remember that Korah was a man who mounted a very serious rebellion against Moses and his leadership during their time in the wilderness. And so, Korah was a nasty guy. And he died for his rebellion. But by the grace of God, his family went on to be restored. And many of the Psalms are written of the Sons of Korah. So, it's a neat picture of God's mercy and grace. But this is a beautiful Psalm. He says in verse 1,

I want you to stop there for just a moment because the psalmist is speaking of the praise of God and those who lift up their voices in praise and worship for the Lord God. He begins to speak of how blessed they are, those who find their strength in the Lord. Did you catch that? Those who find their strength in the Lord.

And then he goes on to make this statement in verse 6, "(That even) As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs;…” Now what's interesting about that is that baca means weeping. So, this is the Valley of Weeping. And he's saying even though they go through the Valley of Weeping, their worship, and their praise, and their determination to find their strength in the Lord turns the Valley of Weeping into a place of springs; which, of course, is a joyful thought. Water, the finding of water, is always a symbol of life in the Bible. Because water is obviously necessary for life. We must have it to live. And it is just one of those references in the Bible of the finding of life. And he says, they make this journey through the Valley of Weeping into a place of life. What a wonderful picture or testimony of the ability of worship, praise, and trusting in the Lord, to transform tragedies into triumphs. I want more of that in my life, don't you? I want more tragedies turned into triumphs. I want to see the difficulties of life as stepping stones to where God wants to get me. I don't often see it that way. Maybe later; maybe down the road I do. When I'm going through a difficult time, all I see it as is a difficult time. And I want none of it. But later when it's, when I'm past it, I look back on it and I say, oh, okay. God, You used that in my life to bring me where You needed me to be. And I recognize it. And I can even come to a place, ultimately, of thanking Him, for going through some of those times. But I want to do that more. I want to see that more. And I'm sure you probably do too. It's a gift to see things that way. The psalmist says in verse 7, and this is an interesting statement too!

Isn't that interesting? "They go from strength to strength;" In other words, they keep getting stronger because they're relying on the strength of God, not on their own. They're not getting stronger in their own strength, they're getting stronger in His strength. So, he says in verse 8,

And that's what the Sons of Korah were. They were doorkeepers and many other things in the house of God. But he says, I'd rather just open the door for people than live in the tents of the wicked.

And we all say, amen. ---