Psalm 84 How Lovely Is Your Dwelling Place O God

Daily Bible Study for Monday October 24, 2016

By: Hanny Lynn Stearns

Fish N Loaves Ministries, Inc.

“Multiplying God’s Word Around The Globe”

Chapter Reading for Today: Please read in your Bible before proceeding. Note that most translations are considered paraphrases. The Young’s Literal Translation provides a more accurate translation since he is the one who authored a concordance. Others are helpful for seeing a different perspective, but we cannot always depend on their wording. I hope this is helpful to you. If you are studying in another version, that is fine. I am studying from the KJV, but for the purpose of this study, I will keep it with the New King James Version.

One final note: I will put the scripture in italics to differentiate from my own writing. I am adding red to the letters when it is Jesus talking – just like the Bible. Thank you.

Bible Gateway Verse of the Day

Proverbs 9:10

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Psalm 84

How Lovely Is Your Dwelling Place O God!

Oh, God is so good! Hallelujah! Reading this just excites the Christian soul – amen! The Lord really does give good things to those who walk rightly with Him. Everything He wants for His people is good – never bad. If more people only knew all the blessings that the Lord has already provided through His Son Jesus Christ! If only more knew of the favor that He provides. And there is only one way to get it. Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father:

Words cannot adequately describe how awesome and good You really are! Thank You for all that You give to those who belong to You – the sheep of Your pasture. Living in Your courts is truly the best place to be. The benefits are really innumerable. Father, I am asking You boldly according to Your word that You bring in the sheaves through this Bible study. Father, I ask in faith because You said to ask and we will receive. Bring the people from the north, south, east and west to hear and receive Your message of love, promise, hope and assurance. Father, I also ask that You give me the anointing and utterance to speak Your word boldly as I ought as Your appointed prophet, evangelist and teacher as You teach Me – You are THE Teacher! Give me exactly what You want people to hear. Cause them to come to this blog and find the message of hope and promise that they have been looking for – maybe their entire lives. Thank You for always watching over Your word to perform it in our lives when we trust in You and do what Your word tells us to do. Lord, we purpose in our hearts to be doers of Your word and not merely forgetful hearers. Thank You in advance for the answers to this prayer. I believe we have already received them. Thank You that when we pray according to Your word, we will get results. We have faith not in the prayer itself, but in God alone who answers them! You are a mighty God and able to send a word to heal us and deliver us from all our destructions! Hallelujah! Thank You, Lord. In everything we give You thanks, and after having done the will of God we know that we will receive the promise. Thank You, thank You, thank You Lord in Jesus mighty and powerful name. Amen. 

The word of God is a fountain of life to all who will drink it in. He has given His word to us to uphold us and sustain us through a time of trials in this life. No Christian will skate through life without some tears and battles, but verse 6 says that though we may pass through a valley of tears, the Lord makes it as a fountain – of life...

Psalm 56:8

You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?

Psalm 116:8

For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.

This chapter is a great reminder for us all that our God gives nothing but good gifts to His beloved children – His sheep. Longing for the Lord and the place where His glory dwells is the greatest desire that our human hearts can ever have. For nothing we desire compares to Him. There is a verse that says that, and a song too…

Psalm 73:25

Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.

A man’s greatest desire can only be blessed when his heart is fully trusting in the Lord. Today’s Psalm says that His people go from strength to strength. The Lord increases the strength of His people. Isn’t that what we need today – His strength? A lot of people are hurting out there. They are longing for truth. They are hungry for help and comfort. They need answers to life’s toughest questions. They need real solutions to real, overwhelming situations in their lives. A person needs a Shepherd to guide them. If even the sparrows can find rest and comfort in the presence of the Lord – how much more then the people the Lord created? He cares for even the least sparrow that falls to the ground…

Luke 12:7

But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

In our opening verses, we see a person longing for and crying out to the Living God. He wants to be where God is. As born again Christians, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. God comes to live in us. But the place where we meet is called a “church.” The building itself is not the church. The people are the church. But most of us call the place where we meet to worship God, pray and learn “a church.” It is God’s house. And that’s where we need to be. In fact, our hearts should long to be in His presence at all times and His praise should be continually on our lips. Verse 4 says that those who are in God’s house will “still” be praising Him. That could mean “continually.”

Does that describe you my friend? Does your heart long for the presence of the Lord? Is it your desire to be where He is? Are you so in love with the Lord that He means more to you than the things of this life? If so, you are in the right place! Let’s look at a few things about this prayer spoken in our Psalm today. We already discussed verse 6 – the weeping. But the Lord can turn that sorrow into joy. In that we rejoice in God our Savior – thank You Jesus! When we get to verse 8, we see a prayer begin to take shape. The Psalmist is crying out to the God of Jacob. They are not crying out to some foreign (unreal) god like Allah or Mohammed or Buddha. No, he is crying out to the one true God – the God of Jacob.

What he is asking the Lord is important to look at. Why? Because this Psalm was prayed in the Old Testament. The answer came to us in the New Testament through God’s one and only Son Jesus Christ. What was he asking for in this prayer? In a word, favor. He is asking for favor, and certain that he will get it. That is real faith. Even though Jesus had not yet come to the earth in the Old Testament, the Lord gave lots of favor to His children who walked with Him. God gives favor to His anointed ones. The anointing is the power of Holy Spirit. The anointing means one has been set apart by God for a purpose. Just being God’s anointed gives us favor. Look at David. He was anointed by Samuel to be the Lord’s choice for the next king of Israel, and the anointing oil was a representation of the Holy Spirit. He was being set apart. As a result of that anointing, God gave Him favor. The word favor is another word for grace. Let’s look at what Webster’s 1828 Dictionary says about grace…

1. Favor; good will; kindness; disposition to oblige another; as a grant made as an act of grace

2. Appropriately, the free unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from him.

3. Favorable influence of God; divine influence or the influence of the spirit, in renewing the heart and restraining from sin.

So many people do not understand the true meaning God’s grace upon our lives. But this Psalm steps in to give us yet another of many glimpses of what God’s wonderful grace means for us. Here is a list of the things described in today’s chapter that are all a part of God’s rich grace to His children…

He is a sun – sun gives Light – Jesus is the Light

He is a shield – a shield protects from danger – Jesus is our Shield of faith

He gives us grace – grace is a free and undeserved gift – Jesus is God’s free gift to mankind for salvation

To sum it all up, God gives us;

Favor

Light

Protection

Strength

Any man or woman who walks in the ways of God will have all of this going for them. What a deal! We do the right things and we get this full package of benefits. Who doesn’t need that in our world? The answer is that everyone needs it – yet many reject it. They would rather have the turmoil and strife in their lives. They would rather suffer loss and destruction so they can “do it their way” when in the end the only ones they are really hurting is themselves. No one else suffers for all the harm we do like we will. Others may be terribly hurt by us, but after it is all said and done, we are the ones that will hurt the most. It all comes back to us in manifold measure.

Ah, but the Lord is so good. Being in His house is always, always, always a good thing. It came to me by Holy Spirit as I read this chapter that when the Psalmist was saying he wanted to be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord rather than living among evil people, what he was really saying is that he was willing to take the lowest position in God’s house than to be outside in the dark. I remember I used to say something like that when I really had no clue about what I was saying. Back in the early days of getting to know Jesus just a tiny little bit, I would look up and say “Lord, if I can get into heaven and have the last seat in the back of the house, I will be grateful.” Little did I know what I was saying. Different people will have different rewards and levels of responsibilities in the life to come among God’s house. I have found out since that I want more than to be a doorkeeper. I desire to be close to Him – in the inner courts. It’s available for anyone who wants it. I want to be a ruler over many cities and honor God by being entrusted with much. If we are faithful with that which is little now, He will give us much responsibility in the life to come. That will please Him greatly!

The heart of the writer is God’s heart – to be close to God and stay away from the wicked. Perhaps many people reading this already have this desire. If that describes you, I am so happy for you. Your heart is right before God if you are that focused on being with Him. But maybe there are many who are reading this today who do not know how to get into the family and the house of God. Maybe you have known Him once in your life and got angry and walked away from the Lord. Or maybe you have called on other “false gods” for help, only to find that no help ever came. Or maybe you are in the valley of decision, wanting to call on the Lord and not knowing how.

For those of you who already know this stuff, bear with us please. Remember that you are not the only one reading this lesson today. Since we do not know who is, we want the Lord to use this lesson to bring them into His house where they will be strengthened and protected against all evil. So how does one get into the house of God? We have to enter in through the door of course. Like every house, there is a door that we must walk through to enter in. In God’s house, there are not many doors. There is only one Door. His name is Jesus. He is the Shepherd of His sheep – His people. He is the Door of the sheep. Let’s look further…

John 10:1-39

10 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. ² But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. ⁵ Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” ⁶ Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

⁷ Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸ All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. ⁹ I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. ¹² But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. ¹³ The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. ¹⁵ As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.¹⁶ And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

¹⁷ “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

¹⁹ Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings. ²⁰ And many of them said, “He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?”

²¹ Others said, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

²² Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. ²³ And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch.²⁴ Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

²⁵ Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.²⁶ But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. ²⁷ My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸ And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.²⁹ My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and My Father are one.”

³¹ Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. ³² Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”

³³ The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’? ³⁵ If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), ³⁶ do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? ³⁷ If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; ³⁸ but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”³⁹ Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.

Bear with me here. There is ground work being laid. Jesus is the Door – that’s how we get to heaven. We must accept His acceptable sacrifice to the Father as our entryway into the house of God. Jesus is also known as our True Shepherd. We are His flock when we get born again. We need Him to lead and guide us every step of the way. Once we come into God’s family through salvation, we need to go “to church” to meet with other Christians who are hearing the word of God, reading the Bible on their own, and learning to become more like Jesus every day. Then they can be used to go out and feed more of God’s sheep. More on that in a moment.

Many have tried to lead God’s people. These shepherds were thieves and robbers. And who is behind all that? It is satan of course. He works through the minds of people with wrong motives to come to steal, kill and destroy God’s people. That’s all he ever does. Destruction and lies are what he is all about. His only goal is to hurt people, confuse them and turn them toward darkness. But thanks be to God that through our Lord Jesus Christ, He has come – the one True Shepherd to give us life, and life more abundantly. Many blame God for the bad things that happen in their lives. The devil loves it when he doesn’t get the blame and it lands on God. That just makes more people run from the loving hands of God into the destructive hands of the devil.

Now let’s look at a chapter that talks about these so-called shepherds of God’s people who really do not care about them…

Zechariah 11:4-17 Easy to Read Version (Read this in the NKJV first please) I am only using this translation to make it a bit easier for most to see. Holy Spirit will help you understand as you take your time to meditate on this…

⁴ The Lord my God says, “Care for the sheep that have been raised to be killed. ⁵ Buyers kill their sheep and are not punished. Those who sell the sheep say, ‘Praise the Lord, I am rich!’ The shepherds don’t feel sorry for their sheep. ⁶ And I don’t feel sorry for the people who live in this country.” This is what the Lord said: “Look, I will let everyone be under the control of their neighbor and king. I will let them destroy the country—I will not stop them!”

⁷ So I took care of the sheep that had been raised to be killed—those poor sheep. I found two sticks. I called one stick Favor, and I called the other stick Union. Then I began caring for the sheep. ⁸ I fired the three shepherds all in one month. I got angry at the sheep, and they began to hate me. ⁹ Then I said, “I quit! I will not take care of you! I will let those who want to die, die. I will let those who want to be destroyed, be destroyed, and those who are left will destroy each other.” ¹⁰ Then I took the stick named Favor, and I broke it. I did this to show that God’s agreement with his people was broken. ¹¹ So that day the agreement was finished, and those poor sheep watching me knew that this message was from the Lord.

¹² Then I said, “If you want to pay me, pay me. If not, don’t!” So they paid me 30 pieces of silver. ¹³ Then the Lord told me, “So that’s how much they think I’m worth. Throw that large amount of money into the Temple treasury.” So I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw them into the treasury at the Lord’s Temple. ¹⁴ Then I cut the stick named Union into two pieces. I did this to show that the union between Judah and Israel had been broken.

¹⁵ Then the Lord said to me, “Now, get the things a foolish shepherd might use. ¹⁶ This will show that I will get a new shepherd for this country. But this young man will not be able to take care of the sheep that are being destroyed. He will not be able to heal the hurt sheep or feed those that are left alive. And the healthy ones will be eaten completely—only their hoofs will be left.”

¹⁷ Too bad for you, you worthless shepherd! You abandoned my sheep. Punish him!
    Strike his arm and right eye with a sword.
    His arm will be useless. His right eye will be blind.

There’s a lot of people leading churches full of people right into the ditch! They do not really care for the people. They care more for themselves and their “high positions” than giving God’s people the true and rich word of the Bible so they can learn and grow thereby. Many congregations are told by the priests that they should not even read their Bibles! It is an abomination! Everyone is supposed to read the Bible. That is why the Lord gave it to us!

These false shepherds scatter when the heat is on. They flee and leave the sheep vulnerable and helpless. But the Lord God said He would raise up a true Shepherd for the people. His name is Jesus. But when He sent Him to His people, they rejected Him, thinking He was worth no more than 30 pieces of silver. Anyone who is called to lead and feed God’s people are to really be known as “under shepherds.” Why? Because Jesus is the only true Shepherd. The only way a shepherd can be true to God’s people in His house and feed them the way they should be fed is to be one who is led by the True Shepherd himself. Only a faithful man or woman of God who follows in the steps of Jesus as their Master and Shepherd can be a trusted leader of His people.

People all over the world are going to buildings thinking they are going to God’s house, following traditions of men and religion, praying in mass several times a day and getting nowhere. Many pray to the mother of Jesus and it is idolatry! They are being led like a sheep to the slaughter rather than to the real house of God. It is time for people to wake up and hear the truth. Anyone who is praying to someone or something other than to our Father in heaven through the name of His Son Jesus Christ is praying to a wall. They know they are getting nowhere but they are being told that if they do it enough, breakthrough will come. But as we can see in the word of God, He will deal with the thieves and robbers of the sheep.

Many churches are not growing for this very reason. But as we can see in the chapter in John, Jesus, the True Shepherd is going after other sheep that are not part of Israel. He is going after the non-Jewish people just like He is going after the chosen ones – the Jewish nation. Jesus wants us all. In these days and times, He is looking to bring in the greatest catch of souls that has ever yet been brought into the house of God. He wants to fill up His house with people who will rejoice in Him like the words of the Psalmist today. His heart was burning to be in the courts of the Lord’s house. God is looking for an entire generation of souls whose hearts are longing to be in His presence. He does not want any to perish – though many are. And it is not God’s choice. It is their own – their very own.

As we end this study, the last verse tells us that a man is blessed when he trusts in the Lord God of Jacob. All of the benefits we listed earlier belong to those who dwell in the courts of the Lord’s house. Truly there is no better place to be than in the house of the Lord – amen!

                       Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father:

You are more costly than silver and more beautiful than diamonds. You are more costly than gold. I would rather be in Your courts than any place else. Father, I ask You to accept me into Your family through Your Son Jesus Christ. I know that His blood was shed for me. I know that if I confess the Lord Jesus with my mouth and believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead, I will be saved. Father, bring me into the place where Your glory dwells. Forgive me for turning away to things that really do not matter in this life. I want to receive all the benefits You have for me as Your dearly beloved child. I ask this in faith because You have dealt to everyone a measure of faith. Thank You for saving me, changing me and calling me Your own in Jesus name. Amen.

There are three main points to consider from today’s study…

The Lord’s house is the most beautiful and the best place to be

God gives favor to His anointed ones

It is better to be in the house of the Lord than dwell among the wicked

Questions:

Do you know the beauty of being in the Lord’s house?

Does your heart long for the living God?

Have you gone to God for your strength?

Do you know that God can turn your tears into laughter?

How would you describe the favor of God?

Look at the list of benefits the Lord gives us. Have you been experiencing this? If not, will you take it to the Lord in prayer?

If you have never called on the Lord to be your Savior, will you stop and do that right now before it is too late?

Who can you share this study with?

How much are you longing to for the courts of the Lord’s house really?

And God Said… You fill in the blanks.

John 21:15-19

¹⁵ So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”

He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”

He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”

¹⁶ He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”

He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”

He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”

¹⁷ He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”

And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”

Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. ¹⁸ Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” ¹⁹ This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”