My Soul Yearns for You!

Alright, if you have your Bible with you, you can open it up to Psalm 84.

We're going back to the Old Testament this morning.

And we'll also have it on the screen.

Psalm 84.

And I'm going to begin just by reading it through from start to finish,

and then we'll have some thoughts about it.

Psalm 84.

For the director of music, according to Gittith, of the sons of Korah, a psalm.

How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty!

My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the Lord.

My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may have her young, a place near your altar.

Lord Almighty, my King and my God.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house.

They are ever praising you.

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

As they pass through the valley of Bacca,

they make it a place of springs.

The autumn rains also cover it with pools.

They go from strength to strength,

till each appears before God in Zion.

Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty.

Listen to me, God of Jacob.

Look on our shield, O God.

Look with favor on your anointed one.

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.

Lord Almighty,

blessed is the one who trusts in you.

Do you long to be with God?

Do you long to be with God?

This ancient Hebrew song was written

well over 2,000 years ago.

Exactly who wrote it

and what it sounded like

and when it was sung.

It's lost to us today.

But the cry of this song,

the desire,

the feeling of this song

captures so well

what many of us still feel today.

The sons of Korah,

to which this song is attributed,

they were singers and musicians

who contributed to the worship

in the temple of Yahweh,

the temple of the Lord.

And even though the circumstances

of this song are lost to us today,

the words of the song

paint a picture for us

of someone who has found

the greatest of joys

in the presence of God.

Things were very different

back then in Israel.

Today, those of us

who belong to Christ

can easily take this for granted.

How did God live

with his people

in those days?

Well, if we go back and read

through the Old Testament,

we see that it was

at the temple in Jerusalem

that God chose

to put his presence

among his people

in a special way.

It was there at the temple

in Jerusalem

that God lived

among them.

It was there that the sacrifices

were offered to the Lord

on the bronze altar.

It was there that

God's Ark of the Covenant

came to rest

behind the curtain

in the most holy place.

And of course,

God is everywhere

at all times,

in all places,

but this was the place

where he made his presence

specially felt

and his power known

and his glory to be seen.

Three times a year,

God required the Israelites

to celebrate

all who were able to

to celebrate

special festivals

or feasts.

There was the festival

of unleavened bread

which coincided

with the Passover.

There was the festival

of harvest

later known as Pentecost.

And there was the festival

of ingathering

which was also known

as the feast of tabernacles

or booths.

Now, we're not going to get

into all the details

of these festivals

this morning.

The point of them

was to meet with God,

to worship God,

to bring sacrifices

and offerings to God.

These were occasions

for great celebration.

The people would remember

God's great salvation

from slavery in Egypt

at Passover.

And they were to thank God

and to bring offerings

to Him

as a token of their praise

and thanksgiving

for His gracious provision

at harvest

in the fall festivals.

And everyone who was able

from all over Israel

was to come together.

And it wasn't just about

reconnecting with

old friends

and acquaintances

from faraway places,

though that did happen.

It was to come

and meet with God

was the purpose.

to worship the Lord Himself

in His temple.

And so three times a year

in Israel,

all roads led to Jerusalem

and the roads were busy.

They were filled with travelers

making their way

to the one and only

temple

of the God

who created

the heavens

and the earth.

the God

who set His love

on Jacob

and His descendants.

These are some of the facts

that undergird

this song

that we're looking at

this morning.

These facts make it

understandable

to us today.

But it's the song itself

that gives us

the feeling

of what it was like

for people

in the midst of this

in those days.

The first four verses

of this song

express the longing

of the songwriter

to be in those

temple courts

again.

How lovely

is your dwelling place

Lord Almighty.

My soul yearns

even faints

for the courts

of the Lord.

My heart

and my flesh

cry out

for the living God.

The language here

is the language

of the heart.

The songwriter

longs to be

in that place

where the Lord

dwells.

In the courts

of the temple

which surround

that place

where God

has chosen

to live

among His people.

And the desire

is strong.

It says

my soul

yearns

even

faints

with longing.

My desire

is to get there

and I want it

so much

it's like

it wears me out.

I faint for it.

And it's not

just to be

at the big party

with all the people.

It's not just

because the temple

is quite the sight

to see

with its

wonderful architecture

and golden overlay.

No,

the reason

He wants

to be there

is because

God

is there.

He says

my soul

yearns

even faints

for the courts

of the Lord.

My heart

and my flesh

cry out

for the living God.

it's

you God

my heart

desires.

I want to be

in your presence.

At this point

the son of Korah

who wrote this

seems to

reflect on

previous times

when he was

there

at the temple.

He remembers

seeing

the birds

flying about

and he

notices

or remembers

noticing

that the birds

had built

nests in and around

the temple area.

Even the sparrow

has found a home

and the swallow

a nest for herself

where she may

have her young.

A place

near

your altar

Lord Almighty

my King

and my God.

Now it's difficult

all these years later

with the

time gap

and the translation

gap to know

just what he means

by all this

about the birds

nesting near the altar.

Different things

have been suggested

is it that

the birds

though

lowly creatures

that even they

know intuitively

how good it is

to be near God?

Or is it that

they recognize

the peace

and the safety

of this place

the temple

where God lives?

Is it that

the songwriter

wishes that

he himself

had wings

with which

to fly

to this place

and the opportunity

that the birds

have to make

his own home

right there

near the presence

of God?

Whatever the case

he makes clear

his heart's feeling

in verse 4

he says

blessed are those

who dwell

in your house

they are ever

praising you

like that would be

the ultimate place

to live

he says

right there

in the house

of the Lord

in the temple

to be able

to worship

you continually

God

day after day

and not just

for one week

and then go

all the way

back home

oh happy

blessed

is the one

who gets to

live in your

presence always

says the psalmist

if only

so what does

the psalmist

do?

he does

what almost

everyone else

in Israel

had to do

he packs

his bags

he makes

his provisions

ready

and he goes

on the journey

from wherever

he lives

when the

appointed times

draw near

the next

three verses

verse 5

to 7

poetically

describe the

journey

the pilgrimage

that most

must make

three times

a year

blessed

are those

whose strength

is in you

whose hearts

are set

on pilgrimage

as they

pass through

the valley

of Bacca

they make

it a place

of springs

the autumn

rains

also cover

it with

pools

they go

from strength

to strength

till each

appears

before God

in Zion

so there's

a blessing

from God

for those

who choose

to make

the Lord

their strength

and set

out on

this journey

to meet

with God

and worship

him in his

holy temple

and this

journey is

not easy

it requires

strength

to get

there

the valley

of Bacca

is thought

by most

to refer

to a dry

and dusty

valley

where not

much grows

but the

picture here

is beautiful

as the

people

travel together

and are

joined by

others

from the

towns

and the

communities

all around

they bring

life

even to

the dusty

valley

of Bacca

you can

almost

picture it

in your

mind

a parched

cracked

ground

where only

a few

hardy

shrubs

managed to

eke out

their existence

and where

no one

lives

but then

suddenly

out of

nowhere

this joyful

procession

of people

burst forth

bringing life

to the whole

area

just like

springs

of water

would

or autumn

rains

would

transforming

this place

into an

oasis

as they

go by

you can

hear the

sound of

singing

and the

excitement

and the

bustle

people all

eager to

go up

to Jerusalem

to the

temple

to meet

with God

he says

they go

from strength

to strength

till each

appears

before God

in Zion

so there's

something special

about this

for those

of you

who have

good

strong

loving

relationships

with family

that's living

far away

isn't it

wonderful

to be

reunited

with them

on special

occasions

perhaps

even at

Christmas time

well we

imagine that

this procession

on the roads

is something

like that

times

10,000

people all

over

coming together

streaming

into the

main roads

and all

for one

purpose

to go up

to Jerusalem

and worship

God

did they sing

along the road

well it doesn't

say for sure

but most likely

they did

and probably

this was

one of the

songs that

they used

and as they

get closer

and closer

to the place

where they

can finally

be in the

presence of

God again

in his

temple

they go from

strength

to strength

suddenly the

weariness

and the

heaviness of

life that was

there before

all this

lifts away

or melts

away

there's

new

vigor

in the

bones

there's

a new

spring

in the

step

there's

a

lightness

there's

a joy

in the

heart

and it

just keeps

building

and increasing

until each

one appears

in those

temple courts

before God

in Zion

so it's not

an easy

journey

at the

start

and it

even brings

you down

into the

valley

from there

it requires

even more

to climb

up to

the mountain

Mount Zion

but the

closer we

get to

God

the stronger

we feel

the stronger

we are

verses 8

and 9

are a

prayer to

God

in the

midst of

this

he asked

the Lord

to listen

and then

he prays

and asks

God to

bless the

anointed

one

that would

be the

God's

chosen

king

of Israel

whoever it

was

in the

days

that this

was sung

and then

the song

continues

with a

sort of

reveling

in the

moment

a deep

enjoyment

of being

here at

the temple

in the

presence

of God

in verse

10

he says

better is

one day

in your

courts

than

thousands

elsewhere

I'd

rather be

a

door

keeper

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

what do you

think

do you think

that the

guy who

wrote this

song

really met

with God

when he

went up

to the

temple

or was

he

disappointed

far from

disappointment

he says

I would

rather be

here in

your temple

courts

for one

day

than be

anywhere else

for a

thousand

that's how

precious

that's how

wonderful it

was for him

to be in

God's

presence

to know

that

nearness

to God

and he

pulls in

metaphor

to describe

what God

is like

to him

here

in this

place

God is

to me

here and

now

like the

sun

like the

sun is

to a

man

living in

the

darkness

this should

really speak

to our

hearts

at this

time of

year

we're about

four days

away from

the shortest

day of

the year

and I

don't know

about you

but I

already find

myself

just

yearning

for that

sun to

come up

in the

mornings

look it's

eight o'clock

already

where is

it

what a

difference

it makes

when all

of a sudden

it rises

and the

whole world

is lit up

by it

and we

feel the

warmth

God makes

a similar

level of

difference

to us

when we

see him

in his

glory

when we

draw near

him

when we

feel the

warmth of

his presence

in this

cold

dark world

he's like

a sun

to us

he's also

like a

shield

to his

people

says the

psalmist

do you need

a shield

right now

with some

of the

things that

you're going

through in

your life

and there's

more

he says

the Lord

bestows

favor

and honor

he gives

he shows

his kindness

he lifts

us up

and blesses

us even

though we

don't deserve

it

no good

thing does

he withhold

from those

whose walk

is blameless

so for those

who on the

on the whole

are seeking

by faith

to live

the way

that God

has asked

to honor

him

to live

rightly

before him

he withholds

nothing

good

he's

absolutely

willing

he's

absolutely

eager

to give

all good

things

to those

who walk

by faith

rightly

before him

the song

closes with

this

Lord

almighty

blessed

is the

one

who

trusts

in

you

this

song

is

really

amazing

it

touches

us

it speaks

to us

it calls

to us

it applies

to us

in so

many

different

ways

I was

confounded

this week

just trying

to bring

them all

together

first and

foremost

this psalm

asks us

this very

personal

question

do you

long

to be

with

God

do you

desire

his

presence

and more

do you

long

to be

with him

like

this

with a

passion

is there

a deep

yearning

in your

soul

for him

this is

what God

asks

of us

here

do you

long

to be

with

God

does

your

heart

cry

out

for

him

around

this

time

of

year

as we

reflect

on

the

birth

of

Christ

I

couldn't

help

but

think

of

the

words

of

Isaiah

he

said

God

is

a

son

God

is

a

son

and

a

shield

what

did

Isaiah

say

he

said

the

people

walking

in

darkness

have

seen

a

great

light

on

those

living

in

the

land

of

deep

darkness

a

light

has

dawned

for

to

us

a

child

is

born

to

us

a

son

is

given

long

after

this

God

was

planning

something

special

he

was

planning

to

shine

into

our

world

like

never

before

just

like

the

son

does

through

his

own

son

to

be

born

as

we've

been

learning

with

the

kids

the

true

light

that

gives

light

to

everyone

was

coming

into

the

world

John

1

9

Jesus

is

the

ultimate

expression

of

this

truth

that

God

is

a

son

to

his

people

and

there's

more

what

is

this

psalm

all

about

it's

about

people

longing

for

God's

presence

it's

about

a

deep

yearning

of

the

soul

to

be

near

God

to

be

with

God

God

and

as

we

reflect

on

this

truth

some

of

the

words

of

Matthew

come

to

mind

Matthew

Matthew 1 · chapter mention

chapter

1

when

the

angel

of

the

Lord

appears

to

Joseph

in

a

dream

he

says

Joseph

son

of

David

do

not

be

afraid

to

take

Mary

home

as

your

wife

because

what

is

conceived

in

her

is

from

the

Holy

Spirit

she

will

give

birth

to

a

son

and

you

are

to

give

him

the

name

Jesus

because

he

will

save

his

people

from

their

sins

all

this

took

place

to

fulfill

what

the

Lord

had

said

through

the

prophet

the

virgin

will

conceive

and

give

birth

to

a

son

and

they

will

call

him

Emmanuel

which

means

God

with

us

God

with

us

could

it

be

that

God

would

do

a

new

thing

instead

of

us

making

that

journey

to

the

place

where

he

is

he

now

comes

to

us

the

word

became

flesh

and

made

his

dwelling

among

us

we

have

seen

his

glory

the

glory

of

the

one

and

only

son

from

the

father

full

of

grace

truth

but

what

about

the

temple

what

about

the

pilgrimage

three

times

a

year

to

be

in

the

presence

of

God

hear

the

words

of

Jesus

himself

to

the

Samaritan

woman

at

the

well

she

said

to

Jesus

I

can

see

that

you

are

a

prophet

our

ancestors

worship

our

ancestors

worshiped

on

this

mountain

but

you

Jews

claim

that

the

place

where

we

must

worship

is

in

Jerusalem

woman

Jesus

replied

believe

me

a

time

is

coming

when

you

will

worship

the

father

neither

on

this

mountain

nor

in

Jerusalem

you

Samaritans

worship

what you

do

not

know

we

worship

what

we

do

know

for

salvation

is

from

the

Jews

yet

a

time

is

coming

and

has

now

come

when

the

true

worshipers

will

worship

the

father

in

the

spirit

and

in

truth

for

they

are

the

kind

of

worshipers

the

father

seeks

God

is

spirit

and

his

worshipers

must

worship

in

the

spirit

and

in

truth

could

it

be

that

God

would

do

a

new

thing

instead

of

us

going

on

a

pilgrimage

to

Jerusalem

where

God

made

his

presence

felt

by

his

spirit

he

now

sends

his

spirit

to live

in

us

both

Jew

and

Gentile

wherever

we

are

enabling

us

to

worship

him

truly

wherever

we

live

wherever

we

are

the

apostle

Peter

on

the

day

of

Pentecost

after

Jesus

had

ascended

to

heaven

said

this

to

the

crowds

repent

and

be

baptized

every

one

of

you

in

the

name

of

Jesus

Christ

for

the

forgiveness

of

your

sins

and

you

will

receive

the

gift

of

the

Holy

Spirit

the

promise

is for

you

and

your

children

and

for

all

who

are

far

off

for

all

whom

the

Lord

our

God

will

call

the

gift

of

the

Holy

Spirit

God

in

us

with

us

is

for

you

and

for

all

who

are

far

off

this

is

the

wondrous

gift

of

God

he

has

sent

his

son

down

into

our

world

to

be

with

us

and

then

through

Jesus

his

son

he

later

sent

his

spirit

to

live

right

here

inside

of

us

no

more

do

we

have

to

pack

our

bags

and

make

our

provisions

ready

and

go

on a

pilgrimage

to

the

one

place

on

earth

where

God

dwelt

if

we

believe

in

Christ

God

comes

to

live

right

here

within

us

by

his

Holy

Spirit

wherever

we

are

what

did

Jesus

say

after

he

gave

the

great

commission

to

his

disciples

he

said

surely

I

am

with

you

always

to

the

very

end

of

the

age

so

this

is

good

news

this

is

something

that

we

can

celebrate

at

Christmas

God

is

with

us

the

one

born

in

Bethlehem

lives

in

us

and

we

in

him

and

yet

amazingly

there

is

still

something

so

true

about

these

words

in

Psalm

84

yes

God

is

with

us

yes

he

lives

in

us

but

there's

still

the

longing

for

a

fuller

enjoyment

of

his

presence

there's

still

a deep

yearning

for

the

end

when

Jesus

returns

for

the

consummation

of

all

things

when

we

will

be

in

the

courts

of

the

new

Jerusalem

when

we

shall

see

face

to

face

our

king

our

savior

Jesus

we

will

be

with

him

our

God

and

he

will

be

with

us

his

people

forever

more

John

Bunyan

had it

right

in

pilgrim's

progress

we

are

all

pilgrims

on a

pilgrimage

a

happy

and

blessed

pilgrimage

we

are

marching

to

Zion

beautiful

beautiful

Zion

and

even

though

right

now

some

of