Our pilgrimage to God's House

When I was in college (a Baptist affiliated school), we had an intramural sports program, and many from the men's dorm participated.  They would get creative with their team names.  During the intramural football season one fall, one team called themselves "Sons of Thunder".  This was clearly a reference to the disciples James and John--Mark 3.17, in listing the twelve disciples that Jesus had chosen, says this: "James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder)."  Apparently these two disciples, and maybe their father too, were so bombastic and so full of hot air that Jesus gave them this nickname.

Anyway, this intramural team was so bad, and lost so many games, it was embarrassing.  The next season, they re-named themselves "Tons of Blunder."

In the book of Psalms in the Bible, there are several of the psalms written by men who called themselves "Sons of Korah."  Now, this is not a very flattering name for themselves.  Korah was a Levite who stood up to Moses and challenged him.  His gripe was that Moses and Aaron held an elevated position in the camp, over the other priests and Levites, who had also been set apart by God.  Numbers 16.3 says, "They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron, and said to them, 'You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them.  Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord's assembly'?"  Well, Moses took this challenge to God, and God commanded everyone in the camp to step away from the tents of Korah and his friends.  Numbers 16.32-33 says, "and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, with their households and all Korah's men and all their possessions.  They went down alive into the grave with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community."

Now why would men generations later identify with such an infamous character?  This was not a man to be emulated--he was judged by God, and swallowed up by the earth.  He had insolently stood up to God's representative, and pridefully staked a claim as being equal to Moses; God humbled him and his followers, and made a spectacle of them before the whole camp.

I think this is why the psalmists identified with Korah.  Maybe they felt that God had humbled them.  Maybe they felt that God had separated them from the camp, and buried them alive in the ground.  Many of the psalms that they wrote are mournful and sad.

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.  My soul thirsts for the living God.  When can I go and meet with Him?  My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" (Psalm 42, 1-3)

But now You have rejected and humbled us; You no longer go out with Your armies....You crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals and covered us over with deep darkness....We are brought down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground.  Rise up and help us; redeem us because of your unfailing love.  (Psalm 44.9, 19, 25-26)

Did you notice that last verse?  There is an over-riding hope, a desperate appeal to God's love for their redemption.  And these verses were written centuries before the birth, death and resurrection of Christ.  Anyway, this was the background of my weekly reading of the book of Palms this week.  I read chapter 84, and was struck with the tone of it.

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!  My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. (Psalm 84.1-2)

Perhaps the writers were speaking of the Temple of God.  They longed to be in the presence of God on this earth, and the closest place they knew to Him was at the Temple.

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, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.  Blesses are those who dwell in Your House; they are ever praising You. (Psalm 84.3-4)

Perhaps the writers noticed birds nests in the eves of the building, as they entered the Temple to worship.  They heard the songs of the birds when they gave their offerings, and likened the birds singing to their singing praises to the Creator.

Blessed are those whose strength is in You, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.  As they pass through the Valley of Tears, 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. (Psalm 84.5-7)

Perhaps the writers noticed others who had come to worship at the Temple of God, who had traveled long distances.  Many had made long pilgrimages to the Temple of Zion, and the tears they shed along the way rivaled the springs in the valley and the autumn rains.  Each one's journey had a common theme: they had only been able to take one step at a time, as God had given them strength--step by step, strength to strength, until they had reached their destination.

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.  O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in You. (Psalm 84.10-12)

Those who were in the Temple of God rejoiced at being there.  They felt His presence and His purpose in their lives as long as they were there.  Have you ever had a spiritual mountaintop experience, one so deep and meaningful and moving that you never wanted to leave?  This was the psalmists' desire.  If I have to quit my job back home, I'd rather be employed as a Temple doorman than to leave this place.  God is good.  Trust is good.  Trust in God is very, very good.

This weekend I got to visit my dad.  He has always been a strong man, and a source of strength and encouragement to me.  I'll never forget his reaching up and lifting me down from the roof when I was too afraid to jump.  He has always been taller, bigger, stronger than I.  But now he appears frail and weak.  My heart breaks for him as I watch him battle cancer.

This made me look at the Psalm in a new light.  When the Sons of Korah said "How lovely is Your dwelling place," were they longing for heaven?  When they envied the birds for being close to God, were they wishing that God had given them wings like the birds, so they could fly up to heaven and be closer to God?  The angels in heaven are ever praising God; perhaps the psalmists were saying that the angels were blessed when they wrote, "Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising You."

Maybe the pilgrimage they spoke about in verses 5-7 were the trials of this life; maybe the Valley of Tears is this earthly existence, where we mourn the loss of loved ones who have passed on.  We must carry on, "from strength to strength", until we can be united with them once more in heaven.

Hear my prayer, O Lord God Almighty; Listen to me, O God of Jacob.  Look upon our shield, O God; look with favor on Your anointed one. (Psalm 85.8-9)

Our hope is in heaven.  When we pray to God, we pray in the name of His Son, Jesus, the Anointed One.  When we pray, we seek God's favor; perhaps we want Him to see whose side we are fighting for, whose mark is on our forehead and on our right hand.  "Blessed is the man who trusts in You."

God, please be with my dad.  Do not withhold any good thing from him, because he trusts in You.  Bless him in this valley, and welcome him into Your gates when he reaches home.  Amen.

Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head, for love is passing by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live!

Now your burden's lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain, so
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live!

And like a newborn baby
Don't be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk
Sometimes we fall...so
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live!

Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live!

O, and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can't contain your joy inside, then
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live!

And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side, and
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!