BLESSED IS THE MAN

Lesson 6

Blessed Are They That Dwell in Thy House

TEXT:  Psalm 84:1-12  

I. INTRODUCTION  

A. In Old Testament times, Israelites would travel to the city where the tabernacle was located with families and would praise God along the way—the purpose of their trip was to go to the House of God to meet with Him and praise Him—it was an exciting and joyous venture

B. Tabernacle – a tent; temporary habitation; place of worship

1. Where God would meet His people

2. A tabernacle cannot contain God; God uses it as a meeting place

3. The New Testament equivalent is the local church house

a. Christians (God’s people) come to this place to meet with God

b. We can meet with God anywhere, but we do this to be in fellowship one with another, together with God

II. THE HIGH PRIVILEGE OF GOING TO THE HOUSE OF GOD – Vs. 1-4  

A. Amiable (vs. 1) – lovely; worthy of love

1. David considered the place where he met with God and called it amiable

a. Physically it was lovely

b. More so was it spiritually

B. David longed for the presence of the Lord (vs. 2-3)

1. He longed for that place and time of meeting with God

a. Christians should do the same

b. World beats us up; a special time and place of meeting with God without the world’s involvement should be a longing

2. David seemed to envy the small birds who made their nests there (vs. 3)

a. The sparrow and swallow had easy access

b. David though, “Oh that I could have such easy access and freely enter”

c. “Blessed (happy) are they that dwell in thy house” (vs. 4)

(1) David saw those who could dwell in God’s house as the most blessed of all

(2) He saw it as a distinct honor and privilege to have such access to the house of God

(a) Our access to the house of God is the definition of what David was talking about

(b) We have the freedom to come and go as we please and to dwell there as long as we may

(c) But how many see it as a chore or a burden instead of a blessing?

III. THE STRENGTH OF THOSE THAT GO TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD – Vs. 5-8  

Note: One who frequents, loves, and is committed to the house of God is not without struggles, trials and temptations.  David is the classic testimony of that fact.  But, there is strength for those who “stay in church.”  

A. Strength for the man whose heart is in it (vs. 5)

1. Not one who just “goes through the motions”—one who experiences ‘religion’

2. The man whose heart is full of the things of God; whose heart is IN the things of God

3. “in whose heart are the ways of them” (vs. 5b)

a. “them” I believe refers back to the birds

b. The birds wanted to be in the house of God; they wanted to raise their children there; they saw it as their own home; and it provided them strength

B. The advantage of those whose strength is in God; who dwell in His house

1. Valley of Baca – valley of weeping; valley of tears (vs. 6)

a. Even in the trials and hard times they find “water” or strength and refreshing from God

b. The man who stay in the house of God will hit valleys on his journey like everyone else, but in that valley, he finds water and not death and defeat

2. The go from strength to strength (vs. 7)

a. Rather than the valley defeating and discouraging them, they get stronger as they go

III. THE SUPERIOR LIFE OF THOSE WHO DWELL IN HIS HOUSE – Vs. 10-11  

A. One thousand to one (vs. 10)

1. One day in the Lord’s house will do me more good than one thousand elsewhere

2. This really means what it says

3. A man will do more good spending 3-4 hours on Sunday singing, giving, praying, and hearing than 1000 days tending to temporal, menial, meaningless, carnal things  

B. David takes it further (vs. 10b)

1. David would rather take the lowliest job at the house of God (door keeper) for one day than to dwell in the tents of wealth and earthly pleasures

2. The door keeper really doesn’t even enter the house; but he serves the master of the house

3. What could we do in this world in 1000 days that would be more beneficial than spending a day in the presence of God?

IV. CONCLUSION  

A. We ought to have a strong desire to spend time in the house of God; we ought to gain strength from our time with God; we ought to not waste our lives outside of the house of God