1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longs, indeed it faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
4 Happy are those who live in your house,
ever singing your praise. Selah
5 Happy are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength;
the God of gods will be seen in Zion.
8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed.
10 For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than live in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
he bestows favour and honour.
No good thing does the Lord withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
happy is everyone who trusts in you.
What stood out for you in this passage? What do you think it means? How might you apply it to your life?
Psalm 84 is a lament of longing for the house of the Lord, probably written by a Levite who normally served in the temple but was now barred from it. It is one of several "psalms of Zion," and its dominant note is yearning for God's house and the blessing found there. The poet uses the language of "soul," "heart," and "flesh" to express completeness of desire. He even envies the small birds that have unhindered access to the temple and altar. The central section affirms that God will bless all who make the pilgrimage to Zion, as their joyful expectations transform difficult ways into places of refreshment. A brief prayer for the king follows, since as the king prospers in Jerusalem, the faithful can more easily come to God's house. The psalm ends by declaring that one day in God's presence is better than a thousand elsewhere, reflecting a main theme of the Psalter: trusting in the Lord and taking refuge in him.
