Title: Longing for the House of the Lord
Contents
Title: The Heart of Longing for the House of the Lord
Main text: (Psalm 84:1~12)
Hymns: 208. my lord's country
Date: September 5, 2010 (Sunday) 5 am
Venue: Jeonju Yebut Church Soebaesil
The Jews believed in God as their father and the temple as their mother, and they lived there as the center of their lives. The temple was the center of faith and the center of life. The Israelites went up to the temple in Jerusalem to observe the three major festivals in a year, the Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. They prepared an offering to God with all their heart and went up to the temple singing toward Mount Zion. The Sabbath was strictly observed and the first day of each month was called the new moon and dedicated it to God. Their joy in life was in the temple, and the purpose of their life was to meet God in the temple.
How much they longed for the temple and lived. The psalm we read today is a representative song that we sang while climbing up the temple. (Verses 1~2) People can become weak because they are busy with worldly affairs, or when their mind and body are weakened because of their sins. may be. However, it is said that the saints longed for the temple of God and their mind and body were weakened. This shows how much we long for the grace of the Lord and how much we long for the temple of the Lord.
Although this poem is said to be of the descendants of Korah, many scholars believe that it is actually a poem of David. When it is said that it is a poem of David, David left Jerusalem to escape the rebellion of his son Absalom, and spent hard days in the cold dew, confessing his longing for the court of God. David did not miss or long for his royal palace, but longed for the court of the Lord, where the ark of God was housed. David is grieving that the sparrows in the air have also found a home by the altar, and the swallows have also found a nest for their young. I envy the birds that live by the altar because they are happier than me.
So, what does God give us through the house of the Lord?
First, we find strength in the house of the Lord (verses 5-7).
When the people of Israel thought of the temple and went out toward the temple, their strength was already rising. Even toward Mount Zion, strength rises up, but how much more strength can we not only gain strength when we ascend to the temple of the Lord? Blessed are those who receive strength from the Lord. A saint is not someone who gets power from the world. It does not depend on the power of the world, the power, or the power of knowledge. The Bible tells us not to depend on Egypt, which is like a bruised reed. Egypt seems strong, and those who rely on its strength seem strong, but in God's eyes, it is nothing like a bruised reed. The strength the Lord gives is strength from above, so no one can take it away. Modern people wander the world seeking power from possessions. But the power of possession collapses without power. Those who rely on the power of stocks shrug their shoulders when stock prices fall. True strength is the strength that comes from relying on Almighty God. This power is an eternal power that even death cannot take away.
Second, we find answers to all our problems in the house of the Lord (verse 8).
We suffer from unsolvable problems on the rough pilgrimage route. They are often beaten by enemies in all directions. There are times when I feel discouraged because of boring work. There are people who do good deeds and are unfairly abandoned.
But while I went into the temple of God and prayed, I got the answer to my problem. In the end, the wicked will perish, but at the very least, he realized that he was about to fall into a great temptation. When we come before God, pray and listen to the Word, we will find answers to the troublesome problems of life. Believers must solve all problems through faith. The saints have a different way of living from the people of the world and a different purpose for living. You should never be envious of the world and there is nothing to be envious of.
Third, we find the value and happiness of life in the house of the Lord (verse 10).
The psalmist said that it is better to spend a day in the house of God than a thousand days in the world, and, speaking of a place, it is better to be the one who keeps the door in the house of God than to live in peace in the house of the wicked. In terms of position, it means that it is better and more rewarding to be a steward in the house of God than to be the president of a certain company.
This is truly a happy Christian confession of faith. Here is the pinnacle of happiness and the answer to life's problems. Those who can live their whole lives with this kind of heart are the most blessed. We must restore the faith to live longing for the temple. The church is the resting place for our souls and the home of blessings. Blessed are the people who think of the church as the hometown of their hearts and live with the church as the center of all lives.
However, if you go to the church just once on a Sunday like a stranger and have a heart in another place and come and go like a migratory bird, you cannot get the joy of faith. When we come to this temple and confess that this one day is better than a thousand elsewhere and that it is better to live in the tents of the wicked as gatekeepers of my God Will be.