Note: I have literally hundreds of sermons to choose from on my Ipod. This sermon interested me, since I preached on Psalm 42 some months ago. Kyle contrasts the two Psalms. Here are some notes I took from a sermon preached recently by my friend and former pastor Rev. Kyle Oliphint. He is now pastor of Grace Community Presbyterian Church (PCA). Kyle also has a blog.
Psalm 84
Blessed Progression
A Psalm of longing.
He desires to be with God. Blessedness means profound contentedness. It is divided into three parts.
1-4 – His longing –some say Psalm 42 was written by the same group of people. He longs for God’s dwelling place. Verses 1-2 in Psalm 84 are similar to Psalm 42:1-3. There is a joyful worshipful heart. His desire is a rich, joyous desire. Verses 3-4 – He hopes to be with God. He has confidence that He has made His way there. He knows his destination. This is a future blessing, but he anticipates this blessing with full joy. He may have been in exile and longing for that worshipful experience. In Psalm 84, the Psalmist is homesick. In Psalm 42, the Psalmist feels betrayed. God is the source of him being thirsty in the first place.
5-9 -The travel – a journey – vs.5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. Even the journey is refreshing for he knows where he is going. His strength is resourced out of the destination itself. I will be blessed with strength for the journey. In Psalm 42, however, the picture is different. The Psalmist mourns with the adversity before him. God says you may not be relieved of the oppression, but I will strengthen you. It implies that we will be made weak and must have His strength for the journey. The Psalmist has lived through the toughness and he knows God will not give him more than he can bear. God calls me in this Psalm to receive the blessing of God through my endurance.
10-12 – The tender heart of the pilgrim. Verse 11 – God is His sun and the giver of the gift. He will withhold nothing from him. Verse 12 is the key. It is the trust—a gift from God—that the Psalmist places in God himself. God secures the protection of all those who are making their way to Him. Only this God is worthy of this trust.
Do we long to rejoice in God? Who do you believe God to be? And are you willing to trust that God?
Christ became a pilgrim. He faced the Valley of Baca. God chose—for our sake—to walk our journey. This same God chose to make His dwelling place in us. Our heart sings not because we dwell in God, but because He dwells in us.
