![]() October 29, 2019
by Samantha Johnson Certified Lay Speaker of Trinity UMC (Knoxville, TN) Tennessee Valley District
Psalm 84 is one of the eleven songs of the Sons of Korah and contains one of the most beloved scriptural verses, “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.”
Korah, a grandson of Kohath, also became discontent and associated himself with another disgruntled group of the Reubenite lineage. Eventually, they convened a group of 250 men and challenged Moses and Aaron’s right to the priesthood. As we learn from Numbers 16, this did not end well for Korah and his associates. The earth split under their feet and swallowed them, along with their possessions, and those associated with them up, then the earth closed over them. Korah’s sons, however, were spared. Even though their ancestors had rebelled against God, He still had a plan for them, and the Koralites became doorkeepers and custodians for the tabernacle as noted in 1 Chronicles 9: 17-22.
This psalm is a song of longing for the presence of the sovereign, Almighty Father, whose infinite mercy and goodness is graced upon his people. God’s help is not confined to the sanctuary and is embodied in the person of Christ Jesus, His Anointed, who is our shield. A day in the Lord’s presence is precious and by no means comparable to our mere earthly existence. As believers, we lean on the Father’s promises and are indwelled with the Holy Spirit to reveal His truths to us as we earnestly pursue Him. To even be a lowly doorkeeper in God’s house and catch a glimpse of his precious glory is so much greater than to live among those who do not seek or know Him.
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