Psalm 84

So much of the passion of human beings is spent on those things that quickly perish. One of the best ways to gain a good sense of perspective on what lasts is by listening to the dying words of a person who has schooled his heart in what really matters. Samuel Rutherford died on March 20, 1661, but his final words still strike a very responsive chord in the hearts of those who love the Lord and His kingdom with an undying love. He said, “Glory, glory, dwelleth in Emmanuel's land.”

“How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!” What wonderful words to sing, and what a wonderful blessing it is to set your affections on things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father.

Psalm 115:3 says, “Our God is in the heavens. He does all that He pleases.” During the days of Old Covenant life, the replica of what Moses saw on the holy mountain was a moveable structure of worship called the Tabernacle. This became a model for a more glorious Temple that Solomon built on Mount Zion. That temple is no more. But there is a temple of God still on earth today, a temple of persons in the New Testament church, a living tabernacle of the Holy Spirit. That church has its most perfect portion in the heavens, where God reigns. The Head of the body of Christ is there and so is the glorious body of Christ, His forgiven people who have gone to be with Him. When He returns to earth, so will they. Heaven is the perfect land of Emmanuel. I would rather live there than set my affections on impressive structures here below that will not last.

What makes a temple glorious is the glory of the Spirit of the Lord that fully dwells in it. Yet even now, God is with us, and we can have joy unspeakable and full of glory here. But those who are more interested in the lusts that preoccupy the sons of men have no taste for heaven.

Setting your heart on things above is the only safe way to enjoy the good gifts of God that we can receive with thanksgiving now. We find our strength in the Lord of glory. If you love heaven's river and are filled with that Spirit, then you can travel through the most dry places on earth along your journey to the glory of Emmanuel's land, and they become a spring of water for you in the holy contemplation of the One that your soul loves.

The things that we worship have a corresponding reality that cannot be seen. If you have an idolatry of family, you will be filled with the spirit of what your family is all about. If you love a prostitute who sells her pictures for voyeurs to gaze at, you will be joined to that unclean spirit. If you decide to yoke yourself to a book of false religion, what is the demonic spirit that you are welcoming into your soul? But if you love the God of the Psalms, if you love the suffering servant of the Hebrew Scriptures who died for your sins, if you love the apostolic words that unlock the mysteries of all the earlier Scriptures, the spirit that you will love is the Holy Spirit, and you will live as a citizen of heaven.

What should you do if Psalm 84 does not move you? Ask the Lord of the Psalms to reveal Himself to you, and to cast out from you every idol that has captivated your heart. Ask the Lord to hear your prayer. He will give you the Holy Spirit that makes the Bible come alive to the hearts of God's people. Then you will love heaven and heaven's King, and you will say to the Lord Jesus, “A day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

The Lord who died for our sins and the Father who gave His only-begotten son for us, will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him, to those who are willing to repent of their devotion to lesser gods. Your idols have spiritual reality. Though an idol itself is nothing, when you have an eager desire for it, you worship a demonic spirit, and your unclean speech and life become a reflection of that unclean mess that you have permitted to have too much sway in you. Let God smash the idol, and find life again. See 1 Corinthians 6:16-17, 8:4-6, 10:14-22.

“The Lord God is a sun and a shield.” The idol you place before Him is no such thing. “The Lord bestows favor and honor.” Your idol of acceptance by others will not bring you anything good. “No good thing does (the Lord) withhold from those who walk uprightly.” Your lusts will only destroy you. They can give you nothing of lasting value. Please give them up now, before they destroy you.

“O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in You!”