Psalm 84 “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the courts of my Lord than dwell in the house of the wicked. “
Time in the American church will grant you the opportunity to worship the the classic song “Better is one day.” A song that has been covered by countless artists. Sophomore year of college I listened to my roommates Rebecca Saint James version at nauseam. As result, Psalm 84 has ben in scripted in 
to my mind, and dwells in my heart. The song easily ranks on my list of favorite worship songs, and I have visited Psalm 84 repeatedly over the years. However, it wasn’t till this week that the Lord revealed to me a whole new perspective on the psalm. What I love about God’s Word is it is replete with layers of meaning. There’s always more. There is no end. The Bible is ageless, beautiful and life altering.
“The Bible was inscribed over a period of two thousand years in times of war and in times of peace, by kings, physicians, tax collectors, farmers, fishermen, singers and shepherds. The marvel is that a library so perfectly cohesive could have been produced by such a diverse crowd over a period of time that staggers the imagination. Jesus is the grand subject. Our good is it’s design, and the Glory of God is it’s end” – Unknown.
Every book, every chapter and every verse holds a treasure just waiting to be discovered. I came across the history behind this psalm, and it’s fascinating.
So here it goes! We start with the Israelites. They are quirky group of people. They were in slavery under the Egyptian rule for hundreds of years. They are impoverished, they are mistreated and they want an easy out. They are sick of Egypt and start grumbling. Finally, they cry out to God, and God hears them. (Exodus 2:23-25) God has this phenomenal plan for deliverance from Pharaohs rule. Here’s the part of the story that gets me every time. If I was going to lead a group of Israelites out from the captivity the most powerful ruler in the world, I would pick somebody great. I would choose a strong man, who by nature exhibits leadership and authority. However, God’s ways are not our ways. His plans usually don’t make sense to us, and so God picks Moses. Moses, a murderer, who has spent his life fleeing. Moses, a man whose career consisted of walking around with a bunch of sheep day in and day out. Moses, a very bad choice in my opinion.
“And, given that He is God and supremely confident in Himself, He is free to choose the least among us- the slowest, the lesser known, the last, the smallest, the poorest- to accomplish amazing, God sized stuff. While as humans we try to partner with the brightest and most powerful, God is simply looking for people to take Him at His word- those confident that with Him in the equation everything is possible. ” – Louie Giglio.
Obedience to the Lord goes along way in God’s eyes. Thus, little Moses obeys God, he goes to Pharaoh. By God he accomplishes the impossible. He accomplishes something that has changed the entire course of history. After an absurd amount of flies, frogs and gnats, on the night of Passover Moses bravely leads the Israelites to plunder the Egyptian’s and to march their families straight of out Egypt. God shows up with supernatural power as He casts Moses as the lead role. (Exodus 13)
Hotdog! The promised land here we come! Right? The Israelites had been assured through forefathers they would inherit a land flowing with milk in honey. They thought they were one way ticket to river front property abundant with the world’s greatest foods. However, again God ways are not are ways. He makes His glory known at whatever in convince it may cause us. So, the Lord decides He would rather keep His children wandering in the desert for forty years first. Now we land ourselves smack dab in the middle of a sun scorched land. Forty stinking years God kept the Israelites in the desert before God brought them into the land he had promised.
But, lets pause and congratulate Moses for a moment. Our weeny shepherd has shaped up nicely by his obedience to God. He emerges as Biblical hero. Through the pages of Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus and Deuteronomy, we see him aline with the greatest story of all time- the story of God’s glory. God used Moses life for one single, all worthy, purpose- the Glory of God. We see Him praying boldly on His knees. He receives the commandment of God’s people. He knows the Lord intimately. Moses patiently loves the men, women and children God allowed him to lead. The presence of God is on His face. He become a strong man who lead with authority.
Next, Moses hikes it to the top of Mount Sinai to spend forty days and nights talking with God. God reveals His next big idea. God is going to step down to earth and dwell among the Israelites. “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you” Exodus 25:8. To do this God gives to Moses a specific blue print for which to build the tabernacle of His Presence. “They serve in a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle ‘See to it that you make everything according to the pattern sown to you on the mountain” 
Hebrew 8:5. Detail after detail was poured out to Moses before the construction of the tabernacle. From the length of the walls to the number of hooks on each curtain, our orderly God didn’t miss a detail. And Moses obeys. Exodus concludes when the Glory of God fills the tabernacle. “Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” Exodus 40:34. Phenomenal.
So we’ve covered the exodus, the wilderness and the construction of the tabernacle. The great thing about the Lord is He always has our best at heart. His best is for our best. He promises to prospers us in the things that will matter for eternity. Things like perseverance, character, trust, patience and most importantly repentance. The problem faced in our story now is this. The Israelites are stubborn and sinful. They are quick to complain, slow to learn and fast to turn from God. In Numbers 16 we see some of them contesting with Moses – their God ordained authority. The Israelites in the desert saw first hand the supernatural provision of God, unlike any nation in all of history. From bread falling out of the sky from the ovens of angels, to guidance given in pillar of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night, I would guess the Israelites would be the first people to sign up for the “lets be obedient to God” list. But they don’t. In Numbers 16 a band of rebel Israelis decide Moses just isn’t cutting it. This chapter talks about the Sons of Korah. Numbers 4 explains that the Kohathites are a clan in the Levite tribe. God had given them a specific ordained duty. They were to transport the Holy things of the tabernacle through the desert. Here the rebels are upset, they want to have the jobs given to Aaron and his decedents. Aaron and his sons were set apart to minister before the Lord in the tabernacle. In addition to ministering in the temple, the Lord had given Aaron and his sons a plethora of instructions to be followed exactly to prepare for the transport of the tabernacle through the wilderness. Aaron’s instructions included blue cloths, hides of sea cows and shielding curtains. (If you are having a hard time falling asleep tonight Numbers 4 is a great recommendation. ) Both the duties of the Kohathites and the duties of the son’s of Aaron are holy duties. However, this was not enough for the Kohathites. In Numbers 16 the Kohathites complain to Moses and Aaron. They want more. They grumble, and Moses prays. As they are embittered, and Moses fell face down on his knees. In the end God shows up with His power and destroys the rebels in an earth shaking moment – literally. “As soon as he finished saying all this the ground under them split apart and the earth opened up its mouth and swallowed them, with their households and all Korah’s men and all their possessions. They went down alive into the grave with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community” Number 16: 31-33.
My point in all this is three fold. First God invites us to be part of the greatest story of all time-His story. Second, this great story begins and ends with the glory of God. Third, we have a role in this story given to each person by God Himself.
“Better is one day in the courts of the Lord, than a thousand elsewhere.” Psalm 84. See the Kohathites had a lesser role according the the worlds standards. But to God, they had a specific ordain role created just for them. Their duties were honorable, praiseworthy. Their role to play in the story was different than the role God designed for Aaron and his sons. Similarly, we have an incredible opportunity to play a role in the story of God. We are men and women through whom God is writing His story . God has a specific role for each of us. My role is different than yours. Yours is much different than mine.
“If you struggle with importance in the kingdom of God kingdom, realize the one day at he task of God has personally assigned you is better than a thousand days at someone else’s. ” – Beth Moore
The Psalm 84 was sung hundreds of years after the earthquake in the desert that destroyed that disobedient Kohathites. However, do not fear the story has a great ending. Now we fast forward hundreds of years to the dynasty of David. The psalm was written most likely by the musical director of the Sons of Korah. It was sung by the Korahies under the divine period in Israel’s history. The decedents learned a lesson for the sin of their forefathers. Hear their sweet melody as they sing.
Psalm 84 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the courts of my Lord than dwell in the house of the wicked. “
