Peter Misselbrook's Blog

Jun 23 2019 - Psalm 84 – God's lovely house

The heading of this psalm suggests that it was written by one of the temple singers who were known as "the Sons of Korah." This particular singer would seem to be far off from Jerusalem and unable to join in the praises of the people of God. His heart aches to be able to return to "the courts of the Lord" (vv. 1-2).

The temple courts were open to the sky and the eaves of the temple would have provided good sites for nesting birds. So the psalmist expresses his envy of sparrows who can so easily fly into the temple area and find refuge there, close to the altar of the Lord – almost as if he were singing, "O for the wings, the wings of a dove…".

He thinks with envy of those who are travelling up to Jerusalem in pilgrimage, travelling from their homes and villages for one of the major festivals as the child Jesus travelled with his family from Nazareth to Jerusalem for Passover. He thinks of the way in which they are willing to face all manner of hardships on the road; the valley of Baka (which may mean weeping) is turned into a place of springs or refreshment (v. 6). The picture is like that of Israel of old travelling through the wilderness and being provided with water by God. Despite the difficulties of the road "They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion" (v. 7). They anticipate arriving at Zion, the hill on which the temple was built, and this prospect gives them the strength to keep going. The psalmist longs that he could join these pilgrims.

Temple worship would have included prayer for Israel's king – the Lord's anointed. Though the psalmist is unable to join those worshiping God in the temple, he joins them in prayer for the king (vv. 8-9). In doing so, he may have looked beyond the imperfections of Israel's current king (whoever that may have been), and prayed for God to send his promised Messiah, his anointed king through whom he would restore his people and establish his kingdom throughout the world.

He ends by returning to his expression of longing for the courts of the Lord. He would rather be there than anywhere else. One day there is better than a thousand elsewhere. If he cannot be there as a temple singer he would be happy to be there as a doorkeeper. There is nowhere else he would rather be, for the Lord God is his "sun and his shield" (v.11), his light and his protection. God is the source of all that he longs for.

He ends with a word of testimony, "Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you" (v. 12).

The Temple was not like our church buildings; it was unique. It was a visible symbol of God's presence with his people and his covenant promises to them. We miss the passion and focus of this psalm if we liken it our longing to be in church.

This psalm, like psalms 42 and 43, expresses a longing for God himself – to be in his presence and to know his blessing. Meeting with other Christians in worship is an anticipation of the day when we shall be welcomed into God's presence, see his glory and worship him with the multitude of his redeemed and with crowds of angels. This psalm can encourage our longing for glory.

God answered the prayer of this psalmist and sent his Messiah into the world. Jesus has called us to follow him; he has made us pilgrims, travelling home to God. There may be hardships along the way but the prospect of glory turns our tears to joy and gives us strength to keep going as we fix our eyes on Jesus, the first focus of our faith and the one who will bring us safely home.

Father God, we thank you that your Spirit has given us a longing for you. Thank you for Jesus your anointed one who has made us your children and has called us to follow him. Help us to do so with joy and with longing for the day when we shall enter the heavenly city and know the beauty of dwelling in your presence for all eternity. May our testimony be that of the psalmist, "blessed is the one who trusts in you."

Jun 23 2020 - Acts 21:1-16 – Ready to face death

Paul and his companions (including Luke), are on their way to Jerusalem. Wherever they go they seek out Christians and spend time with them. There is a touching picture of the affection of the Christians in Tyre for Paul and those with him. They sensed through the Spirit that Paul would face dangers in Jerusalem and they urged him not to go on. But Paul was determined to continue. When it was time for them to set sail, Luke records, “All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. After saying goodbye to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home” (Acts 21:5-6).

From Tyre the party travelled on to Caesarea where they stayed in the house of Philip the evangelist. While there, a prophet named Agabus arrived from Judea to warn Paul that if he went on to Jerusalem he would be seized and handed over into Roman custody. This was not news for Paul; he had been told as much in many of the cities he had passed through (see 20:23). Paul cannot be dissuaded from going on to Jerusalem by these prophecies or by the pleas and tears of his friends. On the contrary, he declared himself not only willing to be taken captive but also to die for the name of the Lord Jesus (21:13).

For Paul, the journey to Jerusalem formed an important part of his mission. He was travelling with a number of representatives from various Gentile churches, carrying money they had collected for the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. Paul seems to have hoped that this gift from the Gentiles might be seen as a demonstration that the days of the Messiah had arrived and would trigger the turning of many more Jews to acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ.

Paul was not concerned for his own welfare, but only for the furtherance of the Gospel. We have seen this many times in the account of his missionary activity. He has been willing to face beatings, stoning and imprisonment. He has worked with his own hands to support himself and others in his party while also ministering to the young churches and strengthening them in the Lord. He has devoted himself to a costly mission among the Gentiles but is equally concerned that his own fellow-countrymen might be saved. In all of this, Paul is both a model and a challenge for us.

I speak personally when I say that I find it very easy to get discouraged in Christian work and to lose heart when ministry seems only to bring trouble. Perhaps it was this that led to John Mark turning back from ministering alongside Paul. But Paul himself seems not to have allowed discouragements to turn him aside from his work. It was not duty that kept him going; he was compelled and propelled by an unshakeable vision of Christ and his glory. The vision that knocked him to the ground on the road to Damascus never departed from him. Only a year or so previously he had written to the Christians in Corinth saying: “Since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart… For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:1, 5-6).

Heavenly Father, by your Spirit, renew my vision of the glory of Christ and of your purpose to bring everything in all creation under his Lordship. May I be utterly captivated by him and wholly devoted to following him and to serving him and his kingdom purposes. May this be my governing priority and my great joy. 

Peter Misselbrook