Psalm 43:4

Psalm 43:4

My joy and my delight

The altar of God was a sacred and holy place, but it was also noisy and dirty. The ground around the altar would have been covered in blood and anyone approaching would be aware of the heat of the flames mingled with the smoke and odour of the sacrifices. Priest were in this enclosure, cutting the throats of the animals and offering their carcasses to the fire. Not a tourist attraction then, but it was never-the-less a place of joy, for here sins were covered and other sacrifices made; those of thanksgiving and fellowship and heart-felt worship to God. Beyond the altar was the Holy Place and within it the Shekinah glory of the Lord, for His presence dwelt here amongst His people. And so they came, day after day and month after month to offer sacrifices of repentance, to celebrate and to acknowledge the One whom they served and revered. The altar and the Holy Place, built by David, and later to be replaced by the Temple, were places of music and singing and joyful praise that held a place deep in the hearts of God’s people. 

Our prisoner longs to return to his vocation, his calling, his birth right, to be a musician and participant in the holy rituals of the altar of God in Jerusalem. How he longed to be near to God, his joy and delight, how he longed to pick up his instrument, his lyre, and pluck its strings once again in praise of “God, my God.” 

We have it easy, our God, the same God of this son of Korah, is available to us at all times; we do not have to visit a location or a building, He is here, right now. We do not have to make costly sacrifices or endure the crowds for we may approach His altar anywhere at any time. The onus is on us then, to bring our sacrifices of praise and to sing out loud, with music, the attributes of the Lord God. Make time to do this today and as you do may He be your joy and your delight. 

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