Psalm 84:10

Psalm 84:10

A doorkeeper in the house of my God

This plaintive declaration sums up Psalm 84. The writer loved the Temple and its rituals and ceremonies so much, that he would rather have one day in the environs of Mount Zion than 1,000 days in any other location! Close to God. Close to His people. At the centre of the whole world.

Maybe the psalmist had been humble doorkeeper at the temple? Maybe he had spent his days opening and closing the doors that led into the Holy Place? If so, his job was more than just “opening and closing,” he was guardian of the sacred artifacts and a man who ensured that those who entered were entitled to do so. Guardian, custodian, bouncer, official representative and guide, the job was a responsible one and this man loved what he did! 

We need to remember that this song may have been composed at a time when either foreign priests and religion were dominating Israel or, it was a time when many of the Israelites had been deported. The writer yearned for restoration, for a return to the way things used to be. He felt lost and bewildered and distraught at his separation from Zion.

Do you feel empty and lost in this world? An alien and a foreigner who doesn’t belong, who yearns for the familiarity and the sanctity of the Holy Place – amongst God’s people? I first felt this many years ago, soon after I started working in offices and the annual Christmas Parties took place! I was a fish out of water and my discomfort with the ways of the world has developed from there! If you feel like me then, no doubt, you can empathise with our psalm writer. We are strangers and foreigners and aliens in this world. We do not belong here. We serve a different King and a different Kingdom. To yearn for His Courts is perfectly normal for those who love the Lord.

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