Israel appears still in a strange land, afar from beloved Jerusalem and the temple of God, but faithful hearts are longing for return. Their eyes are toward His house, and our psalm anticipates their heart-throb. To believers today, the psalm would speak of longings for their heavenly home, the Father’s house. What a prospect and a hope we have. The psalm has three stanzas, as follows:
- The Prospect Ahead of us, vv. 1-4. How lovely are the dwellings of the Lord. We know this, for the One who lives there has exquisite beauty; see Psa. 27. 4. Is this the expressed ecstasy of our hearts as we consider His glory? Are we longing and fainting for those holy courts, crying out for the living God? Or are we too much at home in the world to long for heaven? How jealous were the faithful in Israel of their feathered friends finding nesting places in the sacred precincts whilst they were still far away from temple courts and altars! It was not that the birds nested in the altars, for that was impossible; the longings of the faithful are expressed in metaphorical language. As we look upward to those gone before, do we say, “Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee”? But we are on our way, and will soon join them.
- The Path Before us, vv. 5-8. They at home are singing, but we are still sorrow-beset. The pathway there still winds through the valley of weeping (as Baca indicates), yet our strength for the way is in God and we press on for “in our hearts are the high ways to Zion”, R.V. The strength of God is in our hearts, therefore the spring is in our steps. The path at times may be wet with tears, but such turn to springs of blessing. We press on to appear before God in Zion, v. 7.
- The Persuasion Within us, vv. 9-12. As we move onward to our home, note theAssessment, v. 10, and the Assurance. God is our shield for the way and our Sun for its weariness; He will give grace for every mile and glory at journey’s end. Along the uphill course, no good thing is withheld, so let us walk erect, not bowed with care; God looks on the face of His Anointed, and through Him we shall conquer.
Mark the golden towers of the city of God, and press on.
