Taken from the book, Psalms: The Pilgrims Ascent, by A. B. Saint
The Highways to The House of God
This winter I have noticed that we haven’t seen as many foxes or deer as we did last winter in the top field, come to think of it not much of anything really apart from the occasional pheasant, the scurrying of a few rabbits, a sparrow hawk, and a rather large buzzard, who with slow and ponderous steps was seeking out his next meal.
However, as Spring is now just around the corner it has been a welcome sight to see the occasional appearance of our little feathered friends coming out of hiding and on brighter days chirping loudly. Yesterday, the carolling of a robin redbreast singing his little heart out was particularly heart-warming. On chilly days I love watching them peep out from under the eaves and when hungry, congregate and feed at the bird table.
Over the last few years my interest in ornithology seemed to grow and several years ago I went out and bought a book specially to read about the different varieties of birds and to learn more about their behaviour. Because Psalm eighty-four had been part of my morning devotional that day where both the sparrow and the swallow are alluded to in its verses, I was inspired to get the book out again and felt led to read particularly about the little house sparrow.
In turning the pages, I was disappointed to find that most bird varieties were all listed there excepting it would seem for this little chap. Who knows, the author of the book might have thought it a little too common place to even give it a mention. Forced to seek information elsewhere I learned that the little house sparrow is a very sociable little creature, and because of the food and shelter we humans provide likes nothing better than being in the company of man.
I learned also that the oldest wild house sparrow was said to have lived for nearly two decades and another fact I was made aware of was that on Domino Day in 2005 at the Frisian Expo Centre in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, a lone female house sparrow must have flown into the Centre whilst things were being prepared for the event and landed on several domino bricks which caused 23,000 dominoes out of just over four million, to topple. They tried to catch the bird humanely in a net, but as this seemed to prove impossible, at the company’s request this poor little sparrow was shot and killed by a man with an airgun.
The story does not end here however, as two or three animal rights organisations got wind of it and went ahead to take both the company and the shooter to court where they were eventually fined. When you come to think of it, down through the years this humble little bird has received something of a bad press and because of a variety of different things it has now become a protected species because of its dwindling numbers.
When old records were in vogue, I remember buying one by Mahalia Jackson, the well-known gospel singer, in which she was singing ‘His Eye is on the Sparrow.’ The vocals were written by Civilla Martin as far back as 1905, and through the years many gospel artists have sung it. Civilla was inspired to write these words during her stay, along with her evangelist husband, in Elmira, New York. During their time there they met a Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle to whom they forged a great attachment. Both Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle had a deep faith in God in spite of the fact that Mr. Doolittle had to rely on a wheelchair to get him to and from his place of business, and his wife had been virtually bedridden for nearly 20 years. They were those kind of people who radiated joy in spite of their afflictions. When asked the reason for this joy, Mrs. Doolittle simply answered, “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.” It was out of this little conversation that this beautiful song was born.
Still continuing to muse on this little house sparrow, three bible references came to mind. Two are found in the Gospel of Matthew, the first mention being in chapter ten and verse thirty-one where Jesus, speaking to His disciples, says “You are more value than many sparrows.” The second instance is recorded in Matthew’s Gospel chapter six and verse twenty-six where our Lord makes this statement: “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they?” The last scripture is to do with the Psalm we are thinking about today. In Psalm eighty-four and verse three we read: “Yea, the sparrow hath found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of Hosts, my King, and my God.”
There is no doubt about it, to many readers Psalm eighty-four is a much cherished Psalm. It is a Psalm which reveals the heart and mind of its creator, who sought when writing it to incorporate several vibrantly coloured picture stories in its text; such a godsend, such a boon for both preacher and hearer alike. Because of its wording it is thought by some to have been written by king David, and yet others conclude it was written by one of the sons of Kohath. For what it is worth, the heading at the top of my bible agrees with the latter. If this be true then the writer of the Psalm is from that group of Levites called the Kohathites.
From reading Numbers chapter sixteen you will recall they were the descendants of the notorious Korah who in the time of Moses led a terrible rebellion against both Moses and Aaron, and along with others was swiftly dealt with by the Lord; yet in a later chapter it is clearly stated that when the ground opened up and consumed Korah and the rest, Korah’s children were spared. In chapter twenty-six and verse eleven we read these words, ‘Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not.’
Aren’t you glad today that the sins of earlier generations have not been laid upon us? I certainly am. When we stand before the Lord we will never have to answer for anyone else’s sins but our own. Read about the Kohathites and you will find amongst other things they were gifted musicians, bakers for the Sanctuary ordinances, and doorkeepers for the House of the Lord. Tragically, great and noble as the calling was, Korah had become dissatisfied with his lot and sought the priesthood. To me it is striking that in verse ten of this particular Psalm, a reference is made here to the preference of being a doorkeeper in the House of God rather than being a dweller in the tents of wickedness. I wonder, might this allude to that awful event which took place during Israel’s Wilderness Wanderings?
As Psalm forty-two is a lament for the House of God, so Psalm eighty-four is a song of joy for the House of God. It would seem that Temple life was still being regularly carried on at the time of its writing, and it is very obvious from the opening verses that the Psalmist here not only had a love for the House of God but also a sincere love for God Himself. How tragic that a man would think otherwise, in only having a love for holy ordinances and rituals and no real affection for God is quite unthinkable.
In these opening verses the picture conveyed to us is that even as the thoughts were being conceived in his mind, the Psalmist was aware of those who were employed full time in the Sanctuary. So great was this man’s longing for that place, that in a sense he even envied the sparrows and the swallows who had made this holy habitation their own.
He envisaged their nests in the nooks and the crannies in the Temple precincts, and knew for them this was a place of SAFETY, a place to SETTLE, a place to SING, a place to SOAR, and in the bringing up of their own offspring a place of SUCCOUR. He knew exactly how they felt for it happened to him whenever he visited God’s Sanctuary. It is sad that for many people living in this modern age there is not the same desire to worship the Lord in His House. In point of fact, Church attendance is dwindling in many parts of the world and many Church buildings have either been pulled down or renovated and turned into private dwellings. At the same time for those of us who attend God’s House and enjoy worshipping there with other likeminded people, we know it is not the building we cling to but Christ for sincere motive wins over method every time.
Psalm eighty-four does not come under the category of the Psalms of Ascent, although reference is made here to those who from time to time and on particular occasions made their way to the House of God. In a sense these were pilgrims who were walking along the pilgrim way. When reading about the old time Pilgrims, we learn they dressed differently, they spoke differently, and they thought differently.
A pilgrim you see is not a wayfarer. A wayfarer goes on foot yes, but he is not on a pilgrimage. Wherever he ends up at night, that is where he lays himself down to sleep. He doesn’t necessarily have a goal in sight either while a pilgrim does. In verse five, the ‘highways to Zion’ of which the psalmist speaks are those ways which are embedded in the heart of the pilgrim. What does this mean? The highways to Zion are not speaking of naturally constructed roadways, but are rather referring to the spiritual inner life of each individual pilgrim; they are speaking of a man’s mind-set; they are speaking of his desire for God.
Reading on in verse six, you will see the way to God’s House often leads the pilgrim through the Valley of Baca, which being translated means the Valley of Weeping. The name Baca means balsam or mulberry trees, and can also mean fountains. The reason it is referred to as the Valley of Weeping is because of the way the branches of this particular mulberry tree grow. First of all, they grow upwards and then begin to droop after expanding outwards.
I had always thought that this valley was imagined by the scribe who wrote this Psalm, and it was only recently that something came to my notice which caused me to think otherwise. It seems that at one time this valley was famous for its mulberry trees, and dotted around this particular area men had sunk reservoirs to catch the rainwater. It is said that it was one of the valleys situated not far from Jerusalem where the House of God was, and travellers would stay awhile and refresh themselves at this spot and then continue on with renewed strength and finish their journey.
You see, for this company who were making their way to the Holy City, it seems there was no way possible to avoid this particular valley in order to get to where they were going. They had to pass through it which is precisely what the Psalmist says himself. All this may be true, but there is also a spiritual connotation to this story as most know.
How many of us have not visited the Valley of Weeping at some time or other in our life? I am not referring here to the Valley near Jerusalem, but perhaps the Valley of Sorrow, or the Valley of Solitude; it is possible it is the Valley of Sickness, or the Valley of Suffering maybe. All of us at some time or other have known these valley experiences and felt their impact on our lives. Even though when walking through them they can sometimes feel like an eternity, Praise God we do eventually come out of them, and as we look back we find that the Psalmist was absolutely right when in verse seven he talks about each visitor to the valley ‘going on from strength to strength.’
Is it not true that by God’s Grace we come through these tearful, heart rending, lonely situations better than we first went into them. An old Arabian proverb says this: All sun makes a desert. Short and to the point but yet true. It is in the valley therefore that God usually does His deepest work in our lives. I am sorry I am not able to give credit here to the person who said this, but how true he was when he quoted, “Only that which is real comes out of the valley. In the valley we discover God, and He discovers us.”
If anyone reading this little article is going through a season of difficulty or trial at this moment in time, let me encourage you by saying that if you continue to place your trust in God alone, He will never let you down and He will bring you through. He will strengthen you and enable you to complete your journey and to reach your journeys end. Just as in the natural, men had to build cisterns in order to catch the rainwater which fell upon the Valley of Baca, so we too in a spiritual sense, have to learn to draw from what Isaiah the prophet calls ‘the wells of salvation.’ Isaiah chapter twelve and verse three.
Now the focus here is not so much on the well or the cistern, as it were a man-made thing, but on the well spring itself. The well spring is the source of the life giving water which continually springs up and offers renewed strength, sustenance, and vitality. Who then is this Well Spring? Why, it is God Himself! He alone is the Fountain of Living Waters. Psalm thirty-six verse nine says: ‘For with Thee is the fountain of life.’
This my dear friends is what I have proved over and over again as I continue to daily lean upon the Lord. This is what Fanny Crosby, blinded as an infant, proved over and over again in her own life. These are some of the words she wrote:
‘Rich are the moments of blessing Jesus my Saviour bestows;
Pure is the Well of Salvation fresh from His Mercy that flows.
Ever He walketh beside me, brightly His sunshine appears,
spreading a beautiful rainbow over the valley of tears.’
Taken from the book, Psalms: The Pilgrims Ascent, by A. B. Saint
LIFE ON THE ALTAR 