God’s Word for You
Psalm 27:4-6 In the house of the Lord
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Tuesday, October 11, 2022
4 One thing have I asked from the LORD,
this I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to search in his temple.
5 For he will protect me in his shelter in the day of trouble;
he will hide me under the cover of his tent;
he will set me high upon a rock.
6 And now my head shall be lifted up
above the enemies who surround me,
and I will offer sacrifices at his tent,
sacrifices of joy!
I will sing. I will make music to the LORD.
These three verses are all about the tent, the tabernacle of the Lord. Although it is called a “temple” in verse 4, this was the usual word for the tent before the stone temple was built by Solomon. Although David drew up the plans for Solomon’s temple, he never saw it. Notice the word temple when Samuel’s mother is praying (1 Samuel 1:9), when the boy Samuel slept there in the tent (1 Samuel 3:3), and when David sings about being delivered (2 Samuel 22:6; Psalm 18:6). All of these are references to the old tent, the tabernacle that Moses and Aaron built to be the Lord’s house.
This part of the Psalm describes three uses for the tabernacle that were treasured by the people: (1) As a place of learning and instruction, (2) as the dwelling of God among his people, and (3) as the place of sacrifice, music, and worship.
(1) A place of learning and instruction. This was carried out in homes throughout Israel (Deuteronomy 4:9), but many Israelites came to the tabernacle to sit at the feet of the high priest and others to learn about the will of God through the word of God. This was the advice of Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, who said, “Teach them (the people) the decrees and law, and show them the way to live and duties they are to perform” (Exodus 18:16). This was repeated as a decree from God to Aaron and the other priests: “You must teach the Israelites all the decrees the Lord has given them through Moses” (Leviticus 10:11). Even the original craftsmen who built the tabernacle and its furnishings, Bezalel of Judah and Oholiab of Dan, were not only skilled craftsmen, but also they had “the ability to teach others” (Exodus 35:30).
David loves and longs for this instruction, and he describes it as searching, searching in his temple, even though that temple was just an open space with a tent flap separating the outside from the inside. The courtyard was open to the sky and the rain, but the people learned from their priests in that place.
(2) The dwelling of God among his people. This is what God himself said about the tent to Moses: “Have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8). The Lord symbolized his role for the Israelites by moving around with them. The gods of the pagan nations were restricted to certain places, so that if a nation moved, the people thought that they should worship the gods of whatever place they arrived in. Not so with the true God and his people. He would be with them wherever they went. Also, the Lord’s tent was in the center of the nation, with the tribes encamped all around. This depicted God’s supreme holiness above all else. No one could approach the Lord without physically joining with the people of Israel who encamped all around his tent. No Israelite could serve in the Lord’s tent unless he was a member of the one tribe of Levi. No Levite could serve inside the tent unless he was called into service as a priest. No priest could enter into the Holy of Holies unless he was the High Priest. And no High Priest could enter into the Holy of Holies except on a particular day, once each year, with its prescribed service and offerings. So it is with the God of Israel today. No one can approach the Father except through the Son, Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Matthew 11:27)—but Jesus fulfilled the other restrictions, and so all of us with faith in Christ have access to the Father in prayer, and we will all enter into everlasting life.
David regarded the simple tent of the Lord’s presence as a fortress, because God himself is our refuge and our safe place. To be in the Lord’s grace, loved by God, is better than any rampart, bulwark, or sturdy stone wall. To be “under the cover of his tent,” a tent with no roof, was the best protection David could hope for. To be under the cover of God’s gracious providence is for us the cover of his tent. No armor or bullet-proof glass could protect us more than the one who has rescued and preserves our souls.
(3) The place of sacrifice, music, and worship. The tabernacle was the destination for many or even most of the Psalms David wrote. Consider how often he writes “for the director” or something along those lines in his superscriptions (Psalms 4:1, 5:1, 6:1, etc.). People went there to sacrifice (1 Samuel 1:3), to pray (1 Samuel 1:9-10), and to sing (Isaiah 38:20).
David had a musical gift that he continued to use even after becoming king. He never felt out of place in taking time to compose a psalm or to discuss music with the musicians and priests who served in the tabernacle (1 Chronicles 16:7). It’s possible that David even collaborated with some of them in his music (2 Chronicles 29:30 suggests this, or allows for it, but it is not a vital point).
How blessed we are when we see the church, the fellowship of our Christian brothers and sisters, as our refuge. How blessed we are when we understand that the word of God is our best defence. How blest we are when learning, worshiping, and working together for the truth (3 John 1:8) is what we strive to do. My head will be lifted up, I will sacrifice, I will sing, I will search and I will learn all in the house of the Lord.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.