Praising Scripture - Dec 24

Annual Bible Reading Plan:

ZEC.3-4
ROM.8

2024 31-Day Praising Day 24:

Praise for God’s Dwelling Place (Psalm 84:1-12)
(Memory verses 1-4)
1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise! Selah
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion.
8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!
10 For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper
in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
blessed is the one who trusts in you!

Reflection:
This timeless psalm, often called “the sweetest,” was written by the descendants of Korah—a group who once rebelled against God. Their very name bears witness to God’s grace. After enduring shame, suffering, and God’s discipline, they learned to respond to God with renewed and positive devotion.
Even in times of wandering and passing through the “Valley of Baca” (a place of tears), their hearts remained set on the “highways to Zion.” They cherished God’s presence and His dwelling place. With humility, they compared themselves to sparrows and swallows—small and insignificant—yet amazed that such a holy and great God allowed them to find refuge at His sacred altar.
Their love for God’s house was so deep that they declared:
“For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”
May this psalm awaken in us the same longing for God’s presence and the sweetness of dwelling in His house. Let us cry out with the psalmist:
“How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.”



年度讀經計畫

亞3-4
羅8

2024 讚美月 Day 24:

讚美 神居所（詩篇84:1-12）
(背誦1-4節)
可拉後裔的詩，交與伶長。用迦特樂器。
1 萬軍之耶和華啊，祢的居所何等可愛！
2 我羨慕渴想耶和華的院宇，
我的心腸、我的肉體向永生 神呼籲（註：或作“歡呼”）。
3 萬軍之耶和華，我的王、我的 神啊，
在祢祭壇那裡，麻雀為自己找著房屋，
燕子為自己找著菢雛之窩。
4 如此住在祢殿中的，便為有福，
他們仍要讚美祢！〔細拉〕
5 靠祢有力量、心中想往錫安大道的，
這人便為有福！
6 他們經過流淚谷，叫這谷變為泉源之地，
並有秋雨之福蓋滿了全谷。
7 他們行走，力上加力，
各人到錫安朝見 神。
8 耶和華萬軍之 神啊，求祢聽我的禱告。
雅各的 神啊，求祢留心聽。〔細拉〕
9 神啊，祢是我們的盾牌，求祢垂顧觀看祢受膏者的面。
10 在祢的院宇住一日，勝似在別處住千日。
寧可在我 神殿中看門，不願住在惡人的帳棚裡。
11 因為耶和華 神是日頭，是盾牌，
要賜下恩惠和榮耀。
祂未嘗留下一樣好處
不給那些行動正直的人。
12 萬軍之耶和華啊，倚靠祢的人便為有福！

【心得分享】這首流傳千古的詩歌，也是被稱為「最甘甜的」詩篇，是由一群曾經背叛 神的人留下的後裔而寫的。他們被稱為可拉的後裔，這個名字本身就是在見證 神的恩典。在經過許多的羞辱、痛苦和 神的管教之後，他們學習用一個全新的、更積極的態度來回應 神、事奉 神！特別是他們即使是經歷了流離的生活，經過「流淚谷」，心中卻一直「想往錫安大道」，愛慕 神的寶座和居所。他們在乎 神的同在，因此向 神宣告說：「在祢的院宇住一日，勝似在別處住千日。寧可在我 神殿中看門，不願住在惡人的帳棚裡。」他們帶著一個謙卑的態度來到 神的面前，用麻雀、燕子來比喻自己的渺小、沒有價值；同時也在這裏向 神感恩 - 這麽偉大聖潔的 神，居然允許渺小的麻雀、燕子來到祂聖潔的祭壇那裡築窩居住！因此，詩人忍不住在那裡稱頌 神說：「如此住在祢殿中的，便為有福，他們仍要讚美祢！」。盼望今天我們也同樣強烈地渴慕 神的同在和住在祂居所中的甘甜！萬軍之耶和華啊，祢的居所何等可愛！我羨慕渴想耶和華的院宇，我的心腸、我的肉體向永生 神呼籲！