Pastor Billington's Blog

Psalm 84:10-12 “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and a shield. The LORD will give grace and glory. He withholds no good thing from those who walk blamelessly. LORD of Armies, blessed is the man who trusts in you.”

Since we’ve already talked about corporate worship, how about we look at this from a different perspective? The Psalmist is longing to meet with God. To spend time in His sanctuary. Since we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, we can spend time with God anytime we pray, sing, worship, read, or study. Anytime we devote what we do to God and His service. Anytime we decided to follow His will and commands. We shouldn’t want to dwell in the tents of wickedness. We should want to trust, follow, and serve. We should keep from sin and trust in God. He is our sun and shield! He is the source of every good thing and He is our protector. When we long to be close to God we will experience His presence and His blessing, because we’ll be doing what is right!

Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.”

For additional worship: Sun of My Soul, Thou Saviour Dear (Olive Tree Hymns)

Psalm 84:5-9 “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on a pilgrimage. Passing through the valley of Weeping, they make it a place of springs. Yes, the autumn rain covers it with blessings. They go from strength to strength. Every one of them appears before God in Zion. LORD, God of Armies, hear my prayer. Listen, God of Jacob. Selah. Behold, God our shield, look at the face of your anointed.”

As the pilgrims go through the valley of “Weeping” (presumably a dry place), they make it a place of springs, presumably because of their tears of joy! Their strength is in the Lord, and that strength increases the closer they get to the temple in Jerusalem. With hearts turned towards Jerusalem the pilgrims think of God’s anointed, the king, who lives there, and they ask God’s blessing to be on Him.

Forgive me for engaging in a bit of allegory here, but life can be hard. We can experience dry, difficult times. But, if we believe in Jesus, God’s anointed one, the Lord promises to be with us. He is our strength and shield! And the reality of the indwelling Spirit and the joy of His presence help us to make it through the difficult times. He turns our tears of heartache into tears of joy, which only increase the closer we get to seeing Him face to face!

Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

For additional worship: Amazing Love (Chris Tomlin)

Psalm 84:1-4 “For the Chief Musician. On an instrument of Gath. A Psalm by the sons of Korah. How lovely are your dwellings, LORD of Armies! My soul longs, and even faints for the courts of the LORD. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Yes, the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young, near your altars, LORD of Armies, my King, and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house. They are always praising you. Selah.”

This is a pilgrimage Psalm. An Israelite who lived away from Jerusalem was supposed to come at least three times a year to celebrate the feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. On the journey the excitement of actually going to the temple to worship would bring to mind the blessedness of those who were able to be there all the time whether it was a sparrow or a priest!

There is something special about corporate worship. Do you get excited when you have the chance to attend? Do you look forward to and long for the blessing of gathering together? Do you do your best to make it every week?

Hebrews 10:24-25 “Let’s consider how to provoke one another to love and good works, not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

For additional worship: Love Divine (Emu Music)

Psalm 83:9-18 “Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the river Kishon; who perished at Endor, who became as dung for the earth. Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, who said, “Let’s take possession of God’s pasture lands.” My God, make them like tumbleweed, like chaff before the wind. As the fire that burns the forest, as the flame that sets the mountains on fire, so pursue them with your tempest, and terrify them with your storm. Fill their faces with confusion, that they may seek your name, LORD. Let them be disappointed and dismayed forever. Yes, let them be confounded and perish; that they may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.”

God has defeated His (and Israel’s) enemies before! Just look at Judges 4 and Judges 7:1-8:28. But that defeat is for a purpose. To show them that there is only one who is the Most High over all the earth so that they will seek Him!

What is our motive for praying against those who hate us and hate God? Is it simply for retribution? Or are we praying for them to see and understand the error of their ways so that they will turn to the only true Lord?

For additional worship: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus (Reawaken Hymns)

Psalm 83:1-8 “A song. A Psalm by Asaph. God, don’t keep silent. Don’t keep silent, and don’t be still, God. For, behold, your enemies are stirred up. Those who hate you have lifted up their heads. They conspire with cunning against your people. They plot against your cherished ones. ‘Come,’ they say, ‘let’s destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.’ For they have conspired together with one mind. They form an alliance against you. The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab, and the Hagrites; Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria also is joined with them. They have helped the children of Lot. Selah.”

There are still those in the world who hate God and conspire against His people. When we come up against them, we need to pray for God to intervene. And we should pray especially for those who are on the front lines of Christian ministry who face persecution all the time.

2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 “Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, even as also with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and evil men; for not all have faith.”

For additional worship: The Church’s One Foundation (Hymns of Grace)

Psalm 82:1-8 “A Psalm by Asaph. God presides in the great assembly. He judges amongst the gods. ‘How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked?’ Selah. ‘Defend the weak, the poor, and the fatherless. Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy. Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.’ They don’t know, neither do they understand. They walk back and forth in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, ‘You are gods, all of you are sons of the Most High. Nevertheless you shall die like men, and fall like one of the rulers.’ Arise, God, judge the earth, for you inherit all of the nations.”

Human authorities can seem like gods, especially in certain types of government. Asaph envisions God telling these “gods” to do what is right and defend the poor and oppressed. However, they ignore His injunction, and the Psalmist warns them that they are in danger. Even though they have privilege and power, they will die, and Asaph calls for God’s judgment to fall.

All who are in authority would do well to remember that God has placed them there, they are His representatives, and they are in danger if they don’t judge and rule properly. Further, we should understand that, while human government can and does fail us, there is a government and a judge coming who will not!

Daniel 2:44 “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, nor will its sovereignty be left to another people; but it will break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it will stand forever.”

Note: Jesus quoted from this Psalm in one of His confrontations with the Jewish authorities. His point was that, if human authorities can be called “gods,” then how much more so the one who is the Son of God!

Jonn 10:34-38 “Jesus answered them, ‘Isn’t it written in your law, “I said, you are gods?” If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture can’t be broken), do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, “You blaspheme,” because I said, “I am the Son of God?” If I don’t do the works of my Father, don’t believe me. But if I do them, though you don’t believe me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.’ ”

For additional worship: The Lord Will Come and Not be Slow (Haven)

Psalm 81:11-16 ” ‘But my people didn’t listen to my voice. Israel desired none of me. So I let them go after the stubbornness of their hearts, that they might walk in their own counsels. Oh that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways! I would soon subdue their enemies, and turn my hand against their adversaries. The haters of the LORD would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever. But he would have also fed them with the finest of the wheat. I will satisfy you with honey out of the rock.’ ”

We shouldn’t be like the Israelites! We need to listen to His voice. We should desire to be close to Him. We should want to walk in His ways. Only then will we experience blessing and fulfillment!

John 15::4-6 “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.”

For additional worship: Psalm 81 (Poor Bishop Hooper)

Psalm 81:1-10 “For the Chief Musician. On an instrument of Gath. By Asaph. Sing aloud to God, our strength! Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob! Raise a song, and bring here the tambourine, the pleasant lyre with the harp. Blow the trumpet at the New Moon, at the full moon, on our feast day. For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob. He appointed it in Joseph for a covenant, when he went out over the land of Egypt, I heard a language that I didn’t know. ‘I removed his shoulder from the burden. His hands were freed from the basket. You called in trouble, and I delivered you. I answered you in the secret place of thunder. I tested you at the waters of Meribah.’ Selah. ‘Hear, my people, and I will testify to you, Israel, if you would listen to me! There shall be no strange god in you, neither shall you worship any foreign god. I am the LORD, your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.’ “

God is to be praised! Even when He has hard words for His people (as we’ll see later), He is still glorious and magnificent. He called the Israelites, gave them His law, and brought them out of slavery. Who else should they worship?!?!?! Who else should they follow?!?!?!?! Yet we have a hint of how they continually tried God’s patience, which is taken up in the rest of the Psalm.

Exodus 17:7 “He called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because the children of Israel quarreled, and because they tested the LORD, saying, ‘Is the LORD amongst us, or not?’ ”

If we know Jesus, and believe that He’s set us free from the penalty of sin and death, how can we not worship God?

For additional worship: Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee (Reawaken Hymns)

Psalm 80:14-19 “Turn again, we beg you, God of Armies. Look down from heaven, and see, and visit this vine, the stock which your right hand planted, the branch that you made strong for yourself. It’s burnt with fire. It’s cut down. They perish at your rebuke. Let your hand be on the man of your right hand, on the son of man whom you made strong for yourself. So we will not turn away from you. Revive us, and we will call on your name. Turn us again, LORD God of Armies. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.”

Israel is frequently likened to a vine or a vineyard in the Old Testament. God is the vinedresser or the owner. He is sovereign, and their repentance, salvation, and future as His right hand is entirely at His discretion.

Jesus uses a similar metaphor to describe the Christian life. Apart from Him we can do nothing!

John 15:5-7 “I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If a man doesn’t remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burnt. If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you.”

For additional worship: To Thee Our God, We Fly (William Walsham How)

To thee, our God, we fly
for mercy and for grace;
O hear our lowly cry,
and hide not thou thy face.

Refrain:
O Lord, stretch forth thy mighty hand,
and guard and bless our fatherland.

Arise, O Lord of Hosts,
be jealous for thy name,
and drive from out our coasts
the sins that put to shame. [Refrain]

Thy best gifts from on high
in rich abundance pour,
that we may magnify
and praise thee more and more. [Refrain]

The powers ordained by thee
with heavenly wisdom bless;
may they thy servants be,
and rule in righteousness. [Refrain]

The Church of thy dear Son
inflame with love’s pure fire,
bind her once more in one,
with life and truth inspire. [Refrain]

The pastors of thy fold
with grace and power endue,
that faithful, pure, and bold,
they may be pastors true. [Refrain]

O let us love thy house,
and sanctify thy day,
bring unto thee our vows,
and loyal homage pay. [Refrain]

Give peace, Lord, in our time;
O let no foe draw nigh,
nor lawless deed of crime
insult thy majesty. [Refrain]

Though vile and worthless, still
thy people, Lord, are we;
and for our God we will
none other have but thee. [Refrain]