From Strength to Strength

From Strength to Strength

This Psalm expresses the joy of a pilgrim traveling up to Jerusalem, then up into the temple to celebrate one of the feasts. The pilgrim focuses his attention especially on the thought of being in the very presence of the Lord God. The NT believer-priest, in an even greater way, can come into the presence of the Lord (cf. Heb. 4:16; 10:19–22).

     I.     The Expectation of Worshiping God (84:1–4)

     II.     The Expedition to Worship God (84:5–7)

     III.     The Elation at Worshiping God (84:8–12)

The Expedition - a journey or excursion undertaken for a specific purpose[1]

Psalm 84:4-7 (HCSB)

4     How happy are those who reside in Your house,

          who praise You continually.      •Selah

     5     Happy are the people whose strength is in You,

          whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. g

     6     As they pass through the Valley of Baca,

          they make it a source of springwater;

          even the autumn rain will cover it with blessings. 

     7     They go from strength to strength;

          each appears before God in Zion.

• Ps 119:2 Happy are those who keep His decrees

          and seek Him with all their heart.

• Psalm 122:1 (HCSB) I rejoiced with those who said to me,

          “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”

Hearts set on Pilgrimage

• Or lit. “on the highways (to Zion.)”

Perhaps there is no greater Expedition recorded in Scripture than the book of Acts

• The journey or excursion of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit to a world searching for purpose

Of the many ways to read and interpret the book of Acts I would like to offer this one:

Acts 1:8 (HCSB)

 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 

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[1]Merriam-Webster, Inc. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Includes Index. 10th ed. Springfield, Mass., U.S.A.: Merriam-Webster, 1996, c1993.

• A Hebrew word whose meaning is uncertain; various interpretations include: (1) a musical notation, (2) a pause for silence, (3) a signal for worshipers to fall prostrate on the ground, (4) a term for the worshipers to call out, and (5) a word meaning “forever”

g 84:5 Ps 119:2; 122:1