Young People's Group

For a Day in Your Courts Is Better Than a Thousand

by Mitchell Tan
August 26, 2021

DELIGHT IN BEING IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD

The sons of Korah had a deep sense of delight just to be in the house of the Lord of hosts. These authors of Psalm 84 wrote of a special sense of affection for the temple and their strong desire to be in His presence. They expressed a deep longing to be in His house. They were able to observe how the Lord had blessed those who dwelt and served Him in the temple and they have continuously sought to praise Him. There was this sense of joy in being in the house of the Lord.

EXPRESSIONS OF DELIGHT

“For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”
Psalm 84:10

What are some of the expressions of delight in being in the house of God?

1. TREASURING THE TIME BEING IN THE HOUSE OF GOD

The sons of Korah brought across the idea of how joyous it was just to spend one day in the courts of God than to spend a thousand days without. The Levites were assigned to minister in the courts of the tabernacle according to their appointed days. Only the priests were appointed to minister in the holy place of the temple. And yet, the sons of Korah saw how wonderful it was to be in His courts to serve Him, to sense the presence of God and to relate to Him in prayer. The house of God was home to them. It was a place of refuge and joy. It was where they could be blessed by God as they served Him in His house. They really treasured the time that they had in His temple.

2. CHOOSING TO SERVE THE LORD HUMBLY IN HIS HOUSE

The gatekeeper of the temple would be considered one of the vocations in the temple. The Korahites were appointed to look after the different gates of the house of God (1 Chronicles 9:19-27). Part of their duty was to direct the traffic flow of pilgrims coming to worship, especially during the feast times. They were also to check the people as they came into His courts. They had four chief gatekeepers, who supervised the others. They were also in charge of the chambers and treasuries of the house of God. They lodged all around the temple and were responsible for opening the gates in the morning and closing them at night. They essentially looked after the security of the temple.

The sons of Korah would choose to serve the Lord as doorkeepers of His house rather than to do anything else. They sought to serve the Lord humbly and faithfully as His servants. The Psalmists saw being doorkeepers of the temple as something far more wonderful compared to staying in the tents of wickedness. Staying in His house and serving Him was far, far better than staying in the rich tents of the wicked.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

We celebrate our 40+8 anniversary this Sunday. Truly we want to thank God for these many years of His mercy and grace on Bethany. We praise Him for giving us a wonderful place of worship that we can return to and praise Him in. It is such a great joy just to be in His house and to relate to Him. Nothing beats being in His house and listening to His word. We should learn to delight in being in His house at Bethany. Let’s plan to come and to celebrate our 40 + 8 anniversary at Youth Worship and at the Morning Worship Service this weekend. It is also our privilege to serve the Lord in whatever area He has given us. It is a joy just to be able to serve Him in His house. Let’s learn from the Sons of Korah in the way they served with a spirit of humility and joy. Let’s seek to serve the Lord with gladness and faithfulness in the years ahead.

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