For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. Psalm 84:10
These words of the great King David have captured our imagination for centuries. It is not everyday that a king would admit to be willing to change places with a servant yet that is what David says in this verse. There have man many attempts to define what the psalmist meant by doorkeeper; let's suffice it to say that he meant servant. Being a servant in the house of God might sound poetic in this line of scripture but in reality it was everything but picturesque. Servant's cooked meals and washed clothes for the priesthood. Servant's carried water and firewood; servant's emptied the remains of an animal after a sacrifice. You get the picture. In David's day worship to Jehovah required much more than it does today, at least in a physical sense. The position of servant was not the most prestigious in the temple.
Now to dwell in the tents of the wicked, that is another story. When I think of a tent, I think of camping but this is not what David meant. The Ark of the Lord in his time was housed in a tent. (Later Solomon built the temple after the layout of this tent.) The priest were allowed to go into the first section of the tent, called the Holy place. Beyond that, behind a heavy veil, was the Holy of Holies which contained the ark of the covenant. For all intents and purposes, this Holy of Holies was the only place where one could commune with God on a "face to face" basis and it was off limits to everyone but the High Priest of Israel. The high priest could only enter this Holy of Holies once a year. Even David as King could not go into the Holy Place. The priesthood to Jehovah was limited to the tribe of Levi and the high priest had to be a direct descendant of Aaron, Moses' brother. This certainly excluded David since he was from the tribe of Judah.
Contrast this with being a pagan priest. Almost anyone could become a priest to a religion other than Jehovah. In fact, kings were often the high priest's to pagan religions. Many times pagan tribes worshipped not only the god their king represented but the king himself. No doubt David knew this. He could have become a king-priest to another other god and not have to depend on a priest. But he knew that it would profit nothing because the presence of Jehovah could be found in no other place than the tabernacle of the Lord. In light of this David's words take on much more significance. He was saying that he would rather worship on the outskirts of the temple dedicated to the one true God than to be in a place of honor to a false god.
There are those who love to ridicule Christian worship. It doesn't make sense to bow down to a God I can't see or sing praises to a God I can't physically touch. Many things about our worship style defy the logical mind. It would sometimes seem easier to seek another way to worship, one that leans more to gratification of fleshly desires. It would certainly be more popular, for in our day fundamental Christianity is less popular everyday. Yet the presence of God is what draws me back to God's house to worship every time. We don't have to have the best choir; the pastor doesn't need to be the most educated or the finest orator. My fellow church members don't have to be the most prestigious in the community. As long as I can feel God's presence as I worship I will say like David, "I would rather be a servant in God's house than to be in a place of honor where His spirit isn't found." Wouldn't you?
In Christ's Service,
Rev. Sullivan Jones
These words of the great King David have captured our imagination for centuries. It is not everyday that a king would admit to be willing to change places with a servant yet that is what David says in this verse. There have man many attempts to define what the psalmist meant by doorkeeper; let's suffice it to say that he meant servant. Being a servant in the house of God might sound poetic in this line of scripture but in reality it was everything but picturesque. Servant's cooked meals and washed clothes for the priesthood. Servant's carried water and firewood; servant's emptied the remains of an animal after a sacrifice. You get the picture. In David's day worship to Jehovah required much more than it does today, at least in a physical sense. The position of servant was not the most prestigious in the temple.
Now to dwell in the tents of the wicked, that is another story. When I think of a tent, I think of camping but this is not what David meant. The Ark of the Lord in his time was housed in a tent. (Later Solomon built the temple after the layout of this tent.) The priest were allowed to go into the first section of the tent, called the Holy place. Beyond that, behind a heavy veil, was the Holy of Holies which contained the ark of the covenant. For all intents and purposes, this Holy of Holies was the only place where one could commune with God on a "face to face" basis and it was off limits to everyone but the High Priest of Israel. The high priest could only enter this Holy of Holies once a year. Even David as King could not go into the Holy Place. The priesthood to Jehovah was limited to the tribe of Levi and the high priest had to be a direct descendant of Aaron, Moses' brother. This certainly excluded David since he was from the tribe of Judah.
Contrast this with being a pagan priest. Almost anyone could become a priest to a religion other than Jehovah. In fact, kings were often the high priest's to pagan religions. Many times pagan tribes worshipped not only the god their king represented but the king himself. No doubt David knew this. He could have become a king-priest to another other god and not have to depend on a priest. But he knew that it would profit nothing because the presence of Jehovah could be found in no other place than the tabernacle of the Lord. In light of this David's words take on much more significance. He was saying that he would rather worship on the outskirts of the temple dedicated to the one true God than to be in a place of honor to a false god.
There are those who love to ridicule Christian worship. It doesn't make sense to bow down to a God I can't see or sing praises to a God I can't physically touch. Many things about our worship style defy the logical mind. It would sometimes seem easier to seek another way to worship, one that leans more to gratification of fleshly desires. It would certainly be more popular, for in our day fundamental Christianity is less popular everyday. Yet the presence of God is what draws me back to God's house to worship every time. We don't have to have the best choir; the pastor doesn't need to be the most educated or the finest orator. My fellow church members don't have to be the most prestigious in the community. As long as I can feel God's presence as I worship I will say like David, "I would rather be a servant in God's house than to be in a place of honor where His spirit isn't found." Wouldn't you?
In Christ's Service,
Rev. Sullivan Jones