I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking him in his temple. For he will conceal me in his shelter in the day of adversity; he will hide me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock. Then my head will be high above my enemies around me; I will offer sacrifices in his tent with shouts of joy. I will sing and make music to the Lord.

1) What does it mean to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple?
The Psalmist is not simply talking about looking at the beauty of God. When he speaks of gazing on the beauty of the Lord, he is literally talking about intently looking at the graciousness of God. All that makes Him good is beautiful. All that He has done for the psalmist makes Him beautiful to him. The psalmist wants to dwell in His presence and remember all that He has done and all that He is. To seek Him in His temple means to go into His presence and investigate His character and His dealings with mankind. The temple was the place where God’s glory dwelt. It was the only place that one could go to “enter into His presence.”  

2) How will God conceal me in His shelter in the day of adversity? 
The Hebrew word used for shelter actually means tent. It refers to someone’s dwelling place. The writer is not saying that he would hide in the actual temple in times of trouble. That would go against every holy ordinance that God gave. He is saying that, in times of trouble, God invites him into His very home, and not just the parts of His home that visitors would see, but into His very bedroom, and protects him like a father would protect a son. His very presence protects him from his enemies and adversity. The picture is one of a man running from his enemies, or from danger, into a safe house where he will be safe from these evils. 

3) What does God’s house have to do with me holding my head high above my enemies?
When one is under attack or under affliction, it would be common to literally hang your head as a sign of tragedy having hold over you. The psalmist is stating with confidence that, because he’s been in the presence of the Lord (AKA God’s house), he is sure that he will overcome his enemies and be victorious. If he didn’t have “God’s house” to run into, he wouldn’t have the hope or surety of victory. 

4) What does it mean to offer sacrifices in His tent with shouts of joy?
This alludes to blowing of trumpets at the time of the burnt offering. The burnt offering was the most common offering in the Old Testament. It was offered by individuals for various reasons and along with other sacrifices or offerings. It was a way for the individual to give thanks to God. After the offering, there would be loud blows from the trumpets. The psalmist is saying that he will personally thank God with loud shouts of praise so that everyone will know that he thanks and worships God for defending him. 

1) What does it mean to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple?
When I think of “gazing on the beauty of the Lord”, my mind immediately goes to a  picture of Jesus on the cross. Although many would not consider that beautiful, to me, it is a beautiful picture of perfect love. It was there that He poured out His very life for me, and that is beautiful to me!! Do you spend time each day gazing on the Lord? Looking deep in His eyes and reminding yourself of all He has done for you? It is truly beautiful and nothing compares to time spent with Jesus! As the psalmist would go into the temple to seek God, we can go to God in prayer and Bible study and learn the deep things of His character and how He deals with mankind. Knowledge is gained and doubts are solved in His presence. The Shepherd will lead us there if we allow Him! 

2) How will God conceal me in His shelter in the day of adversity? 
Just as the psalmist knew that God would keep him safe in the day of adversity, we can be sure that God is standing there with His arms wide open when we are going through trials and tribulations. When the world feels as if it’s caving in on us, we can run into the cave, the stronghold, the fortress of God’s presence. It is there, and only there, that we will truly be protected from our enemies and the evils of the day. 

3) What does God’s house have to do with me holding my head high above my enemies?
I honestly don’t know how people hold their heads high in the midst of struggling and affliction if they don’t have Jesus. When I’m under attack from the enemy, if I try to conquer in my own power, I fail miserably EVERY SINGLE TIME! But when I run into the house of God, into His presence, when I seek His face, He reminds me that the victory is already mine. He has already defeated the enemy, and He continues to fight for me on a daily basis. All I need is to depend on Him, lean on Him, know Him more. His house is my soul, and I can be sure that He will defend His house. 

4) What does it mean to offer sacrifices in His tent with shouts of joy?
Are you joyful for all that God has done for you? Do you let others know it? The phrase “in His tent” really stands out to me here. Our body is the dwelling place of the Lord. Do we offer our bodies as living sacrifices to Him? Do we offer our time, our gifts, our talents, our emotions, our feelings to Him? Are we willing to die to our own selfish desires and live for Him because He has given up His life to defend us from our enemies, and because He has chosen to abide in us…His very presence IN US? I say shout it from the rooftops today. Tell everyone what He’s done for you. He is truly a Shepherd who can lead us into peace in His presence! 

Don’t miss today’s other Journey Study, House of the Lord!
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