“The Lord God Jesus Christ reigns, whose kingdom shall be for ages of ages.” - True Christian Religion §791
Kempton New Church
 

Week 5
Day 3

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Psalms about the New Church

Happiness in the Church

Psalm 84

1

To the victor, on the gittith5; of the sons of Korah, a psalm.

How beloved are Thy habitations, O Jehovah of Armies!

2

My soul is eager and is even all consumed for the courts of Jehovah;

My heart and my flesh sing aloud to the living God.

3

Even the bird has found a house,

And the swallow a nest for herself, in which she may put her hatchlings,

Thine altars, O Jehovah of Armies, my King and my God.

4

Happy are those dwelling in Thy house;

They will still be praising Thee. Selah.

5

Happy is man having strength in Thee;

Thy highways are in their heart.6

6

Passing through the valley of weeping, they set it as a fountain;

Even the earlier rain cloaks it with blessings.

7

They go from virtue to virtue;

He appears to God in Zion.

8

O Jehovah, God of Armies, hear my prayer;

Give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.

9

See our shield, O God,

And look on the face of Thine anointed.

10

For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand;

I have chosen to stand at the threshold in the house of my God,

Rather than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

11

For Jehovah God is a sun and shield;

Jehovah will give grace and glory:

He will not withhold good

To those who walk in integrity.

12

O Jehovah of Armies,

Happy is man trusting in Thee.

versestopicSummary of the Spiritual Sense
title,
1-4
11Love and desire for the church and heaven.
5-711,17Because of trust in the Lord, the church will increase in truths and goods.
8-1211,17Her happiness arises from trust in the Lord.

Thine altars, O Jehovah of Armies (v. 3).

AE 391:11. “Altars” here mean the heavens.... “Tabernacles” mean the higher heavens, and “courts” the lower heavens, where the entrance is. These are also called “altars” from worship; and as all worship is from the good of love by means of truths, it is said, “Thine altars, O Jehovah of Hosts, my King and my God,” for the Lord is called “Jehovah” from Divine good, and “King” and “God” from Divine truth. And because the heavens are meant, it is also said, “Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house,” “the house of Jehovah God” meaning heaven in the whole complex. It is also said, “Yea, the bird has found a house, and the swallow her nest,” because “bird” signifies spiritual truth and “swallow” natural truth, by which there is worship. And as all truth by which there is worship is from the good of love, it is first said, “My heart and my flesh sing for joy unto the living God,” “heart and flesh” signifying the good of love, and “sing for joy” worship from the delight of good.

The house of my God (v. 10).

AE 220:7. That it may be known that the “temple” [or “house of God”] means heaven and the church, as also Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, I will cite these passages here, lest the mind should cling to the idea that a mere temple is meant, and not something more holy; for the temple in Jerusalem was holy because it represented and thus signified what is holy. That “temple” signified heaven is evident from these passages. In David: [includes Ps. 84:10]

I called upon Jehovah, and cried unto my God; He heard my voice from His temple (Ps. 18:6).
The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They that are planted in the house of Jehovah shall flourish in the courts of our God (Ps. 92:12-13).
One thing have I asked of Jehovah, that I may dwell in the house of Jehovah, and to visit early His temple (Ps. 27:4).
I shall be at rest in the house of Jehovah for length of days (Ps. 23:6).

5a musical instrument (AC 8337:5)

6Prophets and Psalms says that this verse is about the church. The church is both singular and plural in the same way that the Hebrew word adam (“man” or “mankind”) can be singular and plural, especially when the Lord’s church is treated of.

Questions and Comments
  1. According to the Summary of the Spiritual Sense in Prophets and Psalms for Psalm 84, happiness in the church arises from trust in the Lord. How does trust in the Lord lead to happiness?
  2. Does singing in church ever feel like what is described in Psalm 84:2?
  3. Heaven and the church are described as the house of the Lord in this Psalm. What do you think about the church being described as the house of the Lord?
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