To the Chief Musician. On an instrument of Gath. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
—Psalm 84
Our subject this morning and over the next few days as we study this psalm of Zion is best introduced through the Sermon on the Mount and the words of Jesus in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6).
Now, let’s go back to this psalm of the sons of Korah. It’s one of my favorites because of the way it reflects the character of God. These verses remind us that the past cannot control the present nor can it determine our spiritual future, which is one of the reasons why this psalm is often referred to as the “Pearl of the Psalms.”
The sons of Korah were the descendants of a man by that name who, 500 years earlier, had erred exceedingly and played the fool. In short, he went to Moses, God’s appointed and anointed leader of Israel, and challenged him, in essence saying: “Who do you think you are? We’re all God’s chosen people and just as capable of leading them as you are. We want to have a say in what goes on around here!”
Moses said to Korah and his partners, “We’ll let the Lord decide this matter. Come back tomorrow and we’ll see what He has to say.” The next day, the Bible says that “The glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation. And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ‘Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.’” At that point, Moses and Aaron fell on their faces, pleading that God would not destroy the entire congregation for the sins of a few. God responded, “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’” And then what followed was shocking. “The ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, and all their goods. So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly” (Numbers 16:28-33).
The point of this lengthy introduction is to say this: from the illustration of God’s dealings here, we can understand that there is no such thing as generational curses. One person does not have to bear the penalty of another person’s sins. Although sin may impact the generations that follow, God does not punish you for what your ancestors did. Even though you or your family has a terrible past, God has a wonderful plan for you in the present, and eternal glory awaits you in the future in heaven—if you know Christ as Savior and Lord.
The ones writing this song are the descendants of the wicked Korah, and yet here they are, leading worship and honoring the Lord in the Temple of God! God did not hold them accountable for the sins of their fathers in the past, nor does He do so with us today. Do you want to be filled with the blessings that result from hungering and thirsting after righteousness? There is a key, and it’s written in Jesus’ words in the verse from the Beatitudes with which we opened this devotional. We will learn what some of those blessings are and be reminded that the past is behind us, and in Christ we are dead to the sins of our ancestors. We’ll take a closer look at the joys God has for us when we hunger and thirst for His righteousness. Are you ready? Begin by thanking Him today for His wonderful provision of salvation and His awesome love in not holding us responsible for another’s sins. Hallelujah!
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