O God, behold our shield, and look upon the face of Your anointed. 10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. 12 O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You! —Psalm 84:9-12

“I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness,” write the sons of Korah. Matthew 11:11 states, “Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he,” meaning that the one of lowest stature who is in heaven is far greater than the greatest person alive on earth! The closer we remain to the Lord in our spirit now, the better our lives will be, no matter what adversities and trials we face, even unto death. And of course, “absent from the body [is to be] present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). It’s a win-win situation! 

The “tents of wickedness” are clearly a reference to Korah, and the descendants of Korah are saying that they want no part of such rebellion. Some scholars see the “work of service” assigned to the Korahites as janitorial in nature, there’s also the possibility that they were the temple guards. The word “keepers” means to guard or protect. Regardless, they were content to do whatever they did, compared to the wickedness of their ancestors. 

They refer to the Lord as a sun, meaning that He is the source of light—not just a ray of light, as from the physical sun, but the source from which light emanates! The mention of the Lord being a shield implies God’s defense and protection. So regardless of whether they were mere doorkeepers or the guardians of the Temple didn’t matter. They would rather be “least” in the Temple than to dwell in the tents of the wicked. 

We see that the Lord will give grace and glory, a tremendous relief to these men whose ancestors had sinned so grievously again the God whom they honored. We hear stories of the relatives of those who have committed heinous crimes going into hiding out of shame. But in God’s family, those whose ancestors have sinned greatly can become the guards of the Temple (v. 11)! Verse 12 tells us why they walk uprightly: they trust in God. 

Right here we come to another one of the things we gain by hungering and thirsting after the Lord and after righteousness: We can expect to see great and mighty things! Are you still waiting for the Lord to “do something” about a situation in your life? Remember, God isn’t doing only “one thing,” so make sure that you look around for other great and mighty things that He is doing meanwhile. And while you wait, take heart! Psalm 27 states, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” (vv.13-14). 

Never forget that every day of being a Christian is better than any day before you came to Christ. Your unsaved past is not “the good ol’ days.” Yes, things are hard, but you have Jesus. Yes, you will be attacked for your faith, but you have Jesus. Yes, you’ve made mistakes in the past, but you have Jesus, and “No good thing will He uphold from those who walk uprightly.” So let’s go back to where we began: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Mat 5:6). Let’s move forward, walking in a way where great and mighty things are possible through God. Call upon the name of the Lord! 

Excerpt from “Beside Still Waters” now available on Amazon.

BARRY STAGNER