Family Worship #12
Family Worship Guide
Sunday, May 31, 2020
SING
READ
Psalm 84:1-12 (ESV)
1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise! Selah
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion.
8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!
10 For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
blessed is the one who trusts in you!
WATCH
ASK
Historical Background
Parents, ask your children if they ever experienced homesickness.
Spiritually, believers should have a homesickness for heaven and God. Being in God’s presence should leave us longing for more.
Q: Who are the authors of Psalm 84?
A: The sons of Korah.
Q: What were their occupations?
A: They were gatekeepers, doorkeepers and janitors. They had very lowly jobs but were excited to be in the presence of God.
I. What is the First Sign of a Person Who Has a Homesickness for God?
Q: What is the first sign that Pastor Kevin mentioned in the sermon of a person who has a homesickness for God?
A: A delight to be in the dwelling place of God.
“1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise! Selah”
–Psalm 84:1-4 (ESV)
Q: What words did the Psalmist use to describe his love for God?
A: Lovely, soul, longs, faints, flesh and sing.
“1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.”
–Psalm 84:1-2 (ESV)
Q: What are the two birds mentioned by the psalmist that make their home in the temple of God?
A: The sparrows and swallows (v.4).
“Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.”
–Psalm 84:3
Q: What do the two birds represent?
A: The sparrow represents those who are worthless but are given value in God. A swallow, on the other hand, represents those who are restless but are given rest in God.
The birds made their home at the temple and were secure there with no fear of enemies.
In the same way God’s people must make their home in God and find their security in Him. The birds are symbols of the life, freedom, and joy of those who dwell close to God.
Q: What is God’s dwelling place and what does that mean for us today?
A: The Bible tells us that God dwells on His throne in Heaven. God is omnipresent meaning He is everywhere, and also God is among His people. Although the temple symbolized God’s presence in the Old Testament, the writers knew that God’s presence could not be contained by the temple made with human hands.
Solomon stated,
“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!”
–1 Kings 8:27
The NT authors believed the same,
“Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says.”
–Acts 7:48
“Wherever believers gather to worship, it should be a place where the Word of God is proclaimed, the name of God is magnified, and the will of God is pursued.“
II. What is the Second Sign of a Person Who Has a Homesickness for God?
Q: What is the second sign that Pastor Kevin mentioned in the sermon of a person who has a homesickness for God?
A: A dependency on God.
“5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion.”
–Psalm 84:5-7 (ESV)
The word highways usually indicates a public road across the country and therefore here indicates the roads along which the worshipers traveled from their hometowns and villages as they made their way up to Jerusalem. Most people traveled far to worship God in the temple. So it was on that journey that the worshipers asked God for strength. The trip would be very difficult since they had to travel through barren places without water.
Q: What was the attitude of the People? Were they sad or happy as they were traveling to worship God?
A: They were happy. In the middle of that valley, what sustained them was the hope of God’s presence. They were able to endure hardship because their eyes were fixed on God.
“Hope is one of the Theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.“
III. What is the Third Sign of a Person Who Has a Homesickness for God?
Q: What is the third sign that Pastor Kevin mentioned in the sermon of a person who has a homesickness for God?
A: A desire to live with trust in God.
“8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!
10 For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
blessed is the one who trusts in you!“
–Psalm 84:8-12 (ESV)
Q: What truths about God does the Psalmist share that help us trust in God?
A:
- He is the covenant keeping God.
The word Lord is Yahweh, who is the covenant keeping God. - He is the commander of the heavenly armies.
The phrase Lord of host is mentioned three times in the Psalm (vv1, 3 and 12). - He is the living God (v2).
He is not a dead God like the other gods but a living God, the One who helps His people. - He is my King (v3).
- He is my God (v3).
- He is the God of Jacob (v8).
God was faithful to His son Jacob. - He is the sun (v11).
- He is a shield (v11).
- He gives good gifts to His children (v11).
PRAY
–Pray that God will give you a delight to be in His presence.
–Pray that you will learn to depend on God in all circumstances.
–Pray that you will desire to trust God in all circumstances.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Again, we’d like to direct your attention to our resources page for more info on family devotions.
Here are some coloring sheets, a word search puzzle, and a handwriting sheet that you can print out for your child. These are all meant to be aids to help you with your child(ren). Feel free to print some of these or all of these, whatever will work best for your specific child and his or her age.
