Psalm 122
‘I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.
Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is builder as a city that is compact together:
Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.
For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.
For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say,
Peace be within thee.
Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.’

Not everyone has the same view when it comes to attending Church on the Lord’s Day. If it is the case, then the Church would either be packed with people or there would not be a single person when the door is opened. Some are gladly looking forward to the Lord’s Day, but others may not share the same sentiments. King David had unspeakable joy to go to the house of the Lord, which was the Tabernacle. If that is true of us, then coming to Church would make us glad. David wrote a number of Psalms which are called the “Song of degrees”  and were sung by the Jewish pilgrims as they made their way to the Temple in Jerusalem to worship God. The “Songs of degrees” were written with the purpose of glorifying God and to prepare the hearts of the worshippers before entering into the Temple.

Should we be glad when we come to Church and why should going to Church make us glad?

1. The purpose of going to Church

Verse 4 says “Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel to give thanks unto the name of the LORD”

If coming to Church is an equivalent example of David going into the house of the Lord, the intent and purpose should not differ from one another. “Unto the testimony of Israel” is in reference to God’s command to observe the three great feasts, namely: the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Pentecost and the Feast of the Tabernacles. By observing these feasts they were honouring God’s Word; and by the same token, the primary purpose  of us coming together in the place of worship is to honour God’s Word.

Another purpose of David’s visitation with the House of the Lord is “to give thanks unto the name of the Lord”. The Jews of old would come from as far up the North such as Dan and down- South which is as far as Beersheba to Jerusalem, at great personal inconvenience and hassle because they believed that the Lord deserved to receive their praises and worship.

2. The people who gather in Church

In verse 1, David said, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD”.

David was not only glad that he was going to God’s house, but he was also glad to meet fellow worshippers in the same place and the people that he would meet were the Lord’s people. The phrase “let us go” has the idea of a people united in fellowship when they come together in a common place for a common purpose. Looking around us, we will realize that we are all different. Differing in family backgrounds, view points, likes and dislikes but the reason why we can come together to worship is by the Lord’s gathering and common characteristics must also be found in us, such as to love one another (Romans 12:10), to forgive one another (Matthew 18:21-22), to tolerate one another (Philippians 2:4) and to restore one another (Galatians 6:1-2).

3. The person who is glorified in Church

The purpose of going to Church and the purpose of the people gathering in Church is for glorifying the Lord in the Church. David called upon the Lord, Yahweh or Jehovah no less than four times; to David, He was the personal, eternal and covenant-keeping God, without whom he was nothing. Today, He is the same God and our reason to come to Church should not differ much from that of David’s.

Conclusion

If David had several reasons to be glad to be in the Lord’s house, do you share in the same gladness or at this moment you are having different thoughts and sentiments? If needs be, we are to examine ourselves by putting away petty disputes, family squabble, bickering and tiffs so that our worship will indeed be true spiritual worship to the Lord.

J is for Just Javan

I recently went to the True Life BPC camp in Tioman as I was forced to go. However, after the camp, I wished I could stay longer. I learned a lot of things like:

1) Pouting or Joy
2) Discouragement or Hope
3) Laziness or Diligence
4) Doubting or Trusting
5) Envy or Contentment
6) Resentment or Forgiveness

In the night, I learned about the pilgrim’s progress how we should use our Armour (Of God) to protect ourselves from the darts of Satan.

During the camp, I went kayaking twice and snorkeling once. I really enjoyed the camp and I am even more looking forward to the Tabernacle year-end camp!

Brother Javan