Psalms 84-89: The Houses of God Bible Teaching

Eight Chapters to cover this morning through an unfolding theme found in some of them. I want to talk for a moment about God – the very reason we meet and study as He is the goal – at least He is my goal. Over the years we have talked a lot about His make up, and that is a bundle but even with Christ in the mix since the incarnation, I think (unless we are LDS) we can agree that God is Spirit. I invite you to sit for a moment if you will and allow yourselves to imagine, in real time, like right now, that there is God – a living eternal being – right now – co-existing with you. That as we think so does He. And that as we reside personally in a space, so does He – the One True God. It is an act of faith to believe in Him but He has certainly given us spiritual and even material supports that evidence His existence, but imagine that in your soul you can draw nigh to his exact location today. Where is He? (Beat) The first thing to realize about God and His houses is there is a spiritual and a material side to this mystery. Before the creation of our heaven and earth, God had a residence – I think – we say its heaven but where – does He fill the universe or multi-universe or did He dwell in a specific location? When it comes to us humans, because we are material and exist from all that we can tell in a material reality, we tend to think of God inhabiting a similar geographically defined place. Our Psalms today, in many of them at least, and again in chronological order, mention his habitation, his home, and they help opens us up to the discussion to follow. So in Psalm 84 at verse 1 we read, 1 How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! The Hebrew word there for tabernacles is mishkawn and simply means, residence. Notice that the word is a plural so we know that God has many residences. The Psalm goes on and says, 2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of YAHAVAH: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. That word courts literally means yard, village or hamlet of YAHAVAH. 3 Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O YHAVAH of hosts, my King, and my God. And then verse 4 4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah. Jumping down to verse 10 the Psalmist writes, 10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For YAHAVAH God is a sun and shield: YAHAVAH will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. God’s tabernacle, His courts, his house, habitation and dwelling place. Also in chapter 84 is a curious line at verse 5 that says, Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. And the Hebrew seems to be describing the ways of them as all the paths or roads that lead to the House of YAHAVAH. With these verses as a basis, let’s first talk about the Houses of God biblically. The first mention in the Bible of "God's house" is in Genesis 28:17, where Jacob declares that the place where he had a dream/vision is "none other than the house of God" and he names it Bethel, which is, house of God. This happens after Jacob dreams of a ladder with angels ascending and descending between earth and heaven, and when he woke he said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven" Genesis 28:10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. 11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. 16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. 17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. 18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. 19 And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. 20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 21 So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: 22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee. You know what we just read – the biblical history of material religion specifically with reference to house of God – commemorated by Jacob stacking stones and promising to give a tenth back to Him. Very material – as that was how in that day would relate to them – though material laws and material edifices. Interestingly, the biblical city of Bethel was not in Jerusalem; it was located in the hill country of Samaria, about to 10-11 miles north of Jerusalem. This would become an ancient city that was significant in Old Testament times and is associated with figures like Abraham and Jacob, and was an important initial place for worship, though Jeroboam, when the kingdom split, set up a rival shrine in that location to discourage people from traveling to Jerusalem to worship at the temple there instead of traveling another twelve long miles to worship where Solomon established God’s ultimate material house, called the temple. Its an interesting event isn’t it – that materially, people were willing to settle to worship in what was the traditionally the earliest house of God named by Jacob rather than suffer the greater distance and worship where God established another residence. Of course, bible readers assume that God made his first home on the material earth with Adam and Eve as the scripture describes God as physically walking and communing with Adam and Eve in the garden. Genesis 2:15 states God placed Adam in the garden, and Genesis 3:8 describes God walking in the garden during the cool of the day, a scene often interpreted as a time of fellowship with the first man and woman before they disobeyed him. I tend to believe that this relational proximity to God INCLUDED that He was also in Adam – but admittedly this is a conjecture. Whatever the dynamics, we do know that Adam and Eve were ultimately separated from God due to sin and this meant several things in that day. First, God continued to have direct access to man (he even talked with Cain) but man did not have direct access to Him but we were alienated from this direct relationship. This meant something really truly horrifying for all people at their deaths – they would go to a place separated from the residence of God. And this brings us to a second Psalm planned for today, 86 where the writer says, 13 For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell. Without specification, this lowest hell reference is believed to be the habitation of all who experienced death (because of Adam and Eve) and died without faith. A frightening house, we have to admit when we consider a third Psalm’s content today where we read, 1 O YAHAVAH, ELOHIYM of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee: 2 Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; 3 For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave. That word grave is the Hebrew sheol, which means a subterranean house of the dead, the grave or a house for deceased human beings that while on earth were no different than animals and therefore received an animals afterlife destination – burial in the earth without access to God residing in his habitation above. Truly a terrifying destination as the Psalmist continues to write at verse 4 (listen to what they believed the afterlife held for them) 4 I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength: 5 Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand. 6 Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. 7 Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah. 8 Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth. 9 Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee. 10 Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah. 11 Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction? 12 Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? 13 But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee. 14 LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me? 15 I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted. 16 Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off. 17 They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together. 18 Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness. But the ancient faithful held in reserve a hope, causing another Psalmist to write, Psalm 116:8 For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. 9 I will walk before YAHAVAH in the land of the living. And here we discover a major difference between where God resides and those who are not of Him – He resides in the light, as He is the God of the Living and not the dead. What a terrifying destination to be headed to in that day and age – to live in obscurity, fear of death, violence, lawlessness and then to die and wind up in a place separated from Him who lives in light but to instead dwell among the dead. The next Psalms in the que for today speak to how and why the faithful of the Old Testament believed that God would redeem their souls from those temporary covered place called sheol as they explain how and why He would some day change the human destination from alienation and distance to union. PSALM 85 says something profound, which we have already covered but verse 10 speaks directly to what God did to bridge the gap between the land of the dead and the land of the living, saying, 85:10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Of course for that Psalm to have power, the distance, the gap between God and Man had to be confronted with truth allowing a just God to be merciful. Does that make sense to you? That for the Living God to be merciful error, and evil and darkness had to be directly confronted by truth, who in His incarnation was nothing short of His Son, who called Himself “the way, the truth and the life.” In and through Him mercy is extended to all who in the former age were hell bound. Now, because of Him, the way, the path, the gates are open, the graves are open and the gap is self imposed rather than God imposed. Now His house has a sign that says, welcome, all who have faith in me where before sheol had a sign that read, Head down to the lower parts of hell you who lacked faith and the rest of you stay in this resting place until mercy and truth meet. Psalm 86 reads, Ps 86:15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. And adds Psalm 86:8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works. 9 All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name. 10 For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone. 11 Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. 12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. PSALM 95 gives us insight on how they nation avoided the lower parts of hell, and says Psalm 95:7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, They key to this – verse 8 where YAHAVAH says 8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. 10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: 11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. And so we see the connection to the human heart, the tendency to harden it and how in such cases, there is no entering into His rest, his pasture, His habitation, his house. In Psalm 87, the habitation of God is moved, ostensibly from the first home, the Garden and/or Adam, then from Bethel, to a place given a unique name – found in this Psalm in verse 2 and it is pronounced - “TSIOWN” What is that? We pronounce it Zion. Prior to entering into Zion, Moses was commanded to build a house called the Tabernacle, which was portable, and a picture to God’s home being where God’s people were – a type for His portable homes and habitations today meaning within believers. But after the tabernacle was made, Solomon created a house for God which was located materially in one place alone on earth – Jerusalem – which was originally a Canaanite city located in the land of Canaan which the Nation was promised through Father Abraham. The region of Canaan corresponds to parts of modern-day Israel and the Palestinian territories, and archaeological evidence confirms that Jerusalem was first settled by pagan Canaanite tribes during the Bronze Age which was around 3300 BC to 1200 BC and when tools went from being made of copper or stone to bronze along with other developments. It was non other than King David, a type of Christ, who conquered the city from the Jebusites (a Canaanite people) and established it as the capital of the united Kingdom of Israel around 1000 B.C. Zion literally, means “sunny or height,” so the sunny height, and was one of the seven hills on which Jerusalem was built. When David took it from the Jebusites, he built on it a citadel and a palace, and it became "the city of David." In the later books of the Old Testament the name Zion was sometimes used to describe Jerusalem itself, including this Psalm 87:5. Let’ read all seven verses of it – starting with verse 1 where it says plainly, “His foundation is in the holy mountains.” As stated, Jerusalem was founded on the mountains or hills of Mt. Zion and Mt. Moriah, which is 107 feet taller than Zion. Seven hills total – similar to what I have been told Rome was built on. In time an increase of the population obliged the inhabitants to enclose all the contiguous hills within a wall – very symbolic as the heavenly New Jerusalem is described with similar properties with three gates open day and night on each side. 2 The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Of all the places on earth, from Bethel and all the places that the tabernacle traveled, Psalm 87:2 says that YAHVAH loved the gates of Zion more – ready? In terms of geographical brick and mortar as Jerusalem was the location of his physical Nation, His material city and his singular house. 3 Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah. 4 I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there. The meaning seems to be, Rahab (which refers to Egypt, Babylon, Tyre, Philistia, and Ethiopia) are not as honorable as Jerusalem and to be born in any of them is no privilege when compared with being (listen) a native of Jerusalem as they cities of these other places were merely village capitals but Jerusalem itself and alone is a high sunny city, very emblematic of a city to come. Now listen to verse 5 5 And of Zion (Jerusalem) it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her. Meaning it was an honor to be of the Nation born in the Promised Land and in the City of Zion. Where is Zion and what is Zion in the old Testament? Above in “sunny heights, so the meaning today is what an honor it is when people are born from sunny heights and Yeshua told Nicodemus this means to be born from above spiritually. Anciently, the Jews taught that Highest Himself dwelled or established Himself therein. Now get verse 6 6 YAHAVAH shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah. In those days there were times when they would count the people of Jerusalem and record them in a register and they would take special note of those born there. It is easy to assign spiritual meaning to this as there would be a time when God would take account of all whose names were written in the Lambs book of life and would take especial notice of those therein who were inhabitants of the New Jerusalem, born from above, received a new nature and were therefore fit to enter into this final habitation of God, established in the sunny heights above. So we had God’s first earthly home in the Garden where Adam and Eve freely lived in relationship with Him. Then after the fall, Abraham and Jacob named Bethel the habitation of God. Then the portable tabernacle, then in Zion, called Jerusalem, and specifically in the single temple built on Mount Moriah. Is God still there? Millions belief this is so – not me – in the least nor do I believe he is going to leave the final habitation ever again to visit. In the Bible, God's house is described in two main ways: as physical structures like the Tabernacle and Temple in the Old Testament, and as a spiritual reality in the New Testament, which refers to believers as a "spiritual house" or temple and the ultimate heavenly dwelling place. When did God leave Zion? There are overlaps to consider to get this right. So lets wrap our time up discussing what unfolded. Having established His presence and homes in the material of this world, in relation to the material nation from the material loins of Abram and Sarah, presenting himself in material locations to Jacob, then settling in the specific set of mountains called Jerusalem in the promised land, He then entered the world and into that material Jerusalem as a perfect material Messiah calling all of them to receive Him and to prepare for a new Kingdom to come that would operate off the types from before but far more personally, intimately and spiritually. Then after being fully in His only human Son, His perfect earthly home was defiled, like the temple before Him, and God moved out from that bleeding bruised body, taking him and it to death, symbolic of utter end of material residences for God on earth and establishing an entire new development of houses or habitations for Himself – first, in a Spiritual Kingdom above and second in those who are members of it by faith. This overlapping period included Yeshua referring to the Temple as His "Father's house," but then likened it to His very own body as a temple that would be destroyed and raised again, connecting the physical and spiritual concepts. At the same time he spoke of the fact that in His fathers house are many mansions and that he was going to prepare a place for the Apostes. Paul identifies believers collectively as "God's temple" where the Holy Spirit dwells and he also described believers in that day as the "spiritual house" or "living stones" built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone, showing even then that a change had happened in God’s houses and that it was composed of living, growing, organic things and not a static building. Of course, the actual even geographical house of God, if we could call it that is now in the New Heavenly Jerusalem where Yeshua says in Revelation 3:12 “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.” Then right before the end of the Revelation where all that was going to happen to wipe away all the houses of that former economy of material religion, Laws written in stone and on paper, and God being exclusively reached by such, John wrote, Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. {all things: or, these things} 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. 9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. 10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. 16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. 17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. 18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. 19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; 20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. 22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. 25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. 26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. 27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. PSALM 84-89 92-93 (8 Chapters) November 9th 2025 THE HOUSES OF GOD PSALM 89 I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. 2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens. I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, 4 Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah. 5 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. 6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto YAHAVAH? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto YAHAVAH? 7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. 8 O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee? 9 Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them. 10 Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm. 11 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them. 12 The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name. 13 Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand. 14 Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face. 15 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance. 16 In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. 17 For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted. 18 For YAHAVAH is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king. 19 Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people. 20 I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him: 21 With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him. 22 The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him. 23 And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him. 24 But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted. 25 I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers. 26 He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. 27 Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. 28 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. 29 His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. 30 If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; 31 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; 32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. 33 Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. 34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. 35 Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. 36 His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. 37 It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah. 38 But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with thine anointed. 39 Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground. 40 Thou hast broken down all his hedges; thou hast brought his strong holds to ruin. 41 All that pass by the way spoil him: he is a reproach to his neighbours. 42 Thou hast set up the right hand of his adversaries; thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice. 43 Thou hast also turned the edge of his sword, and hast not made him to stand in the battle. 44 Thou hast made his glory to cease, and cast his throne down to the ground. youth hast thou shortened: thou hast covered him with shame. Selah. 46 How long, LORD? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire? 47 Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain? 48 What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah. 49 Lord, where are thy former lovingkindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth? 50 Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants; how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people; 51 Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O LORD; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed. 52 Blessed be YAHAVAH for evermore. Amen, and Amen. And we will stop here.