BEAUTY-Psalm 27

Ps27-Beauty. “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple” (Ps 27:4).

• Stephen Covey says, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”
• What you want shows who you are: Solomon knew what he wanted (1 Ki 3:5, 9) and so did the blind man (Mk 10:51).
• Paul speaks about “my only aim” (Ac 20:24) and “One thing I do” (Phil 3:13).
• Jesus said to a rich man, “One thing you lack” (Mk 10:21), and to Martha, “but only one thing is necessary” (Lk 10:42).
• The blind man whom Jesus healed said, “One thing I know” (Jn 9:25).

Confidence and pleading. Psalm 27 is a psalm of confidence (Ps 27:3, 13), although it is also a desperate plea for God’s presence in the midst of attack (Ps 27:1-3, 5-6). The contrast between absolute confidence and desperate pleading is characteristic of many of the laments or pleas for deliverance in the psalms. In the face of suffering and attack, the faithful continue to trust in the Lord rather than their own devises. This resonated strongly and was particularly meaningful with the postexilic community, who lived far away from the center of their faith–the 2nd temple in Jerusalem.

• “Dwelling in the house of the Lord” (Ps 27:4; 23:6) is a potent image of eternal security and ongoing relationship. Psalm 27 shares this theme that characterizes the whole group of Psalms 23-30 (Ps 27:4; 23:6; 24:3-4; 26:8; 28:2; 29:9; 30:0. Also, temple as a place of refuge—Ps 36:7-8; 52:8; 65:4; 84:1-4; 10; 92:12-14). Diaspora Jews who lived in a hostile foreign environment had their faith constantly challenged by threats of destruction (Esther, Daniel 3, 6), or where they were tempted to assimilate to the majority culture (Daniel 1). Thus, they treasured, preserved and transmitted these pslams to subsequent generations.
• House as temple is a symbol of God‘s presence with Israel when they prepare themselves with “clean hands and a pure heart“ (Ps 24:3-4). To be ever dwelling in the temple, then, means to remain always in God’s caring and effective presence in the midst of often dangerous and hostile circumstances–to escape the sense of distance and absence that plagued the exilic Jewish community living a great distance away from the temple.
• Ongoing experience of God himself. Dwelling in God’s house is also to experience God intimately on an ongoing basis (Ps 27:4; 23:6). The Hebrew word for “beauty” comes from the root which has the meaning “be pleasant, delightful“ rather than visually pleasing effect that we normall associate with “beauty.” Coming to God’s house is not only to escape from enemies, but an escape to the very presence of God himself.

• My enemies and foes will stumble and fall (Ps 27:2; 1 Sam 17:44). God’s protective presence and care helps him to be confident in the face of enemy attack. “Confident” (Ps 27:3) is from the same word translated “trust” (Ps 25:2l 26:1).

• Why did David have such an intense singular passion for God when he is the king who could virtually have everything (Col 3:1-2)?

III. Plea (7-12). The cry “Hear my voice” (Ps 27:7) expresses the reality of his suffering in spite of a strong confidence in God’s saving nature (Ps 27:1). One does not cry out for relief when God is currently delivering or has already delivered. This cry to be heard mimics the fundamental call to Israel to hear and obey God (Dt 6:4, 3; 4:1; 5:1; 9:1; 20:3). The psalmist cry is a rather audacious use of the imperative to call God to obedience to his covenant obligations. The rest of the plea is divided into a desire for:

• divine presence in the face of God’s seeming absence (Ps 27:8-10; 1 Sam 22:3-4).
• divine instruction in the right way (Ps 27:11).
• divine vindication in the face of “false witnesses” (Ps 27:12).