Let us turn again to God's Word
and turning to the psalm we read, the 84th psalm. I'll read the three verses 5,
6 and 7, concentrating really on the middle of those verses,
verse 6, but reading then here in psalm 84, verses 5, 6 and 7. Blessed is the man whose
strength is in thee, in whose heart are the ways of them, who,
passing through the valley of Baca, make it well. The rain
also filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength.
Every one of them in Zion appeareth before God. Taking up the theme,
as we have it here in verse 6, the valley of baker who passing
through the valley of baker make it a well the rain also filleth
the pools to begin by seeking to understand the circumstances
of the psalm to look at the context as it were when was this psalm
written what a What is the significance of those things that are being
spoken of here by the psalmist? Well, from the content it does
seem that this psalm was certainly written before the building of
Solomon's temple. It must be a psalm of David in
that sense. We read back in 2 Samuel chapter
7 where David is in his cedar palace and he grieves over the
fact that the Ark of God dwelleth within curtains, or within a
tent, a tabernacle. And here of course we have mention
of the tabernacles, how amiable. Are thy tabernacles, O Lord of
hosts, my soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts
of the Lord. There was no substantial building,
no temple at this time but the Ark was still housed in the Holy
of Holies in the Tabernacle. We know also that at this time
the Ark had been brought to Mount Zion as we see in verse 7 we
read of every one of them in Zion appearing before God when
they first came into the promised land they set up the tabernacle
at Shiloh and there it would stand for many years until David's
reign and then when David overthrew that fortress of the Jebusites
at Jerusalem he then subsequently will remove the ark to Isaiah
and we have that also of course recorded there in 2nd Samuel
chapter 6 and we have the 132nd Psalm that appears to be celebrating
the removal of the ark it being taken to Isaiah the language
there in that particular song of degrees the the third verse. David says, Surely I will not
come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed.
I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids,
until I find out a place for the Lord God, and habitation
for the mighty God. of Jacob. And then in verse 8
he says, Arise, O Lord, into thy rest, thou and the ark of
thy strength. It seems to be associated with
David removing the ark from Shiloh to Zion, and then when he sees
it established there in Mount Zion, he determines he will yet
make a permanent dwelling for the house of God. It was not
to be, of course, until the days of King Solomon. Although David
had it in his heart to do that thing, yet Nathan makes it plain
he was a man of war. It would not be David's privilege,
it would be that given to his son Solomon. whose name of course
means peace, and it was indeed Solomon who built that temple
of the Lord. So we have the record also of
that great prayer, that remarkable prayer that he prayed at the
dedication of the temple. But here, as I say, we have the
tabernacle, we have the tabernacle now set up there upon Mount Zion. But David seems to be exiled
and away from Jerusalem. The language that we have in
the second verse, My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts
of the Lord, my heart and my flesh cryeth out for the living
God. We know, alas, that David had
to flee from Jerusalem, of course, when his beloved son Absalom
rebelled, revolted against his father. And we have the record
of David fleeing from Jerusalem there in 2 Samuel 15. David is afraid for his very
life because Absalom has stolen the hearts of the people and
they're turned against David. What do we read there in that
15th chapter? Verse 13, There came a messenger
to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after
Absalom. David said unto all his servants
that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee, for we
shall not else escape from Absalom. Make speed to depart, lest he
overtake us suddenly and bring evil upon us, and smite the city
with the edge of the sword." And so David has to flee. He's in grave danger, and yet
how he is longing to go into the courts of God's house. He says at verse 10 in the Psalm,
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. And so Considering the context
here, it's the days of King David, but David is not able to freely
enter into God's earthly courts for worship. And how important
it was for the true Israelite to do that very thing, to come
to that place where God had set his name. We know that there
were those three great feasts that they were to celebrate. We read that passage in Deuteronomy
16, which speaks of the feasts of Passover, associated of course
with the Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, seven weeks, And then on the
following day, the 50th day, they were to observe another
feast after Passover. And sometimes it's referred to,
of course, as Pentecost. 50 days after the feast of Passover. And then also they were to observe
the feast of Tabernacles. We read the portion in that 16th
chapter of Deuteronomy. Verse 16, three times in a year
shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place
which he shall choose, in the feast of unleavened bread, and
in the feast of winks, and in the feast of tabernacles, and
they shall not appear before the Lord empty. And it seems that this psalm
is associated really with those who would be making that journey,
those who would be traveling up to Jerusalem for the three
feast of the Lords. They go from strength to strength
we read in verse 7. Every one of them in Zion appeareth
before God. We do of course have the songs
of degrees or the songs of ascents. Later here in the Psalms Psalm
120 to 134 a whole series of Psalms
that are clearly associated with those who are making that journey
three times in the year just as God had commanded them and
it's interesting the language that we have here in this seventh
verse because we have a marginal reading for strength to strength. It says they go from company
to company. The reference is to those different
watering places as they're traveling from all the various parts of
the promised land and making the journey. They go from one
company to another company and eventually they will all arrive
there in Zion. where they come of course together
that they might worship the Lord God, every one of them, in Zion,
appeareth before God. Here then we see something of
the historical context of the psalm. But what of the spiritual
significance? And that surely is what should
principally concern us when we come to the Word of God. All
these things in the Old Testament are written for our learning.
As Paul says there in Romans 15, that we through patience
or endurance and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. What lesson is there for us here?
Well, we know it's not enough as we see there in the Old Testament,
simply to have the outward means of grace. There would be those amongst
the children of Israel who were able to discern something of
the spiritual significance of these things. There were those
who were the true Israel of God. We know they're not all Israel
that are of Israel. but there would be those who
saw the significance they desired the true tabernacle which the
Lord pitched and not man that Paul is speaking of in Hebrews
the Lord Jesus Christ himself and do we not have such people
being referred to here in this fifth verse it says it speaks
of the blessed man as that man in whose heart are the ways of
them Blessed are they that dwell in thy house, for blessed is
the man whose strength is in thee, in whose heart are the
ways of them. All the important thing surely
is to have a heart religion, not just to be attending to the
externals, those who in Israel were making those journeys very
religiously, observing the stated feast of the Lord, but those
whose heart was in their religion. We know that it's men who look
on the outward appearance, but the Lord is the one who looks
upon the hearts of men. And such are those here, and
not just those who are observing the form, who are just going
through the motions as God had commanded them. Remember how
we have that portion in Isaiah 29 speaking of those whose prayers
are just taught of men the formal prayers you know the passage
well there in Isaiah 29 at verse 13 for as much as his people draw
near me with their mouth says God with their lips they honour
me but they have removed their heart far from me and their fear
toward me is taught by the precept of men behold I will proceed
to do a marvellous work among these people says God even a
marvellous work and a wonder for the wisdom of their wise
men shall perish and the understanding of their prudent men shall be
hid and of course the Lord Jesus takes up that very passage in
the New Testament and applies it and he applies it to the scribes
and the Pharisees, those who were the principal religious
people of his own day. We see it there in Matthew 15
at verse 7 following, the hypocrisy of these people. Oh yes, they're
observing the forms, as many in Israel would doubtless observe
the stated feast of the Lord. But where were their hearts?
how the Lord sees those whose religion is just all on the outside
but it's not really heart religion and again we have that solemn
passage of course in the 23rd of Matthew where Christ is denouncing
the scribes and the Pharisees and pronouncing those awful woes
upon them and amongst those words of the Lord there in in Matthew
23 and verse 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,
he says, hypocrites, for you are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful
outward, but are within full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so, you also outwardly appear
righteous unto men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and
iniquity. Oh it's not enough then to have
just the form and to have an appearance as it were before
men and to observe the services of the Lord's house as many were
doing there in Old Testament religion and even today of course.
No God's true children are those who have a heart religion in
whose hearts are the ways of them. And they are a people who
are making a spiritual journey, of course, ultimately, to the
heavenly Jerusalem. Every one of them in Zion appeareth
before God. We are told, aren't we, of those
who were the truly faithful Israelites in the Old Testament. Are they
not those who are spoken of in the 11th chapter of Hebrews,
where we have that tremendous catalogue. Many names are mentioned. But what does it say there at
verse 13 in that chapter? It's a more general statement.
These all died in faith, not having received the promises,
but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and
embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and
pilgrims on the earth. for they that say such things
declare plainly that they seek a country and truly if they had
been mindful of that country from whence they came out they
might have had opportunity to have returned but now they desire
a better country that is unheavenly wherefore God is not ashamed
to be called their God for he hath prepared for them a city
these who are spiritual pilgrims And surely it's these spiritual
pilgrims that we see here in the verses that I read at the
beginning. That man whose strength is in
thee, blessed is the man whose strength is in thee, in whose
heart are the ways of them. You pass him through the valley
of Baker, make it a well. The rain also filleth the pools.
They go from strength to strength, from company to company. Every
one of them in Zion appeareth before God. I want then to say
something for a little while with regards to these spiritual
pilgrims and the significance of what is being said concerning
them here in particular at verse 6. The reference to the valley
of Baca, who passing through the valley of Baca make it a
well. The rain also filleth the poor
and two things with regards to the experiences of these people
as they are making this journey first of all they will know sorrow
but secondly they will be favoured with strength those two simple
points there first of all to say something with regards to
their sorrow they know what weeping is these people What do we read
here? We have mention of the Valley
of Bacchus. Now what exactly was that? Well,
it suggested that it was some perilous pass that these people
would have to pass through as they were traveling up to Jerusalem. It was a difficult place for
them. It was a dangerous place. It
was a place of sufferings, oftentimes for them. Because the very word
baker literally means weeping. You passing through the valley
of weeping, make it well. Surely it indicates something
of difficulties, of trial, and of trouble in the way. And when we think, of course,
of those who are God's spiritual pilgrims in this day of grace,
remember how the Lord Jesus Christ, when He prays for His disciples
there in John 17, doesn't pray that the Father take them out
of the world, but rather that He keep them from the evil, it
says. All this world, it lies in wickedness, and this is the
world in which God's people, of course, have to live the life
of faith. The world that lies in wickedness,
all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of
the eyes, the pride of life, all that is not of the Father
but is of the world. And him who is the prince of
the power of the air, the spirit that dwelleth in the children
with disobedience, Oh, God's people then have to pass through
many difficulties in this world. There's a great atmosphere. There
is Satan himself, who is ever walking about seeking whom he
may devour, who will come oftentimes with his cruel temptations. And
oh, so frequently we are overwhelmed, we're entrapped, he lays his
snares, we fall. And what does he do? He turns
accuser. And we're ashamed because we've
sinned so many times and how can we turn again to God in the
spirit of repentance? All this is a place of weeping
for the people of God. As they find opposition on every
hand, walking through difficult paths, trying situations. And all the mystery of God's
providences how he himself will test his people, try his people.
In the world there will be persecutions, but then also when the child
of God looks within and looks to himself and sees what he is,
doesn't that cause him a great deal of grief and a great deal
of weeping? We certainly know that that was
the experience of the Apostle as he speaks there in that seventh
chapter of Romans. He feels his wretchedness. And when we feel our wretchedness,
does it not make us weep? Weep over our sins, our follies. There is a veil to pass through
then, in this wicked world. There are hard and bitter things
that we have to learn. We're walking by faith, says
the Apostle, not by sights. And we have to say that it is
a good fight, really. It's the good fight of faith.
And the Lord God in His grace and in His wisdom does provide
His people with an armour for that warfare as we see there
at the end of Ephesians chapter 6. it's no easy journey it was no
easy journey for those in Israel in the Old Testament as they
would make often times that very long journey that they might
arrive in Zion for the worship of God and he would watch over
all their possessions of course whilst they were absent from
home they had to learn to live the life of faith and is it not
true today or there will be sorrow then, they will be weeping in
the way, these hard trying paths. But again, when we look at the
language that's associated with those songs of degrees or songs
of ascent, might be a better rendering than degrees, they're
going up by degrees, but they're ascending up to Jerusalem. What do we read there in the
126th Psalm? the end of that psalm the song
of degrees they that sow in tears they that sow in tears shall
reap in joy he that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious
seed shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing his sheaves
with him oh there is sorrow yes but there's also the the gracious
promise of God And so we have it here. What does God do? Make
this valley of weeping, He makes it a well. You pass in through
the valley of Baker, make it a well, the rain also filling
the pools. And it's the language, isn't
it? The language that we find in
Isaiah's prophecy, this prophecy that is so full of gospel really Isaiah the great evangelical
prophet in the Old Testament and there in Isaiah 41 17 when
the poor and needy seek water and there is none and their tongue
faileth for thirst I the Lord will hear them I, the God of
Jacob, will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places
and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the
wilderness a pool of water and the dry land springs of water. Oh, the Lord is mindful of His
people in the midst of all their sorrows and He comes and He graciously
refreshes them and revives them. That is what the promise is saying. Again, earlier in that same book
of Isaiah, we have those words, Therefore with joy shall we draw
water out of the wells of salvation. Or there's something to be drawn
out of the wells of salvation. Passing through the valley of
Baal can make it a well. It's interesting, isn't it, that
in Isaiah 12 and verse 3, it's a plural noun. it's drawing waters
not out of the well but the wells of salvation. It indicates surely
that there is a plenty of supply that the Lord God is able to
give to his people in the midst of all their sorrows. He will
minister to them, he will sustain them. I think again of the language
of David himself when we come to the end of his days. There,
at the end of 2 Samuel, David was told, longed and said, Oh,
that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem,
which is by the gate. The well of Bethlehem. Is it not one of the names that's
given really to our Lord Jesus Christ? In Holy Scripture, of course,
we find a multitude of names. that belong to the Lord Jesus
Christ, that tell us something of his gracious ministry to his
people, and that's one of the names. He is that one who is
the well of Bethlehem. The very place, of course, where
he was born. And David longed to drink of
that well. It might speak in the plural
of wells of salvation, but all centers really in the person
and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. God refreshes his people. He refreshes his people with
his word. He refreshes his people with
the great truths, the great doctrines that we find here in Holy Scripture. The doctrine of Christ, the person
of Christ, the work of Christ. Remember how Moses can say in
his song, my doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall
distill as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb and
the showers upon the grass. How the Lord God does come then
to minister to his people in the midst of all their troubles,
all their sorrows. Though our cup seems filled with
gall, There's something secret sweetens all, says Joseph Hart
in his hymn. It's true. There is a valley,
the Valley of Bacon, a place of sorrowing, a place of tears,
and yet the Lord appears for his people. The rain also filleth the pools. It indicates here an abundance
of refreshment. And so they go, they move on
from one company to another. There are these watering places
that they would know by the way. But what is it that the Lord
God is doing here? He is teaching His people where
their strength lies. Verse 5, Blessed is the man whose
strength is in Thee. His strength is in the Lord his
God even as he is passing through the valley of Baikon. It is the
Lord who must appear for him. He has no innate strength. Isn't
that a truth that we have to be continually learning? Or at the very beginning we are
shown something of that awful doctrine of our total depravity. that by nature we're those who
are dead in trespasses and sins and we can do nothing for ourselves
salvation we discover right at the outset is of the Lord but
we have to keep on learning that lesson do we not that all our
strength can only come from God himself we cannot even formulate
right thoughts left to ourselves Doesn't Paul say as much in 2nd
Corinthians 3 and verse 5, not that we are sufficient of ourselves,
he says, to think anything as of ourselves. What are our reasoning
powers when we're left to ourselves with regards to the things of
God? We continually need that gracious ministry of the Spirit.
We read the Word of God, and we can't really understand it
spiritually, except the Spirit Himself, who first gave that
Word, who inspired those holy men. All Scripture is given by
inspiration of God, it's the breathings of God, and we need
the Spirit to come and to breathe into our poor, symbiontic minds,
that we might understand His words, and truly believe His
words. You know those words again in
Isaiah, so much Gospel truth there, Isaiah 26, And verse 12,
Thou also hast wrought all our works in us. If we know anything
of the grace of God, it's God's work, nothing of ourselves. It's all of God. Thou also hast
wrought all our works in us. O Lord our God, other lords beside
Thee have had dominion over us. but by thee only shall we make
mention of thy name. How can we make mention of that
name which is above every name? No man can say that Jesus Christ
is Lord but by the Holy Ghost. What a lesson this is that we
have to learn. Because what are we by nature?
Well, we are the children of Adam and Eve. We are the sons
and daughters. of that first pair and alas our
father Adam and his wife Eve they fell there in the garden
of Eden and what a fall it was they were made in the image and
likeness of God they stood at the very apex of all his creation and then when Satan comes through
the serpent And the woman partakes of that forbidden fruit, the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Oh, and the temptation
was, if they would but partake of this fruit, why they would
be as gods. That's what the serpent says,
you shall be as gods. And we've said it many a time,
that's where men are, isn't it? Men think that they're gods. The fool says in his heart there
is no God. He's a God himself. He's his
own God. We know, don't we, the reason
why that foolish theory of evolution is embraced, really, by this
world that lies in the wicked one. Because it discounts any
idea of man's accountability to God, his Creator. all the pride of men and now
it's there in all of our hearts by nature pride, accursed pride
that spirit by God abhorred to do what we will it haunts us
still, it keeps us it keeps us from the Lord or with those who
who do feel that we have no strength of ourselves blessed is the man
whose strength is in thee and that's what we learn when we
pass through the valley of Baca brought to the end of ourselves remember the language that we
have in the psalm, Psalm 107 lovely psalm that speaks so much
of God's dealings with men dealings in the way of providence of course
but there are spiritual lessons also verse 12 therefore He brought
down their heart with labour. They fell down and there was
none to help. Doesn't the Lord have to bring
us to that spot again and again? Brings down our hearts. Or we
think we can labour, we can do something for ourselves, we can
help ourselves in some way. But there's none to help. Then
cried they unto the Lord their God. And He delivered them out
of all their distresses, it says. Again in the 102nd Psalm he says,
he weakened my strength in the world. Well in this pilgrim way
you see, what he's got doing with us, he's weakening our strength. He causes us to see how helpless
we are. Our only hope ultimately must
be in him. Moses, in Psalm 90, thou turnest
man to destruction. God has to bring us time and
again to that, the end of ourselves. Thou turnest man to destruction
and sayest, return ye children of men. It's not enough, is it?
Just to feel our weakness, our helplessness, our hopelessness. That's not the way of God, to
leave us there. He'll bring us to that. But there's
another side to that coin also. We must be brought to see that
there is One who is able to save, One who is mighty to save. He
turns man to destruction but then He says in His sovereign
grace, Return. O return ye children of men. This is where our strength is.
Blessed is that man whose strength is in thee. What has God done? Why, he has laid help upon another,
has he not? That 89th psalm, it's full of
Christ, it's a messianic psalm. Verse 19, Then thou spakest in
vision to thy Holy One and said, I have laid help upon one that
is mighty. I have exalted one chosen out
of the people. I have found David my servant. With my holy oil have I anointed
him. Who is this David that the psalmist
is speaking of? It's the Lord Jesus Christ. It's the great covenant of God's
grace, is it not? Verse 34 of Psalm 89. My covenant will I not break,
nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn
by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall
endure forever. That's the Lord Jesus Christ.
His seed shall endure forever. and his throne as the sun before
me it shall be established forever as the moon and as a faithful
witness in heaven and then there's a sealer all we we need to to
stay ourselves to stop and to consider what God is saying here
is the source of all our strength and it's this one that's being
pleaded here in this 84th Psalm behold O God, our shield, and
look upon the face of Thine Anointed. Verse 9. Well, that's the Lord
Jesus Christ. This is the one that we have
to look to. God gives power to the faint. That's what God does. He gives
power to the faint. And to them that have no strength,
He increases might. And now, of course, it was a
man like Paul who learnt that lesson, didn't he? The thorn
in the flesh that we read of there in 2 Corinthians 12. And now he wants God to take
this thorn, whatever it was, away. It troubled him. It tormented
him. But what does God say? My grace
is sufficient for thee. My strength is made perfect in
weakness. And it's not pleasant to feel
our weakness. It fills us with sorrow really. We feel so hopeless
and so inadequate. Oh, but God, you see, God is
that One who will be the strength of His people. He will sustain
them. He will help them. Psalm 73 and
verse 26, God is the strength of my heart, says the Psalmist,
and my portion. forever. It's true then at every
stage of the child of God's experience, continually learning the lesson,
experiencing trials and troubles, many difficulties in the way,
times of sorrow, times of weeping, And yet, in the midst of all
these things, the Lord God appearing, and the Lord God making that
wonderful provision, as we see it here in the text, even passing
through the Valley of Bacon, what does God do? He makes it
a well. The rain also filleth the pools. He comes and He reveals
something more of Himself and those precious truths of His
Gospel. or that this might be our experience, our comfort that
we might be those who know something of what the psalmist is speaking
of here it's interesting to see what the historical context is
it's good, it's right, it's proper surely to study the word of God
and to understand it in its context but all that God would grant
that we might receive some spiritual good from his word to be that
blessed man that happy man. Blessed is the man whose strength
is in thee, in whose heart are the ways of them, who pass in
through the valley of bake, or that valley of weeping, to make
it a well. The rain also fill in the pools,
they go from strength to strength, every one of them. In Zion appeareth before God. Whom have I in heaven but thee?
For there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. O God, grant that it might be
true for you and true for me. The Lord bless to us then His
own word. Amen.