Ps.84:11 – For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
David is finishing this psalm with a clear explanation of why he loves the house of God. David says that one day in the house of God is better than a thousand anywhere else. He also said he would rather be a doorkeeper in God’s house than everything the world offers; pretty interesting statement for a king to make. What made God’s house so special? It was the glory of the Lord that dwelt there. Here David said that the glory was a sun and a shield. The glory was often referred to as shekinah which described the shiny nature of the glory manifested in a cloud. This light brings revelation into every area of our lives. He also said that this glory was a shield. In modern terminology it would be like an invisible force field that surrounds us from the destruction in the world. He is our light and our protection. Here is what Spurgeon says about this verse.
“Pilgrims need both as the weather may be, for the cold would smite them were it not for the sun, and foes are apt to waylay the sacred caravan, and would haply destroy it if it were without a shield. Heavenly pilgrims are not left uncomforted or unprotected. The pilgrim nation found both sun and shield in that fiery cloudy pillar which was the symbol of Jehovah’s presence, and the Christian still finds both light and shelter in the Lord his God. A sun for happy days and a shield for dangerous ones. A sun above, a shield around. A light to show the way and a shield to ward off its perils. Blessed are they who journey with such a convoy; the sunny and shady side of life are alike happy to them.”
Many folks don’t see the value of gathering together in the house of God. Many have replaced church attendance with watching whatever service they can stream online. Online church is good for emergency situations but it can never replace gathering together with the body of Christ. This psalm gives us David’s take on worship with the congregation; God dwells there in a very special way. So let’s all gather again in the house of God, bring your family and drink in the glory of the Lord.
