Psalms 84:2

Psalms 84:2

The whole of this Psalm is the uttered desire of a soul for public worship. Yet, after all, the Psalmist reaches the climax of desire not when he speaks of the sanctuary, but of God Himself.

I. Observe the desire of heart and flesh the living God. If a man wishes to know whether he is really a saint or no, he can very soon find out by putting his finger upon the pulse of his desires, for these are things that can never be counterfeit. The desire of the true saint is after God Himself. There are three things which sufficiently account for this desire Godward; and the first and chief is that every saint has within his breast that which is actually born of God, and therefore it cries out after its own Father. (2) Another reason is that every believer has the Spirit of God dwelling within him; and if he has the Spirit of God dwelling within him, it is only natural that he should desire God. (3) This desire after God becomes intensified by earth's experience.

II. Observe the intensity of the desire: "My heart and my flesh crieth out." Heart and flesh being both mentioned, we are taught that it is the desire of the whole man. In the original this word "crieth out" means the cry of a company of soldiers as they fall on the foe. There is expectation, eagerness, desire, all concentrated in its note. (1) It is an intensity that drowns all other desires "crieth out for God." (2) It is an intensity of desire that creates pain. The language of our text is the language of a soul which can bear its anguish no longer in silence. It is a cry extorted by inward pangs.

A. G. Brown, Penny Pulpit,No. 1077.

Reference: Psalms 84:2. L. D. Bevan, Christian World Pulpit,vol. xxv., p. 361