Best of the Best
No doubt many of us have visited places we would love to see again. There are so many wonderful spots in the world, some across the globe from our homes and some only as far as a grandparent’s or friend’s house. Getting away from our boring routines certainly has allure. For one psalmist, however, there was no better place to be than in the temple in Jerusalem.
Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.
Psalm 84:10-12 (NIV)
This Psalm speaks of longing, even craving, for God’s presence. At the time, God’s presence resided in the temple in Jerusalem. With joy and strength from the Lord, faithful pilgrims made the journey up to Jerusalem to worship. And no matter where they came from, the temple was better than anywhere else because that is where God’s presence remained. The psalmist goes so far as to assert he would rather be a low-level attendant in the temple, consigned to stand in the doorway and guard the entrance, than to be anywhere else.
Doorkeepers, or gatekeepers, had an important job. The guards that stood at the doors or gates of the temple were servants of the king and the priests. They served to protect the temple, its utensils and equipment, and the offerings. They also were to prohibit those who were unclean from entering and profaning the sanctuary.
Not too many generations after the psalmist expressed his great love for God’s presence encountered at the temple, Jerusalem was conquered by Babylon and the temple was destroyed. God’s people were carried off to a foreign land and the temple that had been a habitation for God’s holy presence was reduced to rubble. By the time of the New Testament, Jerusalem had been rebuilt along with a new temple. However, there are no recorded psalms of longing to be there. The Bible does not include any songs or prayers that evoke the extreme desire to encounter God’s presence at the new temple.
Those that used to be called doorkeepers we now call “greeters.” At my church they hold the doors open wide, greet everyone with an inviting smile, and encourage everyone to enter. Greeters are not there to prevent anyone from entering the sanctuary, they are stationed at the entrances to ensure all feel welcomed to join the congregation.
Doorkeepers are no longer needed to guard the entrances to God’s presence. In fact, we have a new doorkeeper that has made the ancient role obsolete:
So Jesus said again, “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that I Myself am the Door for the sheep … I am the Door; anyone who enters through Me will be saved [and will live forever], and will go in and out [freely], and find pasture (spiritual security).”
John 10:7,9 (AMP)
As our doorkeeper, Jesus does not bar entrance to the unclean, the sick, or those of us that are unworthy to enter God’s presence. Instead, Jesus makes the unclean clean, the sick whole, and He makes the unworthy worthy. Because of His righteousness and His sacrifice, we are now welcomed to enter God’s presence through wide-open doors. Whereas ancient doorkeepers would send away those that did not qualify for entrance, our Savior stands with arms open - ready and eager to welcome all people that come to Him.
I am thankful today for the door to God’s presence that is Jesus. Without him, I would be standing on the outside, unable to join in worship and encounter the majesty and love found in God. With Jesus, however, I am invited, welcomed, and encouraged to enter in to the very presence of God; and by responding to that invitation, I can join in relationship with the Almighty. The psalmist was right – there is no better place to be!