The Christian life isn’t always easy. Imagine you are walking alone in a war zone. The ravages of war can be seen all around you. Houses and outbuildings have been burned out. Not many people are walking about and many of those are hobbling. Food is in short supply and dead bodies have been either buried shallowly and hurriedly in the sand beside the road, or just left for the scavengers. That is one of the scenarios of Psalm 84. This little song is written by an unknown writer, but it was given to the “sons of Korah,” the choir and music leaders of Israel. Hezekiah was the King of Judah. The Assyrians powerful, deadly red tide had washed over the northern parts of Israel, but the surge stopped at the walls of Jerusalem and then receded never to return. This unknown writer was now headed to Jerusalem to worship the Lord at the Temple. With the ravages of war all around him he begins to think about God and his house. The sobering journey gives way to joy and happiness because he is focusing on the Lord instead of looking at the misery in his midst.

Psalm 84:6, “Who passing through the valley of Bacca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.” What is the valley of Bacca? It is an unknown valley in a very dry and desolate place in the Judean desert. It is secluded and dotted with dry holes. Bacca comes from a Hebrew word whose root means “to weep.” It isn’t a place of joy or a place to seek when looking for a day trip get-a-way. It is simply a spot on the road to Jerusalem. But as this Psalmist is walking toward Jerusalem, He receives inspiration and things begin coming fast and furious. He pulls out a pen and scroll and starts writing.

  1. Right away he Acknowledges his God. He begins focusing on God and throughout the Psalm we see his heart and how he thinks about his God. He uses the title “O LORD of hosts” four times (vs.1, 3, 8, 12). This title tells of God’s great might. He’s remembering the Assyrians. They had devastated the Northern Tribes, yet God defeated them in a single night as they encamped around the city of Jerusalem. God is so powerful that he sent one angel to meet 185,000 enemies of God and they were killed in a moment. He continues to think about the Lord, and he calls him “the living God” (vs.2). There is nothing dead about his God. He’s alive and doing well. I might add this now, he’s still doing well. God’s not even sick. He acknowledges that God is his “King” (v.3). He is called “the God of Jacob” (v.8). The old deceiver, Jacob, received mercy and blessing from the Lord so much that he had a life change. Finally, he says “O God our shield…” (v.9-11). God is his protection from the arrows of the wicked ones. My desire today is to acknowledge God in my life. When traveling through “Bacca” I will focus on the Lord Almighty. He alone can protect and sustain me in those dry and barren places.
  2. He Desires the Lord. Look at 84:2-3. His soul longs for the Lord. He desired God so much that he almost fainted just thinking about God’s house. Once in a great while I run across a Christian that has a longing for church like this Old Testament saint. Not too often though. I love the phrase “the courts of the LORD…” There were several courts on the Temple grounds. There was an area for Gentiles, women, and then men. He couldn’t go into the Holy of Holies, but he could look and see the presence of God above it. He liked just being anywhere on the grounds. We should love the church campus the same. It is a sacred place that belongs to God. The desires of our hearts should include walking with the Lord daily and talking with him in prayer. Our desires should include much time reading the Bible. Just like a little sparrow and a swallow had found their place at the Temple, he desired to have a permanent place at God’s house.
  3. He Trusted in the Lord (v.11-12). He knew God had protected Judah and had protected him. God had been his “sun and shield.” He knew that God was a gracious and giving God. “No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” He considered himself to be a blessed man because of the God he trusted. What are your “trust (faith)” numbers on the trust-meter? Do you really believe that God can help you? He can. As this Psalmist is traveling he is tired. The place to stop and rest is a place that is dry, lonely, and desolate. But that’s where he found himself. He unrolled his bed, pitched his tent in a place full of dry holes. His water supply is small, but he thinks if he’s frugal he can make it to Jerusalem. Drifting off to sleep the Lord and his Temple is on his mind. He awakes to the sound of rain. The next morning, he finds that God has come through once again. Water is everywhere. All those dry holes now are teeming with water. He drinks, then drinks a little more. Once he’s done drinking, he refills his water skins smiling to himself because his “mighty God” has given him blessings once and again.

Off to the Temple he goes. He has this real-life experience and writes it down so the Choir at God’s house can sing about it. We are still using his song 2700 years later. Are you traveling through “Bacca”? Are you in a dry, barren place? God has a water supply, and it may come from an unlikely place. Think about this as I close. The Psalmist was heading to the right place, God’s house. He longed for God’s house. He knew the assembly of God’s people was a place of blessing. The second thing to remember is that he was walking “uprightly.” He was doing right. We often lose blessings because of the way we walk. Disobedience is the wrong path for God’s people for receiving blessings when in the valley of Bacca.