The Highways to Zion

The Highways to Zion
Study Center | Home Page | PDF Version

We began a study of Psalm 84 last month. David wrote this Psalm when he was under attack. He was receiving much criticism and he knew he was opening himself up to depression. The place he went to naturally to receive strength was the tabernacle of the Lord where the Word of God was taught. He longed to be in God's presence.

Psalm 84 verse one says, "How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!" Who is the Lord of hosts? Jesus is the Lord of hosts. In Hebrew "the Lord of hosts" is "Jehovah of armies." Jesus is the captain of the armies of heaven. David had a military at that time that was very strong, but he knew where the real military might was. It was with Jehovah of armies. David knew his strength and the strength of the nation came from the Lord of hosts.

Verse two begins, "My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: "Longeth means to intensely desire, and fainteth means to groan on the inside. He says my soul groans and longs for You. David's source of strength in prosperity or adversity was always in the presence of the Lord. There are pitfalls in adversity and there are also pitfalls in prosperity and peace. When there are hard times, it is easy to lean on the Lord. It's when things are peaceful and there is not a lot of hectic activity going on that it is a real test to see if you'll depend on the Lord then, too. David sinned, but not to the extent his son did, and Solomon had a reign of peace! For forty years there was peace and Solomon got bored. One of the greatest oppositions you'll face in life is what to do with boredom. Boredom should drive you TO the Word, TO the presence of the Lord, not AWAY from Him.

David continues in verse two, "my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God." The word "crieth out" means to rejoice and to praise. He says, my heart and my flesh rejoice and praise the living God. When he couldn't be in the courts of the Lord, he brought the courts of the Lord to him.

When you can't be at church, take church with you where you are. Who says you have to wait to get to church to rejoice? Rejoice in your house. I thank God for that corporate anointing when believers are together, but grab a little piece of that anointing and take it home with you and have it right there in the bathroom in the morning, and in your kitchen, and right there on your job. I want you to notice that David says his flesh rejoices. Praising God isn't all within your spirit. It isn't saying, "I'm praising God." Shouting and dancing is praising God. Whenever David praised the Lord, he praised with all his might.

Verse three says, "Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God." Sparrows and swallows have common behavior patterns. They wander a lot, but after their wanderings they come back to a nest and a home. And David is applying this to our Christian life. Our Christian life is not just staying at home, and our Christian life is not just going out. It's both. After a time of being in God's Word it is important for you to go and give God's Word. After you give out God's Word, it's important for you to you come back to the place where you can receive God's Word.

David knew after fighting the enemy he had to return to the altar of the Lord to renew his strength.

What is the altar? The altar is the place of sacrifice. It represented the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It was the place where the blood was shed. When Jesus went to the cross, this was the time when God was satisfied as the sins of the world were poured out on the Lord Jesus Christ. If there was one place David's soul longed to be, it was with the work of the Lord Jesus.

Verse three says this is where the birds have their young. People are born into the Kingdom of God at the cross. They begin at the same place to which we return. It's the blood that got us born again, and it's the blood that keeps us clean. First John 1:7 says "... and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son, cleanseth us from all sin." After you go out into a busy world and do the different things that you do, it is important for you to return to the place of God's satisfaction with you -the place of peace inside you.

Recently I was preparing for several sermon series to teach in my church, and I had to decide which series to teach. I had some turmoil on the inside of me. I had to stop and get before the Lord to find out what was going on. The Lord pinpointed on the inside of me what He wanted me to teach next. It was something He had already shown me, but I thought I could put it off until some other time because I really wanted to teach something else. I had begun to try to make what I wanted to be God's will. Have you ever done that? That particular morning I said,"Well Lord, that's it - I'll do it." Immediately peace came over me. You have to come back to that place where the inward witness lines up with God. You need to follow peace.

Verse four begins, "Blessed are they who dwell in thy house." Dwell doesn't mean you are there all the time. Having a home doesn't mean you are there twenty four hours a day. A home is a place from which you go and a place to which you return. Verse four continues
"... they will be still praising thee." This verse really says they will be ever praising God. Even when you are not at home you can praise Him. Home is also the place where you go to bed at night. It's the place where you get refreshed to face another day. It's the place in this world of uncertainties you can go where things are solid. It's a place of retreat. God has given us a retreat in a world full of chaos. He's given us the courts, and the altar of His Word.

At the end of verse four is a Selah. The word Selah simply means a rest. At a Selah the singers stop, but the music continues. In this particular case the choir has stopped and the harp keeps playing so the people can reflect on what they just heard. Selah also indicates a change in direction.

Verse five begins,"Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee..." You've received your strength from the Lord and from the courts of the teaching of God's Word. You have the areas of rest on the inside of you, and are at peace with God at His altar. You've set up your home in God's house. Now that you've drawn your strength from the Lord, it is important for you to go out in the strength of the Word.

For many years there was a drought of God's Word in this nation. When God's Word was suddenly available and people started hearing it, there was a tendency for many to sit down and just listen, but not do anything with the Word they were hearing. We are to receive the Word of God and then take it to
the world.

David continues verse five "...in whose heart are the ways of them." The Hebrew says, "...in whose heart are the highways to Zion." Zion was the place of rejoicing and praise unto the Lord. It would have been great to live continueally in Zion. It would be great to go to church and just stay there continually. Some people want to have communes where all the Christians live together and feed off each other. However, the Word of God tells us He hasn't called us to do that. He's called us to be IN the world but not OF the world. The world shouldn't influence us but we should influence the world. I know it would be great to only work around Christian people, but if we all did that the world would die and go to hell while the Christians would be eating and drinking and having a good time with each other. He's called us to go out into the world and as we go, it is His desire for us to take Zion with us. Within our hearts we have the highways to Zion so no matter where we are we have a road map on the inside of us leading us directly to the throneroom of God. We can always go to that place of rejoicing, because we carry it with us.

The world can be rough. You go to your job, and rub elbows with worldly people all day. You listen to their language. You see the things they do and detest them, but you know God has placed you there to be the salt of the earth. In other words, God has called you there to change the situation around you. You change the atmosphere with the strength you have inside you from being in the courts of the Lord. Inside you are the highways to Zion enabling you to make every situation an opportunity to rejoice before the Lord.

Verse six says "Who ..." You who have the highways to Zion on the inside of you. You who have been rejoicing in the courts of the Lord. You who have rejoiced before the altars of the Lord, and have made the house of the Lord your home. Verse six continues "Who passing through the valley of Baca ..." The valley of Baca is a desert and represents a valley of tears and depression. God has not said He'll lead you around every valley. He never said every time you face a problem He'll lift you up and carry you over the problem so feet will never touch the problems of this world. Nor has God ever declared when you get born again, Spirit filled, and start to walk by faith you will never have another problem in life. Stepping out by faith marks you. Not only does God see your faith, the devil sees your faith and he comes around to attack.

David continues, "Who passing through the valley of Baca, make it a well." The phrase "make it a well" is better translated, "make it a fountain." In a place of drought you can turn every circumstance around. Whoever heard of one man who had the power to turn a desert into a fountain? However, we have that power because in every situation we face, even if it is a situation which brings tears to our eyes, we can draw upon the power in our inward man to turn the situation around.

The end of verse six says "... the rain also filleth the pools." The Hebrew says "The early rain covers it with the blessings of God." Rain in the Word of God is a type of the grace of God. In Matthew chapter five it states "for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." God sends His grace to everyone. He doesn't send rain only to the farms owned by Christians and withhold it from farms owned by sinners. Have you ever noticed sinners don't have a shadow over them while the Christians get to walk in the sunshine? God's grace is equal to all. Every person has the same opportunity to be born again. The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared unto all men.

In review, this verse is saying when you tap into the highways of Zion on the inside of you, when you draw from the fountain on the inside of you and turn that valley you're in into a fountain, God sends His waters of grace and covers the pools--He covers the whole situation with His blessings.

How many times have You gotten into trouble and begged God to get you out of it? You had enough Word to knock the devil flat on his back, but you just pleaded and pleaded for the grace of God. The Bible talks about two types of grace. One is the grace of God that brings salvation and the other is found in James chapter four. It says, "But he giveth more grace." He won't give you "more grace" until you use the grace He's already given you. Once you've used the fountains He has given you, He will send the early rain.

The early rain was to water the seeds and cause them to grow. When you are in the middle of a hard situation, you can use your faith at that particular moment and cause the fountains to come forth. In His grace, God sends the early rain to cause blessings to come up later. Many of the blessings you're walking in today began some time ago. It's all an out-pouring of the grace of God.

Has God ever sent an unexpected blessing your way? You thought, "Where in the world did this come from?" Many of your crops were planted back in the valley of tears. When you used your faith and drew out the highways to Zion on the inside of you, you caused the fountains to come forth. Because you did your part, God poured out more grace and sent the early rain blessing on top of those fountains to water seeds that would later become a harvest. Isn't God amazing! Hallelujah!

Bob Yandian

If you like this article, check out Psalms 64 and 84 at the BYM Store.