The Bread of Tears: Passing through the Valley of Weeping
The Bread of Tears: Passing through the Valley of Weeping.
“Those who sow their tears as seeds will reap a harvest with joyful shouts of glee. They may weep as they go out carrying their seed to sow, but they will return with joyful laughter and shouting with gladness as they bring back armloads of blessing and a harvest overflowing!” (Psalm 126:5-6, TPT).
The Miracle of Tears. Each of us as human beings share a spectacular miracle… We each have been gifted by our Creator God with the ability to shed tears. And not merely one type of tear, but three kinds of tears, all of them benefitting us in different ways that, being so common, are easily taken for granted. First there are the Basal tears which are constantly produced to keep our eyes lubricated and moist, and which also provide much-needed nutrients to the cornea. Secondly are the Reflex tears that are triggered by irritants which wash away debris like dust and foreign objects, sooth our eyes from smoke, and prevent further irritation by giving our eyes time to heal up from the irritation. Amazingly too, Reflex tears contain antibodies to fight bacteria and avoid infection in our eyes. Finally, there are the Emotional tears which are released during times of strong emotions both positive and negative, such as anger, joy, sorrow, relief, fear, high stress, grief, and when something is felt deeply and needs expression. Emotional tears are a special gift of our creator God, because they contain protein-based hormones that act as natural painkillers; a higher protein content to strengthen the eyes and keep them healthy; neurotransmitters that effect the ability to remember, to learn, to focus and pay attention, and release harmful stress. Emotional tears are a divine gift because it helps us express ourselves in healthy ways that are difficult to express any other way. Regardless of the kind of tear, they all contain enzymes that promote healing and maintain the health of our eyes. All tears are basically a water-based liquid that contain .3 mg of salt which have electrolytes and salt particles like sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. God is certainly the Lord of the Details when it comes to something as common yet complex as human tears.
‘How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of the Angel Armies! I languish, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of Yahweh. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God! Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young at a place near your altar, O Lord of Hosts, my King and my God! What joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises.“ (Psalm 84:1-4).
Psalm 84 is one of the “Songs of Ascent” to be sung by Jewish pilgrims as they walk their way to Jerusalem for one of the three yearly Feasts. It was written by the “Sons of Korah,” who were assigned to set up the worship services in the Temple, and were said to be scholars of Scripture as well. In this psalm, they were trying to describe their intense longing to be in God’s presence when away from the Temple, and no doubt they were trying to inspire the same sense of deep delight in the pilgrims during their journey. Many biblical scholars note that the Hebrew terms used here at the start of the psalm were practically erotic as they expressed their longings for God’s presence. The term often translated as “lovely” is actually quite tepid and weak, because the actual Hebrew terms were associated with lovemaking with a lover. The authors were spiritually lovesick for God when they weren’t in the Temple worshiping Him, thy were fainting with intense desire to live in union with the Lord Yahweh. And the Sons of Korah wanted to cultivate that same sense of desire in the pilgrims as they anticipated the goal of their journey, the sacred Temple of the Lord.
“Blessed are those who make You their strength, Lord, for they treasure every step of the journey to Zion, their every thought is on their pilgrimage, and within their hearts are the highways of holiness. Even when they pass through the dry Valley of Baca, the Valley of Weeping, they will make it a place of springs, as if the early rain had clothed it with a blessing. They will go from strength to strength, gaining strength with every step forward to God in Zion.” (Ps. 84:5-7).
Valley of Weeping. The Hebrew here in Ps. 84:6 is the Valley of Baca, which was also known as the Valley of Tears. This valley may have been a real valley on the road to Jerusalem, but its actual locale is unknown. Many have claimed that this a legitimate landmark, the valley of the Baca bush, or mulberry tree, or even the balsam tree. The mulberry and balsam trees are known as “weeping trees” because of the blood-like tears when their pressed berries are poured. The valley in this passage is also considered a metaphor for those inevitable, challenging times in a believer’s life when one’s journey with God contains hardships and adversities. But God has proven himself to be the Lord of renewal and transformation, and can take that dry, desolate place of sorrow and difficulty and turn it into one of blessing and refreshment. Only the Lord can take a dry gulch and turn it into a life-giving oasis. While trudging through a Valley of Tears, we pilgrims need to persevere, to trust God in such an expectant way that we could very well experience a God-given miracle of grace, that as we dig for water during the dry times we would discover an underground spring that would gush forth with living water to replenish our souls.
The Temple Birds. The authors of Psalm 84 poetically describe in verses 3-4 their desperate longing to be permanent residents in the house of God, to the fanciful extent that even birds like the sparrow and the swallow are able to build their nests in the little crevices between the stones of the Temple walls. The psalmists are jealous of these Temple birds who have the joys of living at the House of worship, warbling their God-given bird songs, laying their eggs, raising their young, making God’s home their home. The psalmists present themselves as fervent lovers of God who yearn to dwell right there at the Temple, just like those birds, in sweet communion with Yahweh!
Sparrows and Swallows. Both birds were and still are smallish and common songbirds, so much so that they were usually overlooked and ignored. Swallows in particular have earned their nickname of “birds of freedom” because they fly very fast and love to roam everywhere freely. Evidently it is impossible to ever capture a swallow because they instinctively hate the thought of being held captive. Swallows are long distance migrants, and can average flying 200 miles a day during their migration. They make their little nests of mud and straw in areas where there is a lot of human activity, and return to their same nests every year. There is a sweet irony with these Temple birds in that, even though they seem to be fiercely independent and not held down in any way, they nonetheless choose to dwell in God’s presence.
No Birds Here! The psalmists evoking the Temple birds as faithful residents of God’s House would have been horrified with Herod the Great’s rebuilding of the Temple starting around 20 BC. He wanted his Temple to be known worldwide as the most beautiful place of worship anywhere, a showcase for his abilities and a place of pride for him. Herod completely redesigned the property and made his new Temple with white marble and gold everywhere. He decided that he didn’t want any more of these birds flying around the Temple, so he lined the tops of the Temple roof with sharpened gold spikes to keep them from flying overhead and soiling the walls with their excrement. He thought birds would make an ugly mess of what is supposed to be a building of unsurpassed beauty. In Jewish tradition, these bird-repellant spikes on the roof were called “scarecrows.” Herod also placed different types of bird-repellant structures around the altars as well, because he thought scavenger birds of prey would swoop in and wreak havoc on the carcasses of sacrificed animals. So Psalm 84 could not have been composed in Herod’s Temple!
Jesus Our Temple. This psalm becomes even more personally profound as we think about how we Christian believers are all on our inner pilgrimage, and we yearn to be united with our spiritual temple, Jesus Christ. We want to dwell in Him and make Him our home just as the psalmist did. We want to build our nests in safe places within Jesus and worship Him there all day, every day. Jesus is our living Temple, and we would rather abide in Him and be right there in Him than anywhere else. This yearning will finally be fulfilled in the New Jerusalem, where “the Lord God Himself and the Lamb will be its Temple” (Rev. 21:22). And in this Temple, thankfully, there will be birds everywhere!
“For the Lord God is a sun and shield, and He will grant us gifts of grace and glory, favor and honor. O Lord of the Angel Armies, blessed are those who trust in You!” (Ps. 84:12-13).
If I Was A Bird – Mission House & Dee Wilson (Official Live Video) (youtube.com)
(A beautiful song inspired by Psalm 84):
Lyrics: This is where I wanna be, Right inside Your house. This is where I wanna be, Right inside Your house.
If I was a bird I would make my nest, In the rafters of Your sanctuary, I, I don’t ever wanna fly away. No I, I don’t ever wanna fly away.
I know where I belong, Right here by Your side. I know where I belong, Right here by Your side. To open fields and peaceful streams I know that You are leading me. And I, I don’t ever wanna run away. No I, I don’t ever wanna run away. No I, I don’t ever wanna run away. No I, I don’t ever wanna run away.
Happy are those who dwell in the house of God. Can I get an amen! Happy are those who dwell in the house of God. Can we say it again! Happy are those who dwell in the house of God. Can I get an amen! Happy are those who dwell in the house of God. Can we say it again!
(David) said I’d rather have one day in your house than a thousand anywhere else. (David) said I’d rather have one day in your house than a thousand anywhere else. So, my soul says I’d rather have one day in your house than a thousand anywhere else. I’d rather have one day in your house, I’d rather have one day in your house than a thousand anywhere else than a thousand anywhere else.
Happy are those who dwell in the house of God. Happy are those who dwell in the house of God. Happy are those who dwell in the house of God. Happy are those who dwell in the house of God.
I’d rather hold the doors, I’d rather sweep the floors than be anywhere else but here. Anywhere else but here. I’d rather hold the doors, I’d rather sweep the floors than be anywhere else but here. Anywhere else but here.
Happy are those who dwell in the house of God. Happy are those who dwell in the house of God. Happy are those who dwell in the house of God. Happy are those who dwell in the house of God. (Written by Jessica Ray Langdon).