The Swallows at the Temple
The Swallows at the Temple.
‘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).
This intimate follower of the Lord poetically describes desperate longing to be in the Temple, the house of God, as a permanent resident. He describes how 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 psalmist is jealous of these birds who have the joys of living at the House of worship, singing their songs and raising their young. The psalmist presents himself as a fervent lover of God who yearns to dwell right there at the Temple, just like those birds!
The swallow was a smallish and common songbird during that time, and still is. Swallows 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 swallows in that, even though they seem to be fiercely independent and not held down in any way, they nonetheless choose to dwell in the House of God.
No Birds Here! The psalmist evoking the Temple swallows as 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 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 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!
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).