John Calvin Commentary Psalms 84:1

"How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Jehovah of hosts!" — Psalms 84:1 (ASV)

How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Jehovah of Hosts! David complains of being deprived of the freedom to access the Church of God, there to make a profession of his faith, to improve in godliness, and to engage in divine worship. Some would understand the tabernacles of God to mean the kingdom of heaven, as if David mourned over his continuation in this state of earthly pilgrimage. However, they do not sufficiently consider the nature of his present afflicted circumstances—that he was barred from the sanctuary.

He knew that God had not appointed the holy assemblies in vain, and that the godly need such helps as long as they are sojourners in this world. He was also deeply aware of his own infirmity, nor was he ignorant of how far short he came of approaching the perfection of angels.

He therefore had good reason to lament being deprived of those means, the usefulness of which is well known to all true believers. His attention was, no doubt, directed to the proper purpose for which the external ritual was appointed. For his character was widely different from that of hypocrites, who, while they frequent the solemn assemblies with great pomp and seem to burn with ardent zeal in serving God, yet in all this, aim at nothing more than by an ostentatious display of piety to obtain the credit of having performed their duty toward Him. David’s mind was far from being occupied with this crude notion.

The purpose he had in view in desiring so earnestly to enjoy free access to the sanctuary was that he might there worship God with sincerity of heart and in a spiritual manner. The opening words are in the form of an exclamation, which is an indication of ardent affection; and this state of feeling is expressed still more fully in the second verse. From this we learn that those who carelessly neglect God’s instituted worship, as if they were able to ascend to heaven by their own unaided efforts, are seriously lacking in understanding.

I have observed that in the second verse a more than ordinary ardor of desire is expressed. The first verb, כספ, casaph, signifies vehemently to desire. But not content with this word, David adds that his soul fainteth after the courts of the Lord, which is equivalent to our pining away when, under the influence of extreme mental emotion, we are in a way transported out of ourselves.

He speaks only of the courts of the tabernacle because, not being a priest, it was not lawful for him to go beyond the outer court. Only the priests, as is well known, were permitted to enter the inner sanctuary. At the end of the verse, he declares that this longing extended even to his body, that is, it manifested itself in the utterance of the mouth, the languor of the eyes, and the action of the hands.

The reason he longed so intensely to have access to the tabernacle was to enjoy the living God; not that he conceived of God as confined in such a narrow place as the tent of the ark, but he was convinced of his need for steps by which to rise to heaven. He knew that the visible sanctuary served the purpose of a ladder, because by it the minds of the godly were directed and conducted to the heavenly model.

And certainly, when we consider that the sluggishness of our flesh hinders us from elevating our minds to the height of the divine majesty, God would call us to Himself in vain if He did not at the same time, on His part, come down to us; or if He did not at least, by the provision of means, stretch out His hand to us, so to speak, to lift us up to Himself.