Psalm 84:5-7 says,

​​​5 How blessed is the man [âḏâm ~ person, mankind…not just male] whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion!
6 Passing through the valley of Baca [Valley of Weeping] they make it a spring; the early rain also covers it with blessings [ḇerâḵâ ~ blessings; the early rains are those which they pray for at Sukkot that usually come right afterward. The latter rains are those in the spring.].
7 They go from strength to strength, every one of them appears before Elohim in Zion.

I love these verses!!!  Zion is another name for Jerusalem.  They are synonymous.  There is something interesting about this verse, while it is not one of the Psalms of Ascents [Psalm 120-134], it is very much about their ascents. In verse 5 the word Blessed is not the typical Hebrew word Baruch it is the Hebrew word Asher, which means happy.  Some of your Bibles might actually be translated as “Happy are those…”

As we’ve mentioned before happy has to do with our circumstances or our happenings. So Psalm 84 is saying, “Our circumstances will get a whole lot better when our heart is set on pilgrimage.”  In other words, when our heart is set on going up or ascending to YHVH’s appointed times.  If our circumstances are not good right now, or just not happy, let’s ask ourselves, “Is my heart finding strength in YHVH and is my heart set on pilgrimage?”

Verse 7 says, They go from strength to strength, till each appears before Elohim in Zion.  Their strength was the link from feast to feast until they could once again pilgrimage to be with YHVH at His appointed times.  Since He never changes and His word is eternal, this truth still applies to us today.  He always shows up at His appointed times to which the weekly Shabbat, is the first of those times.  We have the opportunity to gain strength each time we gather together to come before Him at His appointed times.

In the dispersion we are like “mini” Jerusalem’s.  Every time we keep YHVH’s pilgrimage feasts, the Spring feasts and the Fall feasts, we are rehearsing that final pilgrimage that we will make when we RETURN to Jerusalem to worship our King Yeshua.  In Deuteronomy 30:1-5 it basically says that we must amend our iniquities, our lawlessness, while in exile and He will bring us back to the land.

We will close with an encouragement to come before Him hungry and ready to receive all that our heavenly Father desires to feed us from His banquet table that He spreads each Shabbat.

Psalm 132:13-15 says,

13 For YHVH has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation.

14 “This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.

15 “I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her needy with bread.

In essence YHVH is saying that He will provide supper for those who arrive hungry for His presence and fellowship.  We all know how it is when we’ve gone shopping at the grocery store hungry, we nearly buy the whole place out.  But if we eat before we go, we hardly WANT to buy anything…especially if we don’t have a list…it’s hard to even think about food, much less what we want to eat later.  In the spiritual realm our Father wants us to arrive hungry, for He desires to feed us.  But if we’re not hungry, ready to receive food, His Word, could it be because we are FULL of ourselves or the world?  May we empty ourselves, begin to hunger and thirst after righteousness and set our hearts on pilgrimage, then we will have the strength and power we need for each day.

Have a blessed and shalom filled day!!

Tammy

Courtesy of

River of Life Tabernacle
Tammy McLendon
Great peace have they who love Your law. Psalm 119:165a