Here are some components of David’s deepest desire that helped him dwell in God’s presence forever.
Psalms 27:4
“One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.”
Let’s look at some of the components of David’s desire that helped him to dwell in God’s presence forever.
Desire
Sha-al in Hebrew (Strong’s Concordance H7592)
means to salute, to request, demand successfully until request is granted and then made over to your name.
Seek
‘Seek’ is ‘saqash’ (Strong’s Concordance H1245)
meaning to seek to find and secure.
House
‘House’ is ‘bayith’ (Strong’s Concordance H1004)
house containing a family, a family of descendants, an organized body, permanent abode, belonging to the same household. Johan 14:21-23
We are of the Household of Faith and David’s greatest desire was to belong to that eternal family of which God is the Eternal Father. When you say you are going to build a house in Hebrew the word ‘banah’ (Strong’s Concordance H1129) is used and it means to establish a family. When exiles return they are built into a household. Abraham and Sarah – a childless wife became a built up family by receiving the son of promise.
Beauty
‘Beauty’ is ‘no-am’ (Strong’s Concordance H5278)
and refers to pleasantness, delightfulness.
Behold
‘Behold’ is ‘chazah’ (Strong’s Concordance H2372)
and it means to look and perceive with intelligence. It can also mean to prophesy about the beauty and delightfulness of God’s presence in the midst of the congregation. ‘Chazah’ also indicates to see by experience and to provide. In other words as we look at the beauty of God and delight ourselves in this intimate spiritual knowledge we will not only experience His presence but God will also provide what we need or require. Delight yourself in the Lord your God and He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)
Enquire
‘Enquire’ is ‘baqar’ (Strong’s Concordance H1239)
to reflect and consider.
Temple
‘Temple’ is ‘hey-kal’ (Strong’s Concordance H1964)
and speaks of capacity of a place. The root word is ‘ya-kol’ and it means to have the ability to overcome and to have strength to prevail and endure until you become victor. David is not saying he simply wants to sit in a building all the days of his life. He wants to live in victory over all the things that trouble him and outwit all his enemies! What a place to live!
Realise by faith that you are the temple of the Holy Spirit now – His temple is your temple and vice versa! 1 Corinthians 6:19.
Days
‘Days’ is ‘yome’ (Strong’s Concordance H3117)
and refers to a lifetime or a division of time: yesterday, today & tomorrow.
Life
Life is ‘chay’ (Strong’s Concordance H2416)
and means ‘green’ or springtime. David is saying that dwelling with God and enjoying his presence and guidance day by day is a renewing and reviving experience that keeps him in the springtime of his life for the rest of his life. In God’s presence is eternal spring! It also speaks of flowing water rather than stagnant water and indicates sustenance and maintenance. God’s presence keeps us in the flow of His spirit and that is how He sustains us.
‘Chayah’ means to preserve life and to live prosperously delivered from sickness, discouragement, faintness and death. It gives the picture of total restoration. He quickens your life with a touch of His spirit when you dwell in His house, the place where you constantly have capacity for victory in life.
‘Chay’ also infers appetite. To have appetite for good things and for holy things, because you frequent the presence of the Lord continually He gives you an appetite for spiritual things and help to quench the appetite of the flesh that wants to sin and die. Moses had this kind of appetite that proved stronger than the drawing towards Egypt’s riches. He preferred to endure hardship with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season because he esteemed the riches of Christ greater than all the wealth of Egypt.
Apostolic Quality
This is the quality we also see in the apostles in the New Testament. This is the quality of believers God is restoring to the church today. This is the quality of spiritual life we are building into our children by embracing the apostolic reformation. This is a new generation of people who have only one desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of their lives to behold His beauty and to enquire of the Lord in His temple!
We can through faith in Jesus’ name, live from God’s house of eternal capacity for victory!
Photo by delfi de la Rua