Hidden in God's house

This week's verses are Psalm 27:1-5:

The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I fear no one.
The Lord protects my life.
I am afraid of no one.
When evil men attack me
to devour my flesh,
when my adversaries and enemies attack me,
they stumble and fall.
Even when an army is deployed against me,
I do not fear.
Even when war is imminent,
I remain confident.
I have asked the Lord for one thing—
this is what I desire!
I want to live in the Lord’s house all the days of my life,
so I can gaze at the splendor of the Lord
and contemplate in his temple.
He will surely give me shelter in the day of danger;
he will hide me in his home.
He will place me on an inaccessible rocky summit.

These verses were written by King David long before any of us were born. There are two really positive themes in there which we can all learn from: God is ultimate protection. And his kingdom is of such value that even one of the most powerful people in the world would consider access to it as his supreme priority.

David calls God his light and salvation. Salvation, in the sense of being saved from something. Light in the sense of freedom of movement, early warning, less confusion. His experience is that God provides revelation, an escape route, and ultimately a rescue.

He says twice that he fears no one, because of God. David was good at making enemies. He wasn't a great person. He stole the wife of one of his generals and had him killed to cover his tracks. He arranged to have several people murdered after his death. And his wealth and power provoked a lot of envy. Even before he was king, people were trying to have him killed. And yet God protected him.

He is not even afraid when an army is chasing him. Not even when impending war is obvious and unmistakable. Do we have that kind of confidence in God when our peace is threatened? What would it take to have it?

The answer is probably related to David's priorities. He wants to live in God's house all of the days of his life. Some people think he's talking about the temple when he says that, but then he mentions the temple separately later. Do we really think King David is just saying that he wants to live in a church?

I think he means "house" in the sense of the sphere of God's influence and control, God's kingdom, basically. Arabic has a similar connotation to the word "dar" (دَار) which means "house" but can also mean "territory." So in that sense, David wants to live in the territory that God controls, the sphere of influence where God makes the rules, the place God considers to be his own, and will defend. 

It's the same idea as the weak kid who makes friends with one of the strong ones. When bullies are around, that weak kid wants to sit next to the strong kid. He's not going to stray very far. I think this is kind of what David is saying. If you want to be safe, get real close to someone you know won't tolerate bad things happening.

But it's not just self-preservation that draws David to God. He also mentions contemplating and gazing on God's splendor. (Other translations sometimes say "beauty.") If the "strong friend's table" is protection, maybe this is the "light" he is talking about. And if so, then what he is saying is that this protection as well as this beauty and revelation all come from getting close to God, from entering his "house."

He says that in the time of danger, God will give him shelter and hide him in his home. That's pretty intimate. How many people do we know who would hide us in their home if we had enemies out looking for us? Do we have that intimate a connection with God? Do we have that confidence that he will send a car for us and keep us with him in his secure walled compound if need be?

David doesn't say he wants God to come into his own house. He says he wants to go to God's house. That's one final clue. Do we expect God to come into our lives as we are, and come under our household rule, like the pagan idols the Romans used to have? Or do we get up and seek out his kingdom and try to make it so that where we are living is inside of His sphere of influence and control? 

So for peace, joy, and things so fine that even a king considers them top priority, seek out God's kingdom and try to be around him whenever you can. Much like in CS Lewis' books, maybe your prayer closet is actually a gateway to another kingdom, and hiding there is a first step to experiencing true freedom from the dangers around you.