Blessed Like the Birds (Psalm 84)

One of my favorite parts of the morning routine is opening the window shades to look out over our backyard. From the patio to the tree line we host a breakfast buffet for a variety of woodland creatures including rabbits, squirrels, and birds. Many, many birds. 

I have come to love watching them interact with our small patch of the world. Rain or shine, every season of the year, the little birds in our yard are well cared for.  

In this second installment of our Greatly Blessed: Dwelling with God Bible study series, we’re looking at verses 3 and 4 of Psalm 84. 

“Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may lay her young, at your altars,

O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! – Selah”

Psalm 84:3-4

Picture of Birds

Birds are cheeky little creatures. Spirited. Remarkably resilient given their vulnerability to the elements. Jesus used birds as an illustration, showing God as a caring Father and provider. 

•  “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” – Matthew 6:26
• “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” – Luke 12:6-7

The birds sing praises to the Lord, their creator and provider. It is as natural to them as breathing. 

• “Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches.”  – Psalm 104:12

An Approachable Altar

The altar was a flat surface in the courtyard of the temple, used to hold the sacrifices people offered to atone for their sin. It represents a place of consecration. The bridge  between God and man. Altars memorialized God’s great deeds and represented times He came near. 

Something about the sparrows nesting near the altar makes this holy space approachable. It is a place of safety and comfort, where even birds can hatch their young without fear. 

As Natural As Nature 

A number of sources I came across in my research indicated that it might be better to read the phrase, “Even the sparrow finds a home,” as, “Even as…”  The poet is making a comparison by saying, “As a little bird seeks after a home, so do I seek/long/desire to be near your altar” 

This idea reminds me of Psalm 42:1, 

“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.” 

There is an instinctual need in our soul to worship and be near the Lord. Doing so is like coming home, finding a place of rest and sanctuary. When we are at rest, content in His presence, we are blessed and free to sing like the birds. 

Verse 4 ends with “Selah”, a word of uncertain meaning that denotes a time of quiet meditation. Or as Charles Spurgeon puts it, 

“In such an occupation as this we might be content to remain for ever. It is worth while to pause and meditate upon the prospect of dwelling with God and praising him throughout eternity.”