Psalm 27:4 One thing I have asked of the Lord.....

Psalm 27:4 ESV: One thing have I asked 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 gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
   and to inquire in his temple.

I don't know if this is what David meant or not but I take this to say that there was only one thing that David prayed for and considered important enough that he would seek after it. He prayed for other things. Many of David's prayers are recorded as Psalms. Others are recorded in First and Second Samuel and First Kings. David prayed a lot. But there was only one thing that he prayed about that he would seek, pursue, hunt for and that was [to] dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of [his] life and to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.

David was wealthy, had a lot of wives and many sons. He ran from Saul because he was trying to kill David. He struggled with his allegiance to King Saul. He faced trials and temptations, some of which caused him to fail. He had a lot of responsibilities with his kingdom and his armies. So he prayed a lot.

David had so much and needed so much help and guidance, but the one thing that he considered the most important, important enough to pursue was [to] dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of [his] life and to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.

We should stop to ponder that a while. David wanted to dwell, live in, not visit the house of the Lord. He wanted to dwell there all the days of his life. How impossible is that for a king? I think he meant that he wanted to be in God's presence, carry God with him, do everything as though God were leading and helping him 24/7 - all the time. He would also seek opportunities to gaze upon the Lord's beauty and to seek God's guidance using the resources available at His temple (learned teachers of the Law, priests). This one thing, more than any other, is the desire of David's heart. Can any of us say the same thing?

The Matthew Henry commentary says that David was praying to live as the priests did, in their own quarters, away from the wars and other responsibilities that David had. The priests were able to meditate, live in peace and safety. "With what a gracious earnestness he prays for a constant communion with God in holy ordinances," Henry, M. (1996, c1991). Matthew Henry's commentary on the whole Bible : Complete and unabridged in one volume (Ps 27:7). Peabody: Hendrickson.

The title is linked to the whole chapter Psalm 27. It is beautiful.

Lord, One thing I ask and seek after is to dwell in your house forever, to gaze upon your beauty and inquire/seek after/rest in your temple. When I stray from that, pull me back in. Amen.

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