Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.
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. Psalm 27:3,4 ESV
Maybe, just maybe, quarantine is the best place to weather COVID-19, the wild media, the economic terror, and the expanding government. If so, it’s a different sort of quarantine.
The contrast in this Psalm is about home. On the one hand, the enemy army is encamped. It has put down stakes. It is now living, threatening, actively warring against the Psalmist right over there. It has made a home that is dangerous for him, for me, for us.
But he finds hope: dwelling in the house of the Lord. Look, in the midst of danger, the Psalmist seeks not a bigger army, or better weapons, or a ninja-hero. He seeks the house of the Lord.
It’s all about where you are settled. Where you dwell. Where home is.
He doesn’t cower under the bed. He doesn’t turn off the lamps and peek at the army dwelling next door. He doesn’t moan and weep and shiver and cover his eyes.
He wants to DWELL in the house of the Lord. He wants to LIVE here. He wants to GAZE upon the Lord’s glorious beauty. He wants to be thinking about God instead of the army.
And the Psalmist, while writing about a physical temple, already understands the enviable situation that we have today. WE are the temple of God. WE are where God lives, His house, His presence, His dwelling place!
And I’m not talking about a church building. The contrast to the enemy dwelling at the gates is God HIMSELF, in Christ, through His Spirit living HERE. With US, stuck at home but not alone… never alone… never forsaken.
Fear not… we are quarantined with HIM.