The eighty-fourth psalm is a song of praise to God. The lyricist says that his "soul longs…for the living God" (V:2). He tells us that God is his focus, so much so that he would rather be nothing more than a "doorkeeper" in God's "house" than to comfortably "dwell in the tents" of wicked men (V:10). The author of the psalm tells his reader that "no good thing" is "withheld from them that walk uprightly" (V:11). Thus, the praise of the Lord Jehovah is at the heart of this inspired hymn.

The phrase "Lord of hosts" means literally "Lord of armies," and gives us some sense of what our verse for today is saying. Having lavished praise on his God, the very last line of this psalm essentially says, 'You can trust God because He is in charge of armies.' And while it is certainly the case that He can influence earthly armies, the psalmist most likely speaks of the armies of heaven-who are at the Lord's beck and call. He twice speaks of God as "our shield" (Vv:9 & 11), suggesting his power to protect those who trust in him. Consequently, there is a sense that, in the midst of the "tents of the wicked," there is a God who will fight our battles-if we will but "walk uprightly" before Him.

And so, our verse for today invites us to leave wickedness and worldliness behind; to escape the "tents of the wicked" and flee to the "house of the Lord." Yes, the psalmist suggests we will be persecuted for doing so. However, he also implies that the "Lord of Hosts" (the "Lord of Armies") will fight our battles, "shield" us from the "arrows of the wicked," and pour out all "good things" upon us as we "trust in Him."