In one of the most beautiful verses in all of Scripture, the psalmist proclaims: “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” (Psalm 84:10).
This theme is echoed again in (Psalm 27:4): “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.” And (Psalm 122:1) continues this thought: “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” One final verse lets us know that this incredible privilege of dwelling in the house of the Lord need not ever end: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6).
Notice that in (Psalm 84:10) it says that, “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God.” The verse say “a doorkeeper,” which means that in the house of the Lord there can be many doorkeepers – we can all be doorkeepers in the house of the Lord! This verse also says, “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.” The psalmist recognized that there can be no better place than to dwell in the house of the Lord because we meet Jesus every time we enter this holy place.
One final observation on (Psalm 84:10) concerns the contrast of being a doorkeeper, which implies a servant in God’s house, verses dwelling in “the tents of wickedness.” Serving God is so much better than being a king of your own domain. And one more precious thought concerns the fact that as a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord we can be certain that “goodness and mercy” will always follow us both now and for eternity!