A Pilgrimage of the Heart (Psalm 84:5)

by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
Audio (4:51)

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William Strutt, English miniaturist, detail of 'Jerusalem Pilgrims'' (1872), oil on canvas, 1.68 x 3.14 in., Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide. Full image.

Psalm 84 is the outflow out of a heart of one who loves the temple of God in Jerusalem. He longs for the glorious temple, Yahweh's dwelling place. He blesses the birds who get to make nests there, always dwelling in God's presence. He talks about pilgrims who journey to Jerusalem to celebrate a feast day and "appear before God in Zion."

But this psalm is more than a praise of the temple. The temple, here, is clearly a symbol of the presence of Yahweh himself. It is a wonderful psalm that I am working to commit to memory.

Verse 5 keeps coming back to me again and again:

"Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage." (NIV)

There are two key words in the second line:

1. "Heart" (Hebrew lēb) is "the richest biblical term for the totality of man's inner or immaterial nature."¹ With this word, the psalmist indicates that he is going beyond a physical journey or pilgrimage to the temple, as was the custom of Jews all over the Holy Land. He is speaking of a heart journey, the journey of the inner person.

2. "Highway" is the Hebrew noun mĕsillâ, from the verb sālal, "cast up." The word pictures a roadway that is built higher than the surrounding terrain in order to make it smoother and more level, less susceptible to washout and flooding (Isaiah 40:3-4; 57:14; 62:10). The line has been variously translated:

"... who have set their hearts on pilgrimage." (NIV, NJB)

"... in whose heart are the highways to Zion." (ESV, NRSV, NASB)

"... in whose heart are the roads to Zion!" (NLV)

"... in whose heart are the ways of them." (KJV)

Incidentally, the word "Zion" doesn't appear in the Hebrew text of verse 5, but is implied by verse 7.

When you put these two ideas of heart and highway together in the context of "appearing before God in Zion" (verse 7), you come up with the idea of a pilgrimage or deliberate travel of the heart.

What does that mean? For me, it means that my heart, my inner self, needs to be intentionally moving towards God. Seeking him by design. Pushing on towards him.

I know what spiritual stagnation looks and feels like. This is the opposite. Growing. Moving forward. Never satisfied with where I've been, but constantly seeking his Presence anew, day by day. It is a heart that seeks God vs. a lazy heart that resists.

If you're like me, some days you don't feel like spending time with God, of having a devotional time, what I call a "quiet time." I understand. That is the lazy, carnal heart trying to reassert itself. But I must not let laziness prevail. So I make it a point to take time for God whether or not I feel like it. Like a not-so-healthy pilgrim on his way to Jerusalem at Passover, who puts in a day of walking even if he doesn't feel like it.

As I meditate on verse 5, I believe my heart this day is indeed "on pilgrimage." May it always be so -- for me and, my friend, for you.

"Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage." (NIV)

[1] Andrew Bowling, mĕsillâ, in Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, (editors), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT; Moody Press, 1980), #1071a.

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