Psalm 84:3
Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she places her young near Your altars, O LORD of Hosts, my King and my God.
Even the sparrow has found a home,

Common and inexpensive, sparrows nevertheless live under God’s attentive care (Matthew 10:29). The psalmist observes that even small birds may find shelter around the Lord’s sanctuary, while his own heart longs to return to the place where God makes His presence known.

Psa 102:7 I lie awake; I am like a lone bird on a housetop.
Mat 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them…
Luk 12:6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?…

and the swallow a nest for herself,

The restless, migratory swallow finds a secure place to settle. God’s dwelling is portrayed as the true refuge for those who come to Him, offering a security deeper than any earthly home.

Jer 8:7 Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons.…
Psa 104:17 where the birds build their nests; the stork makes her home…
Pro 27:8 Like a bird that strays from its nest is a man…

where she places her young

The image includes the care of future generations. Near the worship of God, life is protected, nourished, and established. Israel was commanded to teach God’s words diligently to its children (Deuteronomy 6:6–7), so that each generation would know and fear the Lord.

Deu 32:11 As an eagle stirs up its nest and hovers over its young,…
Job 39:27-30 Does the eagle soar at your command and make his nest…
Psa 147:9 He provides food for the animals, and for the young…

near Your altars,

The altars represented sacrifice, forgiveness, and restored fellowship with God. Access to God required atonement, ultimately fulfilled in the sacrifice of Christ, through whom believers may draw near with confidence (Hebrews 10:19–22).

Psa 26:6 I wash my hands in innocence, that I may go about Your altar…
Psa 43:4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God…
Heb 13:10 We have an altar from which those who serve…

O LORD of Hosts,

The God who receives the weak and shelterless is also the sovereign Commander of heaven’s armies. His power to defend His people matches His willingness to provide for them.

1Sa 1:3 Year after year Elkanah would go up from his city…
Isa 6:3 “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts;…”…
Jer 46:18 As surely as I live, declares the King…

my King and my God.

The psalmist does not speak only of Israel’s God in general terms, but confesses personal allegiance and trust. The Lord is both the reigning King worthy of obedience and the covenant God in whom His people find their home.

Psa 5:2 Attend to the sound of my cry, my King and my God,…
Jhn 20:28 Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”
Psa 145:1 A Psalm of praise. Of David. I will exalt You,…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Sparrow and Swallow
These birds are often seen as symbols of insignificance and vulnerability. Their mention highlights God's care for all His creation, even the smallest and seemingly insignificant creatures.

2. Altars
In the context of the temple, the altars were places of sacrifice and worship. They symbolize the presence of God and the place where people come to meet with Him.

3. LORD of Hosts
This title emphasizes God's sovereignty and His command over the heavenly armies, underscoring His power and majesty.

4. My King and My God
This personal declaration of faith shows the psalmist's intimate relationship with God, recognizing Him as both sovereign ruler and personal deity.
Teaching Points
God's Care for the Smallest
Just as God provides a home for the sparrow and swallow, He cares for every detail of our lives. We can trust Him with our needs and concerns.

Desire for God's Presence
The psalmist's longing to be near God's altars reflects a deep desire for communion with God. We should cultivate a similar yearning for His presence in our daily lives.

Personal Relationship with God
The psalmist's use of "my King and my God" highlights the importance of a personal relationship with God. We are invited to know Him intimately and personally.

Worship as a Place of Refuge
The imagery of birds finding a nest near the altars suggests that worship is a place of safety and refuge. We can find peace and security in God's presence.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of the sparrow and swallow finding a home near God's altars challenge or encourage your view of God's care for you?

2. In what ways can you cultivate a deeper desire for God's presence in your daily life, similar to the psalmist's longing?

3. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's care in a seemingly insignificant area of your life. How did that impact your faith?

4. How can the concept of God as "my King and my God" influence your personal relationship with Him?

5. What practical steps can you take to make worship a place of refuge and security in your life, as suggested by the imagery in this verse?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Matthew 10:29-31
Jesus speaks of the sparrows, emphasizing God's care for them and, by extension, His greater care for us.

1 Kings 8:27-30
Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple highlights the significance of God's presence in the temple, similar to the psalmist's longing for God's dwelling place.

Hebrews 4:16
Encourages believers to approach God's throne of grace with confidence, akin to the psalmist's desire to be near God's altars.
Envy At the BirdsR. Tuck Psalm 84:3
More Value than Many SparrowsA. Maclaren, D. D.Psalm 84:3
Sanctuary BirdsS. Conway Psalm 84:3
Sparrows and AltarsAlexander MaclarenPsalm 84:3
Sparrows and SwallowsPsalm 84:3
Thy Swallow's NestH. Macmillan, D. D.Psalm 84:3
The Glory of WorshipC. Short Psalm 84:1-7
A Good Man in Relation to the Scenes of Public WorshipHomilistPsalm 84:1-12
A Psalm of ExileE. Johnson, M. A.Psalm 84:1-12
Delight in God's HouseG. F. Pentecost, D. D.Psalm 84:1-12
Delight in God's HouseMonday Club SermonsPsalm 84:1-12
Mingled MusicT. Spurgeon.Psalm 84:1-12
The Beauty of the House of GodA. G. Brown.Psalm 84:1-12
The Believer's Love for the SanctuaryS. Bridge, M. A.Psalm 84:1-12
The Soul's Sweet HomeS. Conway Psalm 84:1-12
People
Jacob, Korah, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Almighty, Altar, Altars, Armies, Bird, Birds, Brood, Finds, Herself, Home, Hosts, Lay, Layeth, Nest, O, Placed, Places, Sparrow, Swallow, Themselves, Yea, Yes
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 84:3

     4612   birds
     4675   nest
     5339   home
     8136   knowing God, effects

Psalm 84:1-4

     5340   house

Library
All Sufficiency
"The LORD GOD is a Sun and Shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: "No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly." --PSALM LXXXIV. 11. How pleasant to the heart of a true child to hear his father well spoken of, and to rejoice that he is the child of such a father. We feel that we can never thank GOD sufficiently for our privileged lot, who have been blessed with true and loving Christian parents. But if this be the case with regard to the dim and at best imperfect earthly reflections,
J. Hudson Taylor—A Ribband of Blue

March 16. "The Lord Will Give Grace and Glory" (Ps. Lxxxiv. 11).
"The Lord will give grace and glory" (Ps. lxxxiv. 11). The Lord will give grace and glory. This word glory is very difficult to translate, define and explain; but there is something in the spiritual consciousness of the quickened Christian that interprets it. It is the overflow of grace; it is the wine of life; it is the foretaste of heaven; it is a flash from the Throne and an inspiration from the heart of God which we may have and in which we may live. "The glory which Thou hast given Me I have
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

Blessed Trust
'O Lord of Hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in Thee.' --PSALM lxxxiv. 12. In my last sermon from the central portion of this psalm I pointed out that the Psalmist thrice celebrates the blessedness of certain types of character, and that these threefold benedictions constitute, as it were, the keynotes of the portions of the psalm in which they respectively occur. They are these: 'Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house'; 'Blessed is the man in whose heart are the ways'; and this final one,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Sparrows and Altars
'Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even Thine altars, O Lord of Hosts, my King, and my God.'--PSALM lxxxiv. 3. The well-known saying of the saintly Rutherford, when he was silenced and exiled from his parish, echoes and expounds these words. 'When I think,' said he, 'upon the sparrows and swallows that build their nests in the kirk of Anwoth, and of my dumb Sabbaths, my sorrowful, bleared eyes look asquint upon Christ, and present
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Happy Pilgrims
'Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee; in whose heart are the highways to Zion. 6. Passing through the valley of Weeping they make it a place of springs; yea, the early rain covereth it with blessings. 7. They go from strength to strength, every one of them appeareth before God in Zion.'--PSALM lxxxiv. 5-7. Rightly rendered, the first words of these verses are not a calm, prosaic statement, but an emotional exclamation. The Psalmist's tone would be more truly represented if we read, 'How
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

11TH DAY. After Grace, Glory.
"He is Faithful that Promised." "The Lord will give grace and glory."--PSALM lxxxiv. 11. After Grace, Glory. Oh! happy day, when this toilsome warfare will all be ended, Jordan crossed, Canaan entered, the legion-enemies of the wilderness no longer dreaded; sorrow, sighing, death, and, worst of all, sin, no more either to be felt or feared! Here is the terminating link in the golden chain of the everlasting covenant. It began with predestination; it ends with glorification. It began with sovereign
John Ross Macduff—The Faithful Promiser

At Last!
Gerhard Ter Steegen Ps. lxxxiv. 4 Draw me to Thee, till far within Thy rest, In stillness of Thy peace, Thy voice I hear-- For ever quieted upon Thy breast, So loved, so near. By mystery of Thy touch my spirit thrilled, O Magnet all Divine; The hunger of my soul for ever stilled, For Thou art mine. For me, O Lord, the world is all too small, For I have seen Thy face, Where Thine eternal love irradiates all Within Thy secret place. And therefore from all others, from all else, Draw Thou my soul to
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others

The Church Militant 467. Pleasant are Thy Courts Above
[1792]Maidstone: Walter Bond Gilbert, 1862 Psalm 84 Henry F. Lyte, 1834 Pleasant are thy courts above, In the land of light and love; Pleasant are thy courts below, In this land of sin and woe. O my spirit longs and faints For the converse of thy saints, For the brightness of thy face, For thy fullness, God of grace! Happy birds that sing and fly Round thy altars, O Most High! Happier souls that find a rest In a heavenly Father's breast! Like the wandering dove, that found No repose on earth around,
Various—The Hymnal of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA

Reverence in Worship.
"Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod."--1 Samuel ii. 18. Samuel, viewed in his place in sacred history, that is, in the course of events which connect Moses with Christ, appears as a great ruler and teacher of his people; this is his prominent character. He was the first of the prophets; yet, when we read the sacred narrative itself, in which his life is set before us, I suppose those passages are the more striking and impressive which represent him, in
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

The Minstrel
ELISHA needed that the Holy Spirit should come upon him to inspire him with prophetic utterances. "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." We need that the hand of the Lord should be laid upon us, for we can never open our mouths in wisdom except we are under the divine touch. Now, the Spirit of God works according to his own will. "The wind bloweth where it listeth," and the Spirit of God operates as he chooseth. Elisha could not prophesy just when he liked; he must wait until
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 27: 1881

The Old Man and the New.
"That we being dead unto sin should live unto righteousness."--1 Peter iv. 24. The Psalmist sings: "They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God." (Psalm lxxxiv. 7) We must maintain this glorious testimony, altho our own experience often seems to contradict it. Not experience, but the Scripture, teaches us divine truth; nor is it as tho the procedure of the divine operation in our own heart could differ from the testimony of the Sacred Scripture, but that our
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

It Remains Then that we Understand as Concerning those Women...
33. It remains then that we understand as concerning those women, whether in Egypt or in Jericho, that for their humanity and mercy they received a reward, in any wise temporal, which indeed itself, while they wist not of it, should by prophetical signification prefigure somewhat eternal. But whether it be ever right, even for the saving of a man's life, to tell a lie, as it is a question in resolving which even the most learned do weary themselves, it did vastly surpass the capacity of those poor
St. Augustine—Against Lying

A Book for Boys and Girls Or, Temporal Things Spritualized.
by John Bunyan, Licensed and entered according to order. London: Printed for, and sold by, R. Tookey, at his Printing House in St. Christopher's Court, in Threadneedle Street, behind the Royal Exchange, 1701. Advertisement by the Editor. Some degree of mystery hangs over these Divine Emblems for children, and many years' diligent researches have not enabled me completely to solve it. That they were written by Bunyan, there cannot be the slightest doubt. 'Manner and matter, too, are all his own.'[1]
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Various Experiences in Gospel Work
Soon after I discerned the one body, my brother and I visited St. James, Mo. We had labored there but a short time when Brother Warner and his company came to the town to hold a camp-meeting. When I was first introduced to Brother Warner, he made the remark, "And so you are the sister that wanted to stay in Babylon in order to get wolves to take care of Iambs?" and then broke into a hearty laugh. He referred to my remark that I was going to continue to work with the sects, so that whenever a congregation
Mary Cole—Trials and Triumphs of Faith

The Tests of Love to God
LET us test ourselves impartially whether we are in the number of those that love God. For the deciding of this, as our love will be best seen by the fruits of it, I shall lay down fourteen signs, or fruits, of love to God, and it concerns us to search carefully whether any of these fruits grow in our garden. 1. The first fruit of love is the musing of the mind upon God. He who is in love, his thoughts are ever upon the object. He who loves God is ravished and transported with the contemplation of
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial

Letter Xlvi (Circa A. D. 1125) to Guigues, the Prior, and to the Other Monks of the Grand Chartreuse
To Guigues, the Prior, And to the Other Monks of the Grand Chartreuse He discourses much and piously of the law of true and sincere charity, of its signs, its degrees, its effects, and of its perfection which is reserved for Heaven (Patria). Brother Bernard, of Clairvaux, wishes health eternal to the most reverend among fathers, and to the dearest among friends, Guigues, Prior of the Grande Chartreuse, and to the holy Monks who are with him. 1. I have received the letter of your Holiness as joyfully
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

In Judaea
If Galilee could boast of the beauty of its scenery and the fruitfulness of its soil; of being the mart of a busy life, and the highway of intercourse with the great world outside Palestine, Judaea would neither covet nor envy such advantages. Hers was quite another and a peculiar claim. Galilee might be the outer court, but Judaea was like the inner sanctuary of Israel. True, its landscapes were comparatively barren, its hills bare and rocky, its wilderness lonely; but around those grey limestone
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Growth in Grace
'But grow in grace.' 2 Pet 3:38. True grace is progressive, of a spreading and growing nature. It is with grace as with light; first, there is the crepusculum, or daybreak; then it shines brighter to the full meridian. A good Christian is like the crocodile. Quamdiu vivet crescit; he has never done growing. The saints are not only compared to stars for their light, but to trees for their growth. Isa 61:1, and Hos 14:4. A good Christian is not like Hezekiah's sun that went backwards, nor Joshua's
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

First Attempts on Jerusalem.
Jesus, almost every year, went to Jerusalem for the feast of the passover. The details of these journeys are little known, for the synoptics do not speak of them,[1] and the notes of the fourth Gospel are very confused on this point.[2] It was, it appears, in the year 31, and certainly after the death of John, that the most important of the visits of Jesus to Jerusalem took place. Many of the disciples followed him. Although Jesus attached from that time little value to the pilgrimage, he conformed
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

The Universal Chorus
And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him that stteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. M en have generally agreed to dignify their presumptuous and arrogant ^* disquisitions on the works and ways of God, with the name of wisdom ; though the principles upon which they proceed, and the conclusions which they draw from
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

Under the Shepherd's Care.
A NEW YEAR'S ADDRESS. "For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls."--1 Peter ii. 25. "Ye were as sheep going astray." This is evidently addressed to believers. We were like sheep, blindly, willfully following an unwise leader. Not only were we following ourselves, but we in our turn have led others astray. This is true of all of us: "All we like sheep have gone astray;" all equally foolish, "we have turned every one to his own way." Our first
J. Hudson Taylor—A Ribband of Blue

I Fear, I Say, Greatly for Thee, Lest...
39. I fear, I say, greatly for thee, lest, when thou boastest that thou wilt follow the Lamb wheresoever He shall have gone, thou be unable by reason of swelling pride to follow Him through strait ways. It is good for thee, O virgin soul, that thus, as thou art a virgin, thus altogether keeping in thy heart that thou hast been born again, keeping in thy flesh that thou hast been born, thou yet conceive of the fear of the Lord, and give birth to the spirit of salvation. [2142] "Fear," indeed, "there
St. Augustine—Of Holy Virginity.

The History of the Psalter
[Sidenote: Nature of the Psalter] Corresponding to the book of Proverbs, itself a select library containing Israel's best gnomic literature, is the Psalter, the compendium of the nation's lyrical songs and hymns and prayers. It is the record of the soul experiences of the race. Its language is that of the heart, and its thoughts of common interest to worshipful humanity. It reflects almost every phase of religious feeling: penitence, doubt, remorse, confession, fear, faith, hope, adoration, and
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament

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