Sparrow
Psalm 84:1-4 - My Soul Longs for the Courts of the Lord
God of Heaven’s Armies, you find so much beauty in your people! They’re like lovely sanctuaries of your presence.
Deep within me ate these lovesick longings, desires and daydreams of living in union with you. When I’m near you my heart and my soul will sing and worship with my joyful songs of you, my true source and spring of life!
O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God, even the sparrows and swallows are welcome to build a nest among your altars for the birds to raise their young.
What pleasure fills those who live every day in your temple, enjoying you as they worship in your presence! Selah.
In this Psalm we see the psalmist expresses his own sense of the loveliness of the place where God is worshipped, and his earnest longing to be near God. He illustrates this feeling by a beautiful image drawn from the sparrow and the swallow, small insignificant birds - building their nests unobstructed and unalarmed near the very altar of God. As if they must be happy to be so near to God, and to dwell peaceably there.
The idea here is, that the sparrows and the swallows are to be envied. They come freely to the place where God was worshipped, to the very altars, and make their home there undisturbed.
Matthew 10:29-31
You can buy two sparrows for only a copper coin, yet not even one sparrow falls from its nest without the knowledge of your Father. Aren’t you worth much more to God than many sparrows?
(Matthew 10:30-31) So don’t worry. For your Father cares deeply about even the smallest detail of your life.
He encourages them not to fear by two striking considerations: first, that God takes care of sparrows, the smallest and least valuable of birds; and, secondly, by the fact that God numbers even the hairs of the head. The argument is, that if He takes care of birds of the least value, if He regards so small a thing as the hair of the head, and numbers it, He will certainly protect and provide for you. You need not, therefore, fear what man can do to you. He is not like the gods worshipped by many of the pagan, who were supposed to be so exalted, and so distant, that they did not interest themselves in human affairs; but He condescends to regard the needs of the meanest of his creatures. It is one of the glorious attributes of the true God, that he can and will thus notice the needs of the mean as well as the mighty; and one of the richest of all consolations when we are afflicted, and are despised by the world, is the thought that we are not forgotten by our heavenly Father. He who remembers the falling sparrow, will not be unmindful of us.
Every true man’s life is charged with a purpose of God, which will mould it and master it, so as that it may best work out His glory. He who notes the fall of the sparrow sees, numbers, and knows each human soul. He has entrusted it with a certain office and privilege. He has created it that it might glorify Him. He has endowed that soul with existence that it might be guided into His all-wise purpose, and afterwards received to share with Him His glory.
Almond Blossom
The first time we read of the Almond Blossoms in the Word of God is in Exodus 25:31-40.
This is where Father told Moses to make the Tabernacle and all the implements in the Tabernacle exactly as He shows him - as it is in heaven. In this scripture, He tells him how the golden lampstand must be made.
This is the only light inside the Holy place. The lampstand was to be decorated with Almond blossoms. We know that all the implements were a picture of Yeshua. The Lampstand is a picture of Yeshua as the Word - the light to the World.
All the Furniture in the courtyard and holy place were either made of wood, covered by gold or bronze. The Menorah was the only solid gold item - this shows to Yeshua’s Divinity, pureness of the Word, and His glory. Psalm 119:140” Your Word is very pure (tried and well refined)…” It was made in the shape of Almond branches with blossoms - carrying the fire for light. It consisted of 7 oil lamps (7 - Fullness, Completeness Perfection, 7-fold Spirit of God (Revelations 4: 5)) It had 3 branches to the left of the shaft with 3 flower buds and 3 branches to right with each 3 flower buds. The shaft had 4 flower buds, a total of 22 flower buds. Interesting to know is that the Hebrew alphabet consists of 22 letters - the building blocks of YHVH’s Word. Each of these 22 flower buds consisted of a bowl, knobs and flowers. Thus there were 22 x 3 ornaments, total 66. Interesting to know that the Word of God consists of 66 books.
The Almond Tree is the 1st tree to awake in spring and the last tree to shed its leaves - thus the longest tree to stay awake. We also read of the Almond tree in Jeremiah 1: 11-12 “ …. Jeremiah, what sees thou? And I said I see a rod of an Almond tree. Then said the Lord unto me, thou hast seen well; for I hasten My Word to perform it.” YHVH gives the answer for what an almond stands for. It is a picture of His Word. The Hebrew word for Almond is SHA’KED - from the root word SHA’KAD. This means “to be watchful, to remain watchful, on the lookout and alert at all times”. Therefore the Menorah symbolized the Word of YHVH. We also see the Almond blossoms in Aaron’s rod. This was a dead piece of wood that blossomed with Almond flowers. In Jesus, we that are dead, are raised up to life by the living Word. John 11:25 Jesus said to her, I am the Resurrection and the Life! He who believes in Me, though he die, yet he shall live.
Aaron’s rod was also a picture of our authority as priests in God’s Kingdom. The Blossoms shows the promise of fruit. Only through His Holy Spirit are we able to bear fruit when we eat His seed - The Word. No other seed can produce Kingdom fruit. We will be known by our fruit.
Psalm 1. ..But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season; Its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity].