Near the end of the 84th Psalm, the text says this…

For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

(Psalm 84:10)

If I could only be a lowly doorkeeper in the Temple, that is preferable than to be an honored guest in the tent of a wicked man. On its own that’s a lovely sentiment, with the writer saying there is nothing better than to be near the Lord. There’s a second layer to it, however, that’s worth considering. The Psalm in question is given the heading “for/of the sons of Korah” (Psalm 84:1). Who are they?

In Numbers 16, Moses is challenged by an uprising of insubordinate Israelites, led by a Levite man named Korah. The challenger claimed that Moses took too much authority on himself and that everyone should have an equal say in the affairs of the nation (Numbers 16:1-3). In response, Moses called on God to settle the matter, saying that whomever the Lord chose would be the ruler of the people. As you might’ve guessed, God sided with Moses, and opened up the earth to swallow up Korah and those who sided with him (Numbers 16:28-32).

In the midst of that, Moses says these words:

 Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them? 

(Numbers 16:9)

Moses rebuked Korah for thinking it wasn’t enough that he was a Levite, that he had been specially chosen to tend to the affairs of the tabernacle of God. It was a small thing to him. He wanted more. For that, he died. Fast forward centuries later, and the Psalmist notes that it is better to be a Tabernacle/Temple servant, standing merely at the door of the Lord’s House, than to be in the tents occupied by evildoers. Considering the history of Korah, that’s a powerful reminder that prideful ambition will lead to one’s demise. Had Korah remained lovingly content, and satisfied with what God had given him, he would never have been consumed.

Let his folly be a lesson to us all.

~Matthew