Psalm 84, verse 5 says, “Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.” We looked at the first part of verse 5 of Psalm 84 in the last post. We examined what it means for a man’s strength to be in God. The second part of the verse is really the part that drew my attention as I was reading. I began to think about what it means for one’s heart to be set on pilgrimage.
Usually, my heart is set on permanence. I want to have a home, “to put down roots” in a community, to be part of something. At first glance, permanence seems to be the opposite of what the “blessed man” seeks after. That led me to explore the term “pilgrimage”.
“Pilgrimage” according to the dictionary is “a journey, especially a long one, made to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion” or “any long journey, especially one undertaken as a quest or for a votive (dedicated in accordance with a vow) purpose, as to pay homage.”
The word “pilgrimage” packs a lot of meaning:
- It is a type of long journey
- Destination is a sacred place
- Purpose is to show religious devotion or to honor a vow (to God)
What does the Psalmist mean when he uses “pilgrimage’ here?
- What is the long journey? Is he talking about a life lived walking daily with God, what Enoch, Abraham or Paul had? Is this a journey that is never complete this side of eternity?
- What is the sacred place to which the man is traveling or journeying? Is it Heaven? Eternal Life with God?
- What is the devotion or vow which the man is to show by the journey? Is it simply devotion to God? Is it the promise to take up the cross of Jesus and follow after Him?
I think this idea of a heart set on pilgrimage requires more consideration and mediation. I know that it speaks to traveling light and not being at home here in the world. One who is on a pilgrimage has his primary focus on the object of his devotion. As I live my life, my pilgrimage, I need to keep my primary focus on God, the object of my devotion, the one to whom I made the vow to be a bond servant.
I invite you to share any additional thoughts you might have regarding what it means to have your heart set on pilgrimage. The blog is a two-way communication. Send me a post!
Rooted and Grounded 
Psalm 84:5
As with some verses there is a wide variety of words used to translate this verse from the Hebrew to the English. Often looking at the various translations gives a fuller understanding of the verse.
Psalm 84:5 reads like this in different translations:
NAS How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, In whose heart are the highways to Zion!
NLT What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
Sometimes it helps to put a verse into historical context. What the psalmist appears to be referring to is the thrice yearly trips to Jerusalem which was commanded in Deuteronomy 16:16.
The psalmist uses this image of going to the Temple at Jerusalem throughout the whole Psalm. As Wilmington’s Bible Handbooks notes, “The psalmist longed to enter the Temple courtyard and find sweet refuge near the altar, as the sparrows and swallows had done (84:1–4). He imagined the thoughts of pilgrims as the Lord helped them through the valley of sorrow and they grew ever stronger as they approached the palace (84:5–7; see 23:4). Finally, he contemplated again the joy of just 24 hours in God’s presence, even as a lowly doorkeeper (84:8–12).”
Being on a pilgrimage might also include the blessings that come along with obeying God’s commands, as well as the joy of worshipping with other believers and the unspeakable joy of moving to a place where you can stand in God’s presence or dwelling place.
My two cents for what it’s worth.