One [thing] have I asked of Jehovah, that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of Jehovah, and to inquire [of him] in his temple.
Enemies surround David in this psalm, and under that pressure he asks for one thing only. Three questions follow: what is that one thing, where is this dwelling, and what do you see and do there?
One Desire, One Eye
Start with the number in the verse. It describes more than a prayer; it describes a state of heart.
"One thing." It is the simple expression of a heart that has only one motive, one object. In other words, it is what the Lord refers to when He speaks of "a single eye" — an eye taking in only one object.
Desire That Becomes Pursuit
David does not stop at asking. He adds that he will seek after it.
Notice first that he had not only asked this of the Lord, which was a true beginning. It was also the purpose of his heart to follow after it. And what did David long for so deeply? It was to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life. There he could contemplate the display of His glory and His beauty, and learn His mind. The temple was the place where the Lord shared His thoughts with those who waited on Him.
Dwelling Now, Not Only Later
"All the days of my life" fixes the timing. The prayer is about now as much as later.
It is undividedness of heart that comes out here. "One thing"; what is it? "That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life": not merely when I go to heaven. His presence has become the sanctuary of our hearts. We now have unhindered access. There is no veil now. We may in spirit dwell there now, "to behold the beauty of the Lord." ... Once we saw no beauty in Him that we should desire Him; but now He is the chief among ten thousand, the altogether lovely.
Why does this dwelling matter day by day? One writer answers from ordinary life.
Continually dwelling in the house of the Lord is the one thing that gives character. You can be sure of it: the place where you live is the place that gives you character.
The Reason for Being There
With enemies close, we might expect David to ask for shelter. He gives a different reason.
For what purpose are we to dwell there? To get out of the storm? No. Out of difficulties? No. Out of the exercises and trials that we are in here? Not a word about it. What is it, then? Just this, "to behold the beauty of the Lord." ... I love to think of that. It is like God to give me a motive in Himself, outside of all the wretched, miserable, selfish things that surround me here.
Commentators differ on what "beauty" means here. Trench sees the loveliness of Christ; another writer reads the word more plainly, and ties it to a habit.
"Beauty" in this verse apparently has the sense of pleasantness or graciousness. ... Withdraw from the noise and distraction of the world into the quiet of God's presence. That is how you come to know the mind of God and to experience His graciousness.
Inquiring in His Temple
The verse ends with a second thing done in that place: inquiring. One writer says the Hebrew behind it is warmer than it sounds.
There is another thing in that verse: "to inquire in his temple." I make no claim to scholarship, but the strict meaning of the Hebrew words is "to meditate with joy in his temple." I believe that is the literal force of those words in the original language. "To meditate with joy." "One thing have I asked: to dwell, to behold, and to meditate with joy."
The Root of His Confidence
The psalm opens with a man who will not fear an army. Verse 4 is not a change of subject; it explains where that steadiness comes from.
But one important principle, or state of soul, goes with this confidence and forms its basis. It is complete singleness of eye and desire. The soul looks to the Lord for one thing and seeks one thing: to be with Him, in His presence where He is and where we can adore Him; to behold His beauty, and to learn there His will and mind.
Summary
- One desire. The verse is the voice of a heart with only one motive and one object — what Scripture calls a single eye.
- One pursuit. Desiring is the true beginning; David adds that he will seek after it, making it the settled purpose of his heart.
- One dwelling. David asks for all his days, not only the life to come. Access is open now, and the believer may dwell in that presence today.
- One sight. He does not go in to escape the storm but to behold the Lord's beauty — a motive God gives us in Himself.
- One result. This singleness of eye and desire is the very basis of the confidence that makes the rest of the psalm fearless.