The House of God

In 1967, Ted and Edna Perry found out they couldn’t have any more children. They had two sons, but had always wanted a little girl, so they decided to adopt a three-day-old baby. The biological mother was unmarried and had no means for providing, so the Perrys welcomed their new addition and named her Audrey Faith Perry, in reference to their trust in God. According to Faith, her parents raised their children in a “very stable, good Christian, God-fearing home,” and encouraged her talent for music. Well – we know the rest of the story. From singing at churches and rodeos, to five Grammy Awards and a Sunday Night Football into, Faith Hill was immensely blessed as God providentially placed the baby of a lonely, single Mom into the hands of a loving, Christian family.

One of my favorite passages is Psalm 68:5-6:

5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,

Is God in His holy habitation.

6 God sets the solitary in families;

He brings out those who are bound into prosperity;

But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

There is no doubt that Faith Hill’s story, and others like her, are beautiful examples of the providence of God. However, I suspect that is not what David is referring to in this passage. First of all, it is true that God absolutely cares for the fatherless, widows, lonely, and the bound. Secondly, He does sometimes, though not always, place them in wonderful, loving Christian families. But lastly, I don’t believe this is the type of home David is referring to at all.

The second half of verse 5 says it is God, Himself, who is the dwelling of the fatherless and widows. This brings to mind the story of Hagar when twice she flees from Sarah, and both times is found by God in the wilderness. She refers to Him as El Roi, “the-God-Who-Sees”.

The next phrase, “God sets the solitary in families,” seems to confuse the issue again. However, the Hebrew is in the singular form, and should be translated as “in a family” or “in a household.” The LXX more accurately reads, “God settles the solitary in a house.” What house would this be? Well, continuing with the thought of verse 5, it is God who is the Provider and Protection of our lives, and therefore our true home. When David Phelps sings, "I'm coming home", I don't think the reference is to heaven, but to God Himself.

Another interesting point - the NET note goes a step further and gives the literal Hebrew wording as, “God causes the solitary ones to dwell in a house.” Did God orchestrate the circumstances at Faith Hill’s birth to cause her to be adopted? Does He arrange events in our lives that cause us to feel fatherless (whether literally true or not)? He certainly did with Jesus on the cross, when He cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Mk 15:34). Does He coordinate situations in our homes that make us feel isolated from one another (whether we're actually widowed or not)? The answer to all these is, of course, yes. It is in our loneliest of times that we find the One who is our true Provider and Protector, or as Proverbs says, “a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Prov 18:24). He is the home our hearts yearn for.