A SONG OF DEGREES.
1 Behold, bless ye the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD.
2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.
3 The LORD that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.
INTRODUCTION
Have you ever spent time in hospital overnight? If so, you will recall that the corridors which bustle with people during the day grow quiet. Visiting hours and supper over, the lights are dimmed. Many of the patients lie asleep but the work does not stop. A dedicated team of the night shift – doctors, nurses, porters, cleaners, security officers – go about their tasks. Often their work is unseen but it is essential.
In ancient times work never stopped at the Jerusalem temple. Once the evening sacrifice was offered (Psa 141:2) the priests and their assistants, the Levites, had plenty to keep them occupied (Num 3:7-8). 1 Chron 9:17-32 gives an account of the practical duties the Levities performed both day and night – looking after the sacred vessels, portering, baking, allocating oil, wine and spices. The priests were responsible for ensuring that the perpetual fire on the altar of burnt offering never went out (Lev 6:12-13) and that the lamps on the Menorah (lampstand) in the Holy Place burned brightly ‘from evening to morning’ (Exod 27:20-21). Some priests and Levites functioned as temple police. The priests also engaged in spiritual activities (prayer and praise) during the night. A high-ranking official known as the Captain of the Temple (Lk 22:4; Acts 4:1; 5:24) was in overall charge. Psalm 134 acknowledges the vital contribution of those who serve the Lord through the long hours of the night. This psalm is a song for the night shift.
Psalm 134 is the 15th and final poem of a collection (120-134) known as the ‘songs of degrees’ (or ascents). They are called this because they were sung by pilgrims as they travelled up to Jerusalem to celebrate the major Jewish religious festivals – Passover, Weeks (Pentecost) and Tabernacles.
It is also thought that the visitors sung them as they made their way round the city of Jerusalem. It is appropriate that this psalm has been placed at the end of the collection of songs of ascents for it seems to sum up the whole point of pilgrimage to Jerusalem – to bless the Lord and to be blessed by him.
Although mainly directed at a specific group of people – the priests and Levites working night shift at the Jerusalem temple – this psalm contains lessons that we can apply to ourselves, especially those of us who feel that we are on the night shift of life.
The psalm is structured as a call and response. It divides as follows:
1-2 The call – The festival pilgrims encourage the temple night shift to bless the Lord.
3 The response – The priests pronounce a blessing upon the pilgrims.
VERSES 1-2 – THE CALL
The pilgrims directly address the priests and Levites who work overnight in the temple and call on them to worship the Lord with uplifted hands .
‘Behold’ – expresses strong feeling so in this context could be translated ‘Come!’ or ‘Oh!
Bless’ – appears 3 times in the psalm – once in each verse. In vv. 1 and 2 it is an imperative giving a command, advice, or encouragement to worship the Lord. The word ‘bless’ means ‘pay homage to.’
‘the Lord’ – YHWH – the proper name of Israel’s national deity. The name occurs 5 times in these three verses.
‘all’ – all those working in the temple during the night.
‘servants of the Lord’ – this term is used to describe worshippers in general (Psa 135:1; Isa 54:17), also prophets (2 Kgs 9:7). The use of the word ‘stand’ following this phrase suggests that in Psa 134 it refers specifically to the temple personnel.
‘stand’ – a term used for the service of the priests and Levites (Deut 18:7; 1 Chron 2:30; 2 Chron 29:11).
‘by night’ – ‘during the nights’ – i.e. night after night.
‘the house of the Lord’ – the Temple – this term equates to ‘the sanctuary’ of v.2.
(2) ‘Lift up your hands’ – this displayed an attitude of surrender, reverence, worship and expectation while praying (cf. Psa 28:2; 1 Tim 2:8).
‘In the sanctuary’ – ‘sanctuary’ refers to the entire tabernacle (Exod 36:1, 3, 4; 38:27) and Temple.
‘bless the Lord’ – our praise and worship is an active response to who God is.
VERSE 3 – THE RESPONSE
In response to the exhortation from pilgrims to continue their praise and worship of the Lord throughout the night the priests invoke God’s blessing upon them.
‘The Lord…bless thee’ – This is not only a prayer but also a benediction. Some commentators view this as referring to the Priestly Blessing of Num 6:22-26. For a detailed consideration of that see my post THE AARONIC BLESSING. ‘To bless’ was one of the priestly functions (Deut 10:8; 21:5).
‘that made heaven and earth’ – (cf. Psa 121:2) – ‘heaven and earth’ is a merism (use of opposite extremes to express totality) – this figure of speech means the whole creation. It emphasises the power and sovereignty of YHWH the Creator.
‘thee’ – This singular may be taken as referring to the psalmist or interpreted as a collective singular referring to the group of pilgrims.
‘out of Zion’ – The blessing comes from the Lord, not the priests. Zion was where YHWH’s presence dwelt at that time.
LESSONS
Worship of the Lord is not restricted to certain days or times but continues 24/7 – all day and all night, every day of the week. The psalm encourages worshippers to serve and bless God during the night. The following psalms mention praising God at night: Psa 42:8; 63:5-7; 92:1-2; 119:62.
This psalm encourages us to continue serving and worshipping the Lord even when what we are doing seems insignificant and goes unnoticed by others.
The posture of lifted hands in the psalm reminds us that in praise and prayer we ought to have an attitude of surrender to God’s will and one of expectation of his blessing.
The priests are called on to bless the Lord and they in turn bless the people. Praise for the Lord results in blessing for the people of God.
The psalm is a reminder that it is God and not others who is the source of spiritual blessing and enrichment.
The Lord, the maker of heaven and earth, is well able to sustain us throughout the circumstances of our night; times of hardship when we are weary and all around seems dark. He is not a small god who is confined to a temple but is the Creator of all that exists.
Let us faithfully serve and praise God during our night shift, confident that blessing will flow out from his presence and enrich us while we wait for the dawn.
Written Exposition 