Psalm 134

Psalm Category: Song of Ascents

Central Thought: As we bless God, He blesses us

Keywords: the Lord, bless

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Psalm 134 is the conclusion of the Psalms of Ascents (which begin with Psalm 120). It is likely that ascent refers to the people of God going up to Jerusalem for the three major feasts (Ex. 23:14-17). The placement of this Psalm at the end of the collection is very suitable, as it bids farewell to those who are departing with a blessing from the Lord (v. 3). Blessing at departures is frequent in the Scriptures (Lev. 9:22; Luke 24:50). The Lord is the One who is blessed (vv. 1a, 2b) and the One who blesses (v. 3). It seems reasonable to see the departing pilgrims urging those who stay in the temple to continue to bless the Lord (vv. 1-2), and then the high priest replying with the Lord’s blessing on those who are returning to their homes (v. 3; Num. 6:23ff; see Ruth 2:4).

Blessing God (vv. 1-2)

Behold (v. 1; Ps. 133:1) commands devoted attention to the often-neglected duty of blessing God. We cannot give anything to God, so our blessing Him is simply a confession of His perfections as revealed in His Word and works (Ps. 103; 104; Eph.1:3ff). The One who is blessed and who blesses is the Lord (used five times in this brief psalm). The Lord is our covenant redeemer who has adopted us as His own children and delivered us out of death and into life (Ex. 6:7; 20:1ff; Col. 1:13). This is the meaning of confessing Jesus as Lord (Rom. 10:9).

Those urged to bless the Lord are all servants of the Lord (v. 1). Assuming that those being urged to bless (vv. 1-2) are the same as those blessing (v. 3), these servants would be the priests and Levites led by the high priest (v. 4; Num. 6:23ff; see Ps. 135:1-2, 19). This assumption is supported by the description of them as those who stand…in the house of the Lord (v. 1; Deut. 10:8).

That these servants are described as serving by night (v. 1; Lev. 6:13; 1 Chr. 9:33) is intriguing. Perhaps the original use of this psalm was at a shift change. The outgoing servants urged the incoming ones to bless the Lord, and the incoming servants blessed the outgoing ones as they departed (see Ps. 104:22-23). The inclusion of this psalm at the end of the Psalms of Ascents seems to deal with a similar situation. The departing pilgrims urge the servants of the Lord to persevere in their work, and these servants bless the pilgrims as they depart.

Lift up your hands (v. 2) is the usual sign of blessing that accompanies the word of blessing both to man (Lev. 9:22; Luke 24:50) and to God (v. 2; Ps. 63:4). It would seem appropriate for us to do this in our public praise, as long as this sign accompanies words of blessing to God and as long as a congregation does this together. To the sanctuary (v. 2) is to the place of God’s dwelling, namely, the holy of holies (Ex. 25:22; Ps. 132:8-9, 13-18). This implies that the hands that are lifted to bless God are also holy (v. 2; Ps. 28:2; see 1 Tim. 2:8; Isa. 1:15).

God Blessing (v. 3)

The Lord whom the pilgrims urged the servants to bless (vv. 1-2) is also the one who blesses them through these servants (v. 3). It may be that part of the motivation for the pilgrims to encourage the servants to bless the Lord was so that the servants, in turn, would be enabled to bless the pilgrims. The priests and Levites offered the sacrifices in service to the Lord and then the high priest blessed the people (Lev. 9:22). As the servants blessed the Lord in the sanctuary of His house (vv. 1-2), so the high priest blessed the people from Zion (v. 3), the place of His holy throne (Ps. 133:3; see Ps. 132:13, 17). His dwelling with His people in Zion demonstrates His purpose to bless them even as the incarnation of His Son—God with us—demonstrated His love (John 3:16). His work of creation—He who made heaven and earth (v. 3)—indicates that He is also fully able to bless His people with every good thing (v. 3; see Ps. 121:2; 124:8; Acts 17:24ff). When we bless God, we can only confess His goodness (vv. 1-2). When the Lord blesses us, He confers His goodness (v. 3; Num. 6:24ff; Jas. 1:17).

It is significant that the object of blessing, you (v. 3), is singular. In the Psalms of Ascents, the people assembled as one man for the feasts (see Neh. 8:1, 6). As one man they exhort the servants to bless the Lord (vv. 1-2), and as one man they receive blessing from the Lord through the high priest (v. 3). It is as we come together as a church that the Lord’s blessing is given and enjoyed by His people (v. 3; Ps. 133:1, 3; see 1 Cor. 11:17-18).

Lessons

A major theme of this psalm and the Psalms of Ascents collection is that we bless God and are blessed by Him together in His public worship. It is only as we ascend together into God’s presence to bless Him in public worship (see Heb. 12:22ff) that we are blessed by Him there. If we neglect blessing Him in public worship (vv. 1-2; see Heb. 10:25ff), we forfeit being blessed by Him in public worship (v. 3; Heb. 13:20ff).

There is a direct connection between blessing God and being blessed by Him (vv. 1-3; see Ruth 2:4). There is a reciprocal relationship. As we bless God (vv. 1-2), He blesses us (v. 3); as we love Him, He loves us (John 14:21, 23; 16:27); as we forgive others, He forgives us (Matt. 6:12, 14); as we sow, He gives a harvest (Ps. 126:5-6). It is true that the Lord initiates all of these things (1 John 4:19). But it is also true that only as we bless God by confessing His glory, will He bless us by conferring His benefits.

Blessing is mediated in both directions in this psalm. It is the priests and Levites who bless the Lord in the sanctuary (vv. 1-2) and it is the high priest who blesses those gathered in public worship (v. 3). This reminds us that we cannot bless God or be blessed by Him apart from our Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is adequate to bless the Lord (Heb. 9:11-15ff), and He alone has accomplished all the benefits with which we are blessed (Eph. 4:7ff). We should also recognize that our elders and deacons (compare priests and Levites) bless the Lord and bless us in His name in the ordinances and circumstances of public worship. They bless us in the Word and sacraments, with prayer and praise accompanying both, and fellowship in it all (see Acts 2:42-47; Phil. 1:1). We should do all we can to encourage our officers to bless the Lord so that they will be enabled by Him to bless us.