97 lines
7.3 KiB
XML
97 lines
7.3 KiB
XML
<div2 id="Ps.cxxxv" n="cxxxv" next="Ps.cxxxvi" prev="Ps.cxxxiv" progress="68.22%" title="Chapter CXXXIV">
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<h2 id="Ps.cxxxv-p0.1">P S A L M S</h2>
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<h3 id="Ps.cxxxv-p0.2">PSALM CXXXIV.</h3>
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<p class="intro" id="Ps.cxxxv-p1">This is the last of the fifteen songs of degrees;
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and, if they were at any time sung all together in the
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temple-service, it is fitly made the conclusion of them, for the
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design of it is to stir up the ministers to go on with their work
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in the night, when the solemnities of the day were over. Some make
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this psalm to be a dialogue. I. In the <scripRef id="Ps.cxxxv-p1.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.134.1-Ps.134.2" parsed="|Ps|134|1|134|2" passage="Ps 134:1,2">first two verses</scripRef>, the priests or Levites
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who sat up all night to keep the watch of the house of the Lord are
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called upon to spend their time while they were upon the guard, not
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in idle talk, but in the acts of devotion. II. In the <scripRef id="Ps.cxxxv-p1.2" osisRef="Bible:Ps.134.3" parsed="|Ps|134|3|0|0" passage="Ps 134:3">last verse</scripRef> those who were thus called
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upon to praise God pray for him that gave them the exhortation,
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either the high priest or the captain of the guard. Or thus: those
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who did that service did mutually exhort one another and pray for
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one another. In singing this psalm we must both stir up ourselves
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to give glory to God and encourage ourselves to hope for mercy and
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grace from him.</p>
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<scripCom id="Ps.cxxxv-p1.3" osisRef="Bible:Ps.134" parsed="|Ps|134|0|0|0" passage="Ps 134" type="Commentary"/>
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<scripCom id="Ps.cxxxv-p1.4" osisRef="Bible:Ps.134.1-Ps.134.3" parsed="|Ps|134|1|134|3" passage="Ps 134:1-3" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Ps.134.1-Ps.134.3">
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<h4 id="Ps.cxxxv-p1.5">A Call to Bless God.</h4>
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<div class="Center" id="Ps.cxxxv-p1.6">
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<p id="Ps.cxxxv-p2">A song of degrees.</p>
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</div>
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<p class="passage" id="Ps.cxxxv-p3">1 Behold, bless ye the <span class="smallcaps" id="Ps.cxxxv-p3.1">Lord</span>, all <i>ye</i> servants of the <span class="smallcaps" id="Ps.cxxxv-p3.2">Lord</span>, which by night stand in the house of the
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<span class="smallcaps" id="Ps.cxxxv-p3.3">Lord</span>. 2 Lift up your hands
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<i>in</i> the sanctuary, and bless the <span class="smallcaps" id="Ps.cxxxv-p3.4">Lord</span>. 3 The <span class="smallcaps" id="Ps.cxxxv-p3.5">Lord</span> that made heaven and earth bless thee out
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of Zion.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="Ps.cxxxv-p4">This psalm instructs us concerning a
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two-fold blessing:—</p>
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<p class="indent" id="Ps.cxxxv-p5">I. Our blessing God, that is, speaking well
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of him, which here we are taught to do, <scripRef id="Ps.cxxxv-p5.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.134.1-Ps.134.2" parsed="|Ps|134|1|134|2" passage="Ps 134:1,2"><i>v.</i> 1, 2</scripRef>. 1. It is a call to the
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<i>Levites</i> to do it. They were <i>the servants of the Lord</i>
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by office, appointed to minister in holy things; they attended the
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sanctuary, and kept the charge of the house of the Lord, <scripRef id="Ps.cxxxv-p5.2" osisRef="Bible:Num.3.6-Num.3.10" parsed="|Num|3|6|3|10" passage="Nu 3:6-10">Num. iii. 6</scripRef>, &c. Some of them
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did <i>by night stand in the house of the Lord,</i> to guard the
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holy things of the temple, that they might not be profaned, and the
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rich things of the temple, that they might not be plundered. While
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the ark was in curtains there was the more need of guards upon it.
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They attended likewise to see that neither the fire on the altar
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nor the lamps in the candlestick went out. Probably it was usual
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for some devout and pious Israelites to sit up with them; we read
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of one that <i>departed not from the temple night or day,</i>
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<scripRef id="Ps.cxxxv-p5.3" osisRef="Bible:Luke.2.37" parsed="|Luke|2|37|0|0" passage="Lu 2:37">Luke ii. 37</scripRef>. Now these are
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here called upon to <i>bless the Lord.</i> Thus they must keep
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themselves awake by keeping themselves employed. Thus they must
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redeem time for holy exercises; and how can we spend our time
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better than in praising God? It would be an excellent piece of
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husbandry to fill up the vacancies of time with pious meditations
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and ejaculations; and surely it is a very modest and reasonable to
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converse with God when we have nothing else to do. Those who stood
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<i>in the house of the Lord</i> must remember where they were, and
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that holiness and holy work became that house. Let them therefore
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<i>bless the Lord;</i> let them all do it in concert, or each by
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himself; let them <i>lift up</i> their <i>hands</i> in the doing of
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it, in token of the lifting up of their hearts. <i>Let them lift up
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their hands in holiness</i> (so Dr. Hammond reads it) or in
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sanctification, as it is fit when they lift them up <i>in the
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sanctuary;</i> and let them remember that when they were appointed
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to wash before they went in to minister they were thereby taught to
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<i>lift up holy hands</i> in prayer and praise. 2. It is a call to
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us to do it, who, as Christians, are made priests to our God, and
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Levites, <scripRef id="Ps.cxxxv-p5.4" osisRef="Bible:Isa.66.21" parsed="|Isa|66|21|0|0" passage="Isa 66:21">Isa. lxvi. 21</scripRef>. We
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are the <i>servants of the Lord;</i> we have a place and a name in
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his house, in his sanctuary; we stand before him to minister to
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him. Even by night we are under his eye and have access to him. Let
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us therefore <i>bless the Lord,</i> and again bless him; think and
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speak of his glory and goodness. Let us <i>lift up</i> our
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<i>hands</i> in prayer, in praise, in vows; let us do our work with
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diligence and cheerfulness, and an elevation of mind. This
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exhortation is ushered in with <i>Behold!</i> a note commanding
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attention. Look about you, Sirs, when you are in God's presence,
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and conduct yourselves accordingly.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="Ps.cxxxv-p6">II. God's blessing us, and that is doing
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well for us, which we are here taught to desire, <scripRef id="Ps.cxxxv-p6.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.134.3" parsed="|Ps|134|3|0|0" passage="Ps 134:3"><i>v.</i> 3</scripRef>. Whether it is the watchmen's
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blessing their captain, or the Levites' blessing the high priest,
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or whoever was their chief (as many take it, because it is in the
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singular number, <i>The Lord bless thee</i>), or whether the
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blessing is pronounced by one upon many ("<i>The Lord bless
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thee,</i> each of you in particular, thee and thee; you that are
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blessing God, the Lord bless you"), is not material. We may learn,
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1. That we need desire no more to make us happy than to be blessed
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of the Lord, for those whom he blesses are blessed indeed. 2. That
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blessings out of Zion, spiritual blessings, the blessings of the
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covenant, and of communion with God, are the best blessings, which
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we should be most earnest for. 3. It is a great encouragement to
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us, when we come to God for a blessing, that it is he who <i>made
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heaven and earth,</i> and therefore has all the blessings of both
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at his disposal, the upper and nether springs. 4. We ought to beg
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these blessings, not only for ourselves, but for others also; not
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only, The Lord bless <i>me,</i> but, The Lord bless <i>thee,</i>
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thus testifying our belief of the fulness of divine blessings, that
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there is enough for others as well as for us, and our good-will
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also to others. We must pray for those that exhort us. Though
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<i>the less is blessed of the greater</i> (<scripRef id="Ps.cxxxv-p6.2" osisRef="Bible:Heb.7.7" parsed="|Heb|7|7|0|0" passage="Heb 7:7">Heb. vii. 7</scripRef>), yet the greater must be prayed
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for by the less.</p>
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</div></div2> |