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<TITLE>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible [Psalms CXXXIV].</TITLE>
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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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<h3><a href="http://www.biblesnet.com" target="_blank">Back to Biblesnet.com Home Page</a>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1710)
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</TD></TR></TABLE>
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
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<CENTER>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>P S A L M S</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>PSALM CXXXIV.</FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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</CENTER>
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<FONT SIZE=-1>
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<P>
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This is the last of the fifteen songs of degrees; and, if they were at
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any time sung all together in the temple-service, it is fitly made the
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conclusion of them, for the design of it is to stir up the ministers to
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go on with their work in the night, when the solemnities of the day
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were over. Some make this psalm to be a dialogue.
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I. In the
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+134:1,2">first two verses</A>,
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the priests or Levites who sat up all night to keep the watch of the
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house of the Lord are called upon to spend their time while they were
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upon the guard, not in idle talk, but in the acts of devotion.
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II. In the
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+134:3">last verse</A>
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those who were thus called upon to praise God pray for him that gave
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them the exhortation, either the high priest or the captain of the
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guard. Or thus: those who did that service did mutually exhort one
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another and pray for one another. In singing this psalm we must both
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stir up ourselves to give glory to God and encourage ourselves to hope
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for mercy and grace from him.</P>
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</FONT>
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<A NAME="Ps134_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps134_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps134_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>A Call to Bless God.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<CENTER>
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<P>A song of degrees.</P>
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</CENTER>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 Behold, bless ye the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, all <I>ye</I>
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servants of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, which by night stand in the house of the
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L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
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2 Lift up your hands <I>in</I> the sanctuary, and bless the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
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3 The L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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This psalm instructs us concerning a two-fold blessing:--</P>
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<P>
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I. Our blessing God, that is, speaking well of him, which here we are
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taught to do,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+134:1,2"><I>v.</I> 1, 2</A>.
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1. It is a call to the <I>Levites</I> to do it. They were <I>the
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servants of the Lord</I> by office, appointed to minister in holy
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things; they attended the sanctuary, and kept the charge of the house
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of the Lord,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Nu+3:6-10">Num. iii. 6</A>,
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&c. Some of them did <I>by night stand in the house of the Lord,</I> to
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guard the holy things of the temple, that they might not be profaned,
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and the rich things of the temple, that they might not be plundered.
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While the ark was in curtains there was the more need of guards upon
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it. 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 for
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some devout and pious Israelites to sit up with them; we read of one
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that <I>departed not from the temple night or day,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Lu+2:37">Luke ii. 37</A>.
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Now these are here called upon to <I>bless the Lord.</I> Thus they
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must keep themselves awake by keeping themselves employed. Thus they
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must 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 and
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ejaculations; and surely it is a very modest and reasonable to converse
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with God when we have nothing else to do. Those who stood <I>in the
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house of the Lord</I> must remember where they were, and that holiness
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and holy work became that house. Let them therefore <I>bless the
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Lord;</I> let them all do it in concert, or each by himself; let them
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<I>lift up</I> their <I>hands</I> in the doing of it, in token of the
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lifting up of their hearts. <I>Let them lift up their hands in
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holiness</I> (so Dr. Hammond reads it) or in sanctification, as it is
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fit when they lift them up <I>in the sanctuary;</I> and let them
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remember that when they were appointed to wash before they went in to
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minister they were thereby taught to <I>lift up holy hands</I> in
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prayer and praise.
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2. It is a call to us to do it, who, as Christians, are made priests to
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our God, and Levites,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+66:21">Isa. lxvi. 21</A>.
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We 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 him.
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Even by night we are under his eye and have access to him. Let us
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therefore <I>bless the Lord,</I> and again bless him; think and speak
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of his glory and goodness. Let us <I>lift up</I> our <I>hands</I> in
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prayer, in praise, in vows; let us do our work with diligence and
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cheerfulness, and an elevation of mind. This exhortation is ushered in
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with <I>Behold!</I> a note commanding attention. Look about you, Sirs,
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when you are in God's presence, and conduct yourselves accordingly.</P>
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<P>
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II. God's blessing us, and that is doing well for us, which we are here
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taught to desire,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+134:3"><I>v.</I> 3</A>.
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Whether it is the watchmen's blessing their captain, or the Levites'
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blessing the high priest, or whoever was their chief (as many take it,
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because it is in the singular number, <I>The Lord bless thee</I>), or
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whether the 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 of
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the Lord, for those whom he blesses are blessed indeed.
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2. That blessings out of Zion, spiritual blessings, the blessings of
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the covenant, and of communion with God, are the best blessings, which
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we should be most earnest for.
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3. It is a great encouragement to us, when we come to God for a
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blessing, that it is he who <I>made heaven and earth,</I> and therefore
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has all the blessings of both at his disposal, the upper and nether
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springs.
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4. We ought to beg these blessings, not only for ourselves, but for
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others also; not only, The Lord bless <I>me,</I> but, The Lord bless
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<I>thee,</I> thus testifying our belief of the fulness of divine
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blessings, that there is enough for others as well as for us, and our
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good-will also to others. We must pray for those that exhort us.
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Though <I>the less is blessed of the greater</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+7:7">Heb. vii. 7</A>),
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yet the greater must be prayed for by the less.</P>
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<!-- (End Body) -->
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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[<A HREF="MHC19133.HTM">Previous</A>]
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[<A HREF="MHC19135.HTM">Next</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1710)
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