mh_parser/vol_split/19 - Psalms/Chapter 134.xml
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<div2 id="Ps.cxxxv" n="cxxxv" next="Ps.cxxxvi" prev="Ps.cxxxiv" progress="68.22%" title="Chapter CXXXIV">
<h2 id="Ps.cxxxv-p0.1">P S A L M S</h2>
<h3 id="Ps.cxxxv-p0.2">PSALM CXXXIV.</h3>
<p class="intro" id="Ps.cxxxv-p1">This is the last of the fifteen songs of degrees;
and, if they were at any time sung all together in the
temple-service, it is fitly made the conclusion of them, for the
design of it is to stir up the ministers to go on with their work
in the night, when the solemnities of the day were over. Some make
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
who sat up all night to keep the watch of the house of the Lord are
called upon to spend their time while they were upon the guard, not
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
upon to praise God pray for him that gave them the exhortation,
either the high priest or the captain of the guard. Or thus: those
who did that service did mutually exhort one another and pray for
one another. In singing this psalm we must both stir up ourselves
to give glory to God and encourage ourselves to hope for mercy and
grace from him.</p>
<scripCom id="Ps.cxxxv-p1.3" osisRef="Bible:Ps.134" parsed="|Ps|134|0|0|0" passage="Ps 134" type="Commentary"/>
<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">
<h4 id="Ps.cxxxv-p1.5">A Call to Bless God.</h4>
<div class="Center" id="Ps.cxxxv-p1.6">
<p id="Ps.cxxxv-p2">A song of degrees.</p>
</div>
<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
<span class="smallcaps" id="Ps.cxxxv-p3.3">Lord</span>.   2 Lift up your hands
<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
of Zion.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ps.cxxxv-p4">This psalm instructs us concerning a
two-fold blessing:—</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ps.cxxxv-p5">I. Our blessing God, that is, speaking well
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
<i>Levites</i> to do it. They were <i>the servants of the Lord</i>
by office, appointed to minister in holy things; they attended the
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>, &amp;c. Some of them
did <i>by night stand in the house of the Lord,</i> to guard the
holy things of the temple, that they might not be profaned, and the
rich things of the temple, that they might not be plundered. While
the ark was in curtains there was the more need of guards upon it.
They attended likewise to see that neither the fire on the altar
nor the lamps in the candlestick went out. Probably it was usual
for some devout and pious Israelites to sit up with them; we read
of one that <i>departed not from the temple night or day,</i>
<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
here called upon to <i>bless the Lord.</i> Thus they must keep
themselves awake by keeping themselves employed. Thus they must
redeem time for holy exercises; and how can we spend our time
better than in praising God? It would be an excellent piece of
husbandry to fill up the vacancies of time with pious meditations
and ejaculations; and surely it is a very modest and reasonable to
converse with God when we have nothing else to do. Those who stood
<i>in the house of the Lord</i> must remember where they were, and
that holiness and holy work became that house. Let them therefore
<i>bless the Lord;</i> let them all do it in concert, or each by
himself; let them <i>lift up</i> their <i>hands</i> in the doing of
it, in token of the lifting up of their hearts. <i>Let them lift up
their hands in holiness</i> (so Dr. Hammond reads it) or in
sanctification, as it is fit when they lift them up <i>in the
sanctuary;</i> and let them remember that when they were appointed
to wash before they went in to minister they were thereby taught to
<i>lift up holy hands</i> in prayer and praise. 2. It is a call to
us to do it, who, as Christians, are made priests to our God, and
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
are the <i>servants of the Lord;</i> we have a place and a name in
his house, in his sanctuary; we stand before him to minister to
him. Even by night we are under his eye and have access to him. Let
us therefore <i>bless the Lord,</i> and again bless him; think and
speak of his glory and goodness. Let us <i>lift up</i> our
<i>hands</i> in prayer, in praise, in vows; let us do our work with
diligence and cheerfulness, and an elevation of mind. This
exhortation is ushered in with <i>Behold!</i> a note commanding
attention. Look about you, Sirs, when you are in God's presence,
and conduct yourselves accordingly.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ps.cxxxv-p6">II. God's blessing us, and that is doing
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
blessing their captain, or the Levites' blessing the high priest,
or whoever was their chief (as many take it, because it is in the
singular number, <i>The Lord bless thee</i>), or whether the
blessing is pronounced by one upon many ("<i>The Lord bless
thee,</i> each of you in particular, thee and thee; you that are
blessing God, the Lord bless you"), is not material. We may learn,
1. That we need desire no more to make us happy than to be blessed
of the Lord, for those whom he blesses are blessed indeed. 2. That
blessings out of Zion, spiritual blessings, the blessings of the
covenant, and of communion with God, are the best blessings, which
we should be most earnest for. 3. It is a great encouragement to
us, when we come to God for a blessing, that it is he who <i>made
heaven and earth,</i> and therefore has all the blessings of both
at his disposal, the upper and nether springs. 4. We ought to beg
these blessings, not only for ourselves, but for others also; not
only, The Lord bless <i>me,</i> but, The Lord bless <i>thee,</i>
thus testifying our belief of the fulness of divine blessings, that
there is enough for others as well as for us, and our good-will
also to others. We must pray for those that exhort us. Though
<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
for by the less.</p>
</div></div2>