Mutual Blessings (Psalm 134)
This sermon was preached on Sunday, 2/1/2011
This psalm is the last in the set called The Psalms of Ascent or Psalms of Degrees and was evidently designed for use as each feast in Israel came to an end. The pilgrims who had attended the feasts were preparing to return home, to their everyday lives. Their destination is described metaphorically in Psalm 120 as Meshech and Kedar, places where they did not receive any spiritual help from those among whom they lived.
Verse 1 indicates that the pilgrims were addressing those who were working through the night in the temple. It is possible, therefore, that the pilgrims were beginning their journeys before sunrise and as they left the city their thoughts would have been on what was taking place throughout the night in the temple. Or perhaps they had gathered at the temple during the evening for one final period of worship before they set out for home. There were twenty-four Levites, three priests and the captain of the guard on duty in the temple.
Verses 1 and 2 express the desires of the pilgrims for the priests and others who served overnight in the temple; verse 3 is probably the response of the priests to the pilgrims as they leave the city. This means that this collection of psalms closes with a benediction. It is important to realise what a benediction is: it is not a prayer but an announcement of blessing. There is no need to close one’s eyes when a benediction is spoken. A benediction is a statement of fact which reminds the people that particular spiritual blessings have been reserved for them and will be conveyed to them by God.
Benedictions are often given at the end of a church service. This practice is probably based on the way New Testament authors close their letters with a benediction. Their method does not mean that benedictions should be limited to the close of a service. For example, Paul in his letter to the Romans has a benediction at the end of chapter 15 as well as at the end of chapter 16. Also, many of their letters begin with a benediction such as when they write, ‘Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ’ (1 Cor. 1:3). Further, benedictions cannot be limited to church services because Paul writes a benediction for Timothy in his personal letter to him (2 Tim. 4:22).
There is a close connection between Psalm 134 and the two psalms that precede it. Psalm 132 details the blessings that are located in Zion, and 134 refers to blessings from Zion. Psalm 133 details the desirability and refreshment of brotherly love and 134 is an expression of the unity that was depicted in 133. Both the temple workers and the people in 134 were in harmony. Obviously it is good and pleasant when such is the case.
In addition, the psalm is a picture of New Testament worship in the sense that it anticipates the worship of God taking place continually (the temple workers were on duty day and night) throughout the different time zones of the world.
We have New Testament festivals each time we gather in Zion on the Lord’s Day and throughout the week. Sometimes our festivals are enhanced by the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Therefore it is appropriate for us to look at this psalm and see how it teaches us to respond to spiritual festivals.
The Pilgrims’ desires for the full-time workers
It is clear that what the pilgrims want is that the priests and others in the temple should speak well of the Lord. This is what is meant by the call to ‘bless the Lord’. The meaning of terms such as ‘bless’ and ‘blessing’ must be derived from the context. When a verse says that the Lord blesses us, it does not mean that he speaks well of us although he usually does good things for us; instead the term stresses that God shows grace to us and freely gives us spiritual benefits. If the verse speaks of us blessing the Lord, it means more than praise to him; it also includes the idea that we should verbally detail in suitable language features of his glorious person and activities.
It may have been the case that the encouragement of the pilgrims was given because there were particular weaknesses that the night could have caused for the temple workers. One danger would be that of sleepiness if they had not had sufficient rest, another danger would be that of familiarity with what they were doing, a further danger would be a focus on the ritual and not on the God who should be worshipped, an additional danger would be connected to laziness or lack of carefulness because nobody was watching. A greater danger would be that they would not be able to lift up holy hands, in other words that there were aspects of their lives that made their worship inappropriate.
There is a similar set of dangers facing those who serve God in a full-time way as ministers. One of the functions of the people of God is to remind and encourage these servants of God to fulfil their callings. So what should be our response towards them? We should want them to know genuine spirituality in their service of God. Therefore, if we have enjoyed the feast we should pray that they would be kept from sleepiness (from taking things easy), that they would be kept from familiarity (always treat the things of God with respect), that they would be kept from being satisfied with outward performances, and that they would be kept from a lack of diligence. Obviously we should pray that they will continue to have holy hands as they serve the Lord.
In addition, we should pray that they will continue to bless the Lord, to speak well of him, to announce to others the great things that God has done. They are to speak of him clearly, passionately, regularly, and thankfully. The God of the pilgrims had done great things for them as a nation: he had revealed his mercy in delivering them from the exile, he had blessed them with a land of rest in which they could know his favour, he had given to them many great and precious promises. This was to be their desire, to hear their divinely-chosen leaders speak well of their gracious Lord. Similarly, we should desire our God-appointed leaders to speak well of his gracious dealings with us in redemption from the bondage of sin, in restoration to his family as his children, in the renewing that occurs in sanctification, and in having the great prospect of heaven.
The temple workers’ desire for the people
The priest and Levites on duty in the temple responded with the words of verse 3: ‘The Lord who made heaven and earth bless you from Zion!’ Immediately we have an example of speaking well of the Lord. In saying this benediction, the temple workers were giving assurance to the pilgrims that they were remembering their God-given calling.
Even in such a short sentence there are many features of the greatness of God. One is that they worshipped the same God as the pilgrims did. Of course, this is an obvious point, but one that we should always remember.
Secondly, they reminded the pilgrims of God’s great abilities. Because he was the God of heaven and earth, it meant that wherever they would travel, he would be there. They were being reminded of the omnipresence of God. Eventually some of these pilgrims would come to a stage in the journey home when they would have said farewell to all other travellers. Yet the Lord would be with them.
Further, because he was the Maker and Upholder of all that exists (the universe), they were being reminded of the omnipotence of God. The pilgrims would be encouraged by realising afresh that the almighty God was on their side and would help and protect them on their journey, not only to their homes, but throughout their lives.
In addition, the statement assured the pilgrims that the same divine wisdom that created the universe would direct their journeys through life, therefore they were reminded of the omniscience of God. God’s knowledge of all things is not a bare knowledge but a knowledge that always leads to appropriate actions. No doubt, they would come to incidents in life when they would not know what to do. But the Lord would always know what to do, for his own glory and their good.
Another detail of which they were reminded was the eternity of God: he existed before the universe was created. This means that he had a plan, that he was the Architect as well as the Builder of the universe. In a similar way, the Lord has a secret plan for each of his children. Nothing would happen to them outside his will for them.
Also we can note the implication found in the name of God that both the priests and the pilgrims used: he is Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel, the God who is committed to his people. These pilgrims could make their journeys to distant lands assured that the Lord would be for them, that even their failures would not remove or cancel his commitment to them.
Thirdly, the temple workers reminded the pilgrims of the location of all these blessings: it was not limited to heaven, although the Lord had made heaven as a special place where his glory is revealed to the angelic hosts and glorified spirits of just men made perfect. Instead the location where blessing would be located was Zion. Although the particular feasts of Zion were over for another period, the conveyor belt of blessings would continue to provide the pilgrims with spiritual blessings wherever they were. They would not be able to see Zion, but the King of Zion would still send his blessings to them just as surely as if they lived there. During the festival, they had received grace from God, and this grace would accompany them and expand in and through them in the days ahead.
Something similar happens to us after our festivals. The Word preached takes root in our hearts and produces fruit; the Lord’s Supper strengthens and fortifies us as we travel the pilgrim road. Just as regular intake of food today builds up our body for use tomorrow, so the heavenly provision of God equips long after we have initially received it.
The ‘you’ in verse 3 is singular. This points to other features. Attendance at the feast allowed the vast numbers of pilgrims to be addressed as one. This is a reminder of the importance of unity amongst God’s people. Their unity was expressed in the concern they showed for the temple workers. Because they were together in harmony, they received a communal blessing.
The usage of a singular pronoun also points to the factor that each individual would hear the word addressed to themselves independently. Of course, we sense this kind of effect when we listen to the Bible being read. Its promises are addressed collectively and individually.
Application
We should be grateful for the blessings of the Christian festival held each Lord‘s Day. Yet the reception of blessing makes us responsible for what we do with it. I mentioned earlier that there is a conveyor from the heavenly Zion to us as pilgrims. The fact is that we now face two options: either the belt will keep bringing blessings or we will block it.
We will block it by our sins, by what we say and do, whether to other Christians or to those who are not yet believers. How careful we should be to ensure that the blessings we have received will continue to help us forward in our journey.