Introduction

The last psalm of the Songs of Ascents forms its majestic conclusion. There are no more prayers and supplications and no concrete promptings that call for praise. This final Song of Ascents is characterized by spontaneous praise (Psa 134:1-2) and a prayer of blessing (Psa 134:3). For spontaneous praise, of course, there are plenty of reasons mentioned in the preceding psalms. The prayer of blessing is the blessing from the LORD that the priests may pass on to the people (cf. Num 6:24-26).

Psalm 133 and Psalm 134 are related. They both begin with the same Hebrew word hinneh, which is translated “behold” (Psa 134:1; Psa 133:1).

Exhortation to Bless the LORD

Psalm 134 is the last “Song of Ascents” (Psa 134:1a) of the series of fifteen that began with Psalm 120. In Psalm 120, the pilgrims of the ten tribes realm are in a foreign land, in Meshech and Kedar (Psa 120:5), and the pilgrimage has yet to begin. Here they are in Jerusalem and have joined the remnant of the two tribes. Together they call on “all servants of the LORD”, the priests and Levites, to bless, or praise, the LORD (Psa 134:1b).

The difference between “bless” in Psa 134:1-2 and Psa 134:3 is that in Psa 134:1-2 the blessing involves good things being said by man toward God, while the blessing in Psa 134:3 involves the opposite. This is what we can expect in the realm of peace: people blessing or praising the LORD and the blessing of the LORD being wished upon the people. In Psalm 133, blessing from the LORD descends to Israel (Psa 133:3). In Psalm 134, the blessing of Israel ascends to the LORD (Psa 134:1-2) and the blessing of the LORD passes through Israel to the world (Psa 134:3; Rom 11:12).

The servants of the LORD “serve by night in the house of the LORD”. The priestly service in the night is connected with the feasts of the LORD and especially for their preparation, as we read in Isaiah 30: “You will have songs as in the night when you keep the festival, and gladness of heart as when one marches to [the sound of] the flute, to go to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel” (Isa 30:29). In the Old Testament we do not read of temple services at night. The Talmud mentions that during the Feast of Booths, people sang songs in the night.

In the New Testament church, every brother has been given the privilege of praising God as the mouth of the whole of the local church (1Cor 14:26). To this end they are all called. It is a great privilege in the church, the house of God, to praise God as a priestly people (1Pet 2:5). This happens in the night, the spiritual darkness, in which the world without God is enveloped. God desires that in this darkness we are in the light of His temple to praise Him.

The servants of the LORD are to lift up their hands to the sanctuary (Psa 134:2). The lifting up of the hands also shows a prayer attitude (Psa 28:2; Lam 3:41); here it is an expression of worship (cf. Neh 8:7; Psa 63:4). With the hands, as it were, the offering is lifted up to the sanctuary, the dwelling place of God, that is, to God Himself.

Prayer of Blessing

The blessing that is wished to the people does not come from heaven this time, but from Zion, for that is where the ark is. Prophetically, it is about the presence of Christ, for the ark will no longer be there (Jer 3:16). The blessing goes wherever God’s people are, covering all aspects of their lives. For the blessing comes from Him “Who made heaven and earth”. He is the Ruler of the universe Who thinks of all and deals with them in blessing.