Time for Praise
Psalm 134 is another of those short songs of ascent. It is also the last of the ascent psalms -- perhaps sung upon entering Jerusalem for the festivals of worship. It was sung by pilgrims directed toward those who serve in the temple.
The interesting part of this song is the last part of verse one. After calling on the servants of the Lord to bless Him, the singers identify who the servants are: "...who by night stand in the house of the Lord!"
I don't know about you, but I am one who likes/needs sleep. I have a difficult time remaining awake the further the clock moves at night. I often wonder how people can work through the night. If I don't sleep well, I have a hard time functioning the next day. But here is statement that there are servants of God who are ministering in the temple all night.
Going back to Leviticus 6:8-13 we find the background for this psalm. Moses writes that God's requirement was for burnt offerings to be offered all night long, and the fire on the altar was to never go out. Also, the time frame for the singing of this song was probably a national holiday -- a time of festive worship in Jerusalem.
These celebrations were times of festivities, feasting, and worship. The point of this psalm is to remind worshippers that praising God was to be a constant occurrence. If a pilgrim were to get caught up in the feasting and neglect the worship, he would be missing the point of the celebration.
How constant is our worship? I am afraid that we are sadly negligent in our duty. We are so busy, so caught up in life, work, play, (add your own here...), that we fail to remember that our first priority is to bring glory to our God... at all times.
I think there are several reasons for God requiring that worship in the temple continue throughout the night. One is to point to the fact that God is always awake, always there, always present. Thus, the night-long worship is a reminder to us that He is always present -- so worship Him all the time.
Another reason is to remind us of how holy our God is. He is so holy, so awesome, so mighty, that the only proper response is continual worship. This psalm also serves to remind us that all of the time we are given comes from Him. How are we going to use that time? Are we going to get caught up in the festivities and feasting, or are we going to remember that we have a God worthy of our worship...even all night long?
The interesting part of this song is the last part of verse one. After calling on the servants of the Lord to bless Him, the singers identify who the servants are: "...who by night stand in the house of the Lord!"
I don't know about you, but I am one who likes/needs sleep. I have a difficult time remaining awake the further the clock moves at night. I often wonder how people can work through the night. If I don't sleep well, I have a hard time functioning the next day. But here is statement that there are servants of God who are ministering in the temple all night.
Going back to Leviticus 6:8-13 we find the background for this psalm. Moses writes that God's requirement was for burnt offerings to be offered all night long, and the fire on the altar was to never go out. Also, the time frame for the singing of this song was probably a national holiday -- a time of festive worship in Jerusalem.
These celebrations were times of festivities, feasting, and worship. The point of this psalm is to remind worshippers that praising God was to be a constant occurrence. If a pilgrim were to get caught up in the feasting and neglect the worship, he would be missing the point of the celebration.
How constant is our worship? I am afraid that we are sadly negligent in our duty. We are so busy, so caught up in life, work, play, (add your own here...), that we fail to remember that our first priority is to bring glory to our God... at all times.
I think there are several reasons for God requiring that worship in the temple continue throughout the night. One is to point to the fact that God is always awake, always there, always present. Thus, the night-long worship is a reminder to us that He is always present -- so worship Him all the time.
Another reason is to remind us of how holy our God is. He is so holy, so awesome, so mighty, that the only proper response is continual worship. This psalm also serves to remind us that all of the time we are given comes from Him. How are we going to use that time? Are we going to get caught up in the festivities and feasting, or are we going to remember that we have a God worthy of our worship...even all night long?
posted by Pastor Jason | 8:36 AM
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