Psalm 134 – By Night
Do you know anyone who works the night shift? Police officers, emergency workers, fire department personnel, the night shift at hospitals and other care facilities? While you sleep, they are busy providing care and keeping our communities safe. And then there are those unpaid people who care for family members, parents being kept up all night by crying babies or worry about a child; children and spouses who are caring for ill or dying loved ones. All spend long hours in the night. Some spend their nights in prayer. What might we learn about these night workers from Psalm 134 – by night?
Psalm 134
Psalm 134 is the last of the fifteen songs of ascents. It is a call to the priests in the Temple to continue their prayers. “Charles Spurgeon suggested that the scene was of pilgrims departing Jerusalem in the darkness of early morning, calling out to the priests and Levites who stood watch at the temple. The pilgrims then receive the blessing spoken back to them.” Psalm 134 Commentary: The LORD Bless You from Zion
Imagine this final farewell. After their journey to the Temple and time there, the pilgrims take leave of the Temple using this simple prayer. They praise those who minister in the Temple and tell them to raise their hands.
“Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord.
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.” (1-2)
While the pilgrims have to leave, they can take comfort in knowing those on watch in the night at the Temple are praying for and with them. “They are exhorted to fill the night with prayer as well as watchfulness, and to let their hearts go up in blessing to Jehovah. The voice of praise should echo through the silent night and float over the sleeping city.” (Maclaren) Psalm 134 Commentary: The LORD Bless You from Zion
What a beautiful image of prayer filling the night!
Blessing Prayer
The psalm ends with a simple prayer of blessing, asking the Lord of all of the heaven and earth to bless them: the priests in the Temple, and the pilgrims as they journey home.
“May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who is the Maker of heaven and earth.” (3)
It is a fitting end to the fifteen songs of ascent. “The Songs of Ascents end with the idea that God’s blessing went with each of them from Zion. The blessing doesn’t remain in Jerusalem, but flows from there.” Psalm 134 Commentary: The LORD Bless You from Zion
“Those who have made their way to Jerusalem to worship and have completed their devotions are now returning home, singing this song. They will not be able to worship in the temple again until their next journey. As they leave the city, they are encouraged to know that the priests will be remaining behind to represent them at the temple and so they will be worshiping God there continually.” (Boice) Psalm 134 Commentary: The LORD Bless You from Zion
Those priests continue the chorus of prayers throughout the night.
Servants of the Lord
Who are these servants of the Lord who spend their nights in prayer and praise in Psalm 134 – by night? They are people who ”partner with God in His work, which is a special privilege. Who enjoy the nearness that comes with working together with God. They receive special strength and anointing as they serve Him. They have new and exciting challenges of faith.” Psalm 134 Commentary: The LORD Bless You from Zion
They work during the night. This poses a challenge. “It is comparatively easy to bless the Lord in the daytime, when sunshine lies like His smile on nature, and all the world is full of music, and our lives flow on quietly and peacefully. It does not take much grace to bless the Lord then. But when night has draped the earth and hushed the homes of men to solitude, and we stand amid the shadows that lurk around us in the sanctuary, facing the inexplicable mysteries of Providence, of history, of life and death; then the song falters on our lips, and chokes our utterance.” (Meyer) Psalm 134 Commentary: The LORD Bless You from Zion
They are to be blessed for accepting this challenge.
The same can be said about the servants mentioned above who work through the night, keeping our communities safe and caring for others. They too deserve blessings. They too are servants of the Lord.
Night
Night in the Bible has many facets. “It is a time for rest, reflection, and divine encounter, as well as a period requiring vigilance and readiness for the fulfillment of God’s promises.” Topical Bible: The Night
It may represent a time of spiritual darkness. But it is also a time for prayer and communion with God. “Jesus Himself often withdrew to pray during the night, as seen in Luke 6:12.” Topical Bible: The Night
Whether facing challenges that keep you awake during the wee hours of the night or simply waking for no reason, night and spiritual darkness provide a time for prayer. This ability to pray is truly a blessing. We have our own work to do in participating in this chorus of prayer.
Psalm 134 – By Night
Psalm 134 – by night, reminds us of the importance of prayer. What a blessing to have people in the Temple who are praying for us throughout the night. “What a privilege, what a blessing. Just to come down and stand before the Lord for the needs of the body.” Psalms 134 — Smith’s Bible Commentary | BibleTools.io
But that doesn’t absolve us from the necessity to pray ourselves during the night whenever we find ourselves awake.
What keeps you awake at night? What challenges greet you each day? Do you recognize them as invitations to pray?
(For another take on this psalm, see Psalm 134: Bedtime Blessings – Patricia M Robertson)
This post is part of a series of blog posts on the Psalms. Sign up to follow this blog and receive a free copy of Still Dancing, the second book in my Dancing through Life Series. click here to sign up
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