Reflections on Psalms 134

 Psalms 134(Contemporary English Version)

1. (A song for worship.) Everyone who serves the LORD, come and offer praises. Everyone who has gathered in his temple tonight,
   
2. lift your hands in prayer toward his holy place and praise the LORD.
   
3. The LORD is the Creator of heaven and earth, and I pray that the LORD will bless you from Zion.

---

This psalm serves as a benediction as the worshipers leave festivities at the temple to go home. They invoke praise to the Lord on the part of the priests who have night watch duty at the temple. "Lift up your hands in the holy place," they say to the priests, and "praise the Lord!" (134:2) Is there significance to the lifting up of the hands? The lifting of hands signifies a lifting of the worshiper in communion with God.

With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the Christian believer, worship is not limited to a place or time. But for the Old Testament worshiper the temple was where they met God in worship. It was as if the priests who had night duty were encouraged to do more than simply keep watch but rather to continue the worship that had been taking place while the congregation was there and continue to commune with God on behalf of the people while they were not present.

Then the psalm concluded with a blessing for the priests, "May the LORD, Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion."