Psa. 134:0 A Song of degrees.
Three times each year the men of Israel were to come to the temple and present themselves before the Lord.
Deuteronomy 16:16 “Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty….”
Many believe that these fifteen Psalms that are called the songs of degrees (elevation, journey to a higher place, go up) because they were to be sung as they ascended the temple mount.
Psa. 134:1 Behold, bless ye the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD.
The Hebrew for the word “bless” includes “to praise, to kneel down, and an act of adoration.” In other words, all those who proclaim themselves to be servants of YHWH should be known for proclaiming the wonderful attributes of God with a heart of the greatest reverence and adoration. In fact, the Hebrew for the word “servant” includes the word “worshipper.” Evidently this psalm was directed to those who ministered in the temple during the night. JFB equates this to the time of the evening sacrifice. I tend to think it has a broader application. Everything established as part of the tabernacle or temple services were established by God and based upon the pattern of the original in heaven. Scripture records that the angels offer worship before the LORD day and night.
Hebrews 10:1 “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.”
Revelation 4:8 “And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”
Psa. 134:2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.
I think the CJB is probably provides the better translation: “Lift your hands toward the sanctuary, and bless ADONAI.”
The true sanctuary or temple of God is in heaven. The act of lifting one’s hands in praise makes much more sense as a public acknowledgement of praising the God of heaven. Any public display of our praise of God should be done as an act of worship before Him—not to fit in with the crowd or to “appear” to be something on the outside that does not reflect what is happening inside.
I am from an old fashioned Baptist background. Once I started attending Calvary Chapel, I was very self-conscious about lifting up my hands in worship before the LORD. I was so self-conscious that I couldn’t help but have thoughts that interfered with the urge to lift my hands. After many years of continued spiritual growth, I can finally worship without thinking about those around me. I truly want any public expression of my worship to be directed toward God with purity of heart.
Courson: “When you lift up your hand to bless the Lord, He will reach down His hand to bless you.”
Psa. 134:3 The LORD that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.
This verse further defines “the LORD” from the previous verse. This LORD is YHWH, the self-existent eternal God, the Creator of heaven and earth. The Psalmist is pronouncing a blessing from God on these faithful servants. He emphasizes that God’s blessing would originate from Zion, Jerusalem, the city of David. The temple in Jerusalem was established as God’s dwelling place on earth. Scripture records that God affirmed His presence by filling the temple with His glory when the ark of the covenant was placed in the completed building.
1Kings 8:1 &10-11 “Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion….And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.”
This psalm was obviously written at a time when God was still worshipped as God in Jerusalem and the temple was functioning in obedience to and in honor of Him.
As I read through this psalm again, I realized that the lifting of the hands “in” the sanctuary would also be acknowledging the presence of God and directing praise and worship toward Him.
Jewish Study Bible: “This psalm appears in the liturgy for the introductory morning service for Sabbath and festivals.”
Guzik: “Psalm 135 is of note for its use of other passages from the Hebrew Scriptures. Almost every verse quotes the words or the idea of another Old Testament passage. Rather easily can be seen reference to four different Psalms, two passages from Deuteronomy, two from Jeremiah, and two from Exodus.”
Psalms 135:1 ¶ Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise him, O ye servants of the LORD.
Psalms 135:2 Ye that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God,
Psalms 135:3 Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.
The psalmist opens by calling for the servants of the LORD to praise Him. You would think that to be unnecessary, but the fact is that it is easy to take for granted the many blessings God bestows upon us. This can be especially true for those in ministry at God’s house. One can get so wrapped up in the responsibilities of serving that one forgets to take the time to count one’s blessings and praise the LORD with love and gratitude.
The LORD deserves our praise because He is good; in fact, He is the only truly good being.
Mark 10:18 “And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.”
One of the most beautiful ways to praise God is through music. His name is representative of His honor, authority and character (from the Hebrew).
Though the psalmist is addressing the people of Israel, the truth of these verses speaks to all God’s servants today.
Psalms 135:4 For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.
The psalmist states the special blessing for which the children of Israel should be especially thankful. The LORD has chosen Jacob and his descendants as His own special possession among the nations on planet earth; they have a special place in His heart.
I am reminded of the words of Peter regarding those who are the people of God through faith in Jesus.
1 Peter 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”
We, too, are a chosen people with a special calling before the LORD to praise His name before those that walk in darkness.
Psalms 135:5 ¶ For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.
Psalms 135:6 Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.
Psalms 135:7 He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.
In these verses the psalmist begins to praise the LORD for His greatness; there is no greater god. The LORD is the ultimate authority throughout all we know as reality and all we have yet to learn about. He acts in accordance with His will throughout His creation. His authority extends over the heavens, the earth, the seas, and all the deep places (in earth and sea). He controls the weather cycle on earth and makes the lightnings that come with the rainstorms. He controls the winds, from mild breezes to mighty hurricanes; it’s like He has them stored in warehouses to send out in accordance with His purposes.
EBC Abridged: “The confession of God’s greatness is expressed in the personal language of faith—'I know.’”
Psalms 135:8 Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast.
Psalms 135:9 Who sent tokens and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants.
The Jewish composer goes on to praise the LORD for the mighty miracles He did to deliver His people from bondage in Egypt.
Psalms 135:10 Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings;
Psalms 135:11 Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan:
Psalms 135:12 And gave their land for an heritage, an heritage unto Israel his people.
The psalmist continues his praise by recounting how the LORD had destroyed great nations and their kings in order to give their lands to the descendants of Jacob as their own inheritance. Though He worked through His people to accomplish this, they could never have succeeded without His empowerment and supernatural intervention.
The LORD is our Creator and has the right to do according to His will with His creation. However, He did not destroy these people without cause; He waited until their sin had gotten past the point of repentance. He told Abraham that his people would have to wait until the sins of those possessing the land had reached the fulness of sin before He would give them the land.
Genesis 15:16 “But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.”
Psalms 135:13 Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations.
Psalms 135:14 For the LORD will judge his people, and he will repent himself concerning his servants.
The psalmist declares an amazing truth. The name of the LORD endures forever. He is remembered in every generation. No matter how hard the enemy tries, he has never been and will never be able to destroy the servants of God who testify to the name of God and the truth of His word, His being, because of His great compassion for those servants.
Psalms 135:15 ¶ The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.
Psalms 135:16 They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not;
Psalms 135:17 They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths.
Psalms 135:18 They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them.
The psalmist now paints a vivid word picture of the idols that represent the false gods of the heathen in contrast to God Almighty.
They are made by man; God is self-existent.
They have mouths but cannot speak; God speaks to His people—sometimes personally, but primarily through His inspired word and messengers.
They have eyes but cannot see; God is omniscient; He sees everything.
They have ears but cannot hear; God hears and knows everything.
They have no breath of life; God is the breath of life.
The men that make these idols are just like the idols they make. They are created beings with no ability to speak, see, hear, or possess life on the spiritual plane. They are limited to the abilities of the flesh only. Their future is one of physical and spiritual death.
Spurgeon: “If we did not know the sorrowful fact to be indisputable, it would seem to be impossible that intelligent beings could bow down before substances which they must themselves refine from the ore, and fashion into form. One would think it less absurd to worship one's own hands than to adore that which those hands have made. What great works can these mock deities perform for man when they are themselves the works of man? Idols are fitter to be played with, like dolls by babes, than to be adored by grown up men.”
Psalms 135:19 Bless the LORD, O house of Israel: bless the LORD, O house of Aaron:
Psalms 135:20 Bless the LORD, O house of Levi: ye that fear the LORD, bless the LORD.
Psalms 135:21 Blessed be the LORD out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.
In light of all he has said, the psalmist calls for the whole house of Israel to praise the LORD—from the house of Aaron (the priests) to the Levites (those that ministered with the priests and took care of God’s house) to those that fear and reverence the LORD.
So the psalm ends as it begins, “Praise ye the LORD”—or “Hallelujah!”