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Psalm 134:2

Psalm 134:2 Lifting our hands When I look back at my early years as a Christian, and the many chapel congregations that I visited as a young preacher and children’s / youth worker, I cannot ever recall seeing hands lifted to the Lord. It just was not the done thing, in fact any demonstration of emotion or physical engagement in worship was frowned upon, corporate worship and prayer were sombre, dignified and serious matters, and God was an awesome figure before whom we must stand in reverence, exhibiting self-control. How things have changed, and for the better, although there is much to be learned about veneration and humble obedience for today’s congregations! Interestingly, the reading of numerous Scriptures enforces the view that, in Biblical times, hands were lifted to the Lord primarily in prayer rather than in worship, although the latter obviously can be prayer. This verse is quite unique in that it encourages those Levites who were on night duty, to lift up their hands and pra...
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Psalm 134:1

Psalm 134:1 Ministering by night This is another short Psalm, believed to be exchanged by worshippers as they left the Temple courts at the end of the day. A Jewish day began at sunset or around 6.00pm, and the last event of the day was the evening service or sacrifice. As soon as this was completed and the final notes of the Temple music had died out, the worshippers would retire.   Already the day is fading out in the west. The new company of priests and Levites who are to conduct the services of the next day are coming up from Ophel under the leadership of their heads of houses, their elders. Those who have officiated during the day are preparing to leave by another gate. They have put off their priestly robes, depositing them in the appointed chambers, and resumed the clothes of ordinary laymen.  As for the Levites, they had no clerical dress at all but only wore white linen. (2 Chronicles 5:12) The Levites kept the Temple watch through the night for it was one of the...
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Psalm 133:3

Psalm 133:3 The dews of Hermon There is a lovely statement in Zechariah 8:12 where the Lord promises to bless Jerusalem,  “The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people.” In a hot Mediterranean country like Israel where there is no rain, or very little rain during the summer months, the dew is vital for plants. The grain harvest is completed by Easter but vines, citrous fruits, olives and figs etc all have to survive weeks of drought and depend on cooler nights that help to produce a heavy dew in the morning hours. Mount Hermon is 343 km (217 miles) north of Jerusalem (or Zion), it is over 9,000 feet above sea level and is snow-capped throughout much of the year. The hot air from the land below, when meeting the cold air around the mountain produces dew, presumably through all seasons. This beautiful analogy is used to descri...
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Psalm 133:2

Psalm 133:2 The anointing The anointing of a priest for service was not a perfunctory matter, it was symbolic of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and was the ultimate moment of consecration for a life of service. A priest did not have a one-fingered cross painted on his brow; he was completely anointed from head to toe! In Aaron’s case this obviously meant that the oil that was poured over him, saturated his head, his beard and ran down and over his priestly robes, showing that every part of him was dedicated to God and to holy service.  The baptism of the Holy Spirit is no different, when Pentecost came and the 120, who were in an upper room of the Temple, had the Spirit of God poured upon them, they were being sanctified and anointed to serve. This was not a self-indulgent moment, this was the start of their mission to proclaim the Gospel to the world. Jesus was enthroned in heaven pouring out His Spirit and anointing and consecrating His priests for the divine tasks that they w...
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Psalm 133:1

Psalm 133:1 The plea for unity This Psalm is attributed to King David who was obviously overwhelmed by the coming together of his people and the harmony and concord that had taken over the kingdom. There are numerous events that may have inspired this outburst, perhaps it was the moment when he was enthroned as King or after some political crisis when all the elders and leaders reached an agreement to serve God together. There are just 3 verses, but they are powerful and poignant and often repeated in churches even if the meaning is not quite understood!   V1        The interesting thing about this verse is the choice of words! “Pleasant” means exactly what is says, it’s a nice thing when there is unity amongst God’s people for harmony is the road to blessing and fulfilment, it is both sweet and rewarding and should never be underestimated. Before David assumed the throne of Israel many of the tribes pursued their own interests and some reall...
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Psalm 132:18

  Psalm 132:18 All about our clothing The Bible often uses the imagery of clothing to describe the character or behaviour of an individual. Even God is described as being clothed in a certain way, for instance in Psalm 104:1-2 He is “ clothed with splendour and majesty. “The Lord wraps Himself in light as with a garment.”  On the other hand, in Psalm 73:6, the arrogant and wicked wear “ Pride as their necklace, they clothe themselves with violence.”  Earlier in this Psalm, in verses 9 and 16, the prayer is that the priests of Israel are clothed with righteousness and salvation.  Paul uses this imagery on more than one occasion and instructs us to “ clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”  Romans 13:14. Paul also encourages us all to put on the armour of God and goes on, in Ephesians 6, to describe in detail the various items that we will need in our battle against evil powers. The last word o...
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Psalm 132:17

Psalm 132:17 The lamp of David Earlier in this Psalm there are two great appeals to the Lord. V1  “Lord, remember David and all his self-denial.” V10  “For the sake of Your servant David, do not reject Your anointed one.”  The last two verses of Psalm 132 confirm that the Lord has both heard and will answer these pleas. It is in the Land of Promise, that we call Israel, that David’s horn will grow. The Lord will see to this – and He has!  “Horn” here refers to strength, it was a common symbol in ancient times, often used to describe a kingdom or an influential ruler. Talk of a horn growing meant that it was increasing in power and prominence and this is what the Lord promised to David and his successors. To this day, the tiny state of Israel has huge influence over the nations and divides opinions and politics, not surprising when the Lord God is involved! After Solomon’s reign as King of Israel, his son Rehoboam took over the throne but a young usurper arose called ...
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