Psalm 135:19-21

Psalm 135:19-21

Praise be to the Lord

We have noticed throughout this Psalm that it is directed principally at the “servants of the Lord.” These were all who served Him in the Temple Courts and beyond, from the humblest path sweeper and animal handler to the Levites and then the priests who served daily before the altar. Thus, the House of Aaron, the priests, are invited to praise the Lord, as is the House of Levi and all others who worship from Zion. All are invited to “Praise the Lord!” There is no doubt that whilst this praising could and should be done privately, the psalm-writer is extolling the duty of God’s servants to praise publicly and loudly! It became very easy for these “servants’” to be so engrossed in their daily tasks, the minutiae of the demands of the rituals and the ceremonies, the daily influx of visitors etc. that they forgot that the Temple was primarily a place of prayer and praise. This was the dwelling place of Almighty God who dwelt in Jerusalem, His presence demanded their adoration and wonder. Important as their tasks might be, it was their duty to offer praise. As we saw in Psalm 134, they must even praise Him in the night hours! We can see from this exactly how God viewed this sacred place of Zion and what He longed for more than anything else, that there should be verbal, musical and audible praise and singing arising from the hearts of those who served in His presence.

May that be our motivation to praise Him too. This is a sacred duty but also a reason for being, the church is God’s Temple, it has to be a place of praise. 

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