Read Psalm 134 at Bible Gateway.
The paragraph divisions:
Psa 134:1a, Behold, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, {n}
Psa 134:1b, Who by night stand in the house of the Lord!
Psa 134:2, Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord.
Psa 134:3, The Lord who made heaven and earth bless you from Zion! {p}
The chiastic structure:
1a) Psa 134:1a, Behold, bless the Lord;
1b) Psa 134:1b, All you servants of the Lord; {n}
central axis) Psa 134:1c, Who by night stand in the house of the Lord!
2b) Psa 134:2a, Lift up your hands in the sanctuary;
2a) Psa 134:2b, And bless the Lord.
conclusion) Psa 134:3, The Lord who made heaven and earth bless you from Zion! {p}
This is the final psalm in the section of psalms beginning with Psa 120, the Psalms of Ascents. Ascending what? Perhaps ascending the mountains surrounding Jerusalem, as one’s way is made to the house of the Lord. Three times in the year, Israelites were to appear at the Temple in Jerusalem in order to offer sacrifice, praise, thanksgiving, rejoicing, and tithes, at the three harvest festivals of Unleavened Bread (during which falls the Feast of the First Fruits of the barley harvest); Shavuot or Weeks or Pentecost (the wheat harvest), and Tabernacles (the fruits harvest).
The chiastic structure and the conclusion parallel each other. We are the servants of the Lord, because He is the Creator of heaven and earth. We bless Him, and He blesses us. Isn’t the call to bless the Lord amazing? If you think of it, normally the greater blesses the lessor. And what do we have to confer upon the Creator of heaven and earth, anyway? Nothing material, but our love, worship, and devotion. Pour it out on Him, who has so richly blessed us who did not deserve it! ♥
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