Benediction
Psalm 134 1 Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord! 2 Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the Lord! 3 May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth! We arrive at the end of the 15 Songs of Ascent spoken during the walk up to Jerusalem from all over Israel. This brief song is thought to be a benediction, spoken as the recitation practice ends, with verses 1 and 2 being spoken by the people and verse 3 recited by the priest. All 15 of these prayers have the purposes of preparing the worshiper to enter the Temple and give praise to God. This psalm may even have been held until the end of the worship time in the Temple, as the people invite the priest to continue their songs of praise throughout the night and a blessing for the people as they head home. How many times during the day do you take an opportunity to speak words of blessing over the people in your lives. I’m always st...