Psalm 134

This is the simplest of songs.  It speaks of the pilgrim in pure worship of God.  The pilgrim is at the temple, God's dwelling place.  He is at rest from his difficulties (Ps. 131), he has set his eyes on Messiah (Ps. 132), and he is in fellowship with many other pilgrims (Ps. 133).  He is so moved in all this that he has one thought: bless the Lord!

To "bless" is to speak well of someone.  The "someone" the pilgrim has in mind is the Lord.  Five times in this short song he refers to the Lord.  He desires that all who serve Him should bless Him.  Servants are often tempted to curse the one they serve, a sin under any circumstances.  But those who serve the Lord serve a gracious and compassionate Master; blessing is the only reasonable response.

The pilgrim's words are directed towards the Lord's servants who serve by night in the Lord's house.  This is as good as worship gets in Old Testament times.  The pilgrim, at the temple during the evening sacrifice, was an observer of the priests and Levites as they performed the acts of worship on behalf of all Israel.  By His death on the cross Christ has given access to the presence of God for all who come by faith.  Pure worship today is not one of a spectator cheering on the worship leaders.  It is the service of all who serve the Lord.

Finally, note that the pilgrim's praise is born out of his pilgrimage.  He worships the Maker of Heaven and Earth, the very One who promised to be his help at the start (Ps. 121).  The pilgrim has encountered many trials along the way: contempt, battles with his enemy and the evil world around him, and battles with his own sinful soul.  But at every turn the Lord has been his Help, showing mercy, being a refuge, forgiving and satisfying.  So out of trial has come, not bitterness or doubt or worry, but a deep and deeper love for God.  Is this not what the pilgrim set out to discover back in Meshech (Ps. 120)?  Was this not the joy he envisioned when his friends suggested the idea (Ps. 122)?  This song tells us the pilgrim has found the One who alone could save him out of his life of despair and defeat.

Friend, it is God's desire that you know Him, and that you grow daily in that knowledge (2 Peter 3:18).  Pilgrimage is the path that will lead you to this blessed knowledge of the Holy One!  May your journey be blessed by the Maker of Heaven and Earth so that you might increasingly live to bless the Lord!