588_Come, bless the Lord (Psalm 134) Psalm 134 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! There is a story told about a small town in the mountains of Switzerland. High on a hill above the village lived an old man who had been hired decades earlier as the keeper of the springs. His job was simple but unseen: each day he hiked the hillsides and cleared away leaves, branches, and debris from the mountain springs that fed the town’s streams and lake. For years, nobody paid attention to him. The water ran clean, the lake was sparkling, and the village became known for its beauty. People came to rest and restore their souls beside those clear waters. One day the town council decided that the old man’s salary was no longer necessary. “After all,” they reasoned, “the water has been clean for years. Surely it will take care of itself.” So they dismissed him. At first, nothing changed. But within a few weeks, the water grew darker. Slimy film gathered along the banks. A foul smell drifted over the lake. Tourists stopped coming. The life of the village was affected quickly and deeply. Alarmed, the town leaders called an emergency meeting. Realizing their mistake, they rehired the old man. In time, the springs were cleared, the water ran clean again, and the life of the village returned. Psalm 134, the last of the Songs of Ascents, is a reminder of what that old man did. It is a psalm addressed to those who minister in the unseen hours—those who keep the lamp burning when the world sleeps, those who tend the springs of worship when no one is watching, those whose faithfulness keeps the life of God’s people flowing. Psalm 134 is short—only three verses—but it opens a window into the heart of worship. Many scholars believe this psalm was sung at the conclusion of the great pilgrimage festivals. After days of traveling, worshiping, offering sacrifices, and feasting in Jerusalem, the pilgrims prepared to leave the Holy City and return to their villages scattered across the land. As they departed, they called out to the priests who remained in the temple through the night: “Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord.” It was both an exhortation and a benediction—a reminder that the worship of God does not end when the crowds go home. To understand the richness of this call, we must pause for a moment on the word “bless.” In English, “bless” usually means to confer something good. When we say a person is blessed, we mean they have received favor or goodness. In Scripture, when God blesses, that is exactly what it means—He bestows life, protection, strength, and grace. But when we bless God, we obviously do not give Him something He lacks. Instead, the
