Psalm 133

How good and pleasant it is
    when God’s people live together in unity!
It is like precious oil poured on the head,
    running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
    down on the collar of his robe.
It is as if the dew of Hermon
    were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
    even life forevermore.

• Psalm 133:1-3

Type of Psalm

Didactic psalms: These psalms are psalms that are intended to teach.  In most cases the psalm instructs us in moral principles.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

“This psalm is a brief encomium on unity and brotherly love, which, if we did not see the miseries of discord among men, we should think needless; but we cannot say too much, it were well if we could say enough, to persuade people to live together in peace. Some conjecture that David penned this psalm upon occasion of the union between the tribes when they all met unanimously to make him king. It is a psalm of general use to all societies, smaller and larger, civil and sacred. Here is, I. The doctrine laid down of the happiness of brotherly love, ver. 1. II. The illustration of that doctrine, in two similitudes, ver. 2, 3. III. The proof of it, in a good reason given for it (ver. 3); and then we are left to make the application, which we ought to do in singing it, provoking ourselves and one another to holy love. The contents of this psalm in our Bibles, are short, but very proper; it is ‘the benefit of the communion of saints.’”

• Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 133 “There are Christians, of course, who never put their names down on a membership list; there are Christians who refuse to respond to the call to worship each Sunday; there are Christians who say, “I love God but I hate the church.” But they are members all the same, whether they like it or not, whether they ac-knowledge it or not. For God never makes private, secret salvation deals with people. His relationships with us are personal, true; intimate, yes; but private, no. We are a family in Christ. When we become Christians, we are among brothers and sisters in faith. No Christian is an only child.”

• Eugene H. Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

My Thoughts

This psalm is attributed to David.

This continues the songs of ascent, where the people make their pilgrimage up the mountain to Jerusalem.

What is church unity these days?  Unless you have a small church of like-minded people, unity is rarely possible.  I caused a pastor to cry when I said that once.

The problem is sin.  We have a sin nature.  Most people will fight to the end to prove they are right.  And then when some fight so hard that they make a fool out of themselves, there is another argument over how to deal with the miscreants.

But then when deciding how to handle who becomes a member of the church can be problematic.  And once you have enough unbelieving members, the foundation of the church begins to crumble.

Just after uploading this post, I read something from Bruce Cooper, and he discusses this idea of unity within the church as seen in other Christian bloggers. The link is HERE.

But this psalm points to what we can agree upon.  There is one God.  God the Father sent His Son to the earth to provide a payment of debt, so that our sins could be washed away.

I cannot go much further or someone will disagree.  But once we are standing before God in Heaven, we will all find that in one way or another, we got something wrong.  But only then will we be unified, praising God, hand in hand.

Psalm 134

Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord
    who minister by night in the house of the Lord.
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary
    and praise the Lord.
May the Lord bless you from Zion,
    he who is the Maker of heaven and earth.

• Psalm 134:1-3

Type of Psalm

Psalms of praise: Exactly as stated.  God is being praised.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

“This is the last of the fifteen songs of degrees; and, if they were at any time sung all together in the temple-service, it is fitly made the conclusion of them, for the design of it is to stir up the ministers to go on with their work in the night, when the solemnities of the day were over. Some make this psalm to be a dialogue. I. In the ver. 1, 2, the priests or Levites who sat up all night to keep the watch of the house of the Lord are called upon to spend their time while they were upon the guard, not in idle talk, but in the acts of devotion. II. In the ver. 3 those who were thus called upon to praise God pray for him that gave them the exhortation, either the high priest or the captain of the guard. Or thus: those who did that service did mutually exhort one another and pray for one another. In singing this psalm we must both stir up ourselves to give glory to God and encourage ourselves to hope for mercy and grace from him.”

• Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 134 “The experience is not uncommon. We work hard for something, get it and then find we don’t want it. We struggle for years to get to the top and find life there thoroughly boring. Colson writes, ‘Being part of electing a President was the fondest ambition of my life. For three long years I had committed everything I had, every ounce of energy to Richard Nixon’s cause. Nothing else mattered. We had had no time together as a family, no social life, no vacations.’ And then, having in his hands what he had set out to gain, he found he couldn’t enjoy it.”

• Eugene H. Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

My Thoughts

This psalm is not attributed to any author.

This concludes the songs of ascent, where the people make their pilgrimage up the mountain to Jerusalem.

As Matthew Henry states, this is a good conclusion to the songs of ascent.  Hand in hand, praising God.

But Rev. Peterson takes an odd approach.  He relates Chuck Colson’s deflated attitude after he had reached the pinnacle of success.  But our purpose in life is to glorify God, not ourselves.  Glorifying ourselves leaves us hollow.

But that is the point of the psalmist.  When we praise God and focus solely on Him, the things that create discord fade away.  In those times, we can be unified in our love of God.

Psalm 135

Praise the Lord.
Praise the name of the Lord;
    praise him, you servants of the Lord,
you who minister in the house of the Lord,
    in the courts of the house of our God.
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
    sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.
For the Lord has chosen Jacob to be his own,
    Israel to be his treasured possession.
I know that the Lord is great,
    that our Lord is greater than all gods.
The Lord does whatever pleases him,
    in the heavens and on the earth,
    in the seas and all their depths.
He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
    he sends lightning with the rain
    and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
    the firstborn of people and animals.
He sent his signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt,
    against Pharaoh and all his servants.
He struck down many nations
    and killed mighty kings—
Sihon king of the Amorites,
    Og king of Bashan,
    and all the kings of Canaan—
and he gave their land as an inheritance,
    an inheritance to his people Israel.
Your name, Lord, endures forever,
    your renown, Lord, through all generations.
For the Lord will vindicate his people
    and have compassion on his servants.
The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
    made by human hands.
They have mouths, but cannot speak,
    eyes, but cannot see.
They have ears, but cannot hear,
    nor is there breath in their mouths.
Those who make them will be like them,
    and so will all who trust in them.
All you Israelites, praise the Lord;
    house of Aaron, praise the Lord;
house of Levi, praise the Lord;
    you who fear him, praise the Lord.
Praise be to the Lord from Zion,
    to him who dwells in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord.

• Psalm 135:1-21

Type of Psalm

Psalms of thanksgiving for God’s goodness to Israel:  Giving God thanks as noted.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

“This is one of the Hallelujah-psalms; that is the title of it, and that is the Amen of it, both its Alpha and its Omega. I. It begins with a call to praise God, particularly a call to the “servants of the Lord” to praise him, as in the foregoing psalm, ver. 1-3. II. It goes on to furnish us with matter for praise. God is to be praised, 1. As the God of Jacob, ver. 4. 2. As the God of gods, ver. 5. 3. As the God of the whole world, ver. 6, 7. 4. As a terrible God to the enemies of Israel, ver. 8-11. 5. As a gracious God to Israel, both in what he had done for them and what he would do, ver. 12-14. 6. As the only living God, all other gods being vanity and a lie, ver. 15-18. III. It concludes with another exhortation to all persons concerned to praise God, ver. 19-21. In singing this psalm our hearts must be filled, as well as our mouths, with the high praises of God.”

• Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 135 “If others are silent, you must not be; you must be the first to celebrate His praises. ‘Praise the LORD! Praise the name of the LORD; praise Him, O you servants of the LORD!’ You are ‘servants,’ and this is part of your service. His ‘name’ is named upon you; therefore celebrate His name with praises. You know what a blessed Master He is; therefore speak well of Him. Those who shun His service are sure to neglect His praise, but as grace has made you His own personal servant, let your heart make you His court musician. Here we see the servant of the Lord arousing his fellow servants by three times calling upon them to praise. Are we then so slow in such a sweet employ? Or is it that when we do our utmost, it is all too little for such a Lord? Both are true. We do not praise enough; we cannot praise too much. We ought to be always at it, answering to the command here given-praise, praise, praise. Let the Three-in-One have the praises of our spirit, soul, and body. For the past, the present, and the future, let us render threefold hallelujahs.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, Spurgeon and the Psalms

My Thoughts

This psalm is not attributed to any author.

Praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord’s name.

On one hand, the Gaither song, Something about that Name makes it so pleasant just to say the name Jesus.  In the right attitude, the name is wonderful.

On the other hand, there are hardly any of the various names of God that mankind has not turned into a curse word.

But here, the psalmist speaks of how Jacob’s family was chosen to be God’s people.  Israel is God’s possession.

God helps His people by bringing the rain and wind.

God brought His people out of Egypt, killing the firstborn of human and animal.  And in taking the Promised Land, God struck down many nations.

Then there is a “bridge” in the psalm.  God is once again adored and His name will endure forever.  This shift, or return to the original theme, sets up comparisons between God and the false gods of the other nations.  These gods are made of silver and gold.  While humanoid in appearance, these false gods cannot speak, hear, see, or even breathe.  And those that make these false gods will be like them in impotence.

The priests praise the Lord.  The Levites praise the Lord.  All Israel praises the Lord.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

Psalm 133

“1. Do we need separate, competing institutional churches?
“2. Where do you find Christian community? What hinders it?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

Psalm 134

“1. What is the last thing you do before going to sleep?
“2. Do you ever “bless” others? Take group time to bless each other.”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

Psalm 135

“1. In your prayers, are you generally God’s servant or is God yours? What does it mean for you to be a servant of the Lord?
“2. What’s pleasant about praising God? Does this mean you always have to feel like doing it? Can worship be pleasant when you’re ‘not in the mood’ for it? Why or why not?
“3. Do you feel like one of God’s chosen ones? Why or why not? How could you come to view yourself as a treasure in God’s eyes? Would a stronger assurance of God’s high esteem of you give you new attitudes and behavior?
“4. How do ancient and modern day idols differ? How are they alike? In what do you place your trust? How have you become like that in which you trust?
“5. How would you rewrite verses 15-18 to mock modern idols? Brainstorm some ideas in the group.”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

There is one set of questions for each of these psalms.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.