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The Psalms of Ascents outline the experiences of ancient pilgrims who traveled to the temple to worship the Lord. This set of psalms begins in the difficult dwelling place of the psalmist (Ps. 120:5–6), continues along the perilous road to Jerusalem (Ps. 121), and ends with a song addressing the night watch of the temple: “Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, who stand by night in the house of the LORD!” (Ps. 134:1).
It is a fitting end to this collection of psalms. As evening fell and the pilgrims were making ready to head home, they encouraged and blessed the night shift of the temple. These priests and Levites would keep the lamps and incense burning and would act as security guards. Their jobs probably seemed routine, even unimportant.
If you have worked a night shift, you know that it is easy to check out mentally and go about tasks robotically. Likely this is why the psalmist says, “Come, bless the LORD!” The refrain would be encouraging, spurring these servants to keep on praising the Lord. Perhaps there was holy jealousy in the hearts of some of the believers who sang this. It was time for them to go home to their farms and businesses, and they would have to wait a few months before returning to the temple. Zealous believers would wish they could stay at the house of God all night and never stop worshiping Him. So, they urged the priests to remember their privilege and to bless the Lord continually.
Perhaps many of us need this same exhortation. Our work in God’s kingdom—His house—may seem to get routine. As darkness deepens around us, it may be challenging to bless the Lord from the heart. As we get older, we may be in danger of losing our passion for praise. Let us be stirred up to bless the Lord at all times. Let us worship the Lord even through long nights and in secret when no one is looking. When we see other believers beginning to wander or grow weary, let us keep encouraging them to praise the Lord.
Even more, however, Christians ought to remember that we have a greater privilege that relates to this psalm. We do not need to depend on imperfect priests to keep praising the Lord on our behalf. We need not worry that worship will cease for the night. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has ascended to the heavenly temple and always “lives to make intercession” for His people (Heb. 7:25). As the entire book of Hebrews emphasizes, Jesus has taken the place of the temple, priests, and even sacrifices. He is our High Priest who never slumbers or sleeps and who is constantly caring for His people. We need not worry that He will ever stop praying on our behalf. In Christ, those who have blessed the Lord will even be blessed from Zion for all eternity (Rev. 21:22). “Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD!”