The Last Song of Degrees Rev

The last song of degrees Rev. A. A. Brugge - Psalm 134

Sing: Psalter 186:4,5 Read: Psalm 134 Sing: Psalter 374:1,2,4,5 Sing: Psalter 372:1,2 Sing: Psalter 444:8,9

In this sermon we will meditate on the final psalm in this series of Songs of Degrees, namely Psalm 134. We write above this Psalm: The Last Song of Degrees. We shall reflect on three thoughts:

1. The praise of the Lord (verse 1) 2. The prayer to the Lord (verse 2) 3. The blessing of the Lord (verse 3)

1. The praise of the Lord On their way to Jerusalem the pilgrims have arrived at the Holy Place. No, not in the Holy Place of the temple, but yet near the Holy Place. Actually, our church services are also a Holy Place. How often do we consider the holy things as but ordinary things? We then view these things without any further thought and often have no notion of the holy character of the service.

The pilgrims have arrived at the place where the priests minister. The journey is finished. Now they see the ministry of reconciliation with their own eyes. They are standing in the temple square. Now the altar service is very close. Now they sing an antiphony, namely Psalm 134, in which different groups sing by turns in response to each other. They sing, “Behold, bless ye the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD”. Thus, the pilgrims sing about the Lord’s service, not about themselves. No, they sing about His service, with a view to their salvation. The crowd of pilgrims has already sung

www.sermonweb.org 1/17

“The last song of degrees” (Psalm 134) – Rev. A.A. Brugge fourteen Songs of Degrees, all about the ministry of reconciliation. They have sung about the sacrifice, and of mercy based on the sacrifice.

We again read the remarkable word ‘Behold…’! Do take note of the ministry of reconciliation. That is not just any service. The sacrificial animal has been killed; the blood is dripping. The animal is being sacrificed on the altar. How sad it would be if we were just watching this with cold hearts, full of thoughts perhaps of the crosses of your life, full of discontentment about your present situation. Perhaps you are muttering with questions coming up from your heart and spilling over your lips.

Behold, how close by is the ministry of reconciliation now. Let it be your prayer that God’s blessing may be for you! You see, this is how this last pilgrims’ song, this Song of Degrees actually starts. It wants us to take note of what the priests are doing. Beloved, the focus of this Psalm is not the priests, neither their labours, their accuracy, their conscientiousness, not their impressive priestly clothes, not their high status. But the central point is their service, the sacrifice that calls for a better Sacrifice. It must be said that the priests and the people have sinned every day. Therefore, they need a different and better Sacrifice! Take note, beloved, that this puts a line through all your lack of commitment, whatever way you look at it, and in whatever way you consider it. A church service is not some ordinary thing. The preaching and the ministry of reconciliation are not just part of life, to which one has become accustomed. Have you ever tasted the necessity of reconciliation? Have you never felt that your debt has to be taken away? Or do you never experience your guilt? ‘Behold!’ Listen! With full liberty this may still be pointed out to you.

The message to the priests is: ‘Behold’, be mindful of, your responsibility; ‘behold’, be mindful of, your service. Take heed to yourselves. Having the people in mind, take heed to your service, consider young and old, small and big people. “Bless ye the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD.” By night also? Yes, also by night! Several passages in the Old Testament, for example, 1 Chronicles 9, show that there were services in the tabernacle and the temple by night as well. Must the service in the sanctuary go on continuously? Yes. And what a blessing it is that the service of the Lamb of God

www.sermonweb.org 2/17

“The last song of degrees” (Psalm 134) – Rev. A.A. Brugge goes on day and night in the sanctuary. What a blessing that God’s children may pray to the praying and thanking High Priest by night as well! The services in the tabernacle foreshadowed this. Those services lasted twenty-four hours a day, and they had to go on continuously. That is how the Lord wanted it to be in the Old Testament. Under the Old Testament dispensation He wanted a continuous and perfect service by the priests to the utmost of their strength.

Likewise, God’s Child, His Son came into the world and ministered day and night. He was always engaged in God’s work. For instance, at night He was alone on the mountain to pray. The foxes had holes, and the birds of the air had nests; but the Son of man had not where to lay his head. The zeal of God’s house had eaten Him up, also by night. When this is promised and wished to the priests who are called His servants here, are they subordinates? Are they under dominion? Are they slaves? No, this is definitely not the poet’s intended meaning! God’s servants are ministers to glorify God. To whom do they minister? To those who partook of the temple service at that time. And that applies also to the hearers today! God’s servants are used as clay in God’s hands to His honour and the salvation of our souls.

The Lord’s servants stand in the house of the Lord, it says in verse 1; they stand to minister in the service of God. Sometimes it is said: ‘That minister stands in the pulpit of the congregation of…’ What we mean to say is that he is a minister in that particular village or town. The word ‘stand’ in our text points to the ministry for which the preacher has been set apart. This verse is a jewel among these striking Songs of Degrees. “Behold, bless ye the Lord.”

Beloved, why do you go to church? ‘Well, because of my upbringing’, answers one. Somebody else says, ‘If my parents did not make me go, you would not see me there.’ Again someone else says in an inattentive manner, ‘I don’t know. That’s what we are supposed to do, aren’t we?’ A fourth person says, ‘I quite like coming together with the congregation, it is rather a social thing to do; we have things in common. But that is about it.’

But what is the real reason for going to church? The answer is very simple, if we but stay with the text: ‘Bless ye the Lord.’ You perhaps now think, ‘Hold on,

www.sermonweb.org 3/17

“The last song of degrees” (Psalm 134) – Rev. A.A. Brugge it looks like you are going into a direction we don’t like to become accustomed with. Are you now going to shout ‘Hallelujah’ as well? Do you want to go in the direction of a superficial joy and happiness that lacks the root and has no foundation?’ No beloved, not at all. But if it is well, you go to church in the hope of experiencing something of the Lord; to have communion with Him in your heart and life. Then it is your desire that His service may stir you up to magnify God; no, not praising yourself, but to learn to magnify the Lord. Then it is your desire to be caught in the net of the Gospel. You desire to extend the praise of the Lord.

His praise is born when you are stopped on the way to Damascus and ask, “Who art Thou?” That praise which then has begun in you is pleasing to the Lord’s ears. In Paul’s life the longing was born to proclaim the Lord’s praise. “Bless ye the Lord.” That is remarkable! What a wonder to learn to know that longing. For, honestly, true spiritual life is not characterized by gloom, though there definitely is a spiritual warfare with much wrestling and sorrow. But the genuineness and the authenticity of spiritual life consist in honouring God in word and deed. One may become jealous of the words, but this holds true much more for the deeds. Words may make a person think, but setting an example in the deed will inspire others to follow your example!

The deeds which call for imitation are followed by “Bless ye the Lord.” Is this what you want to learn about? So that the sound of praise will begin in your life as well? So that praise may arise from the black dust of your guilty, sinful and unrighteous heart! ‘Yes,’ you say, ‘but then there must be something to praise about!’ You are right; there must be something to praise about. But there is one thing you should not forget: you and I have been created and placed on this earth for that purpose. We were made to praise and glorify the Creator, Who has created all. We were created to praise God, but how deep we have fallen: We have become robbers of God’s honour! We have denied God the honour due to Him and with all our strength wanted to put ourselves on the throne, self in the centre. Now the world lives in my heart. Nevertheless, we were created to bless and praise the Lord, “Bless ye the Lord”.

www.sermonweb.org 4/17

“The last song of degrees” (Psalm 134) – Rev. A.A. Brugge

But can we then join in the singing having such an evil heart, black like the tents of Kedar? Must this Psalm be sung while we are in the dumps, and full of worries? Can this song be sung when we are leprous from the soul of our foot even to the top of our head because of our sins and iniquities? These words, “Bless ye the Lord” are not just hollow and empty words, are they?

“Bless ye the Lord.” Do you know how the Lord’s praise arises out of the dust? No, we do not restore God’s honour. But in the temple people well understood that the ministry of reconciliation is going on right through the service of the priests and goes on for the sake of the Sacrifice of the Lord! It is not so much about the offerings, the various ceremonies, the duties and strictness in the tabernacle service and the temple service. It is all about Him to Whom everything points in the tabernacle service. That is what the praises of my heart and life are to be about. “Bless ye the Lord.” It is all about looking unto Him, Who has restored God’s honour, Who has adorned God’s honour: Christ! The offr'ing on the altar burned Gives no delight to Thee; The hearing ear, the willing heart, Thou givest unto me. Then, O my God, I come, I come, Thy purpose to fulfill; Thy law is written in my heart, 'Tis joy to do Thy will. (Psalter 109:1-2)

Why do you go to church, beloved? I hope the reason is because you are restless, because you have found no refuge yet in the knowledge that grace is only to be found in the blood of the covenant, in looking upon the chief Captain and Finisher of faith. Outside of Him is no shelter or rest. Therefore let it be your prayer, ‘Lord, grant that my heart may be devoted to Thee also. Grant that my mouth may give Thee the honour.’

“Bless ye the Lord.” You think, ‘If only I could do that! I understand that other poet very well who said: In my deep humiliation

www.sermonweb.org 5/17

“The last song of degrees” (Psalm 134) – Rev. A.A. Brugge

‘Where is now thy God?’ they say. Yea my soul doth melt in me, When I bring to memory, How of yore I did assemble With the joyful in Thy temple.’ (Psalter 416:2)

And yet: Praise Him! That contains a yearning to be enabled to do that; there is a bond of love that compels me to praise Him here on earth already, even if it is but in an imperfect measure. The heart has become directed toward Him. May my soul be sanctified for Thee? May I live out of Thee? “Bless ye the Lord.”

Beloved, we can glorify God only through Jesus; glorifying God is possible in God’s Son alone. Have you prayed for this? Have you asked, ‘May I really learn to know what it is all about?’ Many people can do with some good feelings about the worship services, and can think and talk about them for hours, and that is all they do. But this is the cardinal point: You must be cleansed and you can be cleansed, to God’s honour, to the praise of the Lord. The Apostle Paul put it very aptly in Ephesians 1, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.”

“Bless ye the Lord!” I hope with all my heart that you will be able to respond, “O praise and bless the Lord, my soul.” Then you will reckon with the Lord in all things: in your diary, in your thinking, in your speaking, in everything! In all things pertaining to your life. Is that the case with you?

I want to ask a second question in relation to verse 1 of Psalm 134. The first question was, ‘Why do we go to church?’ That question is directly related to the first verse. But I want to add another question: Who are meant by the servants mentioned in the text? You probably say, ‘That is easy enough. You do not need much knowledge of the Bible to answer that question: They are the ministers in the Kingdom of God.’ You are right, but that is not all. Are there any other servants of God? Yes, they are all those who from servants of Satan have become

www.sermonweb.org 6/17

“The last song of degrees” (Psalm 134) – Rev. A.A. Brugge servants of God. They are those who long for the blessing of the ministry of reconciliation. They are those who realize: I must be cleansed and sanctified; I need that blood of Jesus to wash my soul.

Boys and girls, I have a message for you also. What do you think of Samuel? He also was a servant. That is why he said, “Speak, for Thy servant heareth”. Although you are not a grown-up and not able to understand everything, one thing you do believe, and that is that the Lord forgives sin. Perhaps you wonder, ‘But how do I know that the Lord forgives me my sin?’ Well, let me explain that by using an example. There was a young person, just like you, who was on his way to adulthood. He could have whatever he wanted and he received an important position as king. His name was Josiah. You will understand that when you have power and influence, and control everything, you are an important person indeed. It often happens that such people think the world of themselves; they think they are very important! Then you are praised by people, and served by butlers and servants. But, young people, Josiah was about sixteen, seventeen years old and, contrary to what people had expected from him, he chose to go the way of his father David; he wanted to fear the Lord. He had love for the Lord. I do hope this is true in your life as well. You are facing big temptations: behind your computer, and on your mobile phone. But are all those things really so important? What do you talk about with your friends? Do you set your heart upon knowledge, I mean the knowledge of the Lord? I can understand you so well, for we are all facing these big temptations, including the adults in church. Young friends, let it be your prayer to go in the ways of the Lord.

And what about when you are an adult in the strength of your life? Should a father not be a servant of the Lord and a priest in his family? Should a mother not be an example of godly walk in her family, adorned with a quiet and meek spirit? “All ye servants of the Lord.” This applies not just to church. Do we not need the ministry of reconciliation tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, next week? Yes, every day of our life!

And older people, how is it in your life? I know an old servant, a woman, Anna, a widow of the tribe of Asher, a daughter of Phanuel. She was waiting for

www.sermonweb.org 7/17

“The last song of degrees” (Psalm 134) – Rev. A.A. Brugge the consolation of Israel, the Reconciler, the Savior. And she saw Him and was glad!

“All ye servants.” Do not think that those people are faultless! No, but they are people upon whom the Lord bestowed grace. The Lord was the First in their lives. From servants of the world and of self, He made them servants of God. They needed to be cleansed, and that was possible indeed! Otherwise it would not have said that they were His servants. Consequently, God’s praise arises out of the dust, “Bless ye the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD.”

The first verse of the psalm contains yet one more thing. Do you know where the pilgrims came from? They came far away from Jerusalem: from Kedar and Mesech, from the desert. A waste, howling wilderness. But now they are there where they longed to be, namely near the ministry of reconciliation. There they find rest. The servants find rest there where they may look upon the coming Servant, the Servant of the Lord. Therefore, I believe that we may look upon this song as a song of arrival. They shall be delivered from Kedar and from Mesech, the place of misery. They may then stand near Him when the days of their pilgrimage here on earth are past. Here below they may experience moments of rest, when the Lord speaks to their heart, when they may see the preciousness, willingness and all-sufficiency of the blood of atonement. Do you know when the pilgrimage has really come to an end? When Kedar and Mesech are behind me. Here on earth, God’s children in their misery often still carry Kedar and Mesech in their hearts and souls. But when they are delivered from the body of sin and death, Kedar and Mesech will be behind them forever. Then the gates of heaven will be open, night and day. Then life will be full of praise and adoration: ‘Hallelujah, praise ye God.’ Without end, without breaks, without ‘Selah’. In His temple God be praised. Before His throne, triumphant beyond all strife, but also here below, God be praised. “Bless ye the Lord.” Give me words to sing. Yes, give me Jesus, else I die, for outside Jesus there is no life, but everlasting destruction of my soul.

2. The prayer to the Lord Let us now in the second place meditate on the prayer to the Lord, which you will find in verse 2, “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.”

www.sermonweb.org 8/17

“The last song of degrees” (Psalm 134) – Rev. A.A. Brugge

The pilgrims are in the temple; there they see the Lord’s servants at work; they observe their service, but that alone does not satisfy them. No, they proceed to the core issue. They truly understand what the essence is: namely, that all what matters is the application of the ceremonial service to their hearts. We can hear the pilgrims supplicate, for they know very well that outward formalities do not suffice! They cry out to the living God, ‘Lord, deliver my soul.’ The function of the house of God is not limited just to the preaching of the ministry of reconciliation, and recommending the blood of atonement to sinners without distinction. God’s house is also a house of prayer. The true pilgrims come there for reasons of penitence, for they have sinned so much and so grievously. There they make confession of guilt, and pray, ‘Lord, may it please Thee to look down upon me.’ Or, to say it with the words of Psalm 134:2, “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary.” They petition the Lord God to bless His servants, the priests and their helpers, the Levites. But these ministering men are not the ultimate focus for pilgrims.

Congregation, do you also pray for God’s blessing upon the ministry in His Kingdom? God’s people are assaulted internally: ‘Would it really be for you? You are only imagining things. Your religion is only an external thing.’ They know of those whisperings in their heart: ‘You are only imitating others.’ But when we lift up our hands to the Lord with an upright heart, then these attacking voices inside are silenced, be it temporarily. Therefore, take your refuge in prayer to the Lord, and ask Him, ‘Lord, please take away those voices inside.’ Do you recognize this in your own life? Do you also experience that the attacks from hell are aimed at you? Satan whispers, ‘Your prayer is always the same. The Lord abhors it. The holy duty of prayer has become an ordinary thing for you, nothing but a dead repletion of words.’

The Lord, however, says, “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary.” Lift them up to the Lord. Can you not escape from your crosses that beset you, from the whirlpool of your thoughts? Are you arranging tomorrow’s business while in church? Are you trying to make sense of what happened in your life in the past week, over the last few months, or even years? The ministry of reconciliation continues and the Word is preached every Sunday. God is free from your blood,

www.sermonweb.org 9/17

“The last song of degrees” (Psalm 134) – Rev. A.A. Brugge older ones, and from yours also, young people. For the blood of atonement is dripping from the pulpit in each and every sermon. O, consider how sinful and guilty we are, because we are such indifferent hearers. It is unbelievable. Young and old, none of us is free from the preaching of God’s Word. None of us can be excused. Therefore, the call comes to you, “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary.”

O, beloved, God grant that the proclamation of the Word brings forth fruit. Keep on praying! Ask for the application of the rich and deep ministry of reconciliation that you may receive true comfort in the Sacrifice of the blood of Christ. Pray for the application of the blood, for Jesus’ sake. In God’s love abiding I have joy and peace More than all the wicked, Though their wealth increase (Psalter 7:3)

“Lift up your hands.” You perhaps think, ‘Am I allowed to do that?’ Of course you are! When you come home after the service, and you are not physically incapable to do so, you may indeed go on your knees! Here we read about lifting up the hands. This is a somewhat unusual form of praying for us. However, in the Bible we regularly read of such lifting up of hands. The hands were lifted up, symbolically, to God. Is it then critical what we do with our hands? No, beloved, in essence it is not different from our way of praying, with folded hands and bent knees. In Psalm 25, David speaks of lifting up his soul. He says as it were, ‘I lift up my life, my soul, to God. I dedicate my life entirely to Him.’ Congregation, it does require effort to lift up your life. David no longer wants to lean on anything in the world around him, but he lifts up his life, his entire existence. He expects everything from God alone. Therefore, it is not just the posture, for if lifting up our hands would be more reverent, we would be inclined to say, ‘Let us henceforth pray like that also.’ No, the essence depicted by the image and symbolism is what it is about, namely the praying person wants to expect everything from the Lord. He puts his trust completely in God, and wants to live in dependence upon Him and receive all good gifts from the Lord!

www.sermonweb.org 10/17

“The last song of degrees” (Psalm 134) – Rev. A.A. Brugge

The poet is poor in himself. What a consolation this must be for people who feel poor before God. They are poor in righteousness and full of iniquity. What a consolation that must be for people who are bowed down under a burden of sins and sorrows. Indeed, poor and disconsolate in themselves, they yet lift up the heart and say, ‘Unto Thee, o Lord Jehovah, do I lift my waiting soul.’ To Thee I stretch my hands, Let me not plead in vain; I wait as weary lands Wait for refreshing rain. (Psalter 390:2)

For sinners there is no ground of existence except the blood and sacrifice of Christ! Sure, we may be helpless, powerless, and disconsolate in ourselves, if only we may expect strength and consolation from Him alone. Do you lack true comfort? Who is able to lift up a weary soul? Here you have the answer, “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary.” No, we no longer have to travel to Jerusalem. Lift up your hands, your heart, your soul in prayer to the Lord. And you do not have to meet any conditions. Will you remember this? Just say that you are wicked, that you have no courage any more, that you feel sinful and weak! How often do we, in lifting up our hands to the sanctuary, try to cover ourselves behind beautiful words, to cover up our inability, ignorance, unwillingness, sinfulness and guilt.

“Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.” There is the Name of the LORD again, the triune God. Yes, thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift! There is One Who is lifting His hands in the sanctuary, prayerfully, earnestly, dependently, expectantly, and looking forward. That is what He did all His life as a Substitute. Now that He is in the heavenly sanctuary, where He went after His ascension, He looks down from the sanctuary and blesses His people with all kinds of spiritual blessings from above. Why does He do this? In order that these crying people, with their hands stretched out, who in their helplessness expect it from Him, shall not remain standing there empty- handed, but shall receive gifts. In order that they, yes, they, would receive the blessing of the ministry of reconciliation.

www.sermonweb.org 11/17

“The last song of degrees” (Psalm 134) – Rev. A.A. Brugge

People shall fall away; these voices, mine, yours and those inside, will one day cease to exist. Only one voice will remain, the power of God to salvation. Therefore, congregation, lift up your hands and say, ‘Lord hear our prayer, look on us in the Son of Thy love. Hear us for the sake of the great Intercessor, Who does remain and Whose prayer does continue. The ‘amen’ upon His prayers will continue until the last day! This is for us cause to praise Thee.’ Before we continue with our third thought, we shall first sing Psalter 372:1,2.

Come, all ye servants of the Lord, Lift up your voice with one accord Jehovah's Name to bless; Ye that are standing night by night Within the house of His delight, His glorious Name confess.

Yea, in His place of holiness Lift up your hands the Lord to bless; And unto you be giv'n, The joys that Zion doth afford, The richest blessing of the Lord Who made the earth and heav'n.

3. The blessing of the Lord The poet continues in verse 3, “The LORD that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.” From time to time we sing Psalter 429, and stanza 3 contains these words: Jehovah looketh from on high With kindly eye Upon the lowly.

However, the Psalm continues: But knoweth those from far who hide, In sinful pride Their ways unholy.

www.sermonweb.org 12/17

“The last song of degrees” (Psalm 134) – Rev. A.A. Brugge

From out of Zion, from afar, the Lord looks at all empty show. He does not fail to see a single thing of all the sinful things which we do and nourish, which we do not want to let go, notwithstanding the many calls to do so. We do not want Him to be King over us. That is the fearful other side of our text. The text depicts people who choose to be guided in life by their own compass of how they feel about things. Their starting-point is their own thinking and desires; God gets something and I get something; the church gets one hand and the world gets the other hand. But such people He knows from far, that is, He is sorely displeased with them.

Beloved congregation, do you know who are occupied with these thoughts the most? They who know and experience that they have done that which is evil in God’s sight. But for them there is a message: Jehovah looketh from on high With kindly eye Upon the lowly.

They lift up their hands in the sanctuary, with the prayer, ‘Lord, wilt Thou apply Thy blood to my life also.’ What a comfort it is, what a rich gospel message that He is prepared to dwell with them that are of a contrite and humble spirit. You ask, ‘How do I know that I have a humble spirit and a contrite heart?’ Congregation, do not make this a condition you have to fulfil yourself. Never use that as a spiritual gauge. For that only holds you back. True life is not found there; that is a life outside of God. You will receive the answer to your question when the Lord Himself breaks the bonds and shatters the shackles and you receive a humble spirit which yields to the Lord unconditionally! Then you approve all what God does. The Apostle says, “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

What a wonder when in this manner the Lord looks down upon you, gives clarity in your soul and sustains you. Do you know what David says somewhere? “Thy gentleness hath made me great.” What was it that refreshed the poet? No, not that he became great himself. That is but pride. No, it was God’s blessings. God’s blessings have drawn him out of the pit; they have become his delight; they have comforted him, and were a cause of adoration and admiration.

www.sermonweb.org 13/17

“The last song of degrees” (Psalm 134) – Rev. A.A. Brugge

Beloved, the Lord, the triune God bless you in His Son, through His Spirit. What kind of blessing do you desire? Only temporal blessings? Or also spiritual blessings? The Lamb of God, Christ, has merited both, namely temporal and eternal blessings. Everything we need is to be found in Him, really. What blessings does the poet speak about? We have met with one already. Just remember Psalm 121. There it says, “The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.” We often quote this verse when someone is going on a long journey. It makes us think of the beginning and the end of our life. Then we say from our heart, ‘May God bless you!’

Friends, are you satisfied with the perishable trinkets this world has to offer, with all the things with which we can be busy? Or are you focused on the incorruptible inheritance, which does not fade away? Are you dissatisfied with the Lord and perhaps say, ‘Why withholdest Thou Thy blessing?’ Consider then what we have deserved. Have you ever felt the burden of God’s displeasure? Have you ever felt forsaken of God? No, not you, but Christ did, in order that they who are groaning under it and think that their shoulders are too small to bear it, will never be forsaken any more.

“The Lord bless thee.” Do we then always get the blessing we ask for, when we lift up our hands in the sanctuary, when we go to God’s house prayerfully? O no; the Lord alone knows what is good for us. Paul repeatedly prayed the Lord to be relieved of the thorn in his flesh, but the Lord said, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” Does that not constitute a blessing from Zion? God says, ‘I am with you, Paul, for the sake of Christ and His merits. I am with you all the days till the end of the world. My grace is sufficient for you, for your life here below as well as hereafter.’

In this psalm, the priests speak to the people in antiphonal song; they sing alternately. The people spoke the words of verses 1 and 2 and the priests replied in song with verse 3. He blesses you from His exalted sanctuary. He blesses you from the place of atonement. The priests may pass God’s blessing on to the people and say: you may return home, you may go back to your village, you may go back to Kedar and Mesech. God remains in Zion, but…

www.sermonweb.org 14/17

“The last song of degrees” (Psalm 134) – Rev. A.A. Brugge

From Zion’s mountain fair He looked on my despair And heard my supplications. (Psalter 414:2)

You may return home, the priests say, but God remains. You do not need to be here in this place in order to partake of the reconciliation; the Lord can also grant you His blessing at home, at work, in your office or wherever. His blessing is not tied to a particular time or place. God remains in Zion. And in Christ He remains the same for ever.

And this how this Psalm ends, “The LORD that made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121 and Psalm 146 say exactly the same thing. These psalms want to convey the message that God remains the Faithful One; He remains the same. Zion remains and Zion’s God remains, though the scenes of the world may change. Those that fear the Lord may at times be tossed by the waves of the sea. Yet, Zion remains and Zion’s God remains the same. Those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

The Fountain of all good remains. He Who made heaven and earth is the same. He is the Almighty; He speaks and it is done and commands and it stands fast. Would anything be too wonderful for Him? Therefore, at times God’s children sing:

Thro' pain and trouble Thou hast led, And humbled all our pride; But, in the end, to liberty And wealth Thy hand did guide. Here in Thy house I give to Thee The life that Thou dost bless, And pay the solemn vows I made When I was in distress. (Psalter 174:2)

www.sermonweb.org 15/17

“The last song of degrees” (Psalm 134) – Rev. A.A. Brugge

God is the almighty One Who led the way, Who prepared the paths. He has all power. He speaks and it is done and commands and it stands fast. Neither Satan nor iniquity have dominion, for the head of the serpent has been bruised. Although his tail may deal nasty blows and inflict painful and bleeding wounds, God is the Almighty One. Christ will never leave nor forsake His Church. All power has been given Him. He has triumphed. He has gained the victory. What a blessing to see and admire the sacrificial Lamb. Would you not desire that? Then you can let go of everything for the excellence of the One, the Fairest of the children of men.

“The Lord bless thee.” Grace is poured out in His lips. Such grace received will never depart. He never leaves nor forsakes His people. For the first time and again, He is Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last. He grants His children to experience His Own work and grants them His grace. He seeks them when their heart is restless, because they have lost sight of Him and no longer can see His reconciliation. The Lord seeks them time and again, because He never forsakes what His hand has begun. He remains the same. ‘O God, Thou art the same.’

Is it your complaint, “My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?” Then I may tell you, doubting one, you who are sifted on Satan’s sieve, “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?” (Isa. 40:28) He yet desires to bless with an abundant blessing. He does not do this by halves, not sparingly, but abundantly and richly!

Amen.

Concluding Psalter 444:8,9

High in the heavens has Jehovah founded His lofty throne, by cherubim surrounded; And lo, His kingdom ruleth over all! O bless the Lord, ye angels full of glory, Ye mighty heroes, famed in sacred story, That do His word, obedient to His call!

www.sermonweb.org 16/17

“The last song of degrees” (Psalm 134) – Rev. A.A. Brugge

Bless Him, ye hosts, in praises without measure, Ye ministers of His that do His pleasure; Exalt His Name, His majesty extol. Bless ye Jehovah, all His works in union, In all the places of His wide dominion; Yea, bless the Lord with joy, O thou, my soul!