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영문 원문
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 Ps 134:1,2, 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 Ps 134:3 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.
1-3
A Call to Bless God
繁體中文
稱頌神的呼召
上行之詩。
¹ 耶和華的眾僕人夜間站在耶和華殿中的，你們當稱頌耶和華。
² 你們當在聖所舉手，稱頌耶和華。
³ 願造天地的耶和華，從錫安賜福給你。
本篇教導我們關於兩方面的福：
一、我們稱頌神——就是說神的善，這正是我們在此受教要作的，詩134:1,2。1. 這是對利未人的呼召，要他們如此行。他們按職任是耶和華的僕人，受派辦理聖物的事；他們伺候聖所，看守耶和華殿的職責，民3:6-10等。他們當中有些人夜間站在耶和華殿中，為要護衛殿中的聖物免被褻瀆，又護衛殿中的寶物免被搶掠。約櫃尚在幔子之內時，更需要有衛兵看守。他們也要留意，使祭壇上的火和燈臺上的燈不致熄滅。或許有些敬虔的以色列人常與他們一同儆醒；我們讀到有一個「不離開聖殿，禁食祈求，晝夜事奉神」，路2:37。如今這些人在此被召去稱頌耶和華。他們當藉著使自己有事可作來保持儆醒。他們當這樣贖回光陰作聖潔的操練；我們還能把時間花在比讚美神更好的事上嗎？以敬虔的默想和短禱來填補時間的空隙，乃是極好的經營；當我們別無他事可作時與神相交，實在是最合宜不過的。那些站在耶和華殿中的人，當記得自己在何處，並且聖潔和聖潔的事才與那殿相稱。因此讓他們稱頌耶和華——或齊聲同作，或各人獨自而作；讓他們在如此行的時候舉手，作為舉心的記號。「讓他們在聖潔中舉手」（哈蒙德博士如此譯），或在成聖之中——因為在聖所中舉手，原是合宜的；他們又當記得，他們受派在進去事奉之前先要洗淨，正是藉此受教要「舉起聖潔的手」禱告和讚美。2. 這也是對我們的呼召——我們作基督徒的，已被作成歸與我們神的祭司和利未人，賽66:21。我們是耶和華的僕人；我們在祂的殿中、在祂的聖所中有分、有名；我們站在祂面前事奉祂。即便在夜間，我們也在祂的眼目之下，並能親近祂。讓我們因此稱頌耶和華，再一次稱頌祂——思念並傳講祂的榮耀和良善。讓我們在禱告中、在讚美中、在許願中舉手；讓我們以勤勉、喜樂並心意的提升來作我們的工。這勸勉以「看哪！」開頭，這是一個要求留意的字。先生們，當你們在神面前時，當四圍觀看，並照著所當行的而行。
二、神賜福給我們——就是為我們行善，這正是我們在此受教要渴慕的，詩134:3。這話是守望者祝福他們的長官，或是利未人祝福大祭司，或任何作他們首領的人（因為有許多人如此理解，因為用的是單數：願耶和華賜福給你），還是由一人對多人宣告福（「願耶和華賜福給你們每一位，賜福給你、也賜福給你；你們這稱頌神的人，願耶和華賜福給你們」）——這都不關緊要。我們可以學到：1. 我們所要渴慕、足以使我們快樂的，無過於蒙耶和華賜福，因為祂所賜福的是真蒙福。2. 從錫安而出的福——屬靈的福、恩典之約的福、與神相交的福——是最好的福，也是我們當最懇切尋求的。3. 我們來到神面前求福時，有一個極大的鼓勵：祂是造天地的主，因此天地一切的美福都在祂手中——無論上面的泉源、還是下面的泉源。4. 我們當為別人求這些福，不僅為自己；不僅說「願耶和華賜福給我」，更要說「願耶和華賜福給你」——如此見證我們相信神的福豐盛盈溢，足夠別人也有分，又見證我們對別人的善意。我們當為那些勸勉我們的人禱告。雖然「從來位分大的給位分小的祝福」（來7:7），但位分大的也當由位分小的代求。
영문 원문
A Call to Bless God
A song of degrees.
¹ Behold, bless ye the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD.
² Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.
³ The LORD that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.
This psalm instructs us concerning a two-fold blessing:—
I. Our blessing God, that is, speaking well of him, which here we are taught to do, Ps 134:1,2. 1. It is a call to the Levites to do it. They were the servants of the Lord by office, appointed to minister in holy things; they attended the sanctuary, and kept the charge of the house of the Lord, Nu 3:6-10, etc. Some of them did by night stand in the house of the Lord, to guard the holy things of the temple, that they might not be profaned, and the rich things of the temple, that they might not be plundered. While the ark was in curtains there was the more need of guards upon it. They attended likewise to see that neither the fire on the altar nor the lamps in the candlestick went out. Probably it was usual for some devout and pious Israelites to sit up with them; we read of one that departed not from the temple night or day, Lu 2:37. Now these are here called upon to bless the Lord. Thus they must keep themselves awake by keeping themselves employed. Thus they must redeem time for holy exercises; and how can we spend our time better than in praising God? It would be an excellent piece of husbandry to fill up the vacancies of time with pious meditations and ejaculations; and surely it is a very modest and reasonable to converse with God when we have nothing else to do. Those who stood in the house of the Lord must remember where they were, and that holiness and holy work became that house. Let them therefore bless the Lord; let them all do it in concert, or each by himself; let them lift up their hands in the doing of it, in token of the lifting up of their hearts. Let them lift up their hands in holiness (so Dr. Hammond reads it) or in sanctification, as it is fit when they lift them up in the sanctuary; and let them remember that when they were appointed to wash before they went in to minister they were thereby taught to lift up holy hands in prayer and praise. 2. It is a call to us to do it, who, as Christians, are made priests to our God, and Levites, Isa 66:21. We are the servants of the Lord; we have a place and a name in his house, in his sanctuary; we stand before him to minister to him. Even by night we are under his eye and have access to him. Let us therefore bless the Lord, and again bless him; think and speak of his glory and goodness. Let us lift up our hands in prayer, in praise, in vows; let us do our work with diligence and cheerfulness, and an elevation of mind. This exhortation is ushered in with Behold! a note commanding attention. Look about you, Sirs, when you are in God's presence, and conduct yourselves accordingly.
II. God's blessing us, and that is doing well for us, which we are here taught to desire, Ps 134:3. Whether it is the watchmen's blessing their captain, or the Levites' blessing the high priest, or whoever was their chief (as many take it, because it is in the singular number, The Lord bless thee), or whether the blessing is pronounced by one upon many ("The Lord bless thee, each of you in particular, thee and thee; you that are blessing God, the Lord bless you"), is not material. We may learn, 1. That we need desire no more to make us happy than to be blessed of the Lord, for those whom he blesses are blessed indeed. 2. That blessings out of Zion, spiritual blessings, the blessings of the covenant, and of communion with God, are the best blessings, which we should be most earnest for. 3. It is a great encouragement to us, when we come to God for a blessing, that it is he who made heaven and earth, and therefore has all the blessings of both at his disposal, the upper and nether springs. 4. We ought to beg these blessings, not only for ourselves, but for others also; not only, The Lord bless me, but, The Lord bless thee, thus testifying our belief of the fulness of divine blessings, that there is enough for others as well as for us, and our good-will also to others. We must pray for those that exhort us. Though the less is blessed of the greater (Heb 7:7), yet the greater must be prayed for by the less.
這是十五篇上行之詩的最末一篇；若這些詩曾一併在聖殿敬拜中歌唱，將它置於結尾最為恰當，因為其用意是要激勵事奉的人在日間的莊嚴典禮完畢之後，仍要在夜間繼續他們的職任。有人將本篇看作對話。一、在詩 134:1,2，那些徹夜不眠、為耶和華的殿守更的祭司或利未人，受勸勉要在當值的時間不是閒談，而是用以從事敬虔的操練。二、在詩 134:3，那些這樣受勸去讚美神的人，為那勸勉他們的——無論是大祭司或是守衛的長官——禱告。也可這樣理解：盡那職任的人彼此互相勸勉、互相代求。我們唱這詩時，當既激發自己將榮耀歸給神，又勉勵自己盼望從祂得憐恤與恩典。