II. To WHOM IT IS ADDRESSED, 1. To all 8ervants of the Lnrd. For there is none that has not good reason for obeying it. But especially: 2. To them "who by night stand in the house of the Lord." Now, here allusion is made, so it seems, to those whose office it was to minister before the Lord during the night watches-there were priests and LeviteR who had duties by night as well as by day (1 Chron. ix. 33). There was "a night watch of choristers who kept up the worship of God through the silent hours." Two verses of the psalm seem to have been the salutation of the congre- gation addressed to them, and ver. 3 is their response. 3. And God has yet many servant8 whose duty is to serve him through the night hO'U,rs. The sleepless ones-those who from one cause and another have to say," Thou boldest mine eyes waking." Well is it for such to employ those hours in the praise of the Lord (cf. P~. !xiii. 5, 6). A.nd such ns the sailor pacing the deck in the night watch, the sentry on guard, the nurse in her ward,-well is it for them in the night to bless the Lord. 4. Or, we may take the night as telling of the night of sorrow-those times of darkness and depression through which we all have to pass (see Paul and Silas in the dungeon at l'hilippi, at midnight ~inging praises unto God). How often have these psalms been used by God's people at such hours, and with what rich results in the quickening of faith and hope and joy in God! 5. And if, as some maintain, there was no later service in the temple than the evening sacrifice, then the many evening congregations gathered together may take these words as addressed to them. III. How IT IS TO BE OBEYED. They were to "lift up their hands to the sanctuary." The body should bear its part; posture and gesture help the spirit. IV. WHAT COMES OF BUCH OBEDIENCE. The Lord will bless us (ver. 3). He who bath all power, who made heaven and earth, he will bless the soul that worships him (cf. Ps. cxx.xv. 3). All who have thus drawn near to God have found that he draws near to them.-S. 0.
Ver. 1.-Representative worshippers. From a '.l'argum we learn that "the custom in the second temple appears to have been this: After midnight the chief of the door- keepers took the key of the inner temple, and went with some of the priests through the small postern of the Fire Gate, In the inner court this watch divided itself into two companies, each carrying a burning torch; one company turned west, the other east; and so they compassed the court to see whether all were in readiness for the temple service on the following morning. In the bakehouse, where the mincha (meat offering) of the hil!;h priest was baked, they met with the cry, 'All well I' Meanwhile the rest of the priests arose, bathed themselves, nnd put on their garments. They then went into the stone-chamber (ono half of which was the hall of session of the Sanhedrim), nnd there, under the superintendence of the officer who gave the watch- word nnd one of the Sanhedrim, surrounded by the priests clad in their robes of office, their several duties for the coming day were assigned to each of the priests by lot." It should be always borne in mind that, in the Divine idea, the entire people of Israel made up a nation of priests. Every man was regarded as a consecmted m1m, separated unto the honour, worship, and service of Jehovah. What were called the actual priest11 were only representatives of these universal priests, and they were only daily doing materially what every man-priest of the nation was pledged to do, and if he was n true and worthy man, was trying to do spiritually. If this point can be clearly seen, 11 new interest will be found to attach to the various doings of the representative priest- hood. Men are always learning from them what they should be nnd what they shoulJ do in n spiritual senso. One thin~ is set prominently in this psalw. 'l'he work of the priests is to" bless Jehovah." This they do in a formal manner by lifting up their hands and voices, waving the censers, etc. Let an Israelite see or hear a priest blessing God, and his heart ought at once to responcl, saying, "That is just what I oui~ht to be doing, with heart, and lip, and deed, and above all by the thankful, t,·ustful, devoted spirit of my life."-R. T.
Ver. 2.-"Holy hands." (For the high-priestly benediction, see Numb. vi. 24.) Raising suppliant hands is the formal, bodily sign of earnest prayer. Every mental or moral state has its corresponding natural bodily attitude or movement; and raising and stretching forth the opened hands in a receptive attitude is the natural bodily attitude 278 THE BOOK OF PSALMS. tPP. CXX.xv. 1-21.
accompanying petition. There is an important alteration in this sentence. It should be, "Lift up your hands to the sanctuary;" and the figltre is of the priests turning towards the holy of holies, where the symbol of God's presence rested, and stretching forth bands of supplication towards it (see Solomon's attitude at the dedication of the temple). I. THERE IS AN ELEMENT OF PRAYER rN ALL BLESSING OF GoD. There is for man; there may not be for angels. Man can never offer even his praise without B sense of his unworthiness. So he must always mingle a prayer for pardon and for pitying mercy with his thanksgivings. And he can never draw near to the Divine presence without a sense of need. So say what be may of God, or to God, in his praises, he finds that he always has something to ask for. His dependence always wants to find expression. We are always wrong if there is no prayer in our praises. II. THE ELEMENT OF PRAYER FINDS EXPRESSION IN UPLIFTED HANDS. Kneeling in prayer is to a great extent a modern device. Easterns stand to pray. So did our forefathers. And so do those who now lead prayers at prayer-meetings. Stretching forth the hands is now regarded as the act of benediction, as in the Catholic and Scotch Protestant Churches. Bat it is such a universal and natural expression of suppli- cation that it might very wisely b3 restored to use in private as well as public acts of prayer and praise. 'l'he apostle bids us II lift up holy hands, without wrath and doubting." Ill. THE UPLIFl'ED HANDS MUST BE HOLY HANDS, The priests had to wash their hands, as a sign of their putting away all self-indulgence and self-will and all gathered evil before engaging in the praises of Jehovah. And it is the absolutely universal law, 11 Be ye clean that bear the vessel3 oi the Lord." 'l'he symbol of the soul-cleanness which goes with sincerity and gains for us accepLance, is the washed and holy uplifted bands.-R. T.