“Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD.”
~ Psalm 134:2
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you really like to sing? Do you like to put something that you can stand on in the middle of the floor, climb up on it and sing as loud as you can? Your grandpaa is tone deaf. Your grandpaa cannot keep a tune. Your grandpaa does not have a singing voice. Your grandpaa has had when he has tried to sing during a service at a Christ-follower fellowship a guy, gal or kid in front of your grandpaa turn around and look at your grandpaa with a look that says you should not be trying to sing. After your grandmaa and grandpaa were married, your grandmaa, grandpaa and a number of other guys and gals who were attending the same Christ-follower fellowship that your grandmaa and grandpaa were attending – which was the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware, got together for an all-night New Year’s Eve party. The guys and gals at one point who were at this all-night New Year’s Eve party began to sing hymns. A gal who was at this New Year’s Eve party was the Orthodox Presbyterian Church’s choir director. As the guys and gals were singing hymns at this New Year’s Eve party, the gal who was the choir director at the Orthodox Presbyterian Church began to ask different guys if they would join the choir that she directed. When this gal asked your grandpaa if he would join the choir, your grandmaa told this gal that she really did not want your grandpaa in her choir as . . . the gal sat down next to your grandpaa so that she could hear your grandpaa sing as your grandpaa and every other guy and gal at this New Year’s Eve party were singing the hymn. After the hymn was sung, the gal told the guys and gals who were at this New Year’s Eve with your grandpaa to sing the same hymn again but this time to sing the hymn off key so that they would be in tune with your grandpaa as he sang. Your grandpaa stuttered through eighth grade into high school. After a psychologist one day asked your grandpaa if he had stuttered when he was young and your grandpaa told him that he had, the psychologist told your grandpaa that his mind thinks faster than what he can say which . . . your grandpaa often goes on rabbit trails when he talks.
Singing was really important to God’s specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people group’s guys and gals. God expected His specially chosen guys and gals to sing praises to Him. God expected His specially chosen guys and gals to be constantly thinking of Him. Psalms are songs that were written to be sung as praise songs or songs of thanks to God. Some of the psalm songs that became included in the Psalms Book are chants versus being choir songs. Some of the Psalms Book chants are part of a liturgical collection called the Great Hallel. Fifteen of these psalm chants are titled as a maalah. Maalah means going up or ascent. The last one of the fifteen Great Hallel psalm chants – or chants of ascents or going up is Psalm 134. This psalm chant is a short, three verse psalm chant. This psalm chant was probably scribed after God’s specially chosen guys and gals returned to the city of Jerusalem after having done exiled time in Babylonia.
Songs of ascent were often chanted by God’s specially chosen guys and gals as they were walking during their three annual pilgrimages to the city of Jerusalem. The city of Jerusalem is where God’s specially chosen guys and gals went to worship God in the temple that was located in the city of Jerusalem. The temple that was located in the city of Jerusalem was where God around 2500 years ago maintained His presence on planet Earth. Another time when God’s specially chosen guys and gals chanted a song of ascent was when they were leaving the temple that was in the city of Jerusalem after having spent an evening there worshipping God. God’s specially chosen guys and gals and Levite tribal clan guys would go back and forth chanting a song of ascent as they were leaving the temple together as a way to encourage the Levite tribal clan guys to continue to worship God by continuing to sing to God throughout the night as they kept watch in the temple. Fifteen steps led into the temple where God was worshipped in the city of Jerusalem. Your grandpaa does not know what the fifteen steps looked like where God maintained His presence on planet Earth in the temple that was located in the city of Jerusalem. Levite tribal clan guys would use these fifteen steps as stages to chant psalm songs to praise and worship God – as well as to interact back and forth with God’s specially chosen guys and gals. Verse 2 – “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD.” are the words of a chant that God’s specially chosen guys and gals would chant to encourage the Levite tribal clan guys who were ministering in the temple that was in the city of Jerusalem. How do you feel when you are in a Christ-follower fellowship singing a song and the guys and gals around you begin to raise one or both of their hands as they sing? Do you raise a hand or both of your hands, too? Do you feel uncomfortable raising a hand or both of your hands as you sing a praise song to God? Your grandpaa does not raise a hand or both of his hands when he tries to sing. Your grandmaa will at times raise a hand or both of her hands when she sings. It is good to raise a hand or both hands towards heaven and to God while singing praise songs to Him. God blesses guys, gals and kids who sing songs to praise Him. God expects His especially elected guys, gals and kids to do just as He expected His specially chosen guys and gals to do to praise Him around 2500 years ago. Your grandpaa has accepted that he does not have a good singing voice. When your grandpaa tries to sing, it is as if his voice and mind cannot get together to . . . your grandpaa also cannot keep a beat. When guys and gals clap during a praise song that is being sung, your grandpaa never claps as . . . your grandpaa knows though that God knows that his heart ‘sings’ and ‘claps’ praises to Him.
Psalm 134 (374)