The Afterglow of Worship

Behold, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, who by night stand in the house of the LORD!

Psalm 134:1

This is the last Psalm of Ascent — fifteen psalms written for believing Jews to meditate on during their pilgrimages to Jerusalem. It describes for us the afterglow of a wonderful day of worship.

The sun now sets and the worshipers now retire to their lodgings. It has been a day of worship and service, of sacrifices being made and psalms being sung, and faith being expressed. But as the worshipers leave, there are still some priests present, whose task it was to remain all night, keeping the lamps lit, watching over the tabernacle and temple.

It might appear to be unpleasant service. The crowds had gone home, the sacrifices had ceased for the night, only the few priests remain until morning. Yet the psalm enjoins those few who remain not to see their service is insignificant, or laborious and tedious, rather though they be only a few to still “Bless the Lord!” in their hearts. At their consecration, Aaron and the priests were commanded to remain in the tabernacle both night and day (Lev. 8:35), and this was the duty and custom of the priests.

Worship is meaningless if the heart is not involved in it. It is never enough to just go through the motions and think that they were enough in and of themselves. Faith is called for on the part of the ones who worship. But also is the promise present that the Lord hears and sees and blesses our faith and our service, no matter how insignificant it may appear to humanity. “And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward” (Matt. 10:42).

The dedication of the priests was often superseded by the faith of others. It was said of the prophetess Anna who blessed the Christchild at his dedication that she “did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day” (Luke 2:37). And it is doubtful that any pastor has prayed and worshiped God in his private devotional late at night, and there was not also someone of his flock, a lay person, praying also at their home at the same time with the same or greater heart of devotion.

We make a mistake in application if we believe this means that the church house should always have someone there, for the temple’s corollary in New Testament era is the living church, the people of God. “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” asked the Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 3:16). But what it does mean is that even after the “big events” of church, the simple work of God can also be blessed work. Those who retire to their homes and simply pray for the pastor and other leaders are like Aaron and Hur who held up the arms of Moses as the Israelites battled the Amalekites (Exodus 17:12). If we will do this, then the “aftermath” can become the “afterglow,” and rather than just ending the time in fatigue, we can also continue to worship the Lord and enjoy His presence.

And, I believe it has some application all those who remain at the church building to perform some tasks that seem tedious, that the “aftermath” can become the “afterglow” if they will think to worship the Lord as well. The evening after a church service, the church must be cleaned. As good as the people of God are, some are also a bit messy, and there is trash to pick up, floors to be swept, rooms to be cleansed and set in order. But in the tedium of these things, let’s never forget the blessings that were present during the Sunday worship, of the faith that was expressed, of the hearts that were moved, of the decisions for Christ that were made. Amid even those tasks the Lord can be beheld, and blessed, and worshiped.