Shakespeare wrote that ‘journeys end in lovers meeting’ (‘Twelfth Night’), and the Psalms of Ascent conclude with the pilgrims’ arrival in Jerusalem to worship God. The last three Psalms of Ascent (Ps 132-134) are all focussed on Zion, with Ps 132 remembering the time when David brought the ark of the covenant back to Jerusalem and the other two psalms looking at the blessings of unity and worship which come with the end of the journeying.
We may well have mixed feelings about reaching our destination, fearing a sense of anticlimax or even disappointment, and (if we are honest), anxiety about the process of reaching that destination (death). The Bible clearly talks of the relationship between God and His people as marriage (see Song of Songs, also Eph 5:22-32, Rev 21:2) and the New Testament anticipates our arrival with God with joy (see 2 Cor 5:1-10). There is no sense of anticlimax in Ps 134, simply a sense of God’s people blessing God and God blessing them. Ultimately, when we arrive with God, there will be both praise and blessing. (Rev 5:11-14) It will be a wedding to top all weddings!
