A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene H. Peterson
Week 12: Chapter 11 — Blessing (Psalm 134)
Read Chapter 11 of A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. Primary text: Psalm 134.
Previewing Week 12 of A Long Obedience in the Same Direction
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 14-week guide when you’re ready.
Psalm 134 is the final Song of Ascents — the last song before the pilgrims turn and go home — and it is entirely about blessing: the blessing the people offer God, and the blessing God returns to them.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Psalm 134 is just three verses long, yet Peterson gives it an entire chapter. The brevity itself seems to be part of its message. What do you notice when you sit with the psalm slowly? What do three verses accomplish that a longer psalm might not?
2.The psalm opens by calling on the servants of the Lord who "minister by night" to praise him. Peterson explores the significance of nighttime worship — faithfulness in the darkness, when no one is watching, when the crowd has gone home. What does your faith look like when no one is watching?
3.Peterson describes the exchange at the heart of this psalm: the worshipers bless the Lord, and then the Lord blesses them. Blessing is not a one-way transaction. How do you understand what it means for humans to "bless" God — to speak well of him, to honor him, to rejoice in him?