Psalm 135:19 Study Bible: House of Israel, praise the LORD. House of Aaron, praise the LORD.

◄ Psalm 135:19 ►

O house of Israel, bless the LORD; O house of Aaron, bless the LORD;

O house of Israel, bless the LORD;
The phrase "O house of Israel" refers to the entire nation of Israel, the descendants of Jacob, who was renamed Israel. This call to bless the LORD is an invitation for the people of Israel to praise and worship God. Historically, Israel was chosen as God's covenant people, as seen in Genesis 12:1-3, where God promises Abraham that his descendants will be a great nation. The call to bless the LORD is a reminder of their identity and purpose as a people set apart to worship and serve God. This phrase also connects to the broader biblical theme of Israel's role as a light to the nations, as seen in Isaiah 49:6. The act of blessing the LORD involves acknowledging His sovereignty, faithfulness, and the mighty acts He has performed on behalf of Israel, such as the Exodus from Egypt.

O house of Aaron, bless the LORD;
The "house of Aaron" specifically refers to the priestly line within Israel, as Aaron was the brother of Moses and the first high priest. The priests had the unique role of mediating between God and the people, offering sacrifices, and maintaining the worship practices outlined in the Law of Moses. This call for the house of Aaron to bless the LORD emphasizes their responsibility to lead in worship and to set an example of devotion and holiness. In the New Testament, the priesthood is seen as a type of Christ, who is our ultimate High Priest, as explained in Hebrews 4:14-16. The call for the house of Aaron to bless the LORD also highlights the importance of spiritual leadership and the need for those in such positions to be faithful in their duties.

Persons / Places / Events

1. House of Israel
Refers to the entire nation of Israel, God's chosen people, who are called to worship and praise the LORD. This encompasses all the tribes of Israel, representing the collective identity of the Israelites.

2. House of Aaron
Specifically refers to the priestly lineage within Israel. Aaron, the brother of Moses, was the first high priest, and his descendants were given the responsibility of performing the priestly duties in the tabernacle and later in the temple.

3. Praise the LORD
This is a call to worship and adoration directed towards Yahweh, the covenant-keeping God of Israel. The act of praising is central to the worship practices of the Israelites.

Teaching Points

The Call to Worship
Every believer, like the house of Israel, is called to a life of worship. Worship is not just a Sunday activity but a daily expression of our relationship with God.

Priestly Responsibility
As the house of Aaron had specific duties, believers today are called to be a "royal priesthood," serving God and others with dedication and purity.

Unity in Praise
The call to both the house of Israel and the house of Aaron signifies unity in worship. Regardless of our roles or backgrounds, we are united in our purpose to glorify God.

Generational Faithfulness
The mention of the "house" implies a generational aspect. We are encouraged to pass down the practice of praising God to future generations.

Corporate Worship
The communal call to praise highlights the importance of gathering together as a body of believers to worship God collectively.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does the call to the "house of Israel" to praise the LORD apply to the church today?

2. In what ways can we, as a "royal priesthood," fulfill our priestly duties in our daily lives?

3. How can we ensure that our worship is both personal and communal, reflecting the unity seen in Psalm 135:19?

4. What are some practical ways to pass down the practice of praising God to the next generation?

5. How do the roles of the house of Israel and the house of Aaron in this verse encourage us to embrace both our individual and collective responsibilities in worship?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Exodus 19:6
This verse highlights the calling of Israel to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, which connects to the call for the house of Israel to praise the LORD.

1 Peter 2:9
This New Testament passage speaks to believers as a royal priesthood, drawing a parallel to the house of Aaron's priestly role and extending it to all believers in Christ.

Psalm 115:9-11
These verses also call upon the house of Israel, the house of Aaron, and those who fear the LORD to trust in Him, emphasizing the communal aspect of worship and trust in God.

Sermons

God's Praises	C. Short	Psalm 135:1-21
The March of Mercy	S. Conway	Psalm 135:1-21
The Sublime Object of Worship	Homilist	Psalm 135:1-21

People

Aaron, Amorites, Jacob, Levi, Og, Pharaoh, Psalmist, Sihon

Places

Jerusalem

Topics

Aaron, Bless, O, Praise, Sons

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Psalm 135:19-21

7468 temple, rebuilding
8660 magnifying God

Library

What Pleases God.
"Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places."--Psalm 135:6. "Was Gott gefaellt, mein frommes Kind." [74]Gerhardt. transl., Sarah Findlater, 1858 What God decrees, child of His love, Take patiently, though it may prove The storm that wrecks thy treasure here, Be comforted! thou needst not fear What pleases God. The wisest will is God's own will; Rest on this anchor, and be still; For peace around thy path shall flow, When only wishing here …
Jane Borthwick—Hymns from the Land of Luther

From Kadesh to the Death of Moses.
Num. 14-Dt. 34. The Pathos of the Forty Years. The stories of this period have running through them an element of pathos arising especially from two sources. (1) Perhaps the experiences of Moses are most sorrowful. That he should now, after faithfully bringing this people to the very border of the land which they sought, be compelled to spend forty monotonous years in this bare and uninteresting desert must have been a disappointment very heavy to bear. During these wanderings he buried Miriam, …
Josiah Blake Tidwell—The Bible Period by Period

Excursus on the Present Teaching of the Latin and Greek Churches on the Subject.
To set forth the present teaching of the Latin Church upon the subject of images and the cultus which is due them, I cite the decree of the Council of Trent and a passage from the Catechism set forth by the authority of the same synod. (Conc. Trid., Sess. xxv. December 3d and 4th, 1563. [Buckley's Trans.]) The holy synod enjoins on all bishops, and others sustaining the office and charge of teaching that, according to the usage of the Catholic and Apostolic Church received from the primitive times …
Philip Schaff—The Seven Ecumenical Councils

Notes on the First Century:
Page 1. Line 1. An empty book is like an infant's soul.' Here Traherne may possibly have had in his mind a passage in Bishop Earle's "Microcosmography." In delineating the character of a child, Earle says: "His soul is yet a white paper unscribbled with observations of the world, wherewith at length it becomes a blurred note-book," Page 14. Line 25. The entrance of his words. This sentence is from Psalm cxix. 130. Page 15. Last line of Med. 21. "Insatiableness." This word in Traherne's time was often …
Thomas Traherne—Centuries of Meditations

Christ's Kingly Office
Q-26: HOW DOES CHRIST EXECUTE THE OFFICE OF A KING? A: In subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies. Let us consider now Christ's regal office. And he has on his vesture, and on his thigh, a name written, "King of kings, and Lord of lords", Rev 19:16. Jesus Christ is of mighty renown, he is a king; (1.) he has a kingly title. High and Lofty.' Isa 57:15. (2.) He has his insignia regalia, his ensigns of royalty; corona est insigne …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Introduction. Chapter i. --The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers.
St. Hilary of Poitiers is one of the greatest, yet least studied, of the Fathers of the Western Church. He has suffered thus, partly from a certain obscurity in his style of writing, partly from the difficulty of the thoughts which he attempted to convey. But there are other reasons for the comparative neglect into which he has fallen. He learnt his theology, as we shall see, from Eastern authorities, and was not content to carry on and develop the traditional teaching of the West; and the disciple …
St. Hilary of Poitiers—The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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