Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1879-02-17
SUNDAY.SCHOOL LESSON.

February %.
golden TExT.--Therefore let all the
House of Israel know assuredly that God
hath made that same Jesus, whom We
have cruci6ed, both Lord and Christ
This psalm has no superscription by
which its authorship is designated. The
proponderance of testimony points to
David as its author. but the evidence
can scarce be regarded. This psalm is
divided into four stanzas of three verses
each. Each stanza contains picture,
which may respectively be described
thus: a. A picture of the nations. (2.)
A picture of the Almighty. g. A pic
ture of the Son. a. A picture Of
wise counsellor advising the rebellious.
Verse 1.-"Nations' and peoples
mean the same thing. Rage" is move
violently. The word mediate is the
same as that used in Psa. l 2; "medi-
tate vain thing" means reflect on an
empty and foolish design. What nations
are referred to is not known.
Verse 2.-The term ''rulers" is iden-
tical in meaning with the "kings of the
earth. :" These ''set themselves, station
themselves, take their position in the
council as rebels against their suzerain
Their movement is first against Jeho-
vah' as God of Israel and heavenly lord
of all nations, and then against his
Amounted" the king of Judah. Other
wise it may be expressed: The kings
revolt against Jehovah who has anointed
and established him.
Verse 3.-The result of the delibera-
tons is dramatically set forth by the
exclamation of the kings: Let US throw
off our allegiance! The two lines of the
parallelism are identical in meaning.
The their" refers to the Isaelites.
Verse An the first line he is desig-
mated from his abode as she that stitch
in the heavens;'' in the second, from his
authority, as 'the Lord" the lord and
master of Israel and all nations. These
titles bring out his dignity and power in
sharp contrast with the earthliness and
feebleness of his enemies. The word
rendered "laugh" is the ordinary one for
that term; that rendered "mock'' is a
different one from that of Psa. |: l, but
has about the same meaning-deride,
ridicule
Verse 5.-Here the representation
takes step forward. Jehovah does not
stop at scorn: he ''speaks" to the insur-
gent kings, and his speaking is in
'anger," so that he 'affrights' them.
They may we'll be frightened when the
mighty Lord, the covenant God of Israel,
comes to them in wrath, and threatens
them with his indignation. Here is Is
rael's anointed king, and here are the
prophetic hopes resting on him; this is
Jehovah's answer to such as refuse to
submit to his sway as embodied in the
person of the king of Judah, who was
the representative of the nation, and thus
the representative of Jehovah on earth.
Verse 6.-Jehovah's word. 1t is the
declaration that if they, the enemies,
have their plan, he also his; if they
purpose establishing kings. he has al
ready his own king; and the implication
is that he will defend this king of his
against their assaults. king" the king
of Judah. "On Zion,' the seat of the
royal residence q Sam. 5: 81. Zion is
called Jehovah's 'holy mountain" be-
cause it was the representative of Jeru-
salem, the holy city. The declaration of
Jehovah in the second strophe is now
further explained by the kings declara-
ton in the third.
Verse He announces it as "de-
cree" of Jehovah, and steps forth in his
own person to set 1t before the insurgent
kings, that they may see the folly of re-
sistence. 81 will declare tho decree !"
that is, l will give information concern
ing it. Here again it is not intended to
say that the king of Judah actually made
such an address as this to the rebellious
ehieftians, but only that he mi ht prop
erly do so; the Psalmist thus represents
the actual fact in dramatic form.
Verse S.-The son-king's inheritance.
1t is here represented as to be given in
answer to a request: Task of me and l
will give" but it is involved in the con-
neotion that the king has asked and re-
ceived, or is about to receive; his pos
session, he says, is as sure as Jehovah s
promise. In the two following lines
inheritance and possession" are
Identical in meaning. So are "beathen'
Tor ''the nations'') and "the ends of the
EARTH" The latter is general expires.
sion meaning the remote parts of the
known world.
Verse 9.-The completeness of the
kings dominion. This is represented by
the way in which he brushes the enemy
he is to ''break" and "dasb" him. This
expresses on the spiritual side the COM
pleteness of the triumph of truth fol
the progress of truth was bound up with
the history of Israel, only Israel's tri.
umph was not such as many of the pious
of that day supposed, but was spiritual
in Christ.
Verse 1O-The Psalmist appeals tc
| the kings to be wise. The two lines o.
. Judges of the EARTH is equivalent t.
kings" and "be instructed" means thu
same thing as "be wise" It is simple
repetition for the sake of emphasis.
Verse ll.-He urges that they ''serv,
the Lord, /" that is, acknowledge him to b,
God, offer to him sacrifices, and obey hi
laws; and this they must do with fear,
. with wholesome, restraining reverence
fear that, if they disobey, his Judgment
will overtake them. The word rendered
..fear' is the one SO commonly used il
the Old Testament to express the piou
mans salutary awe before God. 1t il
the fear that is the beginning of wisdom
: prov. 8: 10y. The second line present.
/ sharp contrast in its two terms, "re
joice' with trembling" that is, rejoic'
in the privilege of serving Jehovah re
: joice in his holiness and truth, but will
Il L I