Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-09-27
SIN, PARDON AND PEACE.
LESSON ", FOURTH QUARTER, IN
rERNATiONAL SERIES, OCT. 81.


l. Commentary by the Rev. ID. NJ.
stearns.
Compiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly by per-
mission Of II. s Hoffman, publisher, Phlladel
phia.
Our last lesson was concerning the ever
lasting covenant which God made with
David to establish His kingdom forever, and
his thanksgiving to God because of this great
favor; then follows the record of Davids
great success in subduing all his enemies on
every side because the Lord was with him
and preserved him whithersoever he went;
after which we read of his kindness to Mephi-
bosheth, son Of Jonathan, son of Saul; and
then, in Ii Sam. XII, H. is the record of Da-
vid's awful sin and transgression, because of
the iniquity of his heart, with its consequent
Judgment by God and on David's part peni-
tence and the receiving of forgiveness. Our
lesson today is one of the seven penitential
psalms, the others being the 9th, 5lst, 3sth,
l02d, l30th and l43d; this and the 5st are
supposed to have been written by David
after that dark chapter in his life, and If we
should judge by the contents of each we
might suppose the latter to have been writ
ten first.
|, 2. 'Transgression forgiven, sin
covered, iniquity not imputed"
Transgression signifies tho going beyond
bounds or doing that which we should not do;
sin is coming short of the mark, or leaving
undone that which we ought to have done;
iniquity signifies anything distorted or per-
verse, and seems to refer to the natural heart,
which is all wrong since the fall and mani
tests its perverseness in sin and transgression;
SO that here we have the whole matter Of
wrong and wrong doing disposed of and for
tl.,I ,,,I i,,,lfe t,l
8, 4. when kept silence" Now, that Is
sometimes good thing to do, and David
more than once practiced it wisely FPS.
xxxviii, ID, xxx, /, 2) but when, as in this
case, there was sin to be confessed, it was no
time to keep silent, and he here tells us of his
sufferings on account of his sinful silence as
warning to us. He that covereth his sins
shall not prosper, but whose confesseth and
forsaketh them shall have mercy" "If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and Just to
forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness. prov. xviii, 49,
John /, 81 The word "Selah" at the close
of verses 4, 5, z, is used about seventy times
in the Palms and nowhere else In the Bible
except In Hab. iii, 3, 8, ID. 1t signifies "a
pause" and may indicate pause in the
music, or a pause in the singing, while the
music continues; we shall certainly be maxi
ing practical and profitable use of it if,
wherever we find it, we pause and mediate
upon what we have just read.
g. II acknowledged, thou for
gavest." Some one has said that sin uncon-
fessed, like a gathering wound swells and
torments, but the lance gives relief; sincere
confession is the lance which brings the peace
Of forgiveness
9. For this shall every one that is godly
pray unto Thee" Every sinner rejoicing in
the forgiveness of sins is an encouragement
to others to come and obtain the like bless
ing; every Christian who has had the Joy of
salvation (which they had for a time lost by
transgression) restored to him is an encour-
agement to other backsliders to return. Are
we so rejoicing in possessed and assured
salvation that others are, because Of our joy,
seeking the Lord alsoi There is a time when
He may be found.
T. Thou art my hiding place." Notice
the word thou" three times in this verse; il
is God Himself who is our hiding place, pre-
server and deliverer.
s ~ will instruct thee and teach thee in
, the way which thou shalt CO." Evidently
the Lord is now speaking in reply to David,
for no one can instruct and teach like Him
and no one is capable but Him He has moi
promised that we shall have no trouble, that
the contrary He has told us that I'm the
world we shall have trbulation," and that "al
that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suf
fer persecution" John xvi, SO; II Tim. iii, ~
i but He has promised to be with us in the
, trouble, and thus lead u.s. while He preserve q.
, us from being in any way injured by it. The
, word here translated instruct" signifies t.
make successful or prosperous, as in Josh.
: Z, 8; Kings ii, 3, where it Is 50 translated
but the more common Old Testament wore
for instruction signifies chastisement; il
, therefore becomes us, If we sincerely desir,
: to be led by Him, to believe that He doe:
, lead us, and in what seems ofttimes to be tn,
r most adverse circumstances, we should heal
Him say ~ am the Lord thy God whc
teacheth thee to profit, who eadeth the,
by the way that thou shouldest go" lisa
Xviii, ~.
= IL will guide thee with mine eye" Notice
a the marginal reading, which seems equal t,
= saying, 81 will tell you how to go and ther
watch you to see that you keep in the RICH
way" or as it is plainly stated in lisa. Xxx 81
Thine ears shall hear word behind thee
1 saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, whel
r ye turn to the right hand and when we turf
a to the left" With such great and precious
r promises how quiet we should he.
.. BE ye not as the horse or as the mule.
1t is manifest in every day life that the big
gest mule Is not always the one in the traces
and that horse often knows more than hi
. driver Balaams ass saw more than it
d master, and opened its mouth to some pur
d pose; but the rule prevails that horses an'
IA mules have not the wisdom Of men and mus
be restrained and guided by bit and bride
q Now, when men and women, and particular,
N Christians, need to be restrained by the bi
;, and bride of circumstances, which are God
providences, instead of meekly and trustingl
following their Shepherd, it is anything blu
3 creditable to them, and does no honor to tina
d beautiful name by which they are called
r 10 MANY SORROWS shall be TO the wicked
l. but he that trusted in the Lord mercy shall
q compass him about" Sorrows touch tn
a righteous us well us the wicked, but the sor
rows of the righteous are blessings in disguise
-, for the loving hand Of the Lord is in ever
one Of them, and no matter what they loo
Il like they are all goodness and mercy, so tina
l., the believer may truly say in all his sorrows
o 'Sorrowful, yet Away rejoicing" III. Coz
a vi lO.l