The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-08-06
SUNDAY MEDITATION.
A Study of the International Sunday
School Lesson Appointed for Aug-.
Is, 1896.
Subject: David's Confession and Forgive
ness. Pa. So.


Zone reading these notes should first carefully
study the paragraph from Abe Holy scriptures As
indicated above-i
INTRODUCTION.
The Ri ght Hon ". E. Gladstone wrote: y" Let
MS look at the contents of this book the Psasms)
which are such as to fasten our wonder upon
them. and to leave little room for any surprise
that thew should lave established for them
selves. in collective worship and in personal
deviation. the place to which no parallel is else
where to be found in the experience OF the
human race"
I'm his Introduction to the Old and New les
taments Horne says of the Psalms: The book
is collection of $50 poems OF unequal length,
from two verses, like the 117th. to nearly 300,
as the 10th" And 1.-THE right of>the Book
of Psalms to place in the canon has never
been disputed. These compositions are often
quoted by our Lord and His Apostles, as well
as referred to the Holy Spirit
The Psalms have been rendered INTO meter.
We have noticeably "The Psalms of David
Initiated in thu Language of the New Testa-
ment" 1t is said that we owe to CALVIN the
idea of rendering all the Psalms into meter for
the purpose Of using them III the worship or
God by praisng him in religious sense.
SUBJECT: JOY, UTILITY AND Duty OF RE-
PENTANcE AS ILLUSTRATED BY DAvIDs
EXPERIENCE.
Our study is ono of the $50 Psalms. So large
a number of the Psalms were written by DAVID
that the entire collect on is styled lie Psalms
of David. To understand Psalm 81 one should
read chapters / and II Of Samuel. We no.
tice that the only name used In the Psam Tor
God is Jehovah This Psalm is one of seven
named the Penitential Psalms. The others
are Psalms 6, So 81, 102. 100, 143. We notice
an Inscription at the head of the Psalm: "
Psalm of David, Maschil." The words A
Psalm are printed in italics, showing they are
not in the original Hebrew. They are supplied
from the Septuagint.
The word Maschil is peculiar. That word
occurs in the Inscriptions Of Il Psalms; TO wit,
Psalms AZ. a, ID, So. IS, 81, SO, "a, rs, 80, 60
LAP. The word means, An Instruction. Ps.
80 is didactc poem. In verse s we read, l
will instruct" The original for the ord :" in
struct " is the same as that for Maschil. 1t is
certain the Psalm is full OF wise teaching.
The word Selah occurs at the end of verses
and s. 1t is found in 80 Psalms "a times, and
in the book of Habakkuk three times, n times
in the Bible. 1t is not found in the New Tes
lament. The most general opinion is that
Seah is direction to the musician. 1t Is
practically without any Specification to us.
The Revised Version gives it a mere side place
in the text. II,
4.
of AtOnement.
We observe that the Psalm is totally subject
i've. No outward acts are mentioned; no sacri-
fees, rites, etc. ys'
Time
Ps. 80 was written probablyin the year B. G.
1894. Chr0nologically it falls in just after 2
Sam chapter l2. That was about 90 years after
David became King. He may have been, say,
40 years Of age when he wrote Ps. 80.
Place.
The Psalm was wriatensat Jerusalem That
was then the Capital. There was David's pal
ace. st&
Author.
It is without doubt that David composed
Psalm 3D. The title says, 2" 4 Psalm Of David"
But ST. Paul plainly ascrBes the authorship to
David See Ro., 4 :GAs Then, we know, the
Psalm fits the case of David. David's name is
prefxed to 20 Of the Psalffl
Occasion.
As a rule the life of David was commendable.
His great sin was in the Of Bathsheba. l
XII I55 This matter is presented in the
Scriptures in such way as to give no encourage
ment to the commission ofany similar sin. 1t
was the blot on his life. From the very fact of
his general good conduct he was the more sem
sitive as to sin and the more shocked and dis
tressed over his fall. The Psalm is beautiful
Offset to the history Of his foul deeds. as re-
corded in 9 Sam, chapters II and IL. The de-
scription in VS.. 3 and of the Psalm shows the
fearful retribution following wrong-doing.
Design.
The Arabic says "David spoke this Psalm
propheticaly concerning the ption."
We notice the New Testament tone running
throughout the verses of the Psalm. 1t has
much of tho spirit of ST. PauPs epistles In
deed, he was familiar with it, quoting from it,
and, perhaps, borrowing from it some of his
own phraseoiogy. Scott says. The Psalm
teaches the true doctrine of repentance" 1t
shows the painfulness Of suppressed guilt; the
JOY of confession the condition of pardon; the
duties of the penitent. David's object was to
furnish to the Church liturgy form Of words
by which to express the JOY of the sinner when
conscious Of forgiveness The experience of
David would be repeated in fact or i'll spirit
again and again. Many might look in
vain for words to express his feelings David
foresaw this and furnished the Church a form
destined to be Of service during all time. Then,
David wanted to put his own repentance into
permanent form, both expression of his
own gratitude aud as warning to all ages
thereafter.
Repentance.
What is repentance? The Westminster Cate
chsm, Question 81. asks: What is repentence
unto life? Ans. Repentance unto life is saving
grace, whereby sinner, out Of true sense of
in Christ, DOTH with grief and hatred for his
sin, turn from it unto God with full purpose of,
aud endeavOr after new Obedience"
| What is wanted is eontrition wlrich is genu-
| inc. deep, sorrow caused by the fact that you
| have sinned against God and grieved your
! Heavenly Father. Attrition is simply the feel
! ing distressed, because, having sinned you fear
! punishment.
Repentance is not the merely feeling bad, but,
more properly the feeling of disgust at sin,
with an impulse to flee from it. So Luther
said: "To do SO no more is the truest repent
ance." The terrible agony some experience is
| caused rather by their not repenting; but, on
the contrary, their sticl1ing out stubbornly in
a determ nation not. to- admit their sins nor to
seek for pardon. This twas the case with David.
He was willfully setIin his purpose not to con-
fess his wrong doing. Meanwhile his soul Was
tossed about in fearful contest. It was not a
delay on the part of God to forgive David, but
his own stubbernBess' in not seeking pardon
| that caused him such u dreadful struggle-a
consciousness of sin, the smitiugs of one by his
own sense Of personal evil. the realization you
| have offended God wear On the body and mind.
| A young man thus ber,ns to feel tire WEAKNESS
Of old age; his very bones ache; be goes here
and there, uttering groans over his deplorable
condition; and instead Of healthy glow to his
skin, he is Conscious of . fearful fever. His
| flesh, as it were, crackies. As the soil in the
Summers drouth breaks open into seams, SO his
skin is dry and rough.Jo
The Processes Of Repentance.
The man having done wrong does not try to
apologize for his sin, nor does he euphemize it..