Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-09-11
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON X, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, SEPT. 10.

Memory Verses, 45-HO-Golden Text, IL
Sam. xii, Commentary by TIM Rev. ID.
NJ. Stearns.
40. "For thou hast girded me with
strength to battle Them that rose up
against me hast thou subduod under mo-"
The whole Of this chapter is repeated in
the book of Psalms as number Is, the Holy
Spirit thus calling special attention to this
portion of His writings through David.
In chapter xiii, 1-3, it is written that
whatever the sweet psalmist of Israel spake
it was the spirit of the Lord speaking by
him. 1t is well for us when we recognize
the whole Bible as written by the Spirit of
God for our benefit. Verse 1 of this chap
ter says that David spako these words unto
the Lord when delivered from Saul and all
his enemies. In this first verse of our les
son and throughout the psalm he ac-
knowlcdges that God had done everything
for him.
Al. Thou hast also given me.the necks
of mine enemies, that I might destroy
them that hate me-" There are many
things in the Psalms which the church can
not appropriate or apply to herself. 1t is
not for US to have the necks of our enc
mics or destroy those that hate us. These
things are peculiar to Israel and to the
King of Israel, the Son of David, when he
shall come in His glory to destroy Israel's
enemies and establish the kingdom. Our
mission as members Of the body of Christ
is to suffer meekly even for well doing;
to be cast out, hated and killed for His
sake, and yet to take it all patiently.
~. "They looked, but there was none to
save, even, unto the Lord. but He answer
cd them not" As it is written in Mic. ill.,
a. "Then shall they cry unto the Lord but
He will not hear them. as they have be-
havcd themselves i'll in their doings." And
in PROV. i, 2S, Then shall they call upon
Me but l will not answer; they shall seek
Me early, but they shall not find Me"
Those who seek simply from fear and only
because they dread His judgments may
not expect to be heard But see the con-
trast in Jer. xxx, 49,
43. "Then did l beat them as small as
the dust of the earth See "a similar fig
ure in II Kings xiii, T, and Mic. vii. TO-
To be thoroughly subdued is very humiH-
ating, but everything or person that is
exalted against God must be brought low
lisa. H. II, ~. To he cAeerfully subject
and willing to be subducd for God S glory
is very blessed, and it is the privilege of
every believer to be as clay in the hands of
the potter for Gods glory and for our
highest good Gsa Xiv, -.
A. "Thou hast also delivered mo from
the strivings of my people" Some of these
strivings are included in the long wars be-
tween the houses of Saul and David and
the later strifcs throughout all the tribes
of Israel Chapters iii, / xix, y. Trouble
from enemies without is bad enough, but
trouble within a nation or church or fam
lily is much worse. Yet from all He is able
to deliver When he speaks of being head
of the nations and "a people whom he
knows not serving him, we think of the
sure mercies of David of Isa ", 3-5.
40. strangers shall submit themselves
unto me. AS soon as they hear they shall
be Obedient unto me-" This also makes us
think of Messiah reign when 'they that
dwell in the wilderness shall bow before
him, and his enemies shall lick the DUST
(Ps. xxi, -. Sons of strangers shall build
up Zion's walls, and their kings shall
minister unto Israel lisa. X, 100. The
word "submit" is in the margin rendered
lie or yield feigned obedience. 1t is tho
same in Ps. Xvi, 3, and margin, and
points to those who in the millennial
reign of Christ will only be nominally sub
ject and will follow the devil when he is
loosed from the pit Grew. Xxx, 7-1O).
46. "Strangers shall fade away, and they
shall be afraid out of their close places. "
They shall move out of their holes like
worms of the earth. They shall be afraid
of the Lord our God and shall fear because
of thee (Alic. vii, ~. 1t shall be firm
rule, as with rod of iron, and those who
have evil in their hearts shall fear to do it
because Of the swift judgments that shall
be sent on cvildocrs. The awful judg-
ments of the tribulatiOn period shall not
soon be forgotten.
~. "The Lord liveth, and blessed be
my rock, and exalted be the God of the
rock Of my salvation " In the Lord Jeho-
yah is the Rock Of Ages strength Gsa
XVI, (, margn). He is the God of truth,
the living God, the King Of eternity. At
His wrath the earth shall tramble. and the
nations shall not be able to abide His in
diSnation (Jcr. Y, 10, margin).
As. lit is God that aNengeth me and
that bringeth down the people under me. "
1t was one of tho blessed habits OF David's
life TO see and acknowledge God in every
thing. When he had Saul in his power and
might easily have slain him, he preferred
to leave him to God. When Absalom drove
him from his throne he said, seeing God S
hand in it, Lot Him do TO me as seemeth
good unto Him" When SINNER cursed
and stoned him. instead of letting Abishai
kill him, he said that if the Lord wanted
him to endure this he would not even ask
why q Sam. XVI, 10; II sam. Ky, &c;
xvi, 100.
40. "Thou also hast lifted me up on
high above them that rose up against me.
Thou hast delivered me from the violent
man" In the morning of the resurrection,
the morning without clouds (chaptcr xiii,
A., the morning when God shall help Is
rael Fps. XVI, 5, margin), when the up
right shall have dominion over the wicked
ops. Xix, 14), when our Lord shall come
in His glory and by the brightness of His
coming destroy that wicked one, the man
of sin Oh Thess. ii, 3, 81, then shall we
sec the complete fulhllment Of these things
of which David sang and Of which he in
his own experience had remarkable but
only partial fulhllment
80. Therefore 1 will give thanks unto