Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1899-10-26
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERESTING AND INSTRUCTIVE
LESSON.
Reflections Of an Eievatinx Character
-wholesome Food for Thought
Studying the scriptural Lesson In
telligently and Probably.

The lesson for October 20 Is Psalms
So and 126; its subject is Psalms of De-
liverance." During the centuries that
followed the return from exile, as the
Jews became more enlightened and-the
best part Of the nation-more spiritual,
they realized more and more how great
was the deliverance wrought by the Lord
in their behalf. They saw more clearly
than their ancestors that the departure
from Babylon was turning point id the
national history; that it was just as mem
orable an event as the departure of
Abram from Haran. They recognized
the gracious power of God in guiding
the people during the long years at Baby
Ion, through prophets and seers, and pre-
pairing them for undertaking new respon-
sibihties and privileges. Therefore it
was very natural that the poets of the
post-exilic period should often choose the
return from Babylon as the theme of
their hymns and songs Of rejoicing. There
are many psalms that show plainly the
influence of this dominant idea. Among
them are the fifteen Songs Of Accents"
or, as the title reads in the old version,
Songs of Degrees" Psalms 120-134.
These are probably pilgrim songs, written
for the use of the family and village COM
panies that travelled to Jerusalem for the
annual feasts; and these journeys, when
Tor. n ofewi days the people returned to
the ,unforgotteA. nomadic habit Of their
wandering ancestors, naturally recalled
the great journey from Babylon to Jeru-
salem. The second Psalm selected for
this lesson, the 10th, is one Of these
Songs Of Accents" All these sacred
poems Of Judah were adopted into the
formal hymn book Of the temple long
after they were written, just as we find
old hymns In our recent hymn books
along with those composed for the pur-
posf' "a ~
~ Explanatory.
Thou hast been favorable unto thy
land?' II is thought which runs all
through the Old Testament that Pales-
tine Is the land of Jehovah. In the ear
lier stages Of the national history this
idea very probably was quite analogous
to the crude notions Of other Semitic
peoples as to local deities; deities who
resided in certain place and could be
worshiped most appropriately there. Not
until the age Of the prophets did the He
brews begin to realize with any clearness
the great truth of the omnipresence of
God; and even then it was apprehended
only by the more enlightened of them.
Thou hast brought back the captivity
of jacob" Jacob, as often, represents his
descendants, the nation; here, however,
only the smaller part of that nation, the
descendants Of judah and Benjamin.
Thou hast taken away all thy
wrath the very next verses seem to
contradict this. God is never to be APP
preached without wholesome fear.
Though he has taken away wrath, yet it
remains necessary to pray Cause thine
anger toward us to cease Wilt thou
be angry with us forever?" Thus the
devout soul will always, even in the thrill
of forgiveness, be so far conscious Of sin
as to utter prayer for continued mer-
cy.
Il will hear what God the Lord will
speak" Here is really the keynote Of
Notwithstanding to Gods voice, ST.
lencing the voices Of temptation and self
seeking. The essence of IsraePs sin dur
ing all the centuries Of its long career
Of disobedience was failure to hear what
God was speaking. Through prophets
and priests, through ritual and inspired
appeal, he had sought to bring to them
warning and the offer Of forgiveness,
but they had rejected every message and
had gone recklessly on. Now, after the
discipline Of exile and sorrow, they are
ready to hear.
Mercy and truth are met together
the last part Of the Psalms is a highly
poetic picture of the prosperity, spiritual
and material, of the land after it has
been blessed by the favor Of Jehovah.
Mercy, truth, righteousness, peace-an
Old Testament galaxy OF heavenly bless
ings. In mercy" and peace" is COM
prised much of that which in the New
Testament is known as love" and
grace" But the larger revelation that
came with Christ displayed new beauties
in the divine character
Our land shall yield her increase"
here again the Hebrew ideal Of happi-
ness tonnes in-not merely spiritual bless
ings, but material prosperity. All through
the Old Testament it is prominent
thought that righteousness and prosper
ity normally go together. 1t was the
apparent violation of this principle that
so sorely troubled Job and his friends.
Righteousness shall go before him;
the revised version renders the latter part
of the verse And shall make his foot
steps a way to walk in" In either case
the thought is that of following in the
path marked out by God. How majestic
a thought, how stimulating to high en-
deavor and holy living. In the gospels
we find this expressed as following
Christ, who has shown US the way to
God.
"When the Lord turned again the cap
tivity Of Zion, we were like them that
dream the poet speaks as IL he and
those whom he addressed had been ac-
tually present Mt Babylon when the
news came OF the kings decree permit
ting the return TO Jerusalem; and this
may actually be the case, or it may be
poetic transference OF thought to
past event. The joy of that first an
nouncement was so great that the exiles
could hardly believe themselves awake;
it seemed to them that this must be a
happy dream that would soon disappear
Then said they among the heather.
Lord hath done great things for
cm:" This Is the best method in mis-
sions ever devised-that Christians
should be so full Of the grace Of God that
others shall be forced TO believe in the
genuineness of the faith which they pro-
fess. Would heather say Of some of MS.
''Thc Lord hath done great things for
themT' How would the heather know
1t? Not by our countenances or our pray
ers, or our songs or our conduct.
"As the streams in the South" the re-