The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1899-12-27

1921
THE LESSON TEXT.
| I. Bless the Lord. o my SOUL and all
that Is within me. bless His holy name.
2 Bless the Lord. my soul. and forget
| not all His benefits;
| 5. Who forgiveth all thine inlquities: who
healeth all thy diseases;
T. Who redeemeth thy life from destruc-
/ ton: who crowneth thee with lovingkind-
| ness and tender mercies:
&. who sstisneth thy mouth with good
things; 50 that thy youth Is renewed like
the eagles.
s. The Lord eyecuteth righteousness and
| Judgment for all that are oppressed
Z. Tie made known His ways unto Moses,
His acts unto the children Of Israel.
b. The Lord Is merciful and gracious.
| slow 60 anger and plenteous In mercy.
.. lie will not always chide: neither viii
He keep His anger forever.
| TO- He hath not dealt with us after our
sins: nor rewarded us according 10 our
| iniquitles.
IL For as the heaven is high above the
| earth. so great IL His mercy toward them
| that fear Him.
H. AZ far as the east Is from the west.
so far hath He removed our transgressions
from us.
Is Like as a father pitieth his children.
so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him.
H. For lie knoweth our frame. lie re-
membereth that we are dust
Is As for man, his days are as grass: as
a flower OF the field. 30 he fourisheth.
10. For the wind passeth over It, and II
IL gone; and the place thereof shall know
~ no more.
II. But the mercy Of the Lord is from
everlasting 20 everlasting upon them that
fear Him. and His righteousness unto
children's children:
is To such as keep His covenant. and TO
those that remember His commandments
10 do them.
10 The Lord hath prepared His throne
In the heavens. and His kingdom ruleth
over all.
20 Bless the Lord. ye His angels. that
excel In strength. that do His command
ments. hesrkeninE unto the voice Of His
word
q. Bless ye the Lord. all ye His hosts:
ye ministers OF His, that do His pleasure.
% Bless the Lord. all His works In all
places OF His dominion: bless the Lord. o
NOTES AND SUGGESTIONS.
is. Perowne says: This beautiful
psalm is the outpouring of full heart
in thanksgiving to Jehovah for His
grace and compassion, both as expert
enced by the psalmist in his own life,
and also as manifested TO his nation
In their history" AS such, IL is espe-
cially appropriate in summing up the
Divine blessings given TO Israel. even
through Israel's sufferings, blessings
that speak OF grace and mercy, of Gods
patience, and of His deliverance from
the great evils that had been brought
upon the people by their sin. 20 my
soul:" The Hebrew title assigns the
Psalm 10 Ds yid, and the Syriac assigns il
20 David in his old age. But the uuiEor
ship is entirely uncertain, many liUguis-
tic signs seeming 10 separate il from the
Dayidic psalms. Whoever wrote il,
probably some author after the return
from exile and In celebration Of the
mercy that had once more opened the
temple 10 the worshiper. appealed to
his innermost being. his very soul. his
whole nature, TO bless God. Chief Of
these blessings was the forgiveness of
all personal inquiry. thine iniquity."
and then the healing OF "alI thy dis
eases" both OF body and sonl. com
pletes the redemption for which the de-
vout Israelite gives thanks. Prom
the pit" means from the dark under
world. hades, the grave. in which the
dead were supposed to dwell. "Satis-
fieth thy mouth with good things" is
made symbolical Of all bodily nourish.
ment by which the strength Is sus-
tanned and the youthful elasticity, the
spring and buoyancy Of life fifty SYM
bolized by the eagle, is preserved even
beyond the years in which II might
naturally he expected.
6-l2. THE Lord executeth right.
eousness," etc. The thought here seems
TO pass beyond individual benefits, and
"alf' who are oppressed. as the ma
tion had been in exile, are made the
subjects OF Jehovah's just deliverance.
Personal blessing Is only part OF the
experience that calls for gratitude.
Righteousness and judgment, literally.
righteousness and judgments. on
many occasions, have been experienced.
"He will not always chide," for His an
ger is not unreasoning. TO be kept for
ever, but II is just and lasts only so long
as the sinueris obstinate In his sin. Not"
(even) according TO our sins" has God
punished us; every sinner rightly feels
that the pardon he receives is not de.
served; even IL he repents, his past sin
can be forgiven only by free grace
1918. "As a father" No comparison
Is more common either In the Old or
the New Testament lie "pitieth" US,
for, as our Creator (Gen. ESD, God re.
members how lie Himself made us.
sour frame" literally, "our fashion.
ing being of dust. Such body is
like the grass and flowers of Pales-
tine. that wither in an hour n struck
by some sudden hot wind from the
deserts. The wind passes over q green
field, and ''it is gone" suddenly, and
the life Of man is like this. In contrast
the flowing kindness" OF Jehovah is
from everlasting TO everlasting. and
His righteousness, or promise.kcep
ing truth, His mercy, TO all who keep
His covenant"
1929. Such mercy Is consistent with
the power of God. For His throne"
Is established in the heavens. 80 far
above all earthly power that IL can
never be successfully assaulted. and il is
the seat Of such wisdom that lie infal'
libby executes justice and determines
when lie may rightly forgive.