The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1899-12-28

soul, and forget not all His benefits.-Ps.
103:s.
THE LESSON TEXT.
/. Bless the Lord, o my soul; and all
that is within me, bless His holy name.
2. Bless the Lord, o my soul, and forget
not all His benefits:
8. Who forgiveth all thine iniquites who
healeth all thy diseases;
l. Who redeemeth thy life from destruc-
tion; who crowneth thee with lovingkind-
ness and tender mercies;
s. Who satisfeth thy mouth with good
things; so that thy youth is renewed like
the eagles.
6. The Lord executeth righteousness and
judgment for all that are oppressed.
z. He made known His ways unto Moses,
His acts unto the children of Israel.
S The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and plenteous in mercy.
g. He will not always chide neither will
He keep His anger forever
10. He hath not dealt with us after our
sins; nor rewarded us according to our
iniquities.
H. For as the heaven is high above the
earth, so great is His mercy toward them
that fear Him.
12. As far as the east is from the west,
SO far hath He removed our transgressions
from U.S.
1s. Like as father piteth his children,
so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him.
IA. For He knoweth our frame; He re-
membereth that we are dust
Is. AS for man, his days are as grass; as
a flower of the field, so he fourisheth.
16. For the wind passeth over it, and 1t
is gone; and the place thereof shall know
1t no more.
II. But the mercy of the Lord is from
everlasting to 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
to do them
49, The Lord hath prepared His throne
in the heavens: and His kingdom ruleth
90 Bless the Lord, We His angels, that
excel in strength. that do His command
ments. hearkening unto the voice Of His
word.
q Bless We the Lord, all We His hosts;
We ministers of His that do His pleasure.
22. 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, 1t is espe-
cially appropriate in summing up the
Divine blessings given to Israel, even
through Israers 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 to David, and the Syriac assigns it
to David in his old age. But the author
ships entirely uncertain, many linguis-
tic signs seeming to separate it from the
Davidic psalms. Whoever wrote 1t,
probably some author after the return
from exile and in celebration of the
mercy that had once more opened the
temple to 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 'all thy dis
cases." both of body and soul, COM
pletes the redemption for which the de-
vout Israeite gives thanks. From
the pit" means from the dark under
world, hades, the grave. in which the
dead were supposed to dwell. "Satis-
| tieth 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 itly sym
bolized by the eagle, is preserved even
beyond the years in which it might
naturally be expected.
| Gig. THE LORD eXecuteth right
eousness." etc. The thought here seems
10 pass beyond individual benefits. and
"alr' who are oppressed as the ma
ton had been in exile, are made the
subjects of Jehovahs just deliverance.
Personal blessing is only a 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, 10 be kept for
ever. but il is just und lasts only 80 long
as the sinneris obst Innate in his sin. mot"
| (even) according 10 our sins" has God
| punished us: every sinner rightly feels
that the pardon he receives is not de-
served; even if he repents, his past sin
can be forgiven only by free grace.
|
is more common either in the Old or
the New Testament. He "pitieth" us,
for, as our Creator (Gen. 2:7), God re-
members how He Himself made us.
'our frame" literally, "our fashion
ing being of dust. Such body is
like the grass and flowers of Pales-
tine, that wither in an hour If struck
by some sudden hot wind from the
deserts. The wind passes over green
| field, and "it is gone" suddenly, and
the life OF man is like this. In con ntrast
the flowing Kindness" of Jehovah is
from everlasting TO everlasting. and
His righteousness" or promise-keep,
ing truth. His mercy, to all who "keer
His covenant"
1929. Such mercy is consistent with
the power of God. For His throne
is established in the heavens, so far
above all earthly power that it can
never be successfully assaled and it is
| the seat of such wisdom that He infal-