Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-11-01
"a G,I,--AT VICTORY"
Sunday Discourse by DR.. Chapman, the
Noted Pastor Evangelist.
Inc Souls Deep Longing After God-Faitb
VIII Conquer In fh: Eud-God Is Our
Strength and Life.

"As the hart panteth after the water
brooks, SO panteth my soul after Thee, U
God" Psalm ~: |. Hope in God, for
shall yet praise Him who is the health of
my countenance." Psalm 43: s.
The first verse Is a lamentation in the
wilderness, the second is a shout of re-
joicing when victory is won. The terri
tory stretching out from the wilderness in
the one text to the presence of God in the
other is not only the story of the expe
rience OF David, but of the most OF Chris
tians. My message last week was to those
who occasionally fall under juniper trees
and want to die; here 1t is to all who
would rise to better things.
The Psalms are divided into five books,
and the ancient Rabbins say in these five
books in the Psalter we have the image OF
the five books OF the law, or in other
words kind of a second pentateuch, the
echo of the first. In the first God speaks
and in the second the voice of the people
is heard. God presents Israel with the
law. and grateful Israel responds with 4
shout OF praise. Those two Psalms form
the first division of the second book
They are dedicated to the master musi-
clans or the sons of Horah. They were
the celebrated musicians and singers OF
keepers OF the threshold OF the tabernacle,
and still earlier IN the time of Moses they
were watchmen at the entrance of the
camp OF the Levites; they were a part OF
that band that acknowledged David as
leader at Ziklag; they were warriors with
faces like lions, and who for speed were
like gazelles on the mountains.
Mr.. Sturgeon says that although David
is net mentioned as the author of these
psalms they must be his, for the truth is
so like him. 1t has the character of his
style and the work OF his experience in
every letter. l had sooner question the
authorship of Bunyan's second part of the
Pilgrims Progress" than 70 question Da-
vids right TO these psalms. Whoever
wrote them has given a name to the souls
deep longing after God and made sigh a
melodious thing.
each closing with the refrain, why art
thou cast down, o my soul?" The whole
psalm Is the picture of a soul climbing
Godward, not without backward slips,
but climbing nevertheless, until the sigh
OF the first text gives way to the shout of
the second. Perhaps the singer during his
exile on the eastern side of Jordan had
seen some gentle creature with open mouth
and heaving TANKS eagerly seeking water
IN the dry river bed, and ne saw in this
picture OF himself. The who.e psalm is
like what VIC 1--we seen on some early
spring day. when the sun was warm. the
sky blue, the trees ready to burst into bud
and the birds were singing, but only for
a day, then the clouds returned, the at
mosphere was chilled. the birds are all
stilled and the sun was under cloud.
Viewed in one way it is psalm OF gloom,
IN another way IT is psalm of glory.
Streaks of brightness are ever flashing
through the gloom. First there is n sigh
as OF 4 breaking heart. then comes a word
OF hope like rainbow spanning the water
fall: oEce again the contending enemies
meet as in verses o and 10. but finally
above it all comes the refrain without a
complaint. Il shall yet praise Him who is
the health OF my countenance."
There are certain expressions most strik-
ing in the psalm. Three times does David
say Why art thou cast down, o my
soul:1 as though he were two men The
psalmist talks to himself. John Trapp
says 1t is David Gliding David out of the
dumps. 10 search for the cause of sorrow
Is often the best surgery Tor grief. In
verse notice the words. The Lord will
command His loving kindness in the day
time. No day has ever dawned in which
an heir of grace could be utterly forsaken.
In the same verse we read In the night
His song shall be with me-" Affection
may put ont our light at times, but if it
does not silence our song the light will
Thy light and truth. These are like an
gels to guide him to the object of his af-
fections. but finally above all sounds the
note OF victory, Hope thou in God" This
is ike the singing of Paul and Silas. it
looses chains. shakes the prison walls and
toned in this psalm were used frequently
by Christ. hope and faith. Faith tells us
what Christ has done: hope tells us what
He will do, and hope is like the sun as we
journey toward it; our burden is cast
back OF Us. Faith may have many a
struggle with fear. but it will CONQUER in
!. the end. These two psalms are really one;
there Is a constant unfolding OF expe-
rience. and rising to higher appreciation
OF God. and as faith acquires more strength
YOU will notice that not only David but
ourselves come to think of God in a differ
ent way and address Him in more endear-
ing terms. There is no better illustration
OF this than these two psalms.
90 God" Declared from public wor-
ship David is heart sick. He is not seek
ing ease, he needs God. He Is not after
comfort. but like Traveller whose water
bottle Is empty and who finds the we'll
dry, so he must have God or he will faint.
When 1t Is as natural Tor us to long for
God as for an animal to thirst, it is well
with our souls. 20 God" we hear him
saying. 1t Is as IL he can scarcely breathe
for tn rst; He does not know just what
he Is needing or just how God would re-
veal Himself to him. but he must have God.
All unrest or thirst or outgoing of desire
are but the reaching out of the soul after
God. We shall be satisfied only when we
find Him.
III:
"The Living God" Ny soul thirsteth
for God, for the living God. This is an
advance upon the first expression, and this
is Jehovah's name OF power. Ancient
Israel was accustomed to use il before
every victory, since it is higher than 20
God. In the first cry we naturally find
it followed with shout of victory, Il
shall yet praise Him." Hunger and thirst
are Gods instruments TO call us to Him
self. When the prodigal was an hum
ture OF one who has tried other things in
the world, pleasure, wealth, honor and
then cries out, 20 Tor the living God"
Bat thirst Is better than hunger; you may
Z palliatc hunger, but thirst is a perpetual
appetite. The next best thing to being in
the light OF Gods love is to be unhappy
until you have it. He is the living God
because He has life in Himself and because
He bestows that life to others.
Ill
80 my God" Appropriation comes
next, and once it is taken it is never
dropped. He says. God OF my life, and
God my rock" There are FIVE 'mys" in
the forty.third psalm, my cause" my
strength" my JOY" my SOUL" my
God" You ntver really appreciate God
until You begin to apply Him to your life,
and He will be TO YOU Just what you wish.
He is like locked casket .illed with jew.
els You may have such a casket in your
possession. Only the key unlocking it
can reveal to you the preciousness OF your
possession. This possessive pronoun is the
key in this case, my God" and when
once you have grasped it nothing can
stand against you. David speaks OF Jor.
Il IL