Mower County transcript., 1903-10-14
TIL + S Uni A Y SCHOOL.
lEssoNllI III ouRTH QUARTER, INTER
NATIONAL SERIES, OCT Is.

LESSON llI, ouRTH QUARTER, INTER
NATIONAL SERIES, OCT. 8.
Text Of the Lesson, Ps. II, LII.
4 Memory Verses, 1-4-Go1den Text,
Ps. II, 10 Commentary Prepared
by Rev. D. NJ. stearns.
Copyright, 1908, by American Press Association
This also is written by the Holy
Spirit, as David said in some Of his last
words as the sweet psalmist of Israel,
''The Spirit of the Lord spake by me,
and His word was in my tongue" QI
Sam. xiii, i, .. See also Acts i, 16;
", 25. If we would honor God and be.
blessed by Him we must not only be-
lieve that all Scripture was written by
the Holy Spirit, but that it was all
written for our profit QI Tim. iii, 18,
II; Rom. XIV, a. The occasion Of this
psalm is given to us in what we might
call in our Bibles the preface to the
psalm, but which in the Hebrew
psalter is part Of the psalm itself and
numbered as verses and 2, making
the whole psalm consist of twenty-one
instead of nineteen verses The same
David whom God appointed king and
a prophet proved himself to be very
great sinner. He did not in this sur
prise God, for God knew him thorough
ly before He called him; but inasmuch
as the only human material God can
get to work with is sinful, He takes
what He pleases and magnifes His
grace in such as we are, shelving forth
in greater or less degree our utter sin
fulpess and His amazing grace and
love. The Holy Spirit shows forth all
that is in man without respect of per-
sons. Nothing is covered or made light
of; but man, being fully exposed, is
shown how he may be cleansed from
all his sin by Gods own provision.
God is all mercy and loving kindness
and long suffering, but He is just and
cannot tolerate sin, even though He
bear long with the sinner eek. xxxiv,
6, y. He has provided, at infinite cost,
eternal redemption, including the for
giveness of all sins, for every truly
penitent sinner, but there must be on
the part of the sinner honest confession
and forsaking of all sin. We are all by
nature sinners. This is set forth gen.
orally in verse 5, with which compare
Eph. ii, 3; Rom. iii, %. David's con-
fessiQn of sin is seen in verses and 4,
and his cry for cleansing and restora-
ton in the greater part of the rest of
the psalm. The majority Of people do
not seem to think that they need for
giveness. They have no conviction of
sin, no sense Of guilt before God, no
conscious need of Saviour.
A deep conviction of sin is great
blessing, for only thus can we appreci-
hte our Saviour and His great salvation.
In verse Z David doubtless has refer
ence to the ceremonial cleansing of the
sleper (Ley. XIV, 4-9), the hyssop being
used to sprinkle the blood. "Whiter
than snow" takes us to lisa. i, 19, and
makes us think also of our Lords
clean every whit John xiii, 10y. That
which David asked for that all might
be blotted out, verses 1 and 9, we are
assured of in lisa. xiii, 25; Xiv, %;
John 10. What a wonderful redemp-
ton it is that blots out all sin and
makes the sinner to appear before God
as if he had never sinned, and the help
less sinners only part is to receive
what God has provided. AS one has
said in John iii, 16, God does all the
loving and all the giving, and man
does the receiving. When a child of
God commits sin he does not cease to
be child of God any more than when
child in a family, being disobedient
ceases to be child in that family, but
the joy and fellowship are broken, and
the parents are grieyed. David does
not pray that salvation may be re-
stored to him, but the joy of salvation
e, 12). That God has rebellious chill.
dren is seen in lisa. /, 2, and the reason
Of it is in the carnal mind, which is en-
nifty against God, is not subject and
never can be Rom. viii, ., therefore
the need of a clean heart and a righ1
spirit, which only God can put in u:
and which He has promised. See Eek
xxxvi, 24-28. and remember. that wha
God will in due time do for all Israe
He will surely do for His own now
There are, alas, so few who seem t
want a clean heart now. The aim o.
many seems to be to get all the selffsl
enjoyment they can now, hoping tina
somehow by the mercy of God the.
may reach heaven at last. Contras
David's desire in seeking again the jo,
Of Gods salvation his tongu,
lzmight sing aloud of Gods righteous
ness, that his month might show fortl
Gods praise, that transgressors Nigh
know the ways of God and sinners b.
converted unto Him Q3-15).
There are many who still think, a
did the hypocrites in Israel, that God
favor can be won by our gifts or s
ealled sacrifices not understanding tha
i IN