The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1908-10-22
THE JOY OF
FORGIVENESS
Sunday School Lesson for Oct. rs, 1908
Specially Arranged for This Paper

bbooON lbAI'-Isalm o. memory
verses 1, Q
GOLDEN TEXT.-"Blessed is he whose
transgression is forgiven, whose sin is
covered. Psalm 32I.
TlME.7-David's sin and repentance. a
little beyond the middle of his reign
about b. G. 1884 according to the margin
of our Bibles. His capital and palace
were at Jerusalem David was almost 50
years old, successful as a general and a
statesman. The author Of the Psalm was
probably David, with possible additions
in later times to adapt 1t to special oc-
caslons, as often occurs in our hymns.
PLACE.-Jerusalem.
Comment and Suggestive Thought
Some time in David's later life, look.
ing back from the Beulah land height
of the restored favor of God, as the
Prodigal Son after he had returned
to his fathers home and love, King
David puts into hymn his own ex.
perience for the comfort and encour-
agement of all who have sinned and
long to be restored to their fathers
home and heart. For like Adam and
Eve, he had been driven out OF Para.
disc for disobeying God, and the
flaming cherubim had kept him from
the Tree of Life. But he had at last
round the waters OF rest and the green
pastures of forgiven sin. SO he sings:
V. l. Blessed" The word here, as
in Psa. IL and Prov. 3:13, is In the
| plural, oh the blessednesses OF him
whose, etc, ito denote the most su-
preme and perfect blessedness," and
TO express the manifold nature OF the
| blessedness, at all times, from all
sources, in all departments OF life,
In all circumstances; blessed in body
and In soul, in time and in eternity"
| "Transgreskton sin iniuui-
ty' ~. "Sin In here (as in Ex. Bad
spoken of under three appellatons.
so as to include the whole idea of sin
in all It's manifestations" ."-Perowne
Forgiven" That is given away,
"emoved. This is, according to the
Hebrew conception, the taking up of
transgression as a burden, a heavy
l' ad, resting upon the sinner, and
bearing It away from him to a place
where 1t will trouble him no more"
&C. A. Briggs, in Int. Crit. Com
Covered" so as to hide It and OBJ.
llterate 1t. 1T is commonly used in
connection with sacrifices, as staining
and detiling the divine affairs, was
covered over by the application to
hem Of the blood of the victim OF the
sin offering. Prof c. A. Briggs.
". 2. 'Imputeth not" Does not es.
innate, consider, or think OF in con.
nection with the sinner r"-Professo
Rriggs. In whose spirit there is no
guile no deceit, who conceas his
sin neither from God nor himself
>rof. S. r. Driver. Other Bible words
for forgiveness are remit, send away,
destroy, wash away cleanse, make
them as If they had never been.
V. 3. When kept silence" Try.
ing TO hide his sin; refusing to ac-
knowledge It to himself, to others, or
TO God. MY bones (the most solid
and enduring part of his body waxed
tbecame increasingly old" Exhaust
ed, enfeebled, worn out. The secre'
ain wore him out and made him sick
Through my roaring all the day
long THE figure is drawn from the
loud and unrestrained outcries of one
suffering intolerable and unremitting
pain. He was enduring an agony
which forced from him ssobs and
groans that he could not stife."-W
H. Green.
"A sin concealed is like a hidden
fire. 1t eats into the very life.
Dyke.
The Spartan boy hid the fox be-
meath his coat, and denied the theft
until he dropped dead, the fox all
the while gnawing at his vitals. David
felt the gnawing of remorse, and II
vas eating out his heart."-Dr. W. f.
Barton.
V. 4. Thy hand was heavy upon
me-" God would not leave him to go
on in sin. Gods hand was heavy upon
him in chastisement in order to bring
him into a better mind, as a father
chastises his child in love Heb, 12: G.
IL"
Not merely by its pressure o.
weight; but, as the context implies,
heavy because of heavy strokes smit-
Ing him AGAIN and again with his pow
erful hand, so as to make him roar
with the agony of suffering PROF. G.
|
my moisture" ", A., etc. This
sentence Professor Briggs translates:
II was changed (from former condi-
tion) into misery as when thorns
spite me-" The blows Of Gods hands
are very appropriately compared with
the shifting of the body with thorns,
as when Gideon taught the elders of
Succoth with thorns and briers (Judg.
S:16.)
" s. 81 acknowledged my sim" We
have seen above how the bitterness
OF concealment and the reproof of the
prophet led David to take this step.
"Sin iniquity transgres.
sions." The three forms Of sin men.
toned in VS., 1, 2. Acknowledged
not hid confess" The three
words expressing the, completeness
and thoroughness of the confession.
Nothing was withheld.
} Forgiveness.