The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1908-10-23
THE JOY OF
FORGIVENESS
Sunday School Lesson for Oct. rs, 1908
Specially Arranged for This Paper


verses !, 2.
Col. ZEN TEXT.-"Blessed Is he whose
transgression is forgiven, whose sin Is
veret."-Psalm 32:1.
TINE. -David's sin and repentance, a
little beyond the middle of his reign,
about B. C. 1894 according to the margin
of our Bibles. His capital and palace
were at Jerusalem. David was almost 90
years old, successful as a general and
statesman The author of the Psalm was
probably David, with possible additions
in later times to adapt it to special oc-
casions, 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 heights
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
found the waters of rest and the green
pastures of forgiven sin. So he sings:
V. 1. Blessed" The word here, as
in Pisa. IL and Prov. 3:13 is in the
plural, Oh the blessednesses of him
whose, ETC., "to denote the most SUI
preme and perfect blessedness," and
ito 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"
"Transgression . . sin . iniqui-
ty" (2). "Sin is here (as in Elk. 34:O
spoken of under three appellations,
so as to include the whole idea of sin
in all its manifestations" -Perowne.
Forgiven" That is given away,
removed. This is, according to the
Hebrew conception. the taking up of
transgression as a burden, a heavy
load, resting upon the sinner, and
bearing it away from him to a place
where it will trouble him no more"
&C. A. Briggs, in INT. Crit. Com.
Covered" so as to hide it and OBJ
literate it. 1T is commonly used in
connection with sacrifices, as staining
and defiling the divine affairs, was
covered over by the application to
them of the blood of the victim Of the
sin offering Prof c. A. Briggs.
VI "Imputeth not" Does not es-
innate, consider or think of in con-
nection with the sinner. professor
Briggs. In whose spirit there is no
guile" no deceit, who conceals his
sin neither from God nor himself
Prof 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 I kept silence" Try
ing to hide his sin; refusing to &C.
knowledge it to himself, to others, or
to God. my bones (the most solid
and enduring part of his body waxed
(became increasingly old" Exhaust
ed, enfeebled, worn out. The secret
sin 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 sobs and
groans that he could not stifle."-W.
II. Green.
"A sin concealed is like a hidden
fire. 1t eats into the very life. Van
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 1t
was eating out his heart."-Dr w. E.
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. 1876
III"
Not merely by its pressure of
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. C.
A. Briggs.
my moisture" ". ~, etc. This
sentence Professor Briggs translates:
81 was changed (from a former condi-
tom into misery as when thorns
smite 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)
V. 5. 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 iniduity transgres-
sions." The three forms of sin men,
Toned in VS.. /, 2. Acknowledged
not hid confess" The three
words expressing the completeness
and thoroughness of the confession.
Nothing was withheld.
Forgiveness.