Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-11-23
LESSON FOR NOVEMBER rs
A PSALM OF THANKSGIVING.
LESSON TEXT-Psalms 1O3.

LESSON TEXT-Psalms 103
GOLDEN TEXT-Bless the Lord, o my |
soul, and forget not all his benefits.-Ps,
This Psalm is mans response to the
goodness and mercy of God. 1t en-
presses the Joy and gratitude of for-
given sinner as he wOrships before
God. There is too much in this PSALM
for one to attempt to set it forth, 81
we must be content to display some OF
its most prominent notes.
!. Mans Entire Being Should Sing
Gods Praise, V. 1. The true worship
per praises God with every faculty OF
his being; his intellect, emotion, de-
sires, affections all unite in praising
Jehovah. The entire being responds
in song Of harmonious praise. Some
praise God with their voices but not
with their hearts; some with their in
tellect but not with their affections
some with their emotions but not with
their wills. That praise which involves
the entire being alone is pleasing to
God,
II. The Benefits Granted, w. %. The
Psalmist exhorts man not to forget all
Gods benefits. This seems to be need
ed now as well as then, for most of US
are better at remembering our troubles
and adversities, our losses and our sOr-
rows, than we are at remembering our
mercies and blessings. 1t would be a
good thing for some Of US to keep
record of the good things of life and
see that, after all, our blessings out
weigh our burdens. We have more
days of sunshine than of clouds, more
joys than we have of sorrows, more
hours when we are free from pain than
we suffer with pain. If God were
as forgetful of us as we are of Him,
! life would be hard indeed.
O Forgiveness of sins, V. 3. In
| forgiveness we are freed from the
curse of sin and its blight and burdens
are removed. We are not only for
given, but we are healed Of sins dis
ease! not only freed from the burdens
of sin but of its effects, so that we do
not go after the things of this world.
To be saved for heaven means that
we are saved from the world.
(2) Redemption, V. 4. We have
been saved by Christ giving Himself
as a ransom for our souls.
(3) Satisfaction, V. 5. When God
redeems, He so thoroughly renews the
man that the good things which he
gets from God satisfy him. His bless
ings are so real that he finds satisfac-
ton in God. Men and women of the
world are reaching out after fleeting
things. They are ever grasping after
something, but are never satisfied. Not
so with the redeemed soul; he finds
absolute satisfaction in the things
which God gives him. Workings may
be satiated, but Gods redeemed alone
are satisfied.
(4) Executing judgment in behalf Of
the oppressed, V. 6. He is always OF
the side of the oppressed. God under
takes for his own, and sooner or latel
He will mete out justice to all. There
is a reckoning day for the world com
ing. Those who have done evil shall
suffer loss; those who have done gooC
shall be rewarded.
III. Attributes of God for Which H,
Should Be Praised, w. 7-18. Thes
; attributes have been displayed in God
dealings with his chosen people.
; Q) Mereiful and gracious, V. s. H
is slow to anger and plenteous in meI
. cy. An example of his mercy is seel
? in the father of the prodigal son run
, ming to meet his son and kissing hin
A very little thought will make yer
:, evident how God withholds his ange
, and waits patiently for an opportunit
/ to extend his mercy.
t (2) He will not always "chide," w
, S-12. When God forgives he forgive
: forever. Men say they forgive, bu
how often they "chide' and 'kee
I anger" God has not dealt with US az
! cording to our sins, for, as the hea'
+ ems are high above the earth, so gres
: is his mercy toward them that the
\ fear him. So really has God forgive
: us that our transgressions are as fa
q removed from US as the East is frol
f the West, an incalculable distance.
r (3) He is compassionate and tende
q, w. 1914. This reveals Gods fatherl
/ heart. He fully knows our weakness
He does not deal with us as though "
y were strong. He knows how weak ar
a fallible we are through the fall. 1t
!, consoling to know that God conside
n our frame: He knows that We al
ia "dust."
e (4) His mercy is everlasting, eterns
l. w. 1917. Man is at best transitor
= but God is eternal. The one who res
J. his hopes in God is eternally saf
This should encourage us to lean n
upon man but upon God.
(5) God is gracious to those who a
in covenant relationship, V. Is. If v
would enjoy these blessings reveal'
y in Gods attributes we must be Goo
II children. His mercies are restrictiv
IS only bestowed upon his own childre
w. A Call to All the Universe
ID Praise the Lord, w. 1922. Since G,
IF is such a wonderful Being, He shou
"a have universal praise. His kingdom
r over all; his Lordship should ha
N recognition.