Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1917-11-21
SUNDAY SCHOOL
Lesson 8.-Fourth Quarter, fol
November Is, 1917.
The INTERNATIONAL SERIES
Text Of the Lesson, Ps. 1o3-Memory
Verses, S-1o-Goiden Text, Ps. 1882
Commentary Prepared by Rev. o. N.
Stearns.


! Commentary Prepared by Rev. o. N.
Stearna
This is a part Of the fourth book OF
Psalms. ending with the one hundred
and sixth, and corresponds in some
measure to the book of Numbers,
which tells of the forty years in the
wilderness with the many vicissitudes,
1t begins with Ps. 80, the prayer OF
Noses as he saw the thousands falling
around him day by day; but in the
last one, as the wilderness story is
reviewed, it is written that God saved
them for his names sake and many
times delivered them, although they
believed not his word and hearkened
not to his voice FPS. LOG 1924, 2o-43).
The sustaining truth in all the dark
ness Is the final coming Of the king
dom, when the Lord shall come to
Judge and reign and build up Jerusa-
lem, never TO be thrown down again
(96 :13; $50; 102 :13-16).
Our present lesson begins with the
forgiveness of sins and ends with the
story of the angels who do his pleas
ure. David is called the sweet psalm
list of Israel, and he tells us in his
last words that the Spirit of the Lord
spake by him and gave him his mes
sages I'll Sam. 23:1, %. This is
truly a psalm of thanksgiving in which
he calls upon his soul and all that Is
within him to magnify the Lord.
heard the late George Muller once say
concerning Lam. 3 :24. The Lord Is
my portion, saith my SOUL" 1t is my
soul that says 1t, not merely my lips,
and unless our souls utter the words
they may count for nothing In his
sight. The forgiveness Of sins is the
beginning of all true happiness, and
through the finished Work Of Christ as
our substitute, our sin offering, this
great proclamation should be made to
every creature (Luke 24:47, As; Acts
i13 :3S. 39). Our insuities ard trans
gressions are by him forgiven, put as
far away from US as the east Is from
the west. cast behind his back, cast
lulO Tie uCRAAS Va LAC SSas OhJheNA Ces
and shall not be remembered oversees
2,12; Mic. Z 10; lisa. 3S:l7; 43 :25).
How many figures he uses to assure
us that they are gone and can never
be found And II this does not ill US
with joy and peace (Rom. 15:13) 1t
must be because we do not believe 1t.
As to healing all our diseases. God said
to Israel, Il am the Lord that healeth
thee" and, Il will take sickness away
from the midst Of thee" (Ex. Is 20 !;
q :25). We know that all whose sins
are forgiven will surely have redeemed
bodies in the resurrection Of the just,
which shall never know sickness (Phii.
BIO, 21), and even now he may give
us wonderful foretastes. A life re-
deemed from destruction makes US
think of l Thess. / 10. "Who hath de-
ivered us from the wrath to come"
The loving kindness and tender mer-
cies and good things of Wv. and 5
are all included in the with him free
~ all things" OF Rom. s 80. The re-
newing Of youth takes US to lisa. 40 81.
and onward to the time when we shall
be like him Il John 81, ~. which sug-
gests that as he was not over thirty
four when He died and rose again the
oldest of us shall be about that age In
the resurrection. Righteousness and
peace shall then be fully manifest In
his kingdom ". 6, lisa. 32:17).
He could tell Moses of his ways
which are as far above ours as heaven
is above the earth, but Israel had to
see his doings. and only when they
saw did they sing (vv. I'll; lisa. So
SO; Elk. IA :30-31; 15:1). How full Of
comfort are the words of w. ID and
IA with lisa. 66 :13! Like as father
pitch and as q mother cOmforteth
with the added assurance that he
knoweth our frame and remembers
that we are dust. There Is a great
deal Of comfort for tried ones In Ex
1871, Il have seen, and have heard
!. for / know" live good deal
ION sone words / rcemorized as boy
lin Sunday school from what We then
called ''paraphrIses"
To human weakness not severe is ouI
High Priest above.
His heart o'erfiows with tenderness: His
bowels melt with love.
With sympathetic feelings touched. He
knows our feeble frame
He knows what sore temptations are. fol-
He has felt the same.
All things seen are temporal. all
flesh is grass. but the word of the Lord
endureth forever, and his mercy Is
from everlasting to everlasting (vv
1918; lisa. 40 :6-S; Ps. 9O:1-2; ii Cor
4:18). His throne and his kingdom
should be our constant meditation
". 19), and that does not mean any
so-calied throne or kingdom in the
hearts of people, but literal kingdom
on tiis eartn which shall include all
nations, and he shall be the one king
over all the earth and shall cause wars
to cease, and the nations shall learn