Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-11-06
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
Missionary Teachings of the Psalms
BY DR.. MARION McH. HULL
MISSIONARY TEACHINGS OF
THE PSALMS
Golden Text: Let the peoples
Masse thee, O God. Let all the peo-
hes praise Thee" Psa. 67:3.

Golden Text: LET the peoples
ngaase thee, O God. Let all the peo,
hles praise Thee" Psa. 67:3.
The occasional of Kipling can
never be understood without some
knowledge of English history, and
especially without an appreciation
of its English authorship and set
ting. The Star Spangled Banner is
intensely American, and to divest it
of its American setting would do
violence to every principle of liter
airy Interpretation. While these can
be compared only In a very limited
sense with the Biblical Psalms
(since these latter are Gods word
spoken through human lips, while
all other psalms or songs are only
the words of men of unusual mind
and mould) yet we must never for
get, that these psalms were Jewish
songs and cannot be understood II
6ivested of their Jewish authorship
a al setting.
On the other haS1 ~hile they
were written 1y JeN1sh men with
Jewish settings, these men were
human; they were men of like pas
sions with us and, therefore, many
of their songs express the same
hopes and the same aspirations
that we have. Just as by way Of
Illustration, only Tennyson's cross
ing the bar, while expressing his
own personal experiences, hopes and
fears, voices at the same time these
same emotions in your own breast.
This is tho reason that the psalms
are probably more widely read than
any other portion of the Bible; in
them we find voiced for us far bet
ter than We can ever do every emo
ton Of our hearts.
Most OF the Psalms are decidedly
national in their content, however;
and must be considered as such in
any fair Interpretation of them. But
even with these we may make appli-
cation of the truths they present to
our own nation and its needs.
There are about one-sixth of them,
though, which have a world outlook.
In them such expressions as 1.-The
peoples" (notice the pluraD, the ma
tons" ''all the ends of the earth"
and the similar expressions occur.
The King James Version does not
show this in many instances, but the
Hebrew has been properly translated
in the American Revision, the bess
translation into English that has
ever been given. Every Bible STU
dent should use one of these. if for
nothing else than comparison. Note
even in these Psalms which have a
world outlook, the viewpoint is Jew
fshi The nations are to recognize
the Jews as Gods people; the PEG.
Piles are to worship the Jewish King;
ell the ends of the earth are to see
the marvellous way in which God of
the Jews is to show His salvation
for them. His viewpoint never
changes.
From a merely human standpoint,
1t would have to be regarded as the
essence of egotism on their part. to
be classed with that display of that
quality which the Germans showed
In believing and teaching and try
ing to put into effect the thought
that German kultur was to be the
only way the world would ever be
blessed. We must remember, how
ever, Gods promise to Abram when
He called him to leave. home and
friends and to go to a land that He
would show hin1-that in him should
all the families of the earth be
blessed. We must not forget that
God chose this people for particli.
lar. service, and gave them unique
privileges and responsibilities, and
gave them land strategically To-
Gated in order that they might the
better minister to the nations. When
God spoke through their singers
therefore, He caused them to express
these thoughts with reference to
their nation which He had chosen,
and what from a human standpoint
would have been intolerable egotism
becomes from the divine standpoint