04.12. Chapter 12

Psalms 101:1-8 "MERCY AND JUDGMENT."

Again we come on one of David’s Psalms. This was not im­probably composed at the beginning of his reign, and contains the ideal programme which he proposed to himself; and the principles here laid down are those which not only apply to every Christian community, but which will assuredly distinguish the kingdom of the blessed Lord, for whose advent the Church daily prayeth.

Psalms 101:1. I will sing of mercy and judgment.-Mercy and judgment marvelously blend in all human lives; and they should be alike commemorated in song. Sing your songs to God!

Psalms 101:2. I will behave myself wisely.-The art of this is given (Psalms 119:99; see also 1 Samuel 18:14-15). The reward of such conduct is the coming of God into the soul (Exodus 20:24; John 14:23). But the pious heart yearns for it to make haste and ar­rive. Oh, when whilt Thou come unto me? A perfect heart is the blameless, consecrated, and wholly yielded heart (1 Kings 3:14; Proverbs 20:7).

Psalms 101:3-8. I will set no base thing before mine eyes!-Here is the picture of a pious palace, or private dwelling house. No slander or pride; upright and trustworthy servants; deceit and lying ban­ished; and strict discipline maintained (1 Timothy 3:4).

We may well ask ourselves whether this is a true picture of the inner realm of the heart, and whether we are strict and merciless in not permitting traitors there. We do not now use the sword of extermination to men; but we should for evil principles and habits, and unholy things.

Psalms 102:1-28 "WITHERED LIKE GRASS." This is the fifth of the penitential Psalms. Some have held that it is one of the later Psalms, asking for deliverance from the captivity; but, from certain special Davidic characteristics, it seems better to refer it to the hand of the royal and sweet Psalmist him­self. However, its authorship is of comparatively small consequence; the main thing is to notice the adequateness of the Psalm to those who are afflicted and overwhelmed, and who feel the need of suitable words in which to pour out their hearts to God.

We may arrange the subjects as follows:-A pitiful complaint (Psalms 102:1-11); confidence in the Divine Deliverer (Psalms 102:12-22); a comparison of the greatness of God with the frailty of nature (Psalms 102:23-28).

Psalms 102:4. My heart is smitten.-A withered heart, from which all joy is gone, as the juice from a sapless bough (see Psalms 102:11).

Psalms 102:5. My bones cleave to my flesh (see Job 19:20; Lamentations 4:8).

Psalms 102:6-7. I am like a pelican, ... an owl, ... a sparrow.-­All symbols of solitariness.

Psalms 102:7. Alone upon the housetop.-Loneliness is one of the keenest of human sorrows (Psalms 38:11; John 16:32).

Psalms 102:10. Thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.-The devout soul turns from its sorrows to Jehovah. God is ever coming to the soul through human agents and secondary causes. And it deals with Him at first hand.

Psalms 102:12. But Thou, 0 Lord, sittest as King (R.V., marg.). What a comfort to turn from our failures and defeats to that eternal Monarchy, which is as independent of us as the stability of the mountains is of the withered leaves that strew their slopes.

Psalms 102:13. Thou shalt arise!-As much of this complaint was probably occasioned by the depressed state of the Jewish nation, so com­fort is occasioned by a clear conviction that the Divine Deliverer is at hand.

Psalms 102:14. Thy servants take pleasure in the stones of Zion.-When God leads his people to bemoan their low estate, a revival is near at hand (compare Nehemiah 1:3-4, with Nehemiah 12:43).

Psalms 102:15-16. So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord!-­The revival of God’s people is indispensable to the awakening of the world. And God’s glory is conspicuously manifested in the newly-imparted zeal and life of his servants. Then He indeed appears in glory.

Psalms 102:17. The prayer of the destitute (Psalms 34:6).

Psalms 102:18. Written for the generation to come (Matthew 26:13; Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11).

Psalms 102:19-20. From heaven did the Lord behold the earth.-The Lord (Jah) stoops low to hear the sighs which might seem too slight to penetrate the dungeon wall. Sigh, imprisoned heart, if thou canst not pray! Sighs fly swift to the ear of God.

Psalms 102:25-27. Of old hast Thou, laid the foundation of the earth.­-These magnificent verses are applied directly to our Lord (Hebrews 1:8, Hebrews 1:10-12). Granite rocks and stars of light shall fulfil their purpose, and be laid aside as worn-out robes when He speaks their concluded mission (Revelation 21:5); but Jehovah-Jesus will ever be unchangeably the same, and able to summon new creations into being with a word.

Psalms 103:1-22 THE PSALM OF GRATITUDE.

David’s name heads this peerless Psalm of praise, which expresses, as none other, the soul of the Church and of the Christian. It has been compared to a still, clear brook of praise.

Psalms 103:1. All that is within me, bless his holy name!-Let no faculty of the soul be still in God’s praise.

Psalms 103:2. Forget not all his benefits.-Alas! that we forget so often and so many of God’s benefits! Memory, awake! and touch thy chords; bring back the blessed past!

Psalms 103:3-5. Who forgiveth! ... who redeemeth!... who satisfieth!-Notice the "present tenses" in this and the following verses. God’s tender dealings run parallel with our lives. He is never weary or exhausted. Enumerate the blessings which He gives, and as the fingers tell the successive beads, praise Him: forgiveness; healing (Exodus 15:26); redemption; crowning; satisfaction (Psalms 36:8; Isaiah 58:11); perennial youth. We need not think that the Bible authorizes the belief that the eagle literally renews its youth; but only that the youth, when renewed, is eagle-like in its royal strength (Isaiah 40:31).

Psalms 103:7. He made known his ways unto Moses!-Ways, or plans, are only made known to the inner circle of the saints; the ordinary congregation learn only his doings (John 15:15).

Psalms 103:8. The Lord is merciful and gracious,-A conception of God, which seems strange in its setting of that old Jewish economy, but has been confirmed by all subsequent ages.

Psalms 103:9. He will not always chide.-He does chide, and we might question his love if He did not. His chiding is occasioned by our sins; and so soon as they are confessed and put away, there is no trace of it left.

Psalms 103:10. He hath not dealt with us after our sins.-Surely each one can set his seal to this.

Psalms 103:11-12. As the heaven is high above the earth! . . . As far as is east from west!-These are the largest measurements which imagination can conceive; but they are all too small for the purpose of the Psalmist, in his desire to describe the impossibility of forgiven sin coming back on the soul.

Psalms 103:13-14. Like as a father pitieth ... so the Lord pitieth.-We do not half enough realize our Father’s pity. We chastise ourselves bitterly if we do not understand or reach our ideals. We are ever fearful that He will not give us credit for the motives which underlie our sad and fitful experience. We try to make ourselves more fit for his love. And all the time He is tenderly regarding us, and knows so well how much of our failure accrues from temperament, and disposition, and overstrain (1 Kings 19:5).

Psalms 103:15-18. As for man, his days are as grass.-What a sublime con­trast between man’s weakness, at his best-and God’s eternity of mercy! There is a promise also here for the grandchildren of God’s people.-Remember to do.

Psalms 103:19. His Kingdom ruleth over all.-Yes, all men and devils are beneath that power. Satan must even get permission before he can tempt (Job 1:11-12; Luke 22:31).

Psalms 103:20. Bless the Lord, ye his angels!-The mighty and obedient angels! Angelic obedience might well stimulate us (Matthew 6:10).

Psalms 103:22. Bless the Lord, all his works!-One lonely soul on fire with the love of God may set the whole universe ablaze (Acts 2:41; Revelation 5:11).

Psalms 104:1-35 "NOW MANIFOLD ARE THY WORKS!" An anonymous poem; and yet there are many indications of David’s touch. Luther has well described it as "a praise of God from the book of Nature." The theme is the greatness of God, as seen in his works. The description follows closely on the description of the several days of creation, as given in Genesis 1:1-31., the deviations being accounted for by the special object in the Psalmist’s mind, of exalting the greatness of God-not only in the creation, but in the maintenance of his universe.

There is a majestic introductory verse, which is then elaborated -First, the light, the heaven and earth, then the formation of the dry land (Psalms 104:2-5); the watering of the earth from His fountains (Psalms 104:6-9); the provision for beasts and men (Psalms 104:10-24); the wonders of the sea (Psalms 104:24-26); God’s personal work in nature (Psalms 104:27-30); a noble conclusion of praise (Psalms 104:31-35).

It is almost impossible in the brief space at disposal to say aught of this marvellous production. Here poetry at its highest, sublimity of conception and diction, and devotional feeling of the most spiritual order blend in one superb and unrivalled poem.

Psalms 104:2. Who covereth thyself with light.-God has many "garments" ascribed to Him (Psalms 93:1); but this primeval one is, perhaps, the most beautiful of them all.

Psalms 104:4. Who maketh winds his messengers; his ministers a flaming fire (R.V.).-The tempest and the flame are his slaves; make friends with their Master.

Psalms 104:6-8. At thy rebuke the waters fled.-This is the work of the third day-the removal of the water from the earth-and is painted at great length, because the Psalmist sees in it an allegory of the removal of the heathen, who had inundated the Holy Land (Psalms 93:1-5). Some have seen in these verses a reference to glacial action, by which so much water is being brought down from the mountains to the valleys.

Psalms 104:9. That they turn not again (Genesis 9:15; Job 38:8-11).

Psalms 104:11-12, Psalms 104:14. Wild asses, ... fowls, ... cattle.-If God is so care­ful of birds and beasts, how much more of his children! (Matthew 6:26; Matthew 10:31).

Psalms 104:15. Wine, ... oil, ... bread.-The products of the land: the olive; the vine; and corn (Deuteronomy 11:14).

Psalms 104:16. The trees of the Lord; the cedars of Lebanon.-The earth is satisfied (13); the trees are satisfied (R.V.); all living things are satisfied (Psalms 104:28, R.V.).

Psalms 104:17-18. The birds, ... the wild goats, ... the conies.-He who implants natural instincts, provides for their satisfaction.

Psalms 104:20-23. The beasts of the forest creep: the young lions roar.­-Night and morning in the forest pasture-lands.

Psalms 104:24. How manifold are thy works! (Psalms 111:2). The fertility of God’s inventiveness.

Psalms 104:28. Thou openest thine hand.-To satisfy creation, God has but to open his hand.

Psalms 104:30-31. The Lord shall rejoice in his works.-Where no human foot treads, God’s Spirit broods, rejoicing in his works.

Psalms 104:34. My meditation of Him shall be sweet.-Here, indeed, is food for holy meditation; sweet because of its theme. Let us also rejoice in the Lord!

Psalms 105:1-45 THE COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM. This Psalm is supposed to date from the Babylonian captivity, at which time the hearts of God’s people would be specially directed to that faithfulness which could not fail (Psalms 89:33), and must keep for them all that it had promised. It was natural then to recapitulate the past as an argument for a similar inter­position again on their behalf. The past wonders of God are quoted as arguments for the future (Psalms 105:1-7); a recalling of the covenant (Psalms 105:8-12); his care over the early Jewish fathers (Psalms 105:13-15); his guidance of Jacob and his family to Egypt (Psalms 105:16-23); the deliverance of Israel with great wonders and signs (Psalms 105:24-38); the marvels of the wilderness march (Psalms 105:39-42); and the introduction of Israel into Canaan (Psalms 105:43-45).

Psalms 105:2. Sing unto Him! sing psalms unto Him!-If you cannot sing, talk.

Psalms 105:3. Glory ye (lit. Praise ye! same word as translated Boast in; Psalms 34:2) .-In the midst of our deepest trouble we have reason for joy; and even the seeker has plenty to rejoice over, for he is on a road which must lead him ultimately to blessedness.

Psalms 105:8. He hath remembered his covenant.-A verbal allusion to Deuteronomy 7:9.

Psalms 105:9. Which He made with Abraham.-When once you can lay hold of a promise, or the provisions of the covenant, you have a leverage with God which enables you to count upon the fulfil­ment of your petition. God cannot go back from his plighted word.

Psalms 105:12. But a few men; yea, very few.-And His word is entirely in­dependent of our numbers or power.

Psalms 105:15. Touch not Mine anointed ones (R.V.; see Psalms 20:6).­How safe we are! (Genesis 20:6).

Psalms 105:17-22. Joseph, who was sold for a slave.-A summary of Joseph’s career in Egypt.

Psalms 105:18. Laid in iron.-Is this not equivalent to the entrance of the iron into his soul?

Psalms 105:19. His word came.-Until the time that the thing which Joseph had spoken was brought under the notice of Pharaoh, when his "discreet and wise" spirit-the veritable word of the Lord (Genesis 41:38-39)-approved him to the Egyptian monarch. In com­pliance with his request, the chief butler made mention of Joseph to Pharaoh, and he was "brought out of the prison house" (Genesis 40:14).

Psalms 105:23-27. Israel also came into Egypt.-The Egyptian experiences of the children of Israel.

Psalms 105:28-36. Darkness; waters turned into blood; frogs; flies; lice; hail; the smiting of the firstborn.-A magnificent description of the plagues; with several added, and graphic touches.

Psalms 105:39-41. Israel in the wilderness (Exodus 12:1-51; Exodus 13:1-22; Exodus 14:1-31; Exodus 15:1-27; Exodus 16:1-36; Exodus 17:1-16).

Psalms 105:42. His holy promise.-If He did all this because of his coven­ant, it is impossible that He will ever forget or forsake his own.

Psalms 105:43-45. He brought forth his people with joy.-All the benefits bestowed on Israel are shadows of spiritual blessings. Redeemed; enriched; restored; satisfied with heavenly bread, and drinking of the spiritual rock; made to sit in heavenly places. What can we desire more? Only let us not rebel against Him.

Psalms 106:1-48 "THEY FORGAT GOD!" The previous Psalm was a history of God’s goodness to Israel: and this is a history of their rebellions and provocations. Its main character is the confession of sin. If, as is supposed, it dates from the captivity, it is in harmony with the confessions of Daniel and Nehemiah; and it tends to show that the sharp discipline had done its work, and that God was about to restore his people to the land of their fathers.

After an introduction of inimitable sweetness (Psalms 106:1-6), the confes­sion extends to the sins of Egypt (Psalms 106:6-12); of the wilderness (Psalms 106:13-33); and of Canaan (Psalms 105:34-43). But as, in spite of all, the mercy of God had so often interposed, so the believer felt able to call on the Lord to complete the work He had begun, and to gather the nation again from among the heathen (Psalms 106:44-48).

Psalms 106:1. Oh, give thanks unto the Lord/-This is also the commence­ment of Psalms 107:1-43: it likewise forms the opening sentence of Psalms 136:1-26; whilst in the latter Psalm, For his mercy endureth for ever is the oft-recurring refrain.

Psalms 106:4-5. Remember me, 0 Lord!-A prayer like this is sure of its answer (see Nehemiah 13:14, Nehemiah 13:22, Nehemiah 13:31).

Psalms 106:7-8. Our fathers provoked Him at the Red Sea.-Our sin can­not shut us out of the love of God. There is ever a Nevertheless (Nehemiah 9:31; Psalms 73:23; Psalms 89:33).

Psalms 106:12-13. They believed ... they forgot.-How sad and sudden a contrast!

Psalms 106:15. He sent leanness into their soul.-Let us ever condition our prayers in the will of God, lest a similar fate overtake us.

Psalms 106:16. They envied Moses and Aaron (Numbers 16:3, Numbers 16:5, Numbers 16:7).

Psalms 106:19-29. They made a calf; they despised; they murmured.­-How sad a catalogue of failures!

Psalms 106:23. Stood in the breach, as a warrior covers with his body a broken piece of a wall in a besieged city.

Psalms 106:28. They joined themselves unto Baal-peor.-This was the result of the suggestions of Balaam to Balak (Numbers 25:3; Revelation 2:14).

Psalms 106:32-33. It went ill with Moses.-How infectious is unbelief, that it spread from the people to their noble leader!

Psalms 106:35-39. Were mingled among the heathen.-In spite of Joshua’s warning (Joshua 23:12-13; see also Judges 2:2; Judges 3:6).

Psalms 106:43. Many times did He deliver them.-These are the times of the Judges and the Kings! And how many times has He also de­livered us from the results of our sins!

Psalms 106:44. Nevertheless He regarded their affliction.-Another Neverthe­less. See verse 8.

Psalms 106:46. He made them to be pitied.-God can put pity into the heart of your most merciless foe.

Psalms 106:48. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting.-With this magnificent doxology we close the fourth book of the Psalms; and as we do so, we worship and bow down, and join the hallelujahs of heaven and earth.

Psalms 107:1-43 "OH THAT MEN WOULD PRAISE THE LORD!" This Psalm, according to Psalms 107:32, was composed to be sung at a national religious service, in which joy was the keynote. It was also, according to Psalms 107:22, connected with the offering of sacri­fices and thank-offerings. It is thought that it was composed for the first celebration of the feast of tabernacles, after the return from the exile, when Israel was gathered as one man at Jerusalem, and sacrifices were offered (Ezra 3:1-3). The special references, however, are not very distinct; and so the Psalm is appropriate to the whole Church, and to each individual, after experiencing some marked Divine interposition or deliverance. The Psalm begins with an exhortation to praise, on account of God’s gracious deeds: and in the following verses we are presented with four tableaux: Of the caravan in the wilderness (Psalms 107:4-9); of the prisoner (Psalms 107:10-16); of the sick (Psalms 107:17-22); of the mariner in the storm (Psalms 107:23-32). In each of these paragraphs there is a great similarity of order: first the trouble, then the cry for help, then the gracious deliverance, and, lastly, the exhortation to give thanks. After this, there is a glad reference to the restored nation (Psalms 107:33-43), which, in spite of the hate of its enemies, had been reinstated in its own land, and was already preparing to rebuild the Holy City.

Psalms 107:1-2. His mercy endureth forever.-It is not enough to think it: say it.

Psalms 107:3. He gathered them out of the lands.-Evidently in reference to the return from the Captivity (Isaiah 43:5-6; Isaiah 56:8).

Psalms 107:4. They wandered in the wilderness.-We are in this world as in a wilderness, having no continuing city; but we are under the care of One who is leading us through the desert to our home, and He will not suffer us to lack any good thing.

Psalms 107:8. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness!-This prayerful refrain occurs four times (Psalms 107:8, Psalms 107:15, Psalms 107:21, Psalms 107:31).

Psalms 107:9. He satisfieth... and filleth.-Blessed hunger, which meets with such a provision! (Matthew 5:6).

Psalms 107:10-14. In darkness and in the shadow of death.-Words fail to describe the miseries of an Oriental prison: a true type, though, of souls under conviction; or of the pressure of some great heart-­sorrow: yet out of these the Lord delivereth (2 Thessalonians 3:2).

Psalms 107:17. Because of their transgression.-We are foolish to yield to transgression, which so often brings in its train sickness of body. But let us beware of saying that sickness is a sign of special sin (John 9:2-3).

Psalms 107:20. He sent his word, and healed them.-His name in all ages has been Jehovah-rophi, "the Lord that healeth thee" (Exodus 15:26). And He heals the diseases of souls as well as of bodies. Oh, put yourselves into the hands of the good Physician of souls!

Psalms 107:25-29. He raiseth the stormy wind.-We all know what these storms mean: but they are valuable if they bring us to an end of ourselves; for then we are at the beginning of God.

Psalms 107:33-38. He turneth ... a fruitful land into barrenness.-Those who trust in earthly comforts, and seem secure, may in a moment be left destitute; whilst those who are in the greatest straits may suddenly become enriched with all manner of good. Do not trust in things, but in God.

Psalms 107:43. Whoso is wise, and will observe these things.-Let us ask God to give us this true wisdom and spiritual insight; that we may look out for these indications of Divine mercy, and treasure them for our encouragement and comfort, and as sources of praise.

Psalms 108:1-13 MY HEART IS FIXED! This is a Davidic Psalm, and a variation of Psalms 60:1-12. It con­sists of three strophes. The first (Psalms 108:1-5 is borrowed, with alterations, from Psalms 57:7-11; the second (Psalms 108:6-9) and the third (Psalms 108:10-13) from Psalms 60:5-12. This Psalm seems to have been intended to express, on the behalf of the people of God in all ages, their firm confidence that He would deliver them, and ultimately give victory over all their enemies.

Psalms 108:1. My heart is fixed.-The fixed heart is the singing heart. Glory here stands for mouth, or soul, whose praise pleases God (Psalms 30:12).

Psalms 108:2. I will awake the dawn (R.V.,marg.).-There is no time for praise like early morn. Let us ask God to waken us (Isaiah 50:4).

Psalms 108:6. That thy beloved may be delivered.-We are beloved in the "Beloved" (Ephesians 1:6). Me in the A.V. is changed to us in R.V. The saint never prays alone; the voice of Jesus and of the universal Church blends with his.

Psalms 108:7. God hath spoken.-When God has spoken, promising victory, we may already begin to exult, and divide the spoils of the war.

Psalms 108:8. Gilead ... Manasseh ... Ephraim.-David enumerates the various portions of the land which already owned his sway, and the other portions which he had subjugated. And in Christ the believer learns that all things are his (1 Corinthians 3:21). Even his enemies contribute to his possessions and wealth.

Psalms 108:10. Who will lead me into Edom?-Most of us have an Edom before us, in the form of some difficulty or temptation; but if only we are abiding by faith in God, we shall discover the secret of entering as conquerors, even into the city of rock (Petra, the chief city of Edom, was cut in the rock).

Psalms 108:11. Wilt not Thou, 0 God?-An implied answer to the question of Psalms 108:10.

Psalms 108:12-13. Give us help from trouble.-"Vanity of vanities" is written on all human aid, and on our resolutions and endeavors: but if only we will follow where God leads the way, we shall go from victory to victory. He will fight for us and tread down our foes; as when a strong man tramples down the forest undergrowth, and the little children have but to follow in his steps.

Psalms 109:1-31 "HOLD NOT THY PEACE, 0 GOD!" The internal evidence agrees with the inscription as ascribing this Psalm to David; and like others of the same character, it dates probably from the time of the Sauline persecution. It is full of appeals for the Divine vindication of persecuted saints. These old sacred writers had very clear, strong, views of the enormity of wrong-doing, and did not scruple to invoke the Divine justice against those who perpetrated it (see Psalms 23:4). There are sentences which exhibit a like spirit in the New Testament (Acts 23:3; 1 Timothy 1:20; 2 Timothy 4:4); but on the whole we are taught by the Gospel to speak more leniently of those who oppress us (Matthew 5:44; Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60). We cannot for­get the quotation made from this Psalm (Psalms 109:8) by the Apostle Peter with reference to the betrayer (Acts 1:20); and thus we are led to question whether these strong imprecations may not be a foreshadowing of that awful fate which must overtake such as knowingly and wilfully sin against God’s children and cause. The arrangement of the Psalm is very simple. It consists of three strophes, each of ten verses; and a final verse which gives the con­clusion and sum of the whole.

Psalms 109:4. By omitting the three words in italics, we get a beautiful meaning: But I-prayer; as if the one response made by the Psalmist was PRAYER; and so much so, that his existence for the time was summed up in the word.

Psalms 109:6-15. Let him be condemned.-It is held by some that these verses are a quotation of what was desired by his foes; but it is better to consider them not as imprecations but as predictions, the imperative mood being put for the future tense, agreeably to the custom of the Hebrew.

Psalms 109:21. For thy name’s sake!-What an exquisite prayer! Better let God do for you than do for yourself (Psalms 119:124; Jeremiah 14:7). God’s mercy is indeed good.

Psalms 109:22. I am poor and needy (so also Psalms 70:5).

Psalms 109:26. Help me, 0 Lord!-Another of these sweet ejaculatory petitions, of which we should each carry a quiverful for daily use.

Psalms 109:28. But bless Thou!-It is well to be persecuted, if with every curse of man we can detect the silver tones of the Divine benedic­tion, saying, "Blessed are ye!" (Matthew 5:11).

Psalms 109:31. He shall stand at the right hand of the poor.-How brave is the accused if he enters court leaning on the arm of the noblest in the land! How futile is it to condemn when the Judge of all stands beside to justify! (Rom. 3:33).

Psalms 110:1-7 "SIT THOU AT MY RIGHT HAND!"

Luther calls this Psalm "the true, high, main Psalm of our beloved Lord, Jesus Christ." Our Lord Himself says that it was written by David in the Holy Ghost; and there is no portion of the Old Testament more frequently quoted in the New (Matthew 22:44; 1 Corinthians 15:25; Hebrews 1:3, Hebrews 1:13; Hebrews 5:6, Hebrews 5:10; Hebrews 7:17, Hebrews 7:21). This Psalm was composed when the seat of government and the ark of the covenant where already on Mount Zion. David had already received the grand promise of 2 Samuel 7:1-29; and there rings through the Psalm a grand anticipation of victory over his foes. But do not all these thoughts fade into comparative insignifi­cance as we read into these words conceptions of the glory, per­petuity, and ultimate victory, of the kingdom of our Lord? In Psalms 110:1, Psalms 110:2, and Psalms 110:4 the Hebrew word JEHOVAH is rendered LORD: where the second mention of the word "LORD" occurs in Psalms 110:1, and also in the instance of Psalms 110:5, the Hebrew word is ADONAI-Master, Ruler, Lord.

Psalms 110:1. Sit Thou at My right hand!-This was the welcome of the Ascension Day-the word with which the Father greeted Jesus. And all through the ages He has been engaged in making the foes of Christ the footstool of his feet. This is not accomplished yet, but it is sure.

Psalms 110:2. Out of Zion.-It is out of Judaism, the seat of which was Zion-from the narrowest nation under heaven-that the Gospel has gone forth, which has a message to the entire race, and is destined to enclose the whole world in its embrace.

Psalms 110:3. Thy people shall be willing.-A striking picture of the soldiers of Christ. Their spirit, as free-will offerings. Their attire, in the beautiful and glistening robes of holiness. Their numbers, youthful warriors, numerous as the dewdrops besprinkling the morning meadows.

Psalms 110:4. Thou a Priest forever!-In Jesus the offices of King and Priest blend (Zechariah 6:12-13). This combination of priesthood and kingship is also the spiritual prerogative of all Christ’s true dis­ciples (1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6; Revelation 5:10; Revelation 20:6). His priesthood, however, is not after the model of Aaron; but according to that of Melchizedek, a more ancient, universal, and more enduring type, as the Epistle to the Hebrews amply shows (Hebrews 7:1-28).

Psalms 110:5. Shall strike through kings.-The triumph of our Lord is guaranteed by the omnipotence of God. But, alas for that dies irae, that day of wrath! Nevertheless, He must bruise the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15) .

Psalms 110:6. He shall judge.-The Gospel of Jesus must be for our bless­ing or our bane-for salvation or destruction.

Psalms 110:7. He shall drink of the brook in the way.-As Jonathan in the wood (1 Samuel 14:27) took of the honey and was refreshed, so does our Lord drink of the love and devotion of his people, and goes forward without discouragement to the victory which awaits Him. Have you been as a brook from which He has drunk? Is Jesus refreshed by you?