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T H E : I C I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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3. Dan Crawford tells us that in Central Africa if a young missionary attempts to prove the existence o f God, the natives laugh, and, pointing to the wonders of nature around, exclaim, “No rain, no mush rooms !” The African proverb is very suggestive. I f there were no God, whence came the forest? “ Hath not my hand made all these things?” (Acts 7:50). “The fir mament showeth his handiwork” (Psa. 19:1).— S elected . AUGUST 12, 1934 I Nature as Seen by Psalmist and Scientist P salm 8 :3-6 ' , ¡88^82 Suggestions for the Meeting Hymn—“ O Worship the King,’’ .'; , , Hymh—“ This Is My Father’s. W orld ” Prayer. Hymn—“ Still, Still With Thee.” Scripture—Psalm 8 from memory. Discussion o f the following .questions: 1. How does the ^salmMi’j.intetgretafion of the universe differ in significance from the view o f an uninspired poet ? 2. From the Word of God and from experience, how would you meet the assertion o f astronomers who declare God cannot be concerned with the a f fairs of men? Solo—Psalm 8, from the Psalter. Hymn—“The Heavens Declare Thy Glory, Lord.” Benediction—Jude 24, 25. Meditation on the Lesson David must have written this psalm on some night when he was out on the plains near Bethlehem, watching his father’s sheep. David “considered” the heavens. “ Consider” is an important word. FeW of us ever stop to consider anything. We rush pell-mell into many enterprises, not Stopping to consider other people or even our own ultimate good. David set his mind on the heavens, and there he saw God’s finger work. “ For the invisible things o f him from the creation o f the world are clearly seen, being under stood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20). The vast immensity o f the starry dome so moved David with awe and reverence that he cried ou t: “What is man, that thou art mindful of him?” Man indeed seems insignificant in comparison with all this splendor.! Yet we know that God is mind ful of man because he has been made in the likeness* of God and has a soul and spirit which are capable o f knowing God. It is because o f this spiritual nature that man is the object of the Lord’s special re gard. Man is the crowned king o f creation, and the position here described is the one be longing to Adam in his original* condition. Because o f sin, however, God’s original purpose has been hindered. But, as the passage in Hebrews 2:6-11, referring to this Eighth Psalm, reminds us, God Him- Duet— “In the Garden/’ Testimonies. SC ’ , ■. ■ Leader’s Message. |
ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the great ness o f his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth” (Isa. 40:25, 26). Small wonder that the godly astronomer cried out in joy as he studied the stars, “ O God, I think Thy thoughts after Thee 1” Leader’s Helps I. T he R evelation of G od in N ature O f the witness o f the heavens five things are said in this psalm: 1. The Witness Is Specific. The heavens do not tell o f God’s will, grace, mercy, or love; but they do de clare His wisdom, power, glory, and goodness, ; 2. The Witness Is Incessant. a. The heavens with their clouds. b. The firmament, the camp o f the starry worlds which shows forth the divine glory by the number, variety, brightness, beauty, and movements o f its host. c. The days with their light and warmth. d. The nights with their stillness, solemnity, and lovely splendor. 3. The Witness Is Inaudible. 4. The Witness Is Universal. “ Through all the earth,” sun, moon, and stars are God’s traveling preach ers. 5. The Witness Is Glorious. How great God is, and how all His works praise Him 1 —W . G raham S croggie . II. How W e M ay K now 1. , ; v ; What though in solemn silence all Move round the dark terrestrial ball, What though no real voice, nor sound Amidst their radiant orbs be found; In reason’s ear they all rejoice, : And utter forth a glorious voice, Forever singing as they shine, “The hand that made us is divine.” —A ddison . : 2. “ How do you know whether there be a God ?” was onoe asked of a Bedouin. He replied, “ How do I know whether a camel or a man passed by my tent last night ? By their footprints in the sand.” “ The heavens declare the glory o f God” . (Psa. 19:1).—P ickering .
AUGUST S, 1934 This Is M y Father’s W orld P salm 19 :l-6 Suggestions (or the Meeting Hymn — “When Morning Gilds the Skies.” Hymn—“Day Is Dying in the West.” Prayer. Hymn—“ Get God’s Sunshine.” Scripture—Psalm 19 from memory. - Quartet—“ The Beautiful Garden of Prayer.” Leader’s Message. O f all people who wrote in the Old Tes tament, perhaps no one was so well quali fied to write about nature as the “sweet singer of Israel,” David. During the long years that he cared for the flocks out on the Judean plains, David had wonderful opportunity to study and observe the heav ens and to rejoice in their beauty. Then, we can imagine that in later years, when he was in exile fleeing from Saul, he would take refuge in some cave during the day, but that at night he would lie down under those beautiful starry skies, meditat ing and communing with God. Two things, Kant has said, are o f peren nial beauty and freshness and wonder—the starry sky and the moral law. David had studied both o f these from his earliest youth. The Nineteenth Psalm dwells on both. Our lesson, the first six verses, con cerns the heavens. To David’s responsive heart, the starry universe had but one message: “The heav ens declare the glory o f God.” David did not write this majestic line through his own wisdom. He was one o f the “holy men of God” who “ spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Pet. 1:21). No devout soul can keep from uniting with the psalmist in faith and worship as he gazes at the wonders o f the night. “ The spacious firmament on high, With all the blue ethereal sky, And spangled heav’ns, a shining frame, Their great Original proclaim.” It is as if every planet and star that adorns the night had been flung into the firmament from His fingers: “The firma ment showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.” Job said: “ He [God] is wise in heart, and mighty in strength . * .* which alone spreadeth out the heavens, . . . Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades” (Job 9:4-9). Every new day is a fresh revelation of G od ; every morning reminds us anew of His promise: “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease” (Gen. 8:22). The accuracy, the exactness of the mo tions of our sun, moon, stars, and planets —day after day, night after night, year after year—surely speak o f a beneficent Creator who can say: “ To whom then will Quiet Hour. Testimonies. Hymn—-“All Hail the Power.” Benediction—Psalm 19:14. Meditation on the Lesson
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