May 1929
240
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laid upon ceremonialism to the detriment of the real, vital, spiritual life in Christ. In man’s effort to preserve correct Bib lical doctrines and ceremonies he fre quently loses sight of the spirit and clings to the letter of the'law. Only full submis sion to the indwelling Christ can preserve the proper balance between spiritual wor ship and outward ceremony. The Lord is the One to be worshiped and extolled. Thus, continues the psalm ist, “bless his holy name.” God’s name stands for His character (Ex. 34:6, 7). “And forget not all his benefits.” Since man lives and moves and has his being in God, his benefits arid blessings are in numerable. Evidently the writer of the hymn, “Count Your Many Blessings,” was imbued with the idea that God is the Source of all good, both material and spiritual. In verse 3 God is said to forgive all of ¿nan’s iniquities. It is to be understood that God does not forgive sins arbitrarily in a freak of good-naturedness. All for giveness is contingent upon one’s accept ing the atoning blood of Christ, the Lamb of God (Heb. 9:22), in genuine repen tance. The term translated “iniquities” is very comprehensive, being a general term including all wrongdoings. “Who healeth all thy diseases.” A phy sician may give advice and instructions to the patient as to what he should do. It is admitted freely by doctors that the med ical profession can only assist “Nature” in restoring health. In the last analysis it is God who removes sickness and restores to health (cf. Isa. 53:4 R. V. mg.; Matt. 8:17). “Who redeemeth thy life from destruc tion.” This statement is very comprehen sive. It includes God’s providential care over His children, also the ministry of the angels and their service for God’s people (Heb. 1:14). Furthermore, it includes re demption by the blood of Christ from eternal death. The word “redemption” carries the idea of substitution, the pay ment of a ransom for the release of one in captivity, all of which things Christ did upon the cross. “Who crowneth thee with lovingkind ness and tender mercies." The use of the word “crowneth” introduces the idea of the conferring of great blessings and privileges upon the one thus honored. The crown which God confers upon His peo ple is not a perishable, fading, material substance, but consists of His “loving kindness and tender mercies.” One is saved by grace (Eph. 2:8), kept by grace (2 Cor. 12:9; Heb. 4:16), and will re ceive grace at the revelation of Jesus (1 Pet. 1:13) ; therefore the entire life of the child of God is crowned with lov ingkindness. “Who satisfieth thy desire with good things.” One who knows God through Jesus Christ is satisfied. In addition to the satisfying of the spiritual man he is guar anteed every good thing that is necessary for his well-being throughout life (cf. Eph. 1:3; 2 Pet. 1:3). The result of God’s abounding grace and gifts is that the youth of His child is renewed like the eagle. “Though our outward man is de caying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16). II. His Revealed Character. Vs. 6-14. According to verse 6 God in His provi dence takes the part of the oppressed and the downtrodden by performing acts in
Thus came the complete collapse of the nation. The evil which had been sown in the days of Solomon came to the fullest fruition of disaster in the days of Zede- kiah. Sin will out. Man reaps what he has sown. One cannot sin against a holy God and go unpunished. June 23, 1929 A P salm of P raise Golden Text: “Bless Jehovah, O my soul" (Psa. 103:1). Lesson Text: Psa. 103:1-22. L esson in O utline Bless Ye Jehovah For I. ,His Providential Care of His People. Vs. 1-5. II. His Revealed Character. Vs. 6-14. III. His Continued Faithfulness, not withstanding Man’s Frailties. Vs. 15- 18. IV. His Universal Kingdom. Vs. 19-22. — o —
FRED S , SHEPARD ’S BLACKBOARD OUTL INE N ATION’S niSOBEDIENCE ATIONAL U ISASTER Sin is a reproach to any people.— Prov. 14:34.
In verse 9 the temple of the Lord is called “the house of Jehovah.’’ While it is true that God does not dwell in tem ples made by hands, as was declared by Stephen (Acts 7:48-50), He in a peculiar way dwelt in the temple at Jerusalem in that He caused the shekinah of glory, the visible symbol of His presence, to hover over the mercy seat. The Chaldean army despoiled the tem ple and then burnt it with fire. It is quite likely that had the Israelites, who had ad vantages and knowledge which the heathen did not have, done the same thing to the temple which the Chaldeans did, God would have brought summary judg ment upon them. As an illustration of this principle note that God made no breach against the Philistines when they trans ported the Ark of the Covenant upon a cart, whereas He made a breach against the Israelites when they did the same thing. Increased light brings increased responsibility. Man must be faithful and true to all of the light which he has. In addition to the destruction of the temple the Chaldean army threw down the walls of Jerusalem, burnt the houses within the city and captured the remnant of the peo ple which they found in the city, taking them as captives to Babylon. They were, however, the poorest people of the land who were left to take care of the vine yards and orchards. 2. Temple Vessels Taken to Babylon. Vs. 13-17. All of the vessels used in connection with the temple service were taken by the Chaldeans to Babylon. The brazen sea, to gether with its bases, which were before the temple, they broke into pieces and car ried to Babylon. According to the book of Daniel those vessels were deposited in the treasuries of Babylon and were impiously used by Belshazzar when he made a feast to a thousand of his lords. It was indeed an impious thing, considered from the standpoint of the Israelites, for the Baby lonians to use those vessels which had been consecrated to the service of God, for profane purposes. From the stand point of the Babylonians it was not wicked, because in Babylonian theology Marduk, the principal god of the Baby lonians, had overcome the Jewish nation with its God; and yet it was such a pro fanation of vessels which had been dedi cated to God’s service that God had to punish this impiety. 3. Certain Citizens Taken as Captives. Vs. 18-21. After the city was reduced to desola tion the captain of the guard gathered the refugees and carried them into Baby lonian captivity. He, however, gathered some of the officials of Jerusalem, to gether with seventy prominent citizens, and led them to the king of Babylon at Riblah, who smote them to death in the land of Hamath.
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A CCORDING to the superscription, Psa. * * 103 is a poem of David. While he was the human author, the Holy Spirit is the One who spoke through him (2 Sam. 23:2;
cf. Matt. 10:20; Acts 4:25). Throughout the poem the psalm ist is calling upon his very innermost being to bless and to extol the name of God because of what He is and
what He does. The word translated “bless” primarily means “to kneel.” This fact points very clearly to the thought that anciently praise and worship among the Israelites were rendered in a kneeling po sition. Corroborative proof of this posi tion is seen in the case of Solomon when he dedicated the temple (1 Kings 8:54). Bless Ye Jehovah For I. His Providential Care of His People. Vs. 1-5. In these verses David, with an intro spective view, addressed his soul—his in nermost being—calling upon it to wor ship God. Though David planned the very elaborate ritualistic service which was adopted by Solomon at the dedication of the temple, no one is to infer that he was a ceremonialist. Throughout his writings are found repeated statements which show that he laid the emphasis upon the spirit ual side of worship. A certain amount of ceremonialism is absolutely necessary for the preservation of sound teaching. One has wisely compared the relationship ex isting between real spiritual worship and outward ceremonialism by comparing it to the egg shell and its relation to the embryo within. The shell has no life but simply protects the vital germ plasm. Should it be broken or even penetrated with a sharp instrument, the life is en dangered. Thus it is with ceremonialism. Scriptural, Biblical ceremonialism is ab solutely necessary to preserve and to pro tect the vital doctrines of God as the ages roll on. Too frequently the emphasis is
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