a city, as the Lord God Almighty, the Lord of Life and glory. “All my fountains are in Thee” ; if we can say that, it means that our life is the satisfied life. Mark you, not “ a,” but “ the” satisfied life. The springs of the carnal worldling lie in wealth and pleasure, in the things of time and sense, whereas the springs of the believer of the true Christian, are in God and His Word, and in prayer. Christ is our true Zion, and it pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell in Him. In Him we have fountains of blessing, bringing perfect satisfaction. And when He comes to dwell in our hearts and lives He brings those fountains with Him. “The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). If our fountains are in Christ, then it certainly means also that ours is the spontaneous life. That is to say, the life lived will not be in a mechanical or forced fashion, but in abounding liberty and power. The life will be lived, not out of a sheer sense of necessity, but because to live other wise would seem really impossible, on account of the fullness and vigor of its source. Thus things will be done, not because they have to be done, but because of love of doing them. A life and service proceeding from the full divine life within is one of great free dom and wonderful liberty. Such a life will be the fresh life, and life free from staleness, from flat ness and dullness, ever upspringing. The Spirit-filled life is one of peren nial freshness and vigor. Oh, for an ever fresh experience of His love and presence and blessing! Such a life will be the pure life, for water ever bursting forth cannot be come contaminated by the surface impurities, for its source is hidden and deep, and the fountains are mighty and unadulterated. What about the utilitarian view of things? It needs no proving that such a life is the beneficial life, the life that is a boon and a blessing to all with whom it comes into contact. It is most certainly also the never- ending life. For in the land of glory He says, “ It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give unto him that is athirst of the foimtain of the water of life free ly” (Revelation 21:6), and again, “ For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Revelation 7:17).
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By DR. ROBERT G. LEE
A l l m y fountains are in Thee” (Psalm 87:7). “ Fountains,” not “ Springs,” are God’s provision for us. Certainly a spring of water is good, especially in tropical lands, yet a fountain is bet ter. There can be a spring that is just a kind of trickle, whereas a fountain speaks of a spring in perpetual flood, bursting upward in mighty volume. But note the plural, fountains, not fountain. In.God there is always over flowing fullness. “ This most obscure verse” is one commentator’s opinion, and certainly a close examination of it seems to confirm that opinion. A lover of Zion is speaking. He was proud of the fact that that city had been his birthplace, and he stated that others shared the same honor and boasted of the same privilege. Moreover, even the Lord had made a note of that fact in His Book. Zion was also a city of cheer, for “ the singers as the players on in struments shall be there.” Then comes our verse seemingly without any vital connection with the context. “ All my fountains,” what does the Psalmist mean? Some think by fountains that he means his ancestors, the foimtain of
My God, the Spring of all my joys. The life of my delights. The glory o f my brightest days. And comfort o f my nights.
his family, who were bom and reared in the city of his love. That view cer tainly harmonizes with the general subject of the Psalm. He may be ex cused for thus boasting of his ances tors. Another view is that by fountains the Psalmist means his family and de scendants, and that it was a natural and legitimate cause of exultation that the Holy City should also be their cradle, sharing with him the privileges of citizenship in the Royal City. A third view is that by fountains the Psalmist means the springs of his happiness, of his comfort and joy, of his full and; complete satisfaction. That leads us naturally to the next inquiry, Who or what is meant by “Thee” ? Are we to understand by “Thee” a city or an individual? Most commen tators insist upon spelling “ Thee” with a capital “T.” That is to say, they view “ Thee” as a person and not
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Used by permission of The American Tract Society
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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