| Acts 25,26
|
| AGRIPPA I. --| BERNICE
| Acts 12 | Acts 25:13; 26:30
| |
| ARISTOBULUS --| | DRUSILLA
| | | Acts 24:24
| |
| | HERODIAS
| | Matt. 14:3
| | Mark 6:17
| | Luke 3:39
|
|
|
| HEROD (PHILIP) | SALOME
| Matt. 14:3 --| Matt. 14:6
| Mark 6:17 | Mark 6:22
| Luke 3:19
Herod the Great |
Matt. 2:1-22 --|
Luke 1:5 |
| ANTIPAS
| Matt. 14:1-6
| Mark 6:14
| Luke 3:1, 19; 9:7; 13:31; 23:7, 15
| Acts 13: 1
|
|
| ARCHELAUS
| Matt. 2:22
|
|
| PHILIP
| Luke 3:1
{487}
While dried _fish_ were brought from abroad, the great source of supply
in Palestine was the Lake of Galilee. Its waters abounded in fish. Two
methods were used by fishermen: the small hand-net and the great
drag-net. The best time for fishing was after sunset or before sunrise,
but sometimes men worked all night. In the daytime fishermen took the
fish to market, mended their nets, and rested. The fish were eaten fresh
by the people in the many villages about the lake, or, dried in the sun
and salted, were carried far and wide, and used as a relish with bread.
The custom of a body of _disciples_ was not new to Jesus. John had
disciples, and so did the rabbis, who were considered great teachers. It
was a sort of primitive university by which a teacher attracted to his
personal following a group of loyal, loving pupils who would carry his
teaching to others. Socrates and Plato in Greece, Buddha in India, and
many another man in other countries, had done the same thing. The
difference between Jesus' disciples and other like groups was not in the
custom of discipleship but in the kind of a teacher they had; for never
was there a teacher like Jesus.
_Almsgiving and prayers_ were two of the most important acts of worship
in the Jewish religion. Their books praise giving alms to the poor very
highly. It was, indeed, one of the great ways open to them to show an
unselfish and brotherly spirit, and in the ancient world, most
unfortunate people--the lame, the blind, those unable to work--were
supported only by charity, and were expected to beg in the streets for
their living.
_Decapolis_ (ten cities). A region lying east of the Jordan, except the
city of Scythopolis (the old Bethshean). Its population was much mixed,
and many Gentiles lived in it, so that the stricter Jews looked down
upon the inhabitants, but Jesus did not hesitate to go among the towns
and teach the people.
_Ruler of the Synagogue_. An officer who was responsible for the proper
conduct of the service and the order of the congregation. He did not
conduct the service himself, but decided who should take part in it. The
position was one of honor, but did not require particular learning like
that of the scribes.
{488}
_Pharisees and Sadducees_. Two of the religious divisions of the Jews.
The Pharisees were earnest students of the law, and tried hard to do
right. But they were proud, and thought their way of seeing God was the
only true way. The Sadducees were not so religious. They were richer,
cared less about the law, and did not try so hard to keep it as did the
Pharisees. But they also were proud and haughty, and between the
Pharisees and the Sadducees, the common people found few friends, and
many more were willing to tell them how bad they were than to show them
the way to become good. That was one reason why, when Jesus came with
kindness, "the common people heard him gladly."
_Threshing floor_. A flat piece of ground, trodden hard, where the oxen
threshed out the grain by being driven back and forth over it. The "fan"
was a sort of shovel with which the grain was tossed in the air for
winnowing.
_Weddings_ in the East were times of elaborate ceremonials. The weddings
were in the night, and the friends of the groom went with him, bearing
torches, to the house of the bride, then, with the bride and her
friends, all returned to the house of the groom. Here a feast of several
days was held, with singing of songs and much merriment.
_Samaria_ had been partly settled by foreigners, more than seven hundred
years before, but the Jews of Jesus' time still looked down upon the
Samaritans, as not being pure Jews. They would not let them worship in
the temple, and despised them greatly. To be obliged to say that a
Samaritan had done a good deed was not pleasant for a Jew.
_Raca_. "Fool."
_Jot_, jod. The smallest Hebrew letter. _Tittle_. The little points on
the letters like the projections from the top of our d.
_Publican_. A tax-gatherer for the Roman government. No patriotic Jew
would take the office, and so the publicans were much despised; and
indeed they were mostly not the best sort of men.
{489}
_Leprosy_. A loathsome and lingering disease, for which no remedy was
known.
_Sea of Galilee, Luke of Gennesaret, Sea of Tiberias_. Different names
for the beautiful lake east of Galilee. It is pear shaped, about
thirteen miles long and a little less than seven wide.
_Kingdom of God_. Used by the Jews for the great kingdom which they
expected the Prince who should come, the Messiah, to set up; used by
Jesus to mean the rule of God in the hearts of men, which he came to
establish.
_Pennyworth_. About the equivalent of the wages for a day's work.
_Bethesda_. A pool in Jerusalem, fed by an intermittent spring, so that
sometimes the water suddenly rose in it. This made the people think that
it was powerful to heal diseases.
_Sabbath_ was very strictly kept by the Jews. They were very careful
about doing any work. No fire was lighted, no meals cooked, no medicine
prepared. They had made the needs of man subordinate to the Sabbath law,
rather than the law subordinate to the needs of man.
_Show-bread_. Loaves kept in the temple and renewed every week. The
point of Jesus is that the sacredness of the bread yielded to the needs
of David and his men.
_Dipped a sop_. It is customary in the East for the host to honor a
guest by dipping a piece of bread in the dish of meat or the cup of
drink and giving it with his own hand.
_Greek woman, Syro-Phoenician_. A Syrian, resident in Phoenicia, who
perhaps spoke Greek.
_Caesarea Philippi_. A town in the far north of Palestine, at the head
of the River Jordan.
{490}
_Fuller_. One whose business was to bleach cotton or linen cloth.
_Tormentors_. Those whose duty it was to obtain confessions, or to
punish, by scourging and other tortures.
_Hospitality_ is a much-prized virtue in the East. There were not so
many accommodations for travelers as there are among us. On the caravan
routes there were khans, or inns, and places where one could buy food,
but off the frequented routes of travel, among the villages, the
traveler had to depend on the kindness of the people for food and
shelter. So when the seventy went out, they must depend on the
hospitality of their hosts. Jesus advises them not to go about to many
houses in the same village, for that would waste much time in the
necessary ceremonies of politeness.
_Purifying_. The Old Testament has many laws of ceremonial purification,
but the tradition of Judaism had greatly expanded them. There were long
directions about the washing of dishes of all sorts, and of the
hands--not for the sake of getting them clean merely, but of doing it in
a certain way. For example, the hands must be held up so that the water
should run from the fingers as far down as the wrists. Jesus taught that
the good life came, not from such things as these but from a pure heart.
_Dogs_ abound in all Eastern towns. They lie in large numbers about the
streets. Each gang has its own quarters, and woe to the dog which
intrudes on the ground of another gang! These street dogs are much
despised, and indeed they are wretched curs; but they are necessary to
the health of a city where they are the only scavengers. They were
sometimes even allowed in the courts of the houses, where they ate the
leavings from the table.
_Tombs_ were often cut in the face of the rock, after it had been cut
back to a perpendicular surface. The tombs were of all sizes, from mere
places in which the body was put, to large rooms with rock-cut shelves
on the sides. Many tombs of various grades of elaborateness are found in
the rocks about Jerusalem.
{491}
_The Temple_ of the New Testament period is called Herod's temple
because it was greatly enlarged and beautified by Herod the Great. He
began the work about 20 B.C., and most of it was done before the days of
Jesus, but Herod's successors continued to build and beautify for long
years after. The temple was now much larger than it was in the Old
Testament days, though it still stood in the same place. It was in the
eastern part of the city, and looked straight over the city wall and the
Valley of Jehoshaphat to the Mount of Olives on the east. South of it
was a slope that led down to the Valley of Hinnom, and north was the
castle of the city, occupied by the governor and the Roman soldiers. The
spot where it stood is still an open walled space, and in the center of
it is the so-called mosque of Omar, while to the north a garrison of
Turkish soldiers still occupies part of the site of the old castle.
_The Passover_ was the great family feast of the Jews. Many customs had
grown up about it as the ages had gone on. Those who could were glad to
celebrate the feast in Jerusalem, but of course only a few could do
that. The great event of the feast, which lasted seven days, was the
supper, when each family procured a lamb and ate it with certain
vegetables and with wine. It was a glad feast, and yet a solemn one. In
its course one of the children would ask why it was celebrated, and then
the father would tell the old, old story of how their fathers, long ago,
went out of Egypt in haste one night, and how this feast was in memory
of that great deliverance. Then he would tell how the nation still had
faith that their God could deliver from all trouble. At the end they
sang Psalms 115-118, Psalms 113, 114 having been sung at an earlier part
of the meal. These were called Hallel, which means praise, and if you
will read the psalms you will see why. Jesus and his disciples made a
sort of family, eating the feast thus together.
_Pilate_ was a Roman who was governor of Judea for ten years, from A.D.
26 to 36. The Herodian government of Judea, under which Jesus was born,
had been changed for a direct Roman rule in 6 A.D., but the change had
worked little good to the people. Pilate was not, as Roman governors
went, a bad man. He desired {492} justice and had many good intentions,
but he was weak, vacillating, and liable to be violent. He had made
himself much hated by the people, and feared they would complain of him
to the emperor. So it happened that when he had the great opportunity of
his life, and himself much desired to save Jesus from an unjust death,
he dared not do what he knew was right because his past crimes had made
him fear the Jews. He was at last sent to Rome in disgrace by his
superiors in office, but what became of him afterwards is not known. A
legend in the early church says that he committed suicide, but there is
no good evidence that this is so.
_Caiaphas_, the high priest from 18-36 A.D., was son-in-law of Annas,
the former high priest. He seems, from John 2:45-50, to be the one who
first suggested the plan to put Jesus to death. He did it because he was
afraid, if the people thought Jesus was the Messiah, they would follow
him in a revolt against the Romans, which would only bring trouble and
massacre to the people. How he misunderstood the purpose of the peaceful
Jesus!
_Annas_ was high priest A.D. 6 to 18. He was then deposed by the Roman
legate, but, through his own influence and that of his family, long held
great power in the nation. The family had booths for the sale of
offerings in the temple, and gained great wealth thereby. When Jesus
cleansed the temple, he was interfering with their unjust trade, and
that may have had a good deal to do with their enmity toward him. Annas
and his family were hated by the people, who thought them hypocrites,
making gain out of the service of God.
_The trial of Jesus_ divides into the following parts: (1) An appearance
before Annas, which was an informal, preliminary inquiry, seemingly to
try to get evidence to present at the formal trial. The inquiry was
fruitless. (2) The trial before the Sanhedrin, with Caiaphas as the
leader. This was the formal Jewish trial. (3) The first appearance
before Pilate, to whom the Sanhedrin sent him on the ground of treason
to Rome in claiming to be king of the Jews. (4) The appearance before
Herod, tetrarch of Galilee, to whom Pilate had sent him, learning that
Jesus was a Galilean. Herod accepted the compliment Pilate paid him, but
{493} refused to judge in a matter which belonged to a Roman officer,
and sent him back to Pilate. (5) The final trial before Pilate, when,
finding that he could in no way escape the responsibility, Pilate
reluctantly condemned Jesus to crucifixion; so, as he himself admitted,
sending an innocent man to death. The Jewish court condemned Jesus for
blasphemy; the Roman, ostensibly, for treason.
_Crucifixion_. This cruel custom came to the west from the Phoenicians,
and was used by Greeks and Romans. Under the Roman emperors it became
common. First it was only used for slaves and persons much despised.
Later it was used more widely, but it was always considered a mark of
deep disgrace.
_Emmaus_. The locality is unknown; possibly at Kolonieh, on the road
from Jerusalem to Joppa.
PART II.
_Pentecost_. The great feast fifty days after the Passover. It was the
Old Testament feast of the first fruits, when the first of the wheat
harvest was presented in thanksgiving to God. The Jews of Christ's time
regarded it as the memorial of the giving of the law at Sinai, but the
Old Testament does not authorize that. Much was made of the feast at the
temple, and crowds came to Jerusalem for its celebration.
_"Had all things in common."_ This was not communism, in which all
property was put into a common stock. Each believer regarded his
property as sacred to the uses of his brethren, did they need it; but
the story of Ananias and Sapphira shows that it was still in his
possession to do what he chose with it.
_Sorcery_. The age of the early church was full of belief in the reality
of possession by evil spirits. Sorcery was the casting out of such evil
spirits by means of magic. This belief continued for hundreds of years
after, both among Christians and others. The belief in magical means of
protection against witches, among our own ancestors, was of the same
sort.
{494}
_Ethiopia_. The region of the Upper Nile, the territory of the modern
Nubia and Abyssinia. Candace seems to have been a title of the dowager
queens of Ethiopia, as Caesar was of the emperors of Rome.
_Eating with Gentiles_. In order to avoid ceremonial defilement, it was
the custom of the Jews never to eat with Gentiles. The early Christians
kept their Jewish customs in this respect as in others. Before the close
of the first Christian century, however, the custom had been dropped by
Christians, along with most other parts of the Jewish ceremonial. By
that time the church itself was mostly Gentile.
_"We" portions_. There are certain passages in the Book of Acts where
the word "we" is used. It is believed that Luke himself, the author of
the book, was present when this pronoun is used.
_The Roman Provincial Government and Army_. The whole New Testament
history takes place within the Roman Empire. There was a petty king in
Judea, subject to Rome, but the real governor was the proconsul or
procurator. These officials were in charge of the various districts of
the Empire and Paul frequently came in contact with them. Paul also came
in contact very frequently with the Roman army, and some of his
strongest illustrations are drawn from that organization. Three legions
were garrisoned in Palestine--the 5th, the 10th, and the 15th. These
legions corresponded to our brigade, mustering about 6,000 infantry and
a detachment of cavalry. The legion was divided into ten companies of
600 men called cohorts. These also had names, and reference is made to
the Italian and the Augustan cohorts. The captain of a cohort was called
a centurion. It is probable that the troops under whose escort Paul went
to Rome were a part of the Praetorian Guard, the emperor's special
soldiers stationed at Rome and rarely sent to the provinces.
{495}
_Prison_. The Roman prison had usually three parts: the outer part,
where the prisoners had light and air; the inner part, shut off by iron
gates and bars, more secure than the outer part; and a dungeon, probably
a place of execution. The sufferings and barbarities of all ancient
prisons were such as would not be allowed to-day.
_Cyprus_. The greatest island of the Eastern Mediterranean. The seat of
government was Paphos, though Salamis, the seaport, was the largest and
most important town. Many Jews were in the island. Copper, which word
comes from Cyprus, was mined there from early time, and in all ancient
history the island was an important place.
_Galatia_ was the name both of an ancient kingdom, and, in the time of
Paul, of a Roman province. There is a difference of opinion as to which
is its meaning in the New Testament. If it is used for the old kingdom
only, the cities of Galatia are in the north central part of Asia Minor;
Ancyra and Tavium are cities not mentioned in the New Testament. If it
is used for the new Roman province, as seems probable to many, the
cities are in the southern part of Asia Minor, Derbe, Lystra, Iconium,
and Antioch, towns often mentioned in Acts.
_Troas_. An important shipping port, the nearest to Europe of the
important Asiatic towns. The Troy of Homer was in this region.
_Macedonia_, the ancient kingdom of Alexander the Great, was at this
time under the Romans. At Philippi great battles in the Roman empire had
been fought, and later a group of Romans settled, making the place a
colony, with certain important privileges for its citizens. Thessalonica
was an important seaport, the outlet for the products of a large section
of country. It had a large Jewish population. The modern town, under the
name Salonica, is still a port of some importance. Berea, about fifty
miles southwest of Thessalonica, was the center of a large, fertile
district, and had an important local trade.
{496}
_Asia_ is used in Acts to mean only the Roman province of Asia, which
was in the western part of Asia Minor. Its capital and largest city was
Ephesus. In this city was a temple, so great and beautiful that it was
one of the wonders of the ancient world. The image in the temple,
however, was not splendid or beautiful. It was a rude, ugly wooden
figure, but so highly regarded that the people believed it had actually
fallen down from heaven, as the town clerk said in his speech to the
people in the theater. The great city is gone now, but ruins of the
temple and the large theater are still to be seen.
_Aegean Sea_. Paul sailed back and forth over this sea several times, so
that its coasts in many parts must have become very familiar to him.
There is more story connected with its waters than with those of any
other sea in the world. Across it the Greeks sailed, in the stories of
Homer, to the siege of Troy. The Phoenicians traded in its coasts and
islands when Greek civilization was beginning to grow. The famous
stories of Greek poetry were all laid on or near its shores. Every
famous man of Greece had sailed its waters. Later came the Roman navies,
carrying the armies which conquered the world; and now, in the New
Testament period, came little groups of men, hiring their passage as
best they could in the ships that were continually passing to and fro.
The busy merchants and soldiers never stopped to look at them, and if
they had, would have cared nothing for them, but these obscure travelers
were bearing with them the future religion of Europe and America and the
ends of the earth. It is not always the greatest thing that attracts the
most attention.
_Tentmaking_. The Jews taught all their children some trade. No matter
how much they desired them to become learned in the law, they saw to it
first that they could earn their bread by the skill of their hands. Paul
was a tentmaker, and very glad he, the learned rabbi, must have been,
more than once, that he could earn his own living by manual work, and be
free to use his learning as God gave him opportunity.
_Paul's routes of travel_ were usually along the established lines of
commerce. In his last journey to Jerusalem he followed the {497}
coasting route from Macedonia to Rhodes, then a route to Phoenicia
common for many hundreds of years. Other routes on the Aegean were from
Ephesus to Athens; from Troas to Italy, from Ephesus to Italy; from
Thessalonica to Athens, and thence to Italy; from Athens to Troas and
the Euxine (Black Sea).
_Ancient ships_. The ship on which Paul sailed, and which was wrecked on
the island of Malta, carried 276 persons besides her cargo of grain. She
was perhaps 180 feet long and 1,000 tons burden, not large compared with
the modern steamship, but still of good size even by our standards. She
was about equal perhaps in general dimensions and tonnage to the
merchantmen which made the voyage to India in the "fifties." She had no
oars like the ancient ships of war, but depended upon one mast and a
huge sail. Possibly more than one sail was raised in light wind, on the
mast, and perhaps another small sail, something like the modern jib, was
raised at the bow. She was steered by two paddle-like rudders which were
thrust through openings in the stern. The single heavy mast and huge
sail brought a great strain on the ship's timbers, which were not so
well put together as now, and great danger arose from leaking in a heavy
blow. The cables which were passed around the vessel were intended to
draw the planks together and lessen the leak.
_Felix_. A Roman of perhaps somewhat humble origin, governor of Judea.
His wife Drusilla was of Herod's family (see the Table of the Family of
Herod). He was not a man of any great ability or character, and his
violence against the Jews aroused yet further troubles, until the whole
nation was in commotion. Nothing is known of his history after his
governorship.
_Festus_. A Roman, perhaps of better character and more ability than
Felix. He died after being governor for some years.
_Agrippa II_. (See Table of the Family of Herod.) He was tetrarch of the
regions in the north of Palestine, with his capital at Caesarea
Philippi. He was interested, as Paul suggests, in {498} Jewish matters,
finished building the temple, and tried in vain to keep peace between
the Jews and Romans. He died about 100 A.D., the last important member
of the family of Herod.
_"I appeal to Caesar."_ This was one of the most important privileges of
a Roman citizen. It took the case at once out of the jurisdiction of the
local authorities and transferred it to Rome. Unless the appeal was made
by a bandit or pirate it could not be denied.
_Crete_. A fertile, densely populated island, famous in Greek legend and
story, and, as is now known, one of the great sources of ancient Greek
civilizations. It is very mountainous, and the cold wind from its
mountains often made sudden changes in the conditions of sailing, as it
did with the ship in which Paul sailed.
_Malta_. The traditional place where Paul was shipwrecked is on the east
coast of the island, northwest of the present city of Valetta, and is
known as St. Paul's Bay. Very possibly the tradition is correct.
_Jews in Rome_. Rome was a great center of all the peoples of the
empire, and it is not surprising that Jews, who had already wandered all
over the East, had arrived here also. One emperor, Claudius, had
banished them from the city, but they had later been allowed to return.
When Paul was in Rome there must have been many Jews there, though there
is no means of knowing how many.
{499}
MEMORY VERSES
{500}
{501}
MEMORY VERSES
_One for Each Week of the Year_.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our
iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his
stripes we are healed.--_Isaiah 53:5_.
All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own
way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.--_Isaiah 53:6_.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government
shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of
Peace.--_Isaiah 9:6_
But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands
of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be
ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from
everlasting. --_Micah 5:2_.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life.--_John 3:16_.
{502}
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not,
because it knew him not. --_1 John 3:1_.
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin.--_I John 3:9_.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for
they shall be filled.--_Matthew 5:6_.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all
these things shall be added unto you.--_Matthew 6:33_.
And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew,
sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And
he arose, and followed him.--_Matthew 9:9_.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in
heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and
my burden is light. --_Matthew 12:29,30_.
It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant
as his lord.--_Matthew 10:25_.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
--_Luke 12:34_.
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me
shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never
thirst.--_John 6:35_.
{503}
Then spoke Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world:
he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the
light of life.--_John 8:12_.
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in
my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free.--_John 8:31,32_.
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall
go in and out, and find pasture.--_John 10:9_.
I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should
not abide in darkness.--_John 12:46_.
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have
loved you, that ye also love one another. --_John 13:34_.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me.--_John 14:6_.
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world
giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it
be afraid.--_John 14:27_.
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will,
and it shall be done unto you.--_John 15:7_.
Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.--_John 15:14_.
{504}
For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the
same is my brother, and sister, and mother. --_Matthew 12:50_.
Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass
away.--_Mark 13:31_.
And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that
had authority, and not as the scribes.--_Mark 1:22_.
And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air
have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.--_Matthew
8:20_.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father which is in heaven.--_Matthew 5:16_.
Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many
sparrows.--_Matthew 10:31_.
Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when
the time is.--_Mark 13:33_.
Blessed are those servants whom the lord, when he
cometh, shall find watching: verily, I say unto you, that
he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat,
and will come forth and serve them.--_Luke 12:37_.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give
unto them eternal life; and they {505} shall never perish, neither shall
any man pluck them out of my hand.--_John 10:27,28_.
For I have given you an example, that ye should do as
I have done to you.--_John 13:15_.
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In
the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have
overcome the world.--_John 16:33_.
Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love;
in honor preferring one another; not slothful in business;
fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope;
patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.
--_Romans 12:10,11,12_.
For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For
whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die
unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the
Lord's.--_Romans 14:7,8_.
But by the grace of God I am what I am.--_I Corinthians 15:10_.
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which
are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things
which are not seen are eternal. --_II Corinthians 4:18_.
For the love of Christ constraineth us.--_II Corinthians 5:14_.
{506}
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season
we shall reap, if we faint not.--_Galatians 6:9_.
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the
earth.--_Colossians 3:2_.
Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the
time.--_Colossians 4:5_.
For we know that, if our earthly house of this tabernacle were
dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens.--_II Corinthians 5:1_.
So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it is
raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory:
it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural
body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there
is a spiritual body.--_I Corinthians 15:42,43,44_.
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this
mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass
the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
--_I Corinthians 15:54_.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of
death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.--_I Corinthians
15:55,56_.
{507}
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the
first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I, John,
saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice
out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he
will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself
shall be with them, and be their God.--_Revelation 21:1-3_.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no
more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain: for the former things are passed away.--_Revelation 21:4_.
And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are
the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the
moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb
is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk
in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and
honour into it.--_Revelation 21:22-24_.
And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal,
proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the
street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of
life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every
month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
--_Revelation 22:1,2_.
{508}
And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb
shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: and they shall see his
face: and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no
night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the
Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and
ever.--_Revelation 22:3-5_.
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him
that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come.
And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
--_Revelation 22:17_.
[End of "VOLUME FOUR: LIFE OF JESUS"]
------------------------------------------------
[Start of "VOLUME FIVE: SONGS OF THE AGES"]
{1}
THE BIBLE STORY
{2}
{3}
{4}
[Illustration]
"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of
God dwelleth in you?"
Then Paul said, "Ye men of Athens, I perceive in all things ye are
very religious."
Then Paul said, . . . "Whom ye ignorantly worship, him I declare
unto you."
"God that made the world and all things therin, seeing he is Lord of
heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands."
[End illustration]
{5}
THE BIBLE STORY
VOLUME FIVE
SONGS OF THE AGES
ARRANGED AND EDITED BY
REV. NEWTON MARSHALL HALL, D.D.
MINISTER OF THE NORTH CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS
AND
REV. IRVING FRANCIS WOOD, PH.D.
PROFESSOR OF
BIBLICAL LITERATURE AND COMPARATIVE RELIGION
AT SMITH COLLEGE
_Authors of "The Early Days of Israel" "Advanced Bible Studies" Etc._
THE KING-RICHARDSON COMPANY
SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS
CHICAGO
CLEVELAND
{6}
COPYRIGHT, 1906,
COPYRIGHT, 1917,
BY THE KING-RICHARDSON COMPANY,
SPRINGFIELD, MASS.
{7}
PREFACE
In this volume are gathered up selections of the most inspiring
literature which the Bible contains. The Psalms are given nearly entire,
but with fresh titles and a new typographical arrangement. The book of
Job is presented in a way to interest the modern reader. The material
found in the "Prophets," usually entirely unintelligible to young
readers, is given in a form which should prove interesting and
inspiring. In addition to the sublime poetry of the Old Testament
inspiring passages from the New Testament not elsewhere used are given
here. These are not in poetic form, but the sublimity of thought and
lofty style of utterance entitle them to a place beside the splendid
poetry of the Old Testament. The contents of this volume ought to become
perfectly familiar to older children by frequent reading and study.
We hope that it may be found extremely useful also for devotional
reading; for family and public devotions and for private reading. Here,
in one volume, are those portions of the Holy Scriptures which, in a
peculiar sense, grew out of a deep spiritual feeling. To these portions
particularly, the best minds of the ages have turned for spiritual
uplift, for inspiration and consolation. The editors can hope for no
higher reward than that this book should contribute to the growth of
personal spiritual life.
{8}
{9}
CONTENTS.
THE POETRY OF THE BIBLE. 11
SELECTIONS FROM THE PSALMS. 15
SELECTIONS FROM JOB. 177
SELECTIONS FROM THE SONG OF SONGS. 233
SELECTIONS FROM ECCLESIASTES. 241
SELECTIONS FROM THE PROVERBS. 247
SELECTIONS FROM THE PROPHETS. 259
1 Isaiah. 264
2 Jeremiah. 297
3 Ezekiel. 344
4 Amos. 354
5 Hosea. 363
6 Micah. 367
7 Obadiah. 370
8 Joel. 374
9 Zephaniah. 380
10 Nahum. 385
11 Habakkuk. 392
12 Haggai. 397
13 Zechariah. 401
14 Malachi. 408
{10}
SELECTIONS FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT. 411
1 The Christian Life and Service. 413
2 The Greatest Thing in the World 425
3 Following in the Footsteps of
Jesus (from the book of James) 426
4 The Gospel of Love and Sonship. 435
5 The Christian Athlete. 438
6 The Christian Temple. 440
7 The Christian Warrior. 447
8 The Hope of Immortality. 449
9 Selections from the Apocalypse. 456
HYMNS OF THE AGES 479
NOTES 495
{11}
THE POETRY OF THE BIBLE
The first poetry was made to be sung. It almost made itself. It had two
qualities--the expression of strong feeling of some kind, and some sort
of rhythm that could be put into song. Ever since the days when all men
were savages, and told simple stories and sang rude songs as they
gathered about the campfires, those two things have marked the
difference between poetry and prose. Poetry must have feeling and
rhythm. In most languages the rhythm is one of sound. The words flow
along so easily that they run themselves into a sort of tune. That is
what is called measure. Measure cannot be easily translated from one
language to another. Even if it could, it would not always be so
beautiful as it is in the language in which it is first written. So it
comes about that we do not often try to get the rhythm of the words in
the poetry of the Bible. Indeed, scholars have puzzled themselves
greatly over just what sort of rhythm the words of Hebrew poetry have.
The Hebrews who wrote the poetry did not think it worth while to say
anything about that, and later men forgot that there was any rhythm at
all; so now it has to be all discovered over again. But Hebrew poetry
has also another kind of rhythm beside that of words--a kind which
English poetry does not have. It is the rhythm of thought. In Hebrew
poetry a thought is expressed in the first line, {12} then either
repeated with some slight change, its opposite expressed, or something
added to it, in the second. The following are illustrations:--
The thought repeated:--
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
The opposite expressed:--
A wise son maketh a glad father,
But a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.
Additions made to the thought:--
All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth
Unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
This rhythm of thought is called parallelism; and parallelism is the one
thing that makes Hebrew poetry differ from prose.
In most Eastern languages the line between poetry and prose is not so
sharply drawn as in our Western languages. When a man made a speech, it
often fell quite naturally into poetry. So a good deal of the talk of
Jesus, even, seems to have been in the form of Hebrew poetry; as when he
said:--
{13}
Be not anxious for your life,
what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink,
Nor yet for your body,
what ye shall put on.
Is not the life more than the food
And the body than the raiment?
In the same way the New Testament writers also, being mostly Hebrews in
thought, although they wrote in Greek, often fell into poetry, when some
strong feeling moved them.
The study of the form of the poetry of the Bible is very fascinating,
the form is so rich in variety and often so remarkably well fitted to
express the thought of the poetry.
Yet after all the richest part of the Biblical poetry is the strong
feeling that it shows. For example, in that little song of the shepherd,
the twenty-third Psalm, the form is very beautiful with its rhythm of
thought, but much more beautiful is the strong feeling of perfect trust
in the loving care of the Good Shepherd.
{14}
{15}
SELECTIONS FROM THE PSALMS
{16}
{17}
THE BOOK OF PSALMS
The Book of Psalms is the Hebrew hymn book. The Psalms were gathered to
sing at the services in the temple at Jerusalem. Here there was no
sermon, as there is in our churches, and as there often was in the
synagogues which were scattered all over the land, but there was a large
choir which sung these Psalms of praise, while the people stood below
and listened. Some of the Psalms were written for this choir. Others,
written for other purposes, were put into this hymn book, sometimes with
more or less change from their first form, as is the case with many
hymns in our own hymn books. Praise to God is the most common thought of
these poems, but many other thoughts are found in them--sorrow for sin
and trust in God's goodness and hope for the future and thanksgiving for
God's care in the past. Hardly a thought about God's relation to man but
finds its expression in these songs. They were the work of many men
through many years. They express the joy and the sorrow of many minds in
many different situations. That is why they still fit so many different
lives in all parts of the world. They are very simple and very
beautiful, and they have always been, and doubtless always will be, dear
to the hearts of all those who try to find God. Mr. Gilmour, the
missionary to the Mongols, once wrote: "When I find I cannot make
headway in {18} devotion, I open in the Psalms, and push out in my
canoe, and let myself be carried along in the stream of devotion which
flows through the whole book. The current always sets toward God, and in
most places is strong and deep." So many men have found that the broad
river of the Psalms bore them toward God.
{19}
SELECTIONS FROM THE PSALMS
THE RIGHTEOUS MAN
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor standeth in the way of sinners,
Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord;
And in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water,
That bringeth forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also doth not wither;
And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The wicked are not so;
But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous:
But the way of the wicked shall perish.
--_Psalm 1_.
{20}
A MORNING PRAYER
Lord, how are mine adversaries increased!
Many are they that rise up against me.
Many there be which say of my soul,
There is no help for him in God.
But thou, O Lord, art a shield about me;
My glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
I cry unto the Lord with my voice,
And he answereth me out of his holy hill.
I laid me down and slept;
I awaked; for the Lord sustaineth me.
--_Psalm 3:1-5_.
{21}
AN EVENING PRAYER
Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness;
Thou hast set me at large when I was in distress:
Have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
O ye sons of men, how long shall my glory be turned into dishonour?
How long will ye love vanity, and seek after falsehood?
But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself:
The Lord will hear when I call unto him.
Stand in awe, and sin not:
Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.
Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
And put your trust in the Lord.
Many there be that say, Who will shew us any good?
Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.
Thou hast put gladness in my heart,
More than they have when their corn and their wine are increased.
In peace will I both lay me down and sleep:
For thou, Lord, alone makest me dwell in safety.
--_Psalm 4_.
{22}
A LITTLE LOWER THAN GOD
O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is thy name in all the earth!
Who hast set thy glory upon the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou established strength,
Because of thine adversaries,
That thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,
The moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
And the son of man, that thou visitest him?
For thou hast made him but little lower than God,
And crownest him with glory and honour.
Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands;
Thou hast put all things under his feet:
All sheep and oxen,
Yea, and the beasts of the field;
The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea,
Whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is thy name in all the earth!
--_Psalm 8_.
{23}
THE UPRIGHT MAN.
Lord, who shall sojourn in thy tabernacle?
Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness,
And speaketh truth in his heart.
He that slandereth not with his tongue,
Nor doeth evil to his friend,
Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.
In whose eyes a reprobate is despised;
But he honoureth them that fear the Lord.
He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.
He that putteth not out his money to usury,
Nor taketh reward against the innocent.
He that doeth these things shall never be moved.
--_Psalm 15_.
{24}
TRUST IN THE LORD
Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.
I have said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord:
I have no good beyond thee.
The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup:
Thou maintainest my lot.
The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places;
Yea, I have a goodly heritage.
I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel:
Yea, my heart instructeth me in the night seasons.
I have set the Lord always before me:
Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth;
My flesh also shall dwell in safety.
For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol;
Neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption.
Thou wilt shew me the path of life:
In thy presence is fulness of joy;
In thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
--_Psalm 16_.
{25}
A PLEA FOR HELP.
Hear the right, O Lord, attend unto my cry;
Give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.
Let my sentence come forth from thy presence;
Let thine eyes look upon equity.
Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night;
Thou hast tried me, and findest nothing;
I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress,
As for the works of men, by the word of thy lips
I have kept me from the ways of the violent.
My steps have held fast to thy paths,
My feet have not slipped.
I have called upon thee, for thou wilt answer me, O God:
Incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.
Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest
them which put their trust in thee
From those that rise up against them, by thy right hand.
Keep me as the apple of the eye,
Hide me under the shadow of thy wings.
As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness:
I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.
--_Psalm 17_.
{26}
A SONG OF DELIVERANCE.
In my distress I called upon the Lord,
And cried unto my God:
He heard my voice out of his temple,
And my cry before him came into his ears.
Then the earth shook and trembled,
The foundations also of the mountains moved
And were shaken, because he was wroth.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils,
And fire out of his mouth devoured:
Coals were kindled by it.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down;
And thick darkness was under his feet.
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly:
Yea, he flew swiftly upon the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion round about him;
Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed,
Hailstones and coals of fire.
The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
And the Most High uttered his voice;
Hailstones and coals of fire.
And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;
Yea, lightnings manifold, and discomfited them. {27}
Then the channels of waters appeared,
And the foundations of the world were laid bare,
At thy rebuke, O Lord,
At the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
He sent from on high, he took me;
He drew me out of many waters.
He delivered me from my strong enemy,
And from them that hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
I love thee, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
My God, my strong rock, in him will I trust;
My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised:
So shall I be saved from mine enemies.
The cords of death compassed me,
And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
The cords of Sheol were round about me:
The snares of death came upon me.
They came upon me in the day of my calamity:
But the Lord was my stay.
He brought me forth also into a large place;
He delivered me, because he delighted in me.
The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
And have not wickedly departed from my God.
For all his judgments were before me, {28}
And I put not away his statutes from me.
I was also perfect with him,
And I kept myself from mine iniquity.
Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful;
With the perfect man thou wilt shew thyself perfect;
With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure;
And with the perverse thou wilt shew thyself froward.
For thou wilt save the afflicted people;
But the haughty eyes thou wilt bring down.
For thou wilt light my lamp:
The Lord my God will lighten my darkness.
For by thee I run upon a troop;
And by my God do I leap over a wall.
As for God, his way is perfect:
The word of the Lord is tried;
He is a shield unto all them that trust in him.
For who is God, save the Lord?
And who is a rock, beside our God?
The God that girdeth me with strength,
And maketh my way perfect.
He maketh my feet like hinds' feet:
And setteth me upon my high places.
The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock;
And exalted be the God of my salvation:
Even the God that executeth vengeance for me, {29}
And subdueth peoples under me.
He rescueth me from mine enemies:
Yea, thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me;
Thou deliverest me from the violent man.
Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the nations,
And will sing praises unto thy name.
Great deliverance giveth he to his king,
And showeth lovingkindness to his anointed,
To David and to his seed, for evermore.
--_Psalm 18:1-33,46-50_.
{30}
SONG OF THE EARTH AND SKY.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament sheweth his handiwork.
Day unto day uttereth speech,
And night unto night sheweth knowledge.
There is no speech nor language;
Their voice cannot be heard.
Their line is gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
And rejoiceth as a strong man to run his course.
His going forth is from the end of the heaven,
And his circuit unto the ends of it:
And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul:
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart:
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever:
The judgments of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: {31}
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Moreover by them is thy servant warned:
In keeping of them there is great reward.
Who can understand his errors?
Clear thou me from hidden faults.
Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins;
Let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be perfect,
And I shall be clear from great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in thy sight,
O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
--_Psalm 19_.
{32}
OUR TRUST IS IN GOD
The Lord answer thee in the day of trouble:
The name of the God of Jacob set thee up on high;
Send thee help from the sanctuary,
And strengthen thee out of Zion;
Remember all thy offerings,
And accept thy burnt sacrifice;
Grant thee thy heart's desire,
And fulfil all thy counsel.
We will triumph in thy salvation,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners:
The Lord fulfil all thy petitions.
Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed;
He will answer him from his holy heaven
With the saving strength of his right hand.
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses:
But we will make mention of the name of the Lord our God.
They are bowed down and fallen:
But we are risen, and stand upright.
--_Psalm 20:1-8_.
{33}{34}
[Illustration]
"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures,
He leadeth me beside the still waters"
[End illustration]
{35}
THE GOOD SHEPHERD
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
He guideth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil; for thou art with me:
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
Thou hast anointed my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
--_Psalm 23_.
{36}
THE EARTH IS THE LORD'S
The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof;
The world, and they that dwell therein.
For he hath founded it upon the seas.
And established it upon the floods.
Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart;
Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity.
And hath not sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive a blessing from the Lord,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is the generation of them that seek after him,
That seek thy face, O God of Jacob.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
And be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors:
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is the King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
Yea, lift them up, ye everlasting doors:
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory.
--_Psalm 24_.
{37}
SHOW ME THY WAYS, TEACH ME THY PATHS
Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
O my God, in thee have I trusted,
Let me not be ashamed;
Let not mine enemies triumph over me.
Yea, none that wait on thee shall be ashamed:
They shall be ashamed that deal treacherously without cause.
Shew me thy ways, O Lord;
Teach me thy paths.
Guide me in thy truth, and teach me;
For thou art the God of my salvation;
On thee do I wait all the day.
Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses;
For they have been ever of old.
Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions:
According to thy lovingkindness remember thou me,
For thy goodness' sake, O Lord.
Good and upright is the Lord:
Therefore will he instruct sinners in the way.
The meek will he guide in judgment:
And the meek will he teach his way.
All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth {38}
Unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
For thy name's sake, O Lord,
Pardon mine iniquity, for it is great.
What man is he that feareth the Lord?
Him shall he instruct in the way that he shall choose.
His soul shall dwell at ease;
And his seed shall inherit the land.
The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him;
And he will shew them his covenant.
Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord;
For he shall pluck my feet out of the net.
Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me;
For I am desolate and afflicted.
The troubles of my heart are enlarged:
O bring thou me out of my distresses.
Consider mine affliction and my travail;
And forgive all my sins.
Consider mine enemies, for they are many;
And they hate me with cruel hatred.
O keep my soul, and deliver me:
Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in thee.
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
For I wait on thee.
Redeem Israel, O God,
Out of all his troubles.
--_Psalm 25_.
{39}
I HAVE WALKED IN THY TRUTH
Judge me, O Lord, for I have walked in mine integrity:
I have trusted also in the Lord without wavering.
Examine me, O Lord, and prove me;
Try my heart and my mind.
For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes;
And I have walked in thy truth.
I have not sat with men of falsehood;
Neither will I go in with dissemblers.
I hate the assembly of evil-doers,
And will not sit with the wicked.
I will wash my hands in innocency:
So will I compass thine altar, O Lord;
That I may make the voice of thanksgiving to be heard,
And tell of all thy wondrous works.
Lord, I love the habitation of thy house,
And the place where thy glory dwelleth.
Gather not my soul with sinners,
Nor my life with men of blood;
In whose hands is wickedness,
And their right hand is full of bribes.
But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity:
Redeem me, and be merciful unto me.
My foot standeth in an even place:
In the congregations will I bless the Lord.
--_Psalm 26_.
{40}
THE LORD IS MY SALVATION
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Though an host should encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear:
Though war should rise against me,
Even then will I be confident.
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after;
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
For in the day of trouble he shall keep me secretly in his pavilion:
In the covert of his tabernacle shall he hide me;
He shall lift me up upon a rock.
And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me;
And I will offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy;
I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice:
Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, {41}
Thy face, Lord, will I seek.
Hide not thy face from me;
Put not thy servant away in anger:
Thou hast been my help;
Cast me not off, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
But the Lord will take me up.
Teach me thy way, O Lord;
And lead me in a plain path,
Because of mine enemies.
Deliver me not over unto the will of mine adversaries:
For false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as
breathe out cruelty.
I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord:
In the land of the living.
Wait on the Lord:
Be strong, and let thine heart take courage;
Yea, wait thou on the Lord.
--_Psalm 27_.
{42}
THE GLORY OF THE LORD.
Give unto the Lord, O ye sons of the mighty,
Give unto the Lord glory and strength.
Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name;
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
The voice of the Lord is upon the waters:
The God of glory thundereth,
Even the Lord upon many waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars;
Yea, the Lord breaketh in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
He maketh them also to skip like a calf;
Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild-ox.
The voice of the Lord cleaveth the flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness;
The Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve,
And strippeth the forests bare:
And in his temple everything saith, Glory!
The Lord sat as king at the Flood;
Yea, the Lord sitteth as king for ever.
The Lord will give strength unto his people;
The Lord will bless his people with peace.
--_Psalm 29_.
{43}{44}
[Illustration]
A VILLAGE IN THE LEBANON.
From an old engraving.
"The voice of the Lord is full of majesty,
The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars,
Yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon"
[End illustration]
{45}
WEEPING MAY ENDURE FOR A NIGHT,
BUT JOY COMETH IN THE MORNING.
I will extol thee, O Lord; for thou hast raised me up,
And hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
O Lord my God,
I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol;
Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
Sing praise unto the Lord, O ye saints of his,
And give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment;
His favor is for a lifetime:
Weeping may tarry for the night,
But joy cometh in the morning.
As for me, I said in my prosperity,
I shall never be moved.
Thou, Lord, of thy favor hadst made my mountain to stand strong:
Thou didst hide thy face; I was troubled.
I cried to thee, O Lord;
And unto the Lord I made supplication:
What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? {46}
Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?
Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me:
Lord, be thou my helper.
Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing;
Thou hast loosed my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
--_Psalm 30_.
{47}
MY TIMES ARE IN THY HANDS
In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed:
Deliver me in thy righteousness.
Bow down thine ear unto me; deliver me speedily:
Be thou to me a strong rock, an house of defence to save me.
For thou art my rock and my fortress;
Therefore for thy name's sake lead me and guide me.
Pluck me out of the net that they have laid privily for me;
For thou art my strong hold.
Into thine hand I commend my spirit:
Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, thou God of truth.
I hate them that regard lying vanities:
But I trust in the Lord.
I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy:
For thou hast seen my affliction;
Thou hast known my soul in adversities:
And thou hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy;
Thou hast set my feet in a large place.
Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in distress:
Mine eye wasteth away with grief, yea, my soul and my body.
For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing: {48}
My strength faileth because of mine iniquity,
and my bones are wasted away.
Because of all mine adversaries I am become a reproach,
Yea, unto my neighbours exceedingly, and a fear to mine acquaintance:
They that did see me without fled from me.
I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind:
I am like a broken vessel.
For I have heard the defaming of many,
Terror on every side:
While they took counsel together against me,
They devised to take away my life.
But I trusted in thee, O Lord:
I said, Thou art my God.
My times are in thy hand:
Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies,
and from them that persecute me.
Make thy face to shine upon thy servant:
Save me in thy lovingkindness.
Let me not be ashamed, O Lord; for I have called upon thee:
Let the wicked be ashamed, let them be silent in Sheol.
Let the lying lips be dumb;
Which speak against the righteous insolently,
With pride and contempt.
Oh how great is thy goodness,
Which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee,
Which thou hast wrought for them that take refuge in thee,
Before the sons of men! {49}
In the covert of thy presence wilt thou hide them
from the plottings of man:
Thou wilt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
Blessed be the Lord;
For he hath showed me his marvellous lovingkindness in a strong city.
As for me, I said in my haste,
I am cut off from before thine eyes:
Nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications
When I cried unto thee.
O love the Lord, all ye his saints:
The Lord preserveth the faithful,
And plentifully rewardeth him that dealeth proudly.
Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
All ye that hope in the Lord.
--_Psalm 31_.
{50}
REJOICE
Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous:
Praise is comely for the upright.
Give thanks unto the Lord with harp:
Sing praises unto him with the psaltery of ten strings.
Sing unto him a new song;
Play skilfully with a loud noise.
For the word of the Lord is right;
And all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loveth righteousness and judgment:
The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.
By the word of the Lord were the heavens made;
And all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap:
He layeth up the deeps in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the Lord:
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
For he spake, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
The Lord bringeth the counsel of the nations to nought:
He maketh the thoughts of the peoples to be of none effect.
The counsel of the Lord standeth fast for ever,
The thoughts of his heart to all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; {51}
The people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
The Lord looketh from heaven;
He beholdeth all the sons of men;
From the place of his habitation he looketh forth
Upon all the inhabitants of the earth;
He that fashioneth the hearts of them all,
That considereth all their works.
There is no king saved by the multitude of an host:
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
An horse is a vain thing for safety:
Neither shall he deliver any by his great power.
Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him,
Upon them that hope in his mercy;
To deliver their soul from death,
And to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul hath waited for the Lord:
He is our help and our shield.
For our heart shall rejoice in him,
Because we have trusted in his holy name.
Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us,
According as we have hoped in thee.
--_Psalm 33_.
{52}
I WILL BLESS THE LORD
I will bless the Lord at all times:
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make her boast in the Lord:
The meek shall hear thereof, and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
They looked unto him, and were lightened:
And their faces shall never be confounded.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him,
And delivereth them.
O taste and see that the Lord is good:
Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
O fear the Lord, ye his saints:
For there is no want to them that fear him.
The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger:
But they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.
Come, ye children, hearken unto me:
I will teach you the fear of the Lord. {53}
What man is he that desireth life,
And loveth many days, that he may see good?
Keep thy tongue from evil,
And thy lips from speaking guile.
Depart from evil, and do good;
Seek peace, and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous,
And his ears are open unto their cry.
The face of the Lord is against them that do evil,
To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
The righteous cried, and the Lord heard,
And delivered them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart.
And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous:
But the Lord delivereth him out of them all.
He keepeth all his bones:
Not one of them is broken.
Evil shall slay the wicked:
And they that hate the righteous shall be condemned.
The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants:
And none of them that trust in him shall be condemned.
--_Psalm 34_.
{54}
UNDER THE SHADOW OF THY WINGS
Thy lovingkindness, O Lord, is in the heavens;
Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the skies.
Thy righteousness is like the great mountains,
Thy judgments are a great deep:
O Lord, thou preservest man and beast.
How precious is thy lovingkindness, O God!
And the children of men take refuge under the shadow of thy wings.
They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house;
And thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.
For with thee is the fountain of life:
In thy light shall we see light.
O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee;
And thy righteousness to the upright in heart.
--_Psalm 36:5-10_.
{55}
WAIT PATIENTLY
Fret not thyself because of evil-doers,
Neither be thou envious against them that work unrighteousness.
For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and follow after faithfulness.
Delight thyself also in the Lord;
And he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Commit thy way unto the Lord;
Trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass.
And he shall make thy righteousness to go forth as the light,
And thy judgment as the noonday.
A man's goings are established of the Lord;
And he delighteth in his way.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down:
For the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.
I have been young, and now am old;
Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his seed begging their bread.
All the day long he dealeth graciously, and lendeth;
And his seed is blessed.
Depart from evil, and do good;
And dwell for evermore. {56}
I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil.
But one passed by, and, lo, he was not:
Yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright:
For the latter end of that man is peace.
As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together:
The latter end of the wicked shall be cut off.
But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord:
He is their strong hold in the time of trouble.
And the Lord helpeth them, and rescueth them:
He rescueth them from the wicked, and saveth them,
Because they have taken refuge in him.
--_Psalm 37:1-6,23-27,35-40_.
{57}
A NEW SONG
I waited patiently for the Lord;
And he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay;
And he set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God:
Many shall see it, and fear,
And shall trust in the Lord.
Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust,
And respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Many, O Lord my God, are the wonderful works which thou hast done,
And thy thoughts which are to us-ward:
They cannot be set in order unto thee;
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered.
Sacrifice and offering thou hast no delight in;
Mine ears hast thou opened:
Burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
Then said I, "Lo, I am come;
In the roll of the book it is written of me:
I delight to do thy will, O my God;
Yea, thy law is within my heart." {58}
I have published righteousness in the great congregation;
Lo, I will not refrain my lips,
O Lord, thou knowest.
I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart;
I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation:
I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from
the great congregation.
Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord:
Let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
--_Psalm 40:1-11_.
{59}{60}
[Illustration]
MOUNT HERMON
From a photograph belonging to the Forbes Library, Northampton, Mass.,
and used by special permission.
"Therefore do I remember thee from the land of Jordan,
And the Hermons, from the hill Mizar."
[End illustration]
{61}
A SONG IN TIME OF TROUBLE
As the hart panteth after the water brooks,
So panteth my soul after thee, O God.
My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God:
When shall I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my meat day and night,
While they continually say unto me, "Where is thy God?"
These things I remember, and pour out my soul within me,
How I went with the throng, and led them to the house of God,
With the voice of joy and praise, a multitude keeping holy-day.
Why art thou cast down, O my soul?
And why art thou disquieted within me?
Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him
For the health of his countenance.
O my God, my soul is cast down within me:
Therefore do I remember thee from the land of Jordan,
And the Hermons, from the hill Mizar.
Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts:
All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.
Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night his song shall be with me,
Even a prayer unto the God of my life. {62}
I will say unto God my rock, "Why hast thou forgotten me?"
Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
As with a sword in my bones, mine adversaries reproach me;
While they continually say unto me, "Where is thy God?"
Why art thou cast down, O my soul?
And why art thou disquieted within me?
Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him,
Who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation:
O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.
For thou art the God of my strength; why hast thou cast me off?
Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
O send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead me:
Let them bring me unto thy holy hill,
And to thy tabernacles.
Then will I go unto the altar of God,
Unto God my exceeding joy:
And upon the harp will I praise thee, O God, my God.
Why art thou cast down, O my soul?
And why art thou disquieted within me?
Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him,
Who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
--_Psalms 42, 43_.
{63}
IN THE DAY OF ADVERSITY
We have heard with our ears, O God,
Our fathers have told us,
What work thou didst in their days,
In the days of old.
Thou didst drive out the nations with thy hand;
But them thou didst plant:
Thou didst afflict the peoples;
But them thou didst spread abroad.
For they got not the land in possession by their own sword,
Neither did their own arm save them;
But thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance,
Because thou wast favorable unto them.
Thou art my King, O God:
Command deliverance for Jacob.
Through thee will we push down our adversaries:
Through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.
For I will not trust in my bow,
Neither shall my sword save me.
But thou hast saved us from our adversaries,
And hast put them to shame that hate us.
In God have we made our boast all the day long,
And we will give thanks unto thy name for ever. {64}
But now thou hast cast us off, and brought us to dishonour;
And goest not forth with our hosts.
Thou makest us to turn back from the adversary:
And they which hate us spoil for themselves.
Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat;
And hast scattered us among the nations.
Thou sellest thy people for nought,
And hast not increased thy wealth by their price.
Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours,
A scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.
Thou makest us a byword among the nations,
A shaking of the head among the peoples.
All the day long is my dishonour before me,
And the shame of my face hath covered me,
For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth;
By reason of the enemy and the avenger.
All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee,
Neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.
Our heart is not turned back,
Neither have our steps declined from thy way;
That thou hast sore broken us in the place of jackals,
And covered us with the shadow of death.
If we have forgotten the name of our God,
Or spread forth our hands to a strange god;
Shall not God search this out?
For he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long;
We are counted as sheep for the slaughter. {65}
Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord?
Arise, cast us not off for ever.
Wherefore hidest thou thy face,
And forgettest our affliction and our oppression?
For our soul is bowed down to the dust:
Our belly cleaveth unto the earth.
Rise up for our help,
And redeem us for thy lovingkindness' sake.
--_Psalm 44_.
{66}
A MARRIAGE SONG FOR THE WEDDING OF A KING
My heart overfloweth with a goodly matter:
I speak the things which I have made touching the king:
My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
Thou art fairer than the children of men;
Grace is poured into thy lips:
Therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.
Gird thy sword upon thy thigh,
O mighty one,
Thy glory and thy majesty.
And in thy majesty ride on prosperously,
Because of truth and meekness and righteousness:
And thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.
Thine arrows are sharp;
The peoples fall under thee;
They are in the heart of the king's enemies.
Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever:
A sceptre of equity is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated wickedness:
Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee
With the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia;
Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made thee glad. {67}
Kings' daughters are among thy honourable women:
Upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.
Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear;
Forget also thine own people, and thy father's house:
So will the king desire thy beauty;
For he is thy lord; and reverence thou him.
And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift;
The rich among the people shall entreat thy favor.
The king's daughter within the palace is all glorious:
Her clothing is inwrought with gold.
She shall be led unto the king in broidered work:
The virgins her companions that follow her
Shall be brought unto thee.
With gladness and rejoicing shall they be led:
They shall enter into the king's palace.
Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children,
Whom thou shalt make princes in all the earth.
I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations:
Therefore shall the peoples give thee thanks for ever and ever.
--_Psalm 45_.
{68}
GOD IS OUR REFUGE
God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore will we not fear, though the earth do change,
And though the mountains be moved in the heart of the seas;
Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.
There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved:
God shall help her, and that right early.
The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved:
He uttered his voice, the earth melted.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.
Come, behold the works of the Lord,
What desolations he hath made in the earth.
He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth;
He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder;
He burneth the chariots in the fire.
Be still, and know that I am God:
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.
--_Psalm 46_.
{69}
A SONG OF VICTORY
O clap your hands, all ye peoples;
Shout unto God with the voice of triumph.
For the Lord Most High is terrible;
He is a great King over all the earth.
He shall subdue the peoples under us,
And the nations under our feet.
He shall choose our inheritance for us,
The excellency of Jacob whom he loved.
God is gone up with a shout,
The Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises.
Sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth:
Sing ye praises with understanding.
God reigneth over the nations:
God sitteth upon his holy throne.
The princes of the peoples are gathered together
To be the people of the God of Abraham:
For the shields of the earth belong unto God;
He is greatly exalted.
--_Psalm 47_.
{70}
A SONG OF MOUNT ZION
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
In the city of our God, in his holy mountain.
Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth,
Is mount Zion, on the sides of the north,
The city of the great King.
We have thought on thy lovingkindness, O God,
In the midst of thy temple.
As is thy name, O God,
So is thy praise unto the ends of the earth:
Thy right hand is full of righteousness.
Let mount Zion be glad,
Let the daughters of Judah rejoice,
Because of thy judgments.
Walk about Zion, and go round about her:
Tell the towers thereof.
Mark ye well her bulwarks,
Consider her palaces;
That ye may tell it to the generation following.
For this God is our God for ever and ever:
He will be our guide even unto death.
--_Psalm 48:1, 2, 9-14_.
{71}{72}
[Illustration]
SHEPHERD WITH HIS FLOCK.
Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.
This beautiful picture is typical of the Oriental country. The view is
the Scamander made famous by Homer, and the country is in the vicinity
of old Troy, mentioned in the New Testament and again brought to
notice by the conflicts of the great European war (1916).
[End illustration]
{73}
THE CATTLE UPON A THOUSAND HILLS ARE HIS
God, even God, the Lord, hath spoken,
And called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the
going down thereof.
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God hath shined forth.
Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence:
A fire shall devour before him,
And it shall be very tempestuous round about him.
He shall call to the heavens above,
And to the earth, that he may judge his people:
Gather my saints together unto me;
Those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.
And the heavens shall declare his righteousness;
For God is judge himself.
Hear, O my people, and I will speak;
O Israel, and I will testify unto thee:
I am God, even thy God.
I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices;
And thy burnt offerings are continually before me.
I will take no bullock out of thy house,
Nor he-goats out of thy folds.
For every beast of the forest is mine,
And the cattle upon a thousand hills. {74}
I know all the fowls of the mountains:
And the wild beasts of the field are mine.
If I were hungry, I would not tell thee:
For the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.
Will I eat the flesh of bulls,
Or drink the blood of goats?
Offer unto God the sacrifice of thanksgiving;
And pay thy vows unto the Most High:
And call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
--_Psalm 50:1-15_.
{75}
A PRAYER OF REPENTANCE
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness:
According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out
my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions:
And my sin is ever before me.
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,
And done that which is evil in thy sight:
That thou mayest be justified when thou speakest,
And be clear when thou judgest.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Hide thy face from my sins,
And blot out all mine iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God;
And renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence;
And take not thy holy spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation:
And uphold me with a free spirit.
Then will I teach transgressors thy ways;
And sinners shall be converted unto thee. {76}
O Lord, open thou my lips;
And my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
For thou delightest not in sacrifice; else would I give it:
Thou hast no pleasure in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
--_Psalm 51:1-17_.
{77}
BE THOU EXALTED, O GOD, ABOVE THE HEAVENS
Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me;
For my soul taketh refuge in thee:
Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I take refuge,
Until these calamities be overpast.
I will cry unto God Most High;
Unto God that performeth all things for me.
He shall send from heaven, and save me,
When he that would swallow me up reproacheth;
God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.
My soul is among lions;
I lie among them that are set on fire,
Even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
And their tongue a sharp sword.
Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let thy glory be above all the earth.
They have prepared a net for my steps;
My soul is bowed down:
They have digged a pit before me;
They are fallen into the midst thereof themselves.
My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed:
I will sing, yea, I will sing praises.
Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp:
I myself will awake right early. {78}
I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the peoples:
I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.
For thy mercy is great unto the heavens,
And thy truth unto the skies.
Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let thy glory be above all the earth.
--_Psalm 57_.
{79}
THE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER THAN I
Hear my cry, O God;
Attend unto my prayer.
From the end of the earth will I call unto thee, when my
heart is overwhelmed:
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For thou hast been a refuge for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
I will dwell in thy tabernacle for ever:
I will take refuge in the covert of thy wings.
My soul waiteth only upon God:
From him cometh my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation:
He is my high tower; I shall not be greatly moved.
My soul, wait thou only upon God;
For my expectation is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation:
He is my high tower; I shall not be moved.
With God is my salvation and my glory:
The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
--_Psalms 61:1-4; 62:1, 2, 5-7_.
{80}
A SONG OF THANKSGIVING
Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion:
And unto thee shall the vow be performed.
O thou that hearest prayer,
Unto thee shall all flesh come.
Iniquities prevail against me:
As for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.
Blessed is the man whom thou choosest,
and causest to approach unto thee,
That he may dwell in thy courts:
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house,
The holy place of thy temple.
By terrible things thou wilt answer us in righteousness,
O God of our salvation;
Thou that art the confidence of all the ends of the earth,
And of them that are afar off upon the sea:
Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains;
Being girded about with might:
Which stilleth the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves,
And the tumult of the peoples.
They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens:
Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice. {81}
Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it,
Thou greatly enrichest it;
The river of God is full of water:
Thou providest them corn, when thou hast so prepared the earth.
Thou waterest her furrows abundantly;
Thou settlest the ridges thereof:
Thou makest it soft with showers;
Thou blessest the springing thereof.
Thou crownest the year with thy goodness;
And thy paths drop fatness.
They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness:
And the hills are girded with joy.
The pastures are clothed with flocks;
The valleys also are covered over with corn;
They shout for joy, they also sing.
--_Psalm 65_.
{82}
MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE UNTO THE LORD
Make a joyful noise unto God, all the earth:
Sing forth the glory of his name:
Make his praise glorious.
All the earth shall worship thee,
And shall sing unto thee;
They shall sing to thy name.
O bless our God, ye peoples,
And make the voice of his praise to be heard:
Which holdeth our soul in life,
And suffereth not our feet to be moved.
For thou, O God, hast proved us:
Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.
Come, and hear, all ye that fear God,
And I will declare what he hath done for my soul.
I cried unto him with my mouth,
And he was extolled with my tongue.
If I regard iniquity in my heart,
The Lord will not hear:
But verily God hath heard;
He hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
Blessed be God,
Which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.
--_Psalm 66:1, 2, 4, 8-10, 16-20_.
{83}{84}
[Illustration]
"The river of God is full of water."
[End illustration]
{85}
LET THE PEOPLES PRAISE THEE
God be merciful unto us, and bless us,
And cause his face to shine upon us;
That thy way may be known upon earth,
Thy saving health among all nations.
Let the peoples praise thee, O God;
Let all the peoples praise thee.
O let the nations be glad and sing for joy:
For thou shalt judge the peoples righteously,
And govern the nations upon earth.
Let the peoples praise thee, O God;
Let all the peoples praise thee.
The earth hath yielded her increase:
God, even our own God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us;
And all the ends of the earth shall fear him.
--_Psalm 67_.
{86}
A BATTLE HYMN FOR THE HOSTS OF THE LORD
Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered;
Let them also that hate him flee before him.
As smoke is driven away, so drive them away:
As wax melteth before the fire,
So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God:
Yea, let them rejoice with gladness.
Sing unto God, sing praises to his name:
Cast up a highway for him that rideth through the deserts;
His name is the Lord; and exult ye before him.
A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows,
Is God in his holy habitation.
God setteth the solitary in families:
He bringeth out the prisoners into prosperity;
But the rebellious dwell in a parched land.
O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people,
When thou didst march through the wilderness;
The earth trembled,
The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God:
Yon Sinai trembled at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain,
Thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.
Thy congregation dwelt therein:
Thou, O God, didst prepare of thy goodness for the poor.
The Lord giveth the word:
The women that publish the tidings are a great host.
Kings of armies flee, they flee;
And she that tarrieth at home divideth the spoil.
--_Psalm 68:1-12_.
{87}
O LORD, MAKE NO TARRYING!
Make haste, O God, to deliver me;
Make haste to help me, O Lord.
Let them be ashamed and confounded
That seek after my soul:
Let them be turned backward and brought to dishonour
That delight in my hurt.
Let them be turned back by reason of their shame
That say, "Aha! Aha!"
Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee;
And let such as love thy salvation say continually,
"Let God be magnified."
But I am poor and needy;
Make haste unto me, O God:
Thou art my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, make no tarrying!
--_Psalm 70_.
{88}
THE RIGHTEOUS KING
He shall judge thy people with righteousness,
And thy poor with judgment.
The mountains shall bring peace to the people,
And the hills, in righteousness.
He shall judge the poor of the people,
He shall save the children of the needy,
And shall break in pieces the oppressor.
They shall fear thee while the sun endureth,
And so long as the moon, throughout all generations.
He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass:
As showers that water the earth.
In his days shall the righteous flourish;
And abundance of peace, till the moon be no more.
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
And from the River unto the ends of the earth.
They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him;
And his enemies shall lick the dust.
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents:
The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
Yea, all kings shall fall down before him:
All nations shall serve him.
For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth;
And the poor, that hath no helper.
He shall have pity on the poor and needy, {89}
And the souls of the needy he shall save.
He shall redeem their soul from oppression and violence;
And precious shall their blood be in his sight:
And they shall live; and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba:
And men shall pray for him continually;
They shall bless him all the day long.
There shall be abundance of corn in the earth
upon the top of the mountains;
The fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon:
And they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
His name shall endure for ever;
His name shall be continued as long as the sun:
And men shall be blessed in him;
All nations shall call him blessed.
Give the king thy judgments, O God,
And thy righteousness unto the king's son.
Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
Who only doeth wondrous things:
And blessed be his glorious name for ever;
And let the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen, and Amen.
--_Psalm 72:2-19_.
{90}
THY WAY WAS IN THE SEA
I will make mention of the deeds of the Lord;
For I will remember thy wonders of old.
I will meditate also upon all thy work,
And muse on thy doings.
Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary:
Who is a great god like unto God?
Thou art the God that doest wonders:
Thou hast made known thy strength among the peoples.
Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people,
The sons of Jacob and Joseph.
The waters saw thee, O God;
The waters saw thee, they were afraid:
The depths also trembled.
The clouds poured out water;
The skies sent out a sound:
Thine arrows also went abroad.
The voice of thy thunder was in the whirlwind;
The lightnings lightened the world:
The earth trembled and shook.
Thy way was in the sea,
And thy paths in the great waters,
And thy footsteps were not known.
Thou leddest thy people like a flock,
By the hand of Moses and Aaron.
--_Psalm 77:11-20_.
{91}
GIVE EAR, O SHEPHERD OF ISRAEL
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock;
Thou that sittest upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up thy might,
And come to save us.
Turn us again, O God;
And cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
O Lord God of hosts,
How long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?
Thou hast fed them with the bread of tears,
And given them tears to drink in large measure.
Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours:
And our enemies laugh among themselves.
Turn us again, O God of hosts;
And cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
Thou broughtest a vine out of Egypt:
Thou didst drive out the nations, and plantedst it.
Thou preparedst room before it,
And it took deep root, and filled the land.
The mountains were covered with the shadow of it, {92}
And the boughs thereof were like cedars of God.
She sent out her branches unto the sea,
And her shoots unto the River.
Why hast thou broken down her fences,
So that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?
The boar out of the wood doth ravage it,
And the wild beasts of the field feed on it.
Turn again, we beseech thee, O God of hosts:
Look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine,
And the stock which thy right hand hath planted,
And the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.
It is burned with fire, it is cut down:
They perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.
Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand,
Upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.
So shall we not go back from thee:
Quicken thou us, and we will call upon thy name.
Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts;
Cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
--_Psalm 80_.
{93}{94}
[Illustration]
BEDOUINS WITH CAMELS IN THE PLAIN NEAR MOUNT SINAI.
Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.
"We arrived at a certain place where the mountains betwixt which we
were traveling opened out into a huge, wide, and very fair valley,
and beyond this valley appeared the Mount of God, Sinai. This is a
very extensive valley, lying under the side of the Mount of God.
This is the huge and wide valley in which the children of Israel
sojourned in those days, when Saint Moses ascended into the Mount of
God and was there forty days and forty nights. This is the valley in
which the calf was made; the place is shown to this day, for a great
stone stands fixed to the very spot. As you go round about the
mountain it appears to be one, though when you get within it there
are many; but the whole is called the Mount of God, especially the
one on whose summit is the place where the glory of God descended,
as it is written; and it is in the middle of them all; and while all
these mountains that are in the group are more glorious than I had
ever expected to see, yet this one in the middle is so much higher
than all the others, that when we approached it, straightway all
these mountains which had appeared to us so glorious seemed but as
little hills."--From the very interesting Diary of Saint Sylvia of
Aquitaine, who about the year 385 made a pilgrimage to the East.
This diary, which is one of the earliest "travel books" ever
written, has only recently been discovered.
{95}
THE HOUSE OF THE LORD
How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!
My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh cry out unto the living God.
Yea, the sparrow hath found her an house,
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,
Even thine altars, O Lord of hosts,
My King, and my God.
Blessed are they that dwell in thy house:
They will be still praising thee.
Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee;
In whose heart are the high ways to Zion.
Passing through the valley of Weeping they make it a place of springs;
Yea, the early rain covereth it with blessings.
They go from strength to strength,
Everyone of them appeareth before God in Zion.
O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer:
Give ear, O God of Jacob.
Behold, O God our shield,
And look upon the face of thine anointed.
For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. {96}
I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God,
Than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and a shield:
The Lord will give grace and glory:
No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
Blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
--_Psalm 84_.
{97}
A PLEA FOR MERCY
Lord, thou hast been favourable unto thy land:
Thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.
Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people,
Thou hast covered all their sin.
Thou hast taken away all thy wrath:
Thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.
Turn us, O God of our salvation,
And cause thine indignation toward us to cease.
Wilt thou be angry with us for ever?
Wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?
Wilt thou not quicken us again:
That thy people may rejoice in thee?
Shew us thy mercy, O Lord,
And grant us thy salvation.
I will hear what God the Lord will speak:
For he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints:
But let them not turn again to folly.
Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him;
That glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth are met together;
Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Truth springeth out of the earth;
And righteousness hath looked down from heaven.
Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good;
And our land shall yield her increase.
Righteousness shall go before him;
And shall make his footsteps a way to walk in.
--_Psalm 85_.
{98}
THE CRY OF THE NEEDY
Bow down thine ear, O Lord, and answer me;
For I am poor and needy.
Preserve my soul; for I am godly:
O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.
Be merciful unto me, O Lord;
For unto thee do I cry all the day long.
Rejoice the soul of thy servant;
For unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive,
And plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer;
And hearken unto the voice of my supplications.
In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee;
For thou wilt answer me.
There is none like unto thee among the gods, O Lord;
Neither are there any works like unto thy works.
All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord;
And they shall glorify thy name.
For thou art great, and doest wondrous things:
Thou art God alone.
Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth:
Unite my heart to fear thy name.
I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with my whole heart; {99}
And I will glorify thy name for evermore.
For great is thy mercy toward me;
And thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest pit.
O God, the proud are risen up against me,
And the congregation of violent men have sought after my soul,
And have not set thee before them.
But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion and gracious,
Slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me;
Give thy strength unto thy servant,
And save the son of thine handmaid.
Shew me a token for good;
That they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed,
Because thou, Lord, hast helped me, and comforted me.
--_Psalm 86_.
{100}
THE PRAISE OF ZION
His foundation is in the holy mountains.
The Lord loveth the gates of Zion
More than all the dwellings of Jacob.
Glorious things are spoken of thee,
O city of God.
I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon as among them that know me:
Behold, Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia:
This one was born there.
Yea, of Zion it shall be said,
This one and that one was born in her;
And the Most High himself will establish her.
The Lord will count, when he writeth up the peoples,
This one was born there.
They that sing as well as they that dance shall say,
All my fountains are in thee.
--_Psalm 87_.
{101}{102}
[Illustration]
MOUNT TABOR
From a photograph in the possession of Rev. Louis F. Giroux of the
American International College, Springfield, Mass., and used by his
kind permission.
"Esdraelon's plain still boasts its myrtle bowers,
Golden with corn, or carpeted with flowers:
How like a sainted mind that seeks the skies,
Crowned with a glory, Tabor's tops arise.
Jasmine's white bells and henna's yellow bloom,
Breathe out their sweets till rocks e'en drink perfume;
In viewless clouds those odors mount the air,
And Tabor stands like some rich altar there."
--_Nicolas Michell_
{103}
THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH ARE THINE
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever:
With my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever;
Thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.
And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord;
Thy faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.
For who in the skies can be compared unto the Lord?
Who among the sons of the mighty is like unto the Lord?
Thou rulest the pride of the sea:
When the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.
The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine:
The world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.
The north and the south, thou hast created them:
Tabor and Hermon rejoice in thy name.
Thou hast a mighty arm:
Strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
Righteousness and judgment are the foundation of thy throne:
Mercy and truth go before thy face.
Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound:
They walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.
In thy name do they rejoice all the day:
And in thy righteousness are they exalted.
For thou art the glory of their strength:
And in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.
For our shield belongeth unto the Lord;
And our king to the Holy One of Israel.
--_Psalm 89:1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 11-18_.
{104}
AS A WATCH IN THE NIGHT
Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place
In all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
Thou turnest man to destruction;
And sayest, Return, ye children of men.
For a thousand years in thy sight
Are but as yesterday when it is past,
And as a watch in the night.
Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep:
In the morning they are like grass which groweth up.
In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up;
In the evening it is cut down, and withereth.
For we are consumed in thine anger,
And in thy wrath are we troubled.
Thou hast set our iniquities before thee,
Our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
For all our days are passed away in thy wrath:
We bring our years to an end as a tale that is told.
The days of our years are threescore years and ten,
Or even by reason of strength fourscore years;
Yet is their pride but labour and sorrow; {105}
For it is soon gone, and we fly away.
Who knoweth the power of thine anger,
And thy wrath according to the fear that is due unto thee?
So teach us to number our days,
That we may get us an heart of wisdom.
Return, O Lord; how long?
And let it repent thee concerning thy servants.
O satisfy us in the morning with thy mercy;
That we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us,
And the years wherein we have seen evil.
Let thy work appear unto thy servants,
And thy glory upon their children.
And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us:
And establish thou the work of our hands upon us;
Yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
--_Psalm 90_.
{106}
THE LORD IS OUR REFUGE
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in whom I trust.
For he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler,
And from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover thee with his pinions,
And under his wings shalt thou take refuge:
His truth is a shield and a buckler.
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night,
Nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
For the pestilence that walketh in darkness,
Nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
A thousand shall fall at thy side,
And ten thousand at thy right hand;
But it shall not come nigh thee.
Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold,
And see the reward of the wicked.
For thou, O Lord, art my refuge!
Thou hast made the Most High thy habitation;
There shall no evil befall thee,
Neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent.
For he shall give his angels charge over thee,
To keep thee in all thy ways. {107}
They shall bear thee up in their hands,
Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder:
The young lion and the serpent shalt thou trample under feet.
Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him:
I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble:
I will deliver him, and honour him.
With long life will I satisfy him,
And shew him my salvation.
--_Psalm 91_.
{108}
THE SONG OF THE FLOODS
The Lord reigneth; he is clothed with majesty;
The Lord is clothed with strength wherewith he hath girded himself:
The world also is established, that it cannot be moved.
Thy throne is established of old:
Thou art from everlasting.
The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
The floods have lifted up their voice;
The floods lift up their waves.
Above the voices of many waters,
The mighty breakers of the sea,
The Lord on high is mighty.
Thy testimonies are very sure:
Holiness becometh thine house,
O Lord, for evermore.
--_Psalm 93_.
{109}{110}
[Illustration]
ON THE COAST OF PALESTINE AT SUNSET.
From a photograph taken by Mrs. Fontaine Meriwether,
and used by her kind permission.
"The sea is his and he made it,
And his hands formed the dry land."
[End illustration]
{111}
THE SEA AND THE LAND ARE HIS
O come, let us sing unto the Lord:
Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving,
Let us make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God,
And a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the deep places of the earth;
The heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, and he made it;
And his hands formed the dry land.
O come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker:
For he is our God,
And we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
--_Psalm 95:1-7_.
{112}
O SING UNTO THE LORD A NEW SONG
O sing unto the Lord a new song:
Sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
Sing unto the Lord, bless his name;
Shew forth his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
His marvellous works among all the peoples.
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised:
He is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols:
But the Lord made the heavens.
Honour and majesty are before him:
Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the peoples,
Give unto the Lord glory and strength.
Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name:
Bring an offering, and come into his courts.
O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness:
Tremble before him, all the earth.
Say among the nations, The Lord reigneth:
The world also is established that it cannot be moved:
He shall judge the peoples with equity.
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof;
Let the field exult, and all that is therein;
Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy
Before the Lord, for he cometh;
For he cometh to judge the earth:
He shall judge the world with righteousness,
And the peoples with his truth.
--_Psalm 96_.
{113}
THE LORD REIGNETH
The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice;
Let the multitude of isles be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about him:
Righteousness and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
A fire goeth before him,
And burneth up his adversaries round about.
His lightnings lightened the world:
The earth saw, and trembled.
The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
The heavens declare his righteousness,
And all the peoples have seen his glory.
Ashamed be all they that serve graven images,
That boast themselves of idols:
Worship him, all ye gods.
Zion heard and was glad,
And the daughters of Judah rejoiced;
Because of thy judgments, O Lord.
For thou, Lord, art most high above all the earth:
Thou art exalted far above all gods.
O ye that love the Lord, hate evil:
He preserveth the souls of his saints;
He delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.
Light is sown for the righteous,
And gladness for the upright in heart.
Be glad in the Lord, ye righteous;
And give thanks to his holy name.
--_Psalm 97_.
{114}
LET THE SEA ROAR
O sing unto the Lord a new song;
For he hath done marvellous things:
His right hand, and his holy arm, hath wrought salvation for him.
The Lord hath made known his salvation:
His righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the nations.
He hath remembered his mercy and his faithfulness toward
the house of Israel:
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth:
Break forth and sing for joy, yea, sing praises.
Sing praises unto the Lord with the harp;
With the harp and the voice of melody.
With trumpets and sound of cornet
Make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.
Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof;
The world, and they that dwell therein;
Let the floods clap their hands;
Let the hills sing for joy together
Before the Lord, for he cometh to judge the earth:
He shall judge the world with righteousness,
And the peoples with equity.
--_Psalm 98_.
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HOLY IS THE LORD
The Lord reigneth; let the peoples tremble:
He sitteth above the cherubim; let the earth be moved.
The Lord is great in Zion;
And he is high above all the peoples.
Let them praise thy great and terrible name:
Holy is he.
The king's strength also loveth justice;
Thou dost establish equity;
Thou executest justice and righteousness in Jacob.
Exalt ye the Lord our God,
And worship at his footstool:
Holy is he.
Moses and Aaron among his priests,
And Samuel among them that call upon his name;
They called upon the Lord, and he answereth them.
He spake unto them in the pillar of cloud:
They kept his testimonies,
And the statute that he gave them.
Thou answeredst them, O Lord our God:
Thou wast a God that forgavest them,
Though thou tookest vengeance of their doings.
Exalt ye the Lord our God,
And worship at his holy hill;
For the Lord our God is holy.
--_Psalm 99_.
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THANKSGIVING AND PRAISE
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
Serve the Lord with gladness:
Come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the Lord he is God:
It is he that hath made us, and we are his;
We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
And into his courts with praise:
Give thanks unto him, and bless his name.
For the Lord is good; his mercy endureth for ever;
And his faithfulness unto all generations.
--_Psalm 100_.
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GOD IS UNCHANGEABLE
I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days:
Thy years are throughout all generations.
Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth;
And the heavens are the work of thy hands.
They shall perish, but thou shalt endure:
Yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment;
As a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:
But thou art the same,
And thy years shall have no end.
--_Psalm 102:24-27_.
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OUR FATHER
Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all his benefits:
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities:
Who healeth all thy diseases;
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;
Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies:
Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things;
So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle.
The Lord executeth righteous acts,
And judgments for all that are oppressed.
He made known his ways unto Moses,
His doings unto the children of Israel.
The Lord is full of compassion and gracious,
Slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
He will not always chide;
Neither will he keep his anger for ever.
He hath not dealt with us after our sins,
Nor rewarded us after our iniquities.
For as the heaven is high above the earth,
So great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
As far as the east is from the west, {119}
So far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Like as a father pitieth his children,
So the Lord pitieth them that fear him.
For he knoweth our frame;
He remembereth that we are dust.
As for man, his days are as grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone;
And the place thereof shall know it no more.
But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting
to everlasting upon them that fear him,
And his righteousness unto children's children;
To such as keep his covenant,
And to those that remember his precepts to do them.
The Lord hath established his throne in the heavens;
And his kingdom ruleth over all.
Bless the Lord, ye angels of his:
Ye mighty in strength, that fulfil his word,
Hearkening unto the voice of his word.
Bless the Lord, all ye his hosts;
Ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.
Bless the Lord, all ye his works,
In all places of his dominion:
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
--_Psalm 108_.
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GOD THE CREATOR