_I will extol Thee, O Lord; for Thou hast lifted me up._ A PSALM OF DELIVERANCE The title of this psalm is apparently a composite, the usual “Psalm of David” having been enlarged by the awkward insertion of “A Song at the Dedication of the House,” which probably indicates its later liturgical use,... [ Continue Reading ]
_Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of His._ SINGING SAINTS Singing has a curative effect upon many of the maladies of the soul; I am sure that it lightens the burdens of life, and I was about to say that it shortens the weary way of duty if we can but sing as we travel along it. This holy employment... [ Continue Reading ]
_In His favour is life._ LIFE IN THE FAVOUR OF GOD The return of God’s favour to an afflicted soul is like life from the dead,--nothing is so reviving. All our bliss is bound up in God’s favour; and if we have that, we have an infinite treasure, whatever else we may want. I. illustrate the sentim... [ Continue Reading ]
_In my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved._ THE CONDITIONS AND ACTS OF LIFE, THE SPRINGS OF SOLEMN ISSUES These verses may be taken as indicating the tendencies of certain conditions and actions in human life. I. Here is human prosperity leading to presumption. The writer’s experience agre... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou didst hide Thy face, and I was troubled._ THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE DIVINE PRESENCE Of all the sources of sorrow to which a good man is exposed here, there is none whose waters are so bitter, nor whose grief is so poignant, as the withdrawal of the Divine presence. But there is one practical ben... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing._ EASTER JOY Here is described a change, complete, and more or less sudden, from sadness to joy. David has escaped a danger which had brought him very near to death; and now he is thankful and exultant. His words are in keeping with what Christians... [ Continue Reading ]