No More Learning

ti]ift-j|) D'si-Sy 12 :^TT^
ts3 Dtnri 'fripi jnsj bm-hv 13 :sj^1
^P^i p^C! *5 ^ 14 :jW
<<TS^nx rmn *Mni6V ttuiwi 1 *>>np* 15 :w
? ? : - -: att; j- it j- "v:iv: ? ? ? t|; . "
lives always, who spends his whole life. -IjTID, " secret Wore on
place," also means "veil," or "shelter. " pB-XCL
"shadow," has the added meaning of protection from
danger, because, in the country where this Psalm
was composed, the great heat of the sun is a danger
from which shadow is a protection. IJ^JT, "he
shall abide," means especially he shall lodge, and
hence, he shall pass the night.
Now we can see the full meaning of the verse: he
who dwells under the shelter of the Most High (i. e.
he who spends his life with the thought of God, and
therefore of goodness always before him) will be
129
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
Iftote on under the protection of the Almighty in the night
IDs. XCI. (i. e. in the time of darkness and danger).
That is the thought pictured in many different
forms throughout the whole Psalm. The answering
soul of man speaks in the second verse, " I will say
of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress.
In Him will I trust," and again in the first half
of the ninth verse, "For Thou, O God, art my
Refuge. " The messenger of God rejoins, "Thou
hast put thy trust in the Most High. There shall
no evil befall thee," and continues the series of com-
forting pictures of God's protection, till the three last
verses in which the Psalmist seems to hear the
very voice of God himself uttering words which are
like an echo of the Divine promise of the second
commandment:--"Shewing mercy unto thousands
of them that love Me and keep My command-
ments. "
PSALM XCII.
a psalm ano Song for tbe Sabbatb 2>as.
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord,
and to sing praises unto Thy name, O most High:
2 To show forth Thy lovingkindness in the morning,
and Thy faithfulness every night, 3 Upon an instru-
ment of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon
the harp with a solemn sound. 4 For Thou, Lord,
hast made me glad through Thy work: I will triumph
in the works of Thy hands. 5 O Lord, how great
are Thy works! and Thy thoughts are very deep.
6 A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool
understand this. 7 When the wicked spring as the
130
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
The 9ist Psalm always seems to me to have been Hote on
written by a herdsman or a hunter, whose poetic IP5, XC1,
imagery pictures his daily surroundings. The awe
of the vast solitude in the open, the lurking fever in
the suddenly chilled airat dusk, the overwhelming sun-
stroke at mid-day, the stony mountain track, the lion,
the adder,the venomous serpent, these are the dangers
he is familiar with, and the thought of shelter and
protection brings before his mind's eye the picture of
a little bird nestling safely under its mother's wing.
Such understanding of nature is a form of prayer
and praise to the Creator of the world and its
wonders.
VDNtba, translated, " His angels," in the eleventh
verse, really means "His Messengers. " The won-
ders of nature are indeed the messengers of God
bringing us the knowledge of His power, His
wisdom, His lovingkindness, and His mercy.
? t~i v" >>; ? t; -- <; ? l v \ >>* t
XCII. 12
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
pe. XCII- grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do
nourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:
8 But Thou, Lord, art most high for evermore.
9 For, lo, Thine enemies, O Lord, for, lo, Thine
enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity
shall be scattered. 10 But my horn shalt Thou
exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be
anointed with fresh oil. 1 1 Mine eye also shall
discern mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear when
evil-doers rise up against me. 12 The righteous
shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like
a cedar in Lebanon. 13 Those that be planted in
the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts
of our God. 14 They shall still bring forth fruit in
old age; they shall be full of sap and flourishing;
15 To shew that the Lord is upright: He is my
Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
IRote on The 02nd Psalm is a meditation on God's never-
v 'ceasing care of man. It proclaims and gives
thanks for "Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and
Thy faithfulness every night. "
Such thanks are peculiarly appropriate to the
Sabbath day--when we are enjoying the rest enjoined
by the beneficent law that everyone should be allowed
one day of rest after six days of labour. The full
blessing of this ordinance is realised by those who
have to toil hard on the six days of each week, all the
year and every year, to earn their daily bread.
In olden days, servants and workmen were slaves,
and belonged to their masters and mistresses like
horses or dogs may belong to us now. They were
never able to leave their masters, and were completely
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
t jt -; i~ jt : i t ? : I vat --: j t
iteps rtp* i nan *a 9 jnirv d^/?
vjt- |vit t :it : ? I jv: 1
&ani 11 :j3sn jotr'a 'nVa ^ip D$na
Jraa D^ntf13 :niiE^^ foa^a nxa T&fia
j": ? ji iv; ? h t: - viv: at: ? jtt -
na^a paw nij> 14: wrfcx nhxna nirv
nw nirv ne>>-*a -pan1? 15 . vrv D^sni dob*>>
jia pin^y-N^i
I t;t:- 1:
in their power. What a blessing for these poor slaves mote on
that their masters were compelled by the law of the P8. XCII.
Sabbath to allow them to rest on the seventh day.
The Psalmist laments how few of us ever realize
the vastness of the power and wisdom of God, and
His Infinite goodness! Because of the Goodness of
God, goodness will ever conquer badness. That
thought is echoed and re-echoed throughout the
Psalm in poetic imagery drawn from Nature, and in
the fervid expression of the Psalmist's confidence
that whatever danger may assail him, Divine pro-
tection will be accorded to him. The last verse
emphasizes the thought that the manifestation of
the power of Divine Goodness proclaims that God is
upright, and that there is no unrighteousness in Him.
133
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
PSALM XCIII.
The Lord reigneth, He is clothed with majesty;
the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith He
hath girded Himself: the world also is stablished,
that it cannot be moved. 2 Thy throne is estab-
lished of old: Thou art from everlasting. 3 The
floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted
up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.
4 Mightier than the voices of many waters, yea than
the mighty waves of the sea, is the Lord on high.
5 Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh
Thine house, O Lord, for ever.
floje on This is a song of wonder at the marvels which
surround us; the earth, the sky, the sea with its
mighty power. But the Psalmist feels that the
Lord God Who created them is mightier than all,
PSALM XCIV.
O Lord God, of vengeance, O God, of vengeance,
shine forth, shew Thyself. 2 Lift up Thyself, Thou
Judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.
3 Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall
the wicked triumph? 4 How long shall they utter and
speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity
boast themselves? 5 They break in pieces Thy people,
O Lord, and afflict Thine heritage. 6 They slay the
widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.
7 Yet they say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
XCIII. 32
nxm vt rrtrv \ftb w& nm f? a nirv
at -: ? * t ;i j-- t v ? ? It t jt;
zbtyp tnq ^? a I'da 2 :t3ian-S5 ^jfe pari-f)8
oSip nhnj ixtn riirr 1 nnru ink>3 3 :nnx
at I jt: j :|t t: t: * : lt t it
. - . - . s- j . it : t jt; 1 ; ?
ubaO 1 Tnny 5 . nirv uhaa nhk D*-naeto
. v|v 1. . . . . |t . j t _ 1. _ t . . . . .
and that the greatness of God is shewn to us by the mote on
might and majesty of His works, which, like His P8, XCIII.
goodness, are everlasting.
XCIV. -K
xmn 2 :y^n nto nirv niapr^
l? ? t >>i -i? j t: ? % at: |t:
'Mny 3 :D^a-S>y ae>'n pxn ast?
- t - |. . . - . j. . t I . . 'att j"
^a* 4 Dveh *n? j-w nirv 1 D*yeh
^ ? 1 I -;|- t: - t - at; ^- t *
nin; tj(C)2 5 ^yb-Sa naxni pny naT
D*aim irn: -ui naaSx 6 nay* nn^mi <<at
v: I ? t i; at v :? j :|-i --?
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
ps. XCIV. the God of Jacob regard it. 8 Understand, ye brutish
among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be
wise? 9 He that planted the ear, shall He not
hear? He that formed the eye, shall He not see?
10 He that chasteneth the nations, shall not He
correct, that teacheth man knowledge? 11 The
Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are
vanity. 12 Blessed is the man whom Thou chasten-
est, O Lord, and teachest him out of Thy law;
13 That Thou mayest give him rest from the days
of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not cast off His people, neither
will He forsake His inheritance. 15 But judgment
shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright
in heart shall follow it. 16 Who will rise up for me
against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me
against the workers of iniquity? 17 Unless the
Lord had been my help, my soul had soon dwelt
in silence. 18 When I said, My foot slippeth; Thy
mercy, O Lord, held me up.
19 In the multitude
of my thoughts within me Thy comforts delight my
soul. 20 Shall the throne of iniquity, which frameth
mischief by a law, have fellowship with Thee? 21
They gather themselves together against the soul of
the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.
22 But the Lord is my defence; and my God is
the rock of my refuge. 23 And He shall bring upon
them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in
their own wickedness; yea, the Lord our God shall
cut them off.
136
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
ib^bR d^dm Dya Dnyh 8 ? apy; pa. xciv.
! ? J t ? ? ; att j* . I * /i *l
j tr^ x1pn jfy nr-Dn x^rj jtn ytobq 9
:nyn dnk ns^an nov t&n D*ia na^n 10
"It jt t i" - ;i - - a* j ?
: San nan *a Dnx nint^na yn* nin*"
v it r j" ? att ::- -- "\ t:
: unaSn jjnninai it tinD$n^{ naarj 12
:nn^ >>ehS nn3' ny yn ^a i1? awn1? 13
- it 'jt tIt IV t ? <- at "j* l |j* \ -;
: atj? * iriWi iay rtrv E^'ts* t6 i *a 14
j; t-:i-; a - jt: j * I <*
I" ? ? : ? t t-;i-; at; ? j t j vvi - i'
j mt *|? y*s-Dy ^' axwa D^yna-Dy h mp^a w
|-. -it --: 4 ? '? --: ? r ? ? : ? <i |jt i-
nan niritr 1 ayaa ^ nmty nin*"
jt it; it c: ? a- tjt;v t ;\ >>"
nin<<' Tpjpn naa *rnoN-DK << j^fia
tyftof? ! l^m^ ^Ip? W}t? an? "19 :^nyiy
: pn^g Say ntf nVin km ^nan*n 20:
'H^ 22 ny^nj> *j5j Dni pnx 21
? " l j * ? * at; ? j j* jt;
nin; Drya? : wvavi Ojtorng 1 DrvSy
137
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
>te on In the opening verses the Psalmist, moved by
. XC1V. the terrible calamities that had befallen Israel,
utters a vehement and impetuous prayer to God
for the speedy punishment of the oppressors of Israel.
The meaning of the epithet " God of vengeance,"
is rather God of retribution and of Justice, for the
very recital of the wicked deeds of wanton cruelty
convinces the Psalmist that God is ever just, and
that all suffering will be remembered by the Divine
Justice and Mercy, and with this thought in his mind
he calls on both persecutors and persecuted to
understand this truth. "He that planteth the ear,
shall He not hear? He that formeth the eye, shall
He not see? Shall not He correct Who chasten-
eth the people and Who teacheth man wisdom?
PSALM XCV.
O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make
a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let
us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and
make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms. 3 For
the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all
gods. 4 In His hand are the deep places of the
earth: the strength of the hills is His also. 5 The
sea is His, and He made it: and His hands formed
the dry land. 6 O come, let us worship and bow
down: let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
7 For He is our God; and we are the people of His
pasture, and the sheep of His hand. To-day if ye
will hear His voice, 8 Harden not your heart, as
138
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
Happy is the man whom God chasteneth, whom iRote on
Thou teachest from Thy law. " S>s. XCIV.
The rest of the Psalm is a series of poetic pictures
of the strength of soul and the serene courage that
come to us if we have absolute faith in the Goodness
of God, and absolute trust that by reason of His
Goodness good shall triumph over evil and right
over wrong.
When trouble overtakes us, or doubts haunt us,
let us call to mind the heartening words of the
nineteenth verse, " In the multitude of my thoughts
within me, Thy comforts delight my soul," which
are like an answering echo to these inspiriting
words of David, "Be of good courage, and He
shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the
Lord. "
XCV. TO
hotm 2 "^^> nyn'a nin^ naana <<f?
jt : -: |" ; ? j; t *t at |- *t-; -: ;i
Siia hit 'a 3 yna nin&n rnina vas
j t j'* i ? : ? at: 'tt
ita neta 4 :D*ir? <<J? aJw Sna ^ nirv
t;i iv 1 ? v*. t _ t |v *v at:
D'n b-r&x 5 :iS Dnn nisyini. px-npnp
ninwa ^3 <<. . :wr vn* ne>an ^nw wm
|-: ? ] ltt <tt v v ~: at t j:
wrbx *a 7 'ygm nirr'asS ninaa ny-oai
"v: * ? i" * at : i": ? t ;; * tat : -:
: n3i03 rifeo dva mnoa DD33S itrpn-Sx 8
it;*- t - /; at ? : ? v : - ;t j I: ~
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
ps. XCV. at Meribah, and as in the day of Massah in the
wilderness*: 9 When your fathers tempted Me,
proved Me, and saw My work. 10 Forty years long
was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a
people that do err in their heart, and they have not
known My ways: 11 Unto whom I sware in My
wrath that they should not enter into My rest.
IRote on The 95th Psalm is the first of six joyous songs of
ps. XCV. praise an(1 thanks to the Almighty Creator of the
whole world. These songs are all full of word-
pictures of the wonder and grandeur of God's works,
and of exhortations to Israel, His chosen messengers,
to be ever faithful to their great trust.
The Psalmist pictures God Himself mourning
when one whole generation of Israel faltered in their
faith, and so became unworthy to enter that Holy
Land which was destined to be the home whence
religious truth was to be carried abroad to all the
nations of the earth, through the chosen messengers
of God.
PSALM XCVI.
O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the
Lord, all the earth. 2 Sing unto the Lord, bless
His name; show forth His salvation from day to
day. 3 Declare His glory among the heathen, His
wonders among all people. 4 For the Lord is
great, and greatly to be praised: He is to be feared
above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the nations
are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.
* Exodus, ch. 17, v. 7.
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
: torrca *aona dariiaK *mdji tb>k 9 i>u. xcv.
ct:it j t t: a:- ** 1 --. h j? ? * -:
$h t$ naxi nin? wjaj 1 d*j? |-]n 10
*rwatp:ri0M 11 :*m wnf? Dni on aaS
? :* v -: itt: ':it :a? ? jt? ?
To understand the greatness of this message, we Dote on
must remember that in those days most people believed fte. XCVi
that there were a number of gods, and that all the
marvels of creation were ruled over each by its own
god. Thus they thought there was a sun-god, a
moon-god, an earth-goddess, a sea-god, a god of the
winds, and so on.
But Israel is the Messenger of God to tell and to
teach to all mankind that there is only one God, the
Creator of all, and that to Him and to Him alone
all human beings are directly responsible for every
act of their lives.
XCVI. 12
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
ps. XCVI. 6 Honour and majesty are before Him: strength
and beauty are in His sanctuary. 7 Give unto the
Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the
Lord glory and strength. 8 Give unto the Lord
the glory due unto His name: bring an offering, and
come into His courts. 9 O worship the Lord in
the beauty of holiness: tremble before Him, all the
earth. 10 Say among the heathen that the Lord
reigneth: the world also shall be established that it
shall not be moved: He shall judge the people
righteously. 11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the
earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness
thereof. 12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is
therein: then shall all the trees of the wood sing for
joy. 13 Before the Lord: for He cometh, for He
cometh to judge the earth: He shall judge the world
with righteousness, and the people with His truth.
Woteon The 96th Psalm, like the 95th, is a song
'of praise and thanks to God, and a trumpet call to
the Jews to proclaim their great message to the
whole world.
When we see the sun shining, the trees waving
in the wind, and the sea tossing its great waves;
when grass springs up in the fields, and the wild
flowers blossom, it is good to remember that all this
is the work of the One God; it is the whole earth
singing His praise to us and to all mankind if they
will but hear it; for God made it all, and as surely
142
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
an 7 ne^aM rnxsn'i vjsk -nnr-rin 6p<<. xcvi.
j t i t|; 1: v v : ? : ^ att: jt t: i
'it t t i- j t a*^ j: :' t i~
:vnrwnS nmo-w top nias nirvS an 8
it:-; j t ; ? 1 : 3r: j: t |-t ^ t
: Harris vMt? enjrrmna nirvS vuwn >>
j" t: ? - t -I j : : ? i t i? ? : ? c I ^-t
-"*fe^3tnfc? iSjr 12 ito&tt D;n mrv pxn
v -: t: - ti j i: t - -~ | vatt
t ? t: ** : ? -it t -: /t a
D'ayi pTi? b^ft-topv! psn tab^S
as the world exists by God's wisdom, so surely is all 'IRote on
mankind judged rightly by God's righteousness. P8* XCVI.
Although not described in the Bible as a Psalm of
David, this is, in fact, part of the song of thanks-
giving composed by him for Asaph,1 the chief of the
Levites, appointed to minister daily before the Ark
of the Lord, when David had brought the Ark to
Jerusalem (I. Chron. xvi.