In the second half
of the verse Oli* ]3, literally " son of Adam," means
PSALM LXXXI.
of the verse Oli* ]3, literally " son of Adam," means
PSALM LXXXI.
Childrens - Psalm-Book
7 God shall bless us; and all the
ends of the earth shall fear Him.
mote on The Psalmist prays to God to give to all nations
3. LXVII. blessing of the knowledge of Him--so that all the
inhabitants of the earth may understand the loving-
kindness and the power of God. (" That thy way
may be known on earth, Thy saving health among
all nations. ")
"Praised be God by all peoples," is the Psalmist's
fervent prayer. "Praised" not only by words but
PSALM LXXVII.
Co tbe abier Ausician. a psalm of Ssapb.
I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God
with my voice; and he gave ear unto me. 2 In the
day of my trouble I sought the Lord: I stretched
forth my hand in the night, and ceased not: my soul
refused to be comforted. 3 I remembered God, and
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
LXVII. ID
t|V jt ? tt '"? St -- IIt ? t I *
3 :"TO? *? b\ii-S5? ^a-|i px| nynS 2
urn inafc>> 4 . ^ o^y whV* dtiSk i ttay
-: it / : : ? it ? . /? - I a? v:
Dyrha &rh$ wVp* n^w renins6
! ? ? v: v; ^"IIt; at : jt;it I vvi it*.
by conduct, for the thought of the goodness of God flote on
helps all mankind to be always trying to be good and LXVII
to do good.
What a noble spirit of universal peace and good-
will on earth breathes through this Psalm--inspired
by faith in the one Almighty God, Creator of all,
ruling, with infinite power and infinite pity, the
whole world and all that is therein.
LXXVII. V
maa rbh 1 n* w'-n tfnt Vw ova 2
tin t **t ? : t t Vt ? t|t j I it"
&rbx pparx 3 omn nxa aisn xSi
"vi It::v ir T~ j? ? t ? ;t-;i" at j;
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was
overwhelmed. Selah.
4 Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled
that I cannot speak. 5 I have considered the days
of old, the years of ancient times. 6 I call to re-
membrance my song in the night: I commune with
mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.
7 Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will He be
favourable no more? 8 Is His mercy clean gone for
ever? doth His promise fail for evermore? 9 Hath
God forgotten to be gracious? hath He in anger
shut up His tender mercies? Selah.
10 And I said, This is my trial: but the years of
the right hand of the most High will I remember.
11 Even the works of the Lord: surely I will
remember Thy wonders of old. 12 I will meditate
also of all Thy work, and talk of Thy doings. 13 Thy
way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great
a God as our God? 14 Thou art the God that doest
wonders: Thou hast declared Thy strength among
the people. 15 Thou hast with Thine arm redeemed
Thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.
16 The waters saw Thee, O God, the waters saw
Thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled.
17 The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out
a sound: Thine arrows also went abroad. 18 The
voice of Thy thunder was in the heaven: the
lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled
and shook. 19 Thy way is in the sea, and Thy path
in the great waters, and Thy footsteps are not
known. 20 Thou leddest Thy people like a flock by
the hand of Moses and Aaron.
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
t; - ti tiv j- h? ? -: ? : t ? t tatvtiv : LXJ
&u> *tnim 5 nanx kSi *naysi wy nh&e>
-w nS*Sa *royj mara 6 ? D'aSiy rta# Dnpa
t:'t - ? t i -: ;t: : v r t 1 : v|av
I mr wthfshn 7 :*n! n ^srvi nrvfe<< *aaS
nDn mh dsxh 8 :-rty rftrh pi^d* kSi onn
vsirBn Sx nun nx>n 9 :Tfl tiS ion *tw
I ;-Jt ? a" j- j- t -; It j; v mT
1*25* n'w twi TiiSn nata 10:nSD vam nxa
D^riSx 13:nrvtyx Ttibhyi) TSys-Saa ftw 12
? v;i t * t |jv 1 |avt:it t: ? j* t;
Sxn row 14 :wrkxs Sni bx *a ^sm ehpa
jrnn nSna 15 :^ D*aya nynin nSs nbty
I ^pjsh 13 :piSd tpy) aps? ;;^
iDlj 17 j niann my. tjg b^w d$ ^jo d^'Sk
: qSnro ^isn-sjx D'jw uro Sip rriiy 1 D:a
nuS San D^a Wnn 1 SaSaa ^ayp Sip 13
D*an D;aa f S'3^ ^731 D^a 19 *: pxn E^rn
"Ta sjgs jNsa rom 20 kS ^Tiiapsfi.
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
flote on When we feel down-hearted and discouraged it is
PxifVii to read this Psalm. The Psalmist realizes
that the right hand of the Most High has brought
him adversity instead of his former happiness as a
trial of the steadfastness of his faith. He shakes off
his doubts and fears as he recalls the remembrance
of the wondrous works of God, His Infinite power,
PSALM LXXX.
rxo tbe Cbief Musician. U psalm of Hsapb.
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest
Joseph like a flock; Thou that dwellest between the
cherubim, shine forth. 2 Before Ephraim and
Benjamin and Manasseh stir up Thy strength, and
come and save us.
3 Turn us again, O God, and cause Thy face to
shine; and we shall be saved.
4 O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be
angry against the prayer of Thy people? 5 Thou
feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest
them tears to drink in great measure. 6 Thou
makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our
enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause Thy
face to shine; and we shall be saved.
8 Thou has brought a vine out of Egypt: Thou
hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. 9 Thou
preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take
deep root, and it filled the land. 10 The hills were
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
and His Infinite lovingkindness. So we too can mote on
gather courage and comfort as we think of God's RlYvri
"great and gracious work. " We realize that God *
leads us too, even as He led His people by the hand of
Moses and Aaron, and that we have but to trust in
Him, and try at all times to obey His laws. Then we
need fear no evil, for we know He is ever with us.
LXXX. D
f)pv x$ mnxn i b$yp\ njsn
ntei kmm i onsx jjaS2 :npsin Mnjn
*? v: it t-t-. i- it: |avt i: v t~:1
t V tIt /*? ; t aVt! t ? t|Vt ? ~ ? ***t I
I** ** :- t vr>>r at ? j-t j t I v|t - ; -
97 H
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
IPs. LXXX. covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs there-
of were like the goodly cedars, n She sent out her
boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.
12 Why hast Thou then broken down her hedges,
so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?
13 The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the
wild beast of the field doth devour it.
14 Return, we beseech Thee, O God of hosts:
look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this
vine; 15 And the vineyard which Thy right hand
hath planted, and the branch that Thou madest
strong for thyself. 16 It is burned with fire, it is cut
down: they perish at the rebuke of Thy countenance.
17 Let Thy hand be upon the man of Thy right
hand, upon the son of man whom Thou hast chosen
for Thyself. 18 So shall we not go back from Thee:
quicken Thou us, and we will call upon Thy name.
to Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause
Thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
IRote on The author of Psalm lxxx. must have been a
(C)s. LXXX. countryman, like David who tended his father's
sheep, and like the prophet Amos who was a herds-
man in the hills of Tekoa. The imagery of the
Psalm is inspired by the thought of vineyards, and
of the beasts of the fields and the forest.
The Psalmist pictures God as the Shepherd of
Israel--but the flock has strayed from the care of
the shepherd into a perilous place. Then comes the
prayer of the chorus verse, repeated after each stanza
of the Psalm (verses 3, 7, 14, slightly varied but
? essentially the same, and 19), " Turn us again, O God,
and cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. "
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
12 :otfpft yjttyi m"TM- TMyxp nfe^11 ps-LXXX-
n^Dna* 13 :Tn najrSa rrnw nma jwis
t: v: tiv :? j-t i>>: -at- i* -.
:m\ jsa -tp# r^ni D;p^a t3an &o ai#
Iit t \r- ? I ? ? Iav ? : 'i:it v -; t-:i
|" |jVt t --at; j'*t jt *. :
:rtfe>wi Tlh nxn uteti rite Drfot
ti"t-: I ? . * t t ? -; a t: v:
The picture of God's care of Israel under the mote on
parable of the vine, planted deep down in the chosen LXXX.
ground, flourishing and spreading over the land, is
drawn with the master touch of one familiar with
the work of vineyards.
The main thought of the Psalm is brought vividly
before us in the imagery of these two parables, the
forlorn flock and the unprotected vine.
The imagery of the hedge round the vine depicts
Israel's consciousness of a great religious mission.
When that consciousness is lost, Israel becomes
defenceless, a prey to every marauder; and through his
own loss of godliness brings about his own desolation.
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
mpte on Quitting imagery, the Psalmist prays the simple,
earnest prayer, "May Thy hand be on the man of
Thy right hand, on the son of the man Thou hast
chosen unto Thyself. " The prayer expresses the
heart's desire of the poet of Israel, and his mindful-
ness of the proud heritage of his race, as God's
chosen messenger.
The word "man" occurs twice in the English
version of the seventeenth verse, but the Hebrew
has no repeated word, WN, "the man of
Thy right hand," corresponds closely to the English
epithet "right-hand man," and means the man who
is upheld by Thy right hand.
In the second half
of the verse Oli* ]3, literally " son of Adam," means
PSALM LXXXI.
Go tbe Cbief Ausician. a psalm ot Ssapb.
Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a
joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. 2 Take a
psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant
harp with the psaltery. 3 Blow the trumpet in
the new moon, in the time appointed, on our
solemn feast day. 4 For this was a statute for
Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob. 5 This he
ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went
out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a
language that I understood not.
6 I removed his shoulder from the burden: his
hands were delivered from the pots. 7 Thou calledst
in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
all mankind. Thus the Psalmist's prayer is that the mote on
hand of God may be on the man (in the collective P8, LXXX.
sense of the race) chosen from among all mankind to
be the messenger of God, while the last verse utters
a prayer for the salvation of all mankind by whole-
hearted faith in God.
Through two thousand years of suffering and
oppression Israel has been "quickened" (in the old
sense of the word, "made to live") by the con-
sciousness of his great and comforting mission to
mankind, to voice the truth of the unity of God and
of the direct communion (with no mediator, divine or
human,) between God and the soul of every human
being.
LXXXI. MS
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? THE' CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
IPs. LXXXI. the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the
waters of Meribah. Selah. 8 Hear, O My people,
and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt
hearken unto Me; 9 There shall no strange god be
in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.
10 I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of
the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will
fill it. 11 But my people would not hearken to my
voice; and Israel would none of Me. 12 So I gave
them up unto their own heart's lust: and they walked
in their own counsels. 13 Oh that My people had
hearkened unto Me, and Israel had walked in My
ways! 14 I should soon have subdued their
enemies, and turned My hand against their adver-
saries. 15 The haters of the Lord should have
submitted themselves unto Him: but their time
should have endured for ever. 16 He should have
fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and
with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied
thee.
IHote on The eighty-first Psalm begins with a cheerful call
IPs. LXXXI. j. o song and music in honour of God.
When we are thinking about God, the sound of
noble music seems to echo the thoughts which
are in our minds, but which we cannot put into
words. There are many beautiful songs in the
Bible besides the Book of Psalms; for the heroes of
Israel were wont to use music and poetry to express
their deepest feelings.
Thus Moses sang a song of thanksgiving after the
great deliverance of Israel at the Red Sea, and forty
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
*ppQx Dsn nnp. ? tj^k ^n*n nxn^ rnxs 7 (C)a. lxxxi.
v-;p-: ? /; kt '? ? I:I v:r i j" -* ? ?
H$& i&PQ T0^: TP! 1 10 :1$ V?
at ? j ? ; ? ? ? ; ;,tl ? t 't i "t ; ? ;
v "it -: /,? : - jv ? ? : 1 lTi i --: t : ?
t ? i* ? ft t n j-*: -: l*t '* t
vtei n&aS ntsn aSna vtagw TM :DSiyS
J" ? ? at ? vj"" " t t;
years later his last words to the children of Israel mote on
before his death were in the form of a great elegiac (C)8* LXXXI-
song.
King David, a poet and musician himself, per-
ceived that music is the best language of worship,
and instituted a daily service of song by the Levites
in charge of the ark. * In the history of the world
* The heading "For the Chief Musician" which occurs in
so many of the Psalms doubtless means that these Psalms were
destined for use in this daily service of song.
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
on these are the first recorded daily prayer-services as
AAAi- distinguished from sacrificial offerings. They were
the model, not only for the prayer-services of the
Temple and the Synagogue, but for every modern
form of prayer-service to this day. Wherever a
congregation gathers for the worship of God, in
synagogue, cathedral, chapel, or mosque, the con-
gregants take part in a service modelled on the
service of song established by King David 3,000
years ago.
After the stirring call to song and praise, a word
in the fifth verse recalls Israel's slaver}' in Egypt,
and then the Psalmist pictures God Himself speaking
to Israel, reminding them how He rescued them
from slavery and cherished them, and revealed His
Law to them. "But my people would not hearken
to My voice. "
The last ten verses of the Psalm recall the lines
in Paradise Lost in which the Almighty is pictured
as saying of Adam:--
"He and his faithless progeny. Whose fault?
Whose but his own? I made him just and right,
Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall. "
But the tenderness of the Divine reproach in the
Psalm, is strikingly absent in Milton's poem.
The moral teaching of the 13th, 14th, and 15th
verses is illustrated throughout the history of the
PSALM LXXXII.
a Ipsalm of asapb.
God standeth in the congregation of God: He
judgeth among the judges. 2 How long will ye
judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked?
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
world. So long as nations are dominated by lofty mote on
and pure ideals--implying the virtues of self-sacrifice LXX
and self-control--so long they remain mighty. But
whenever selfishness and self-indulgence have taken
possession of them, they have lost their might, and
their capacity for ruling, and have sunk out of
existence. The Israelites could only triumph over
their enemies when they triumphed over themselves,
and proved themselves worthy to be God's chosen
people. The triumph of Israel therefore meant the
triumph of goodness. Thus we come to see the real
meaning clothed by the Psalmist in the majestic
imager}' of God turning His hand against the
adversaries of Israel.
It is the sacred duty of every Israelite to shun
those "strange gods" of selfishness, greed, in-
difference to human suffering, and self-indulgence,
that taint the purity of the human soul even more
fatally than the image worship of primitive times.
However humble our lot may be, it is within the
power of us all to strive toward this ideal if we do
but fully realize the meaning of the farewell words
of Moses: "For this commandment which I
command thee this day is not hidden from thee,
neither is it far off. But the word is very nigh to
thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart, that thou
mayest do it"
lxxxii. no
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
ps. Selah. 3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do
LXXXII justice to the afflicted and needy. 4 Deliver the
poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the
wicked. 5 They know not, neither will they
understand; they walk on in darkness: all the
foundations of the earth are out of course. 6 I
have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children
of the most High. 7 But ye shall die like men,
and fall like one of the princes. 8 Arise, O God,
judge the earth: for Thou shalt inherit all nations.
IRote on This impressive exhortation of Asaph tells a
Exxxn sorrowml ta-le between its lines. Judges charged in
the name of the Supreme Judge of all with the
solemn duty of preventing wrong being done to their
fellow-beings, had betrayed their sacred trust, and
had judged unjustly and favoured evil-doers. Asaph
mourns their sin in the terrible words, "All the
foundations of the earth are out of course," i. e. the
moral foundations on which the well-being of man-
kind depend.
It is natural that unjust judges should be held
in peculiar horror and contempt by the "People
of the Book," and Asaph's words bring the feeling
vividly before us.
The equal right of every human being, however
lowly, to personal justice is repeatedly and
emphatically proclaimed in the Laws of Moses. The
passage in Exodus, chap. 21, "Thou shalt give
life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth," &c, has
sometimes been misinterpreted as a harsh and cruel
law, comparing unfavourably with the teachings of
the New Testament. But that comparison leaves out
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
of account the essential difference between the Law, mote on
which is an evenhanded instrument of justice to LXXXII.
protect both the weak and the powerful, and sermons,
which are moral precepts based on the Law. The
precepts of the prophets and preachers are based on
the Laws of Moses. The passage in Exodus quoted
above lays down the law on the sacred value of life
and bodily powers. The life and limbs of the slave
are as precious as those of the prince, and the
penalty of depriving a fellow-creature of them must
be the same in either case. But the rigid fairness
and rectitude enjoined in the Mosaic Law, and
above all in the Ten Commandments, did not mean
either harshness or cruelty; on the contrary the Law
of Moses is conceived in the very spirit of mercy and
kindness: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as Thy-
self" (Leviticus xix. 18). "Love ye the stranger, for
ye were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Deuteronomy
x. 19). "Let thy manservant and thy maidservant
rest as well as thou" (Deuteronomy v. 14). These
are the keynotes of the Mosaic Law, which enjoins
kind and considerate treatment of the unfortunate
m7
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
mote on and afflicted and of dependants, and punctual pay-
LXXXII rnen* ^or a^ service> generous treatment of faithtul
servants and charity to the poor--not as the out-
come of passing pity or generosity but as a perpetual
binding duty. * It also contains humane provisions
in regard to many matters (such as the prevention of
cruelty to animals, and of wanton waste of bird life,
safeguards against dangerous buildings, &c. ) only
dealt with by statute in this country as recently as
the Victorian era. f When Asaph calls on the judges
to defend the" poor and the fatherless, and to do
justice to the afflicted and the needy, and rid them
out of the hand of the oppressor, he is echoing the
very words of Moses.
The crowning law of all, which--as Hillel said --
is The Law, and all the rest only commentary, is the
famous eighteenth verse of the nineteenth chapter of
Leviticus:--
"Love thy neighbour as thyself. "
The word "neighbour" is used in no narrow
sense: "If a stranger sojourn with thee in thy land,
ye shall not vex him . . . thou shalt love him as
thyself" (Lev. xix. 34).
"Ye shall have one manner of law as well for the
stranger as for one of your own country" (Lev.
xxiv. 22).
* Leviticus xix. 13, 14; Deuteronomy xvi. 2, xxiv. 15.
t Deuteronomy xxii. 6, 8, 10.
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ends of the earth shall fear Him.
mote on The Psalmist prays to God to give to all nations
3. LXVII. blessing of the knowledge of Him--so that all the
inhabitants of the earth may understand the loving-
kindness and the power of God. (" That thy way
may be known on earth, Thy saving health among
all nations. ")
"Praised be God by all peoples," is the Psalmist's
fervent prayer. "Praised" not only by words but
PSALM LXXVII.
Co tbe abier Ausician. a psalm of Ssapb.
I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God
with my voice; and he gave ear unto me. 2 In the
day of my trouble I sought the Lord: I stretched
forth my hand in the night, and ceased not: my soul
refused to be comforted. 3 I remembered God, and
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
LXVII. ID
t|V jt ? tt '"? St -- IIt ? t I *
3 :"TO? *? b\ii-S5? ^a-|i px| nynS 2
urn inafc>> 4 . ^ o^y whV* dtiSk i ttay
-: it / : : ? it ? . /? - I a? v:
Dyrha &rh$ wVp* n^w renins6
! ? ? v: v; ^"IIt; at : jt;it I vvi it*.
by conduct, for the thought of the goodness of God flote on
helps all mankind to be always trying to be good and LXVII
to do good.
What a noble spirit of universal peace and good-
will on earth breathes through this Psalm--inspired
by faith in the one Almighty God, Creator of all,
ruling, with infinite power and infinite pity, the
whole world and all that is therein.
LXXVII. V
maa rbh 1 n* w'-n tfnt Vw ova 2
tin t **t ? : t t Vt ? t|t j I it"
&rbx pparx 3 omn nxa aisn xSi
"vi It::v ir T~ j? ? t ? ;t-;i" at j;
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was
overwhelmed. Selah.
4 Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled
that I cannot speak. 5 I have considered the days
of old, the years of ancient times. 6 I call to re-
membrance my song in the night: I commune with
mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.
7 Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will He be
favourable no more? 8 Is His mercy clean gone for
ever? doth His promise fail for evermore? 9 Hath
God forgotten to be gracious? hath He in anger
shut up His tender mercies? Selah.
10 And I said, This is my trial: but the years of
the right hand of the most High will I remember.
11 Even the works of the Lord: surely I will
remember Thy wonders of old. 12 I will meditate
also of all Thy work, and talk of Thy doings. 13 Thy
way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great
a God as our God? 14 Thou art the God that doest
wonders: Thou hast declared Thy strength among
the people. 15 Thou hast with Thine arm redeemed
Thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.
16 The waters saw Thee, O God, the waters saw
Thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled.
17 The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out
a sound: Thine arrows also went abroad. 18 The
voice of Thy thunder was in the heaven: the
lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled
and shook. 19 Thy way is in the sea, and Thy path
in the great waters, and Thy footsteps are not
known. 20 Thou leddest Thy people like a flock by
the hand of Moses and Aaron.
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
t; - ti tiv j- h? ? -: ? : t ? t tatvtiv : LXJ
&u> *tnim 5 nanx kSi *naysi wy nh&e>
-w nS*Sa *royj mara 6 ? D'aSiy rta# Dnpa
t:'t - ? t i -: ;t: : v r t 1 : v|av
I mr wthfshn 7 :*n! n ^srvi nrvfe<< *aaS
nDn mh dsxh 8 :-rty rftrh pi^d* kSi onn
vsirBn Sx nun nx>n 9 :Tfl tiS ion *tw
I ;-Jt ? a" j- j- t -; It j; v mT
1*25* n'w twi TiiSn nata 10:nSD vam nxa
D^riSx 13:nrvtyx Ttibhyi) TSys-Saa ftw 12
? v;i t * t |jv 1 |avt:it t: ? j* t;
Sxn row 14 :wrkxs Sni bx *a ^sm ehpa
jrnn nSna 15 :^ D*aya nynin nSs nbty
I ^pjsh 13 :piSd tpy) aps? ;;^
iDlj 17 j niann my. tjg b^w d$ ^jo d^'Sk
: qSnro ^isn-sjx D'jw uro Sip rriiy 1 D:a
nuS San D^a Wnn 1 SaSaa ^ayp Sip 13
D*an D;aa f S'3^ ^731 D^a 19 *: pxn E^rn
"Ta sjgs jNsa rom 20 kS ^Tiiapsfi.
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
flote on When we feel down-hearted and discouraged it is
PxifVii to read this Psalm. The Psalmist realizes
that the right hand of the Most High has brought
him adversity instead of his former happiness as a
trial of the steadfastness of his faith. He shakes off
his doubts and fears as he recalls the remembrance
of the wondrous works of God, His Infinite power,
PSALM LXXX.
rxo tbe Cbief Musician. U psalm of Hsapb.
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest
Joseph like a flock; Thou that dwellest between the
cherubim, shine forth. 2 Before Ephraim and
Benjamin and Manasseh stir up Thy strength, and
come and save us.
3 Turn us again, O God, and cause Thy face to
shine; and we shall be saved.
4 O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be
angry against the prayer of Thy people? 5 Thou
feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest
them tears to drink in great measure. 6 Thou
makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our
enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause Thy
face to shine; and we shall be saved.
8 Thou has brought a vine out of Egypt: Thou
hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. 9 Thou
preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take
deep root, and it filled the land. 10 The hills were
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
and His Infinite lovingkindness. So we too can mote on
gather courage and comfort as we think of God's RlYvri
"great and gracious work. " We realize that God *
leads us too, even as He led His people by the hand of
Moses and Aaron, and that we have but to trust in
Him, and try at all times to obey His laws. Then we
need fear no evil, for we know He is ever with us.
LXXX. D
f)pv x$ mnxn i b$yp\ njsn
ntei kmm i onsx jjaS2 :npsin Mnjn
*? v: it t-t-. i- it: |avt i: v t~:1
t V tIt /*? ; t aVt! t ? t|Vt ? ~ ? ***t I
I** ** :- t vr>>r at ? j-t j t I v|t - ; -
97 H
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
IPs. LXXX. covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs there-
of were like the goodly cedars, n She sent out her
boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.
12 Why hast Thou then broken down her hedges,
so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?
13 The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the
wild beast of the field doth devour it.
14 Return, we beseech Thee, O God of hosts:
look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this
vine; 15 And the vineyard which Thy right hand
hath planted, and the branch that Thou madest
strong for thyself. 16 It is burned with fire, it is cut
down: they perish at the rebuke of Thy countenance.
17 Let Thy hand be upon the man of Thy right
hand, upon the son of man whom Thou hast chosen
for Thyself. 18 So shall we not go back from Thee:
quicken Thou us, and we will call upon Thy name.
to Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause
Thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
IRote on The author of Psalm lxxx. must have been a
(C)s. LXXX. countryman, like David who tended his father's
sheep, and like the prophet Amos who was a herds-
man in the hills of Tekoa. The imagery of the
Psalm is inspired by the thought of vineyards, and
of the beasts of the fields and the forest.
The Psalmist pictures God as the Shepherd of
Israel--but the flock has strayed from the care of
the shepherd into a perilous place. Then comes the
prayer of the chorus verse, repeated after each stanza
of the Psalm (verses 3, 7, 14, slightly varied but
? essentially the same, and 19), " Turn us again, O God,
and cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. "
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
12 :otfpft yjttyi m"TM- TMyxp nfe^11 ps-LXXX-
n^Dna* 13 :Tn najrSa rrnw nma jwis
t: v: tiv :? j-t i>>: -at- i* -.
:m\ jsa -tp# r^ni D;p^a t3an &o ai#
Iit t \r- ? I ? ? Iav ? : 'i:it v -; t-:i
|" |jVt t --at; j'*t jt *. :
:rtfe>wi Tlh nxn uteti rite Drfot
ti"t-: I ? . * t t ? -; a t: v:
The picture of God's care of Israel under the mote on
parable of the vine, planted deep down in the chosen LXXX.
ground, flourishing and spreading over the land, is
drawn with the master touch of one familiar with
the work of vineyards.
The main thought of the Psalm is brought vividly
before us in the imagery of these two parables, the
forlorn flock and the unprotected vine.
The imagery of the hedge round the vine depicts
Israel's consciousness of a great religious mission.
When that consciousness is lost, Israel becomes
defenceless, a prey to every marauder; and through his
own loss of godliness brings about his own desolation.
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
mpte on Quitting imagery, the Psalmist prays the simple,
earnest prayer, "May Thy hand be on the man of
Thy right hand, on the son of the man Thou hast
chosen unto Thyself. " The prayer expresses the
heart's desire of the poet of Israel, and his mindful-
ness of the proud heritage of his race, as God's
chosen messenger.
The word "man" occurs twice in the English
version of the seventeenth verse, but the Hebrew
has no repeated word, WN, "the man of
Thy right hand," corresponds closely to the English
epithet "right-hand man," and means the man who
is upheld by Thy right hand.
In the second half
of the verse Oli* ]3, literally " son of Adam," means
PSALM LXXXI.
Go tbe Cbief Ausician. a psalm ot Ssapb.
Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a
joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. 2 Take a
psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant
harp with the psaltery. 3 Blow the trumpet in
the new moon, in the time appointed, on our
solemn feast day. 4 For this was a statute for
Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob. 5 This he
ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went
out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a
language that I understood not.
6 I removed his shoulder from the burden: his
hands were delivered from the pots. 7 Thou calledst
in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
all mankind. Thus the Psalmist's prayer is that the mote on
hand of God may be on the man (in the collective P8, LXXX.
sense of the race) chosen from among all mankind to
be the messenger of God, while the last verse utters
a prayer for the salvation of all mankind by whole-
hearted faith in God.
Through two thousand years of suffering and
oppression Israel has been "quickened" (in the old
sense of the word, "made to live") by the con-
sciousness of his great and comforting mission to
mankind, to voice the truth of the unity of God and
of the direct communion (with no mediator, divine or
human,) between God and the soul of every human
being.
LXXXI. MS
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? THE' CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
IPs. LXXXI. the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the
waters of Meribah. Selah. 8 Hear, O My people,
and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt
hearken unto Me; 9 There shall no strange god be
in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.
10 I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of
the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will
fill it. 11 But my people would not hearken to my
voice; and Israel would none of Me. 12 So I gave
them up unto their own heart's lust: and they walked
in their own counsels. 13 Oh that My people had
hearkened unto Me, and Israel had walked in My
ways! 14 I should soon have subdued their
enemies, and turned My hand against their adver-
saries. 15 The haters of the Lord should have
submitted themselves unto Him: but their time
should have endured for ever. 16 He should have
fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and
with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied
thee.
IHote on The eighty-first Psalm begins with a cheerful call
IPs. LXXXI. j. o song and music in honour of God.
When we are thinking about God, the sound of
noble music seems to echo the thoughts which
are in our minds, but which we cannot put into
words. There are many beautiful songs in the
Bible besides the Book of Psalms; for the heroes of
Israel were wont to use music and poetry to express
their deepest feelings.
Thus Moses sang a song of thanksgiving after the
great deliverance of Israel at the Red Sea, and forty
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
*ppQx Dsn nnp. ? tj^k ^n*n nxn^ rnxs 7 (C)a. lxxxi.
v-;p-: ? /; kt '? ? I:I v:r i j" -* ? ?
H$& i&PQ T0^: TP! 1 10 :1$ V?
at ? j ? ; ? ? ? ; ;,tl ? t 't i "t ; ? ;
v "it -: /,? : - jv ? ? : 1 lTi i --: t : ?
t ? i* ? ft t n j-*: -: l*t '* t
vtei n&aS ntsn aSna vtagw TM :DSiyS
J" ? ? at ? vj"" " t t;
years later his last words to the children of Israel mote on
before his death were in the form of a great elegiac (C)8* LXXXI-
song.
King David, a poet and musician himself, per-
ceived that music is the best language of worship,
and instituted a daily service of song by the Levites
in charge of the ark. * In the history of the world
* The heading "For the Chief Musician" which occurs in
so many of the Psalms doubtless means that these Psalms were
destined for use in this daily service of song.
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
on these are the first recorded daily prayer-services as
AAAi- distinguished from sacrificial offerings. They were
the model, not only for the prayer-services of the
Temple and the Synagogue, but for every modern
form of prayer-service to this day. Wherever a
congregation gathers for the worship of God, in
synagogue, cathedral, chapel, or mosque, the con-
gregants take part in a service modelled on the
service of song established by King David 3,000
years ago.
After the stirring call to song and praise, a word
in the fifth verse recalls Israel's slaver}' in Egypt,
and then the Psalmist pictures God Himself speaking
to Israel, reminding them how He rescued them
from slavery and cherished them, and revealed His
Law to them. "But my people would not hearken
to My voice. "
The last ten verses of the Psalm recall the lines
in Paradise Lost in which the Almighty is pictured
as saying of Adam:--
"He and his faithless progeny. Whose fault?
Whose but his own? I made him just and right,
Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall. "
But the tenderness of the Divine reproach in the
Psalm, is strikingly absent in Milton's poem.
The moral teaching of the 13th, 14th, and 15th
verses is illustrated throughout the history of the
PSALM LXXXII.
a Ipsalm of asapb.
God standeth in the congregation of God: He
judgeth among the judges. 2 How long will ye
judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked?
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
world. So long as nations are dominated by lofty mote on
and pure ideals--implying the virtues of self-sacrifice LXX
and self-control--so long they remain mighty. But
whenever selfishness and self-indulgence have taken
possession of them, they have lost their might, and
their capacity for ruling, and have sunk out of
existence. The Israelites could only triumph over
their enemies when they triumphed over themselves,
and proved themselves worthy to be God's chosen
people. The triumph of Israel therefore meant the
triumph of goodness. Thus we come to see the real
meaning clothed by the Psalmist in the majestic
imager}' of God turning His hand against the
adversaries of Israel.
It is the sacred duty of every Israelite to shun
those "strange gods" of selfishness, greed, in-
difference to human suffering, and self-indulgence,
that taint the purity of the human soul even more
fatally than the image worship of primitive times.
However humble our lot may be, it is within the
power of us all to strive toward this ideal if we do
but fully realize the meaning of the farewell words
of Moses: "For this commandment which I
command thee this day is not hidden from thee,
neither is it far off. But the word is very nigh to
thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart, that thou
mayest do it"
lxxxii. no
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
ps. Selah. 3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do
LXXXII justice to the afflicted and needy. 4 Deliver the
poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the
wicked. 5 They know not, neither will they
understand; they walk on in darkness: all the
foundations of the earth are out of course. 6 I
have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children
of the most High. 7 But ye shall die like men,
and fall like one of the princes. 8 Arise, O God,
judge the earth: for Thou shalt inherit all nations.
IRote on This impressive exhortation of Asaph tells a
Exxxn sorrowml ta-le between its lines. Judges charged in
the name of the Supreme Judge of all with the
solemn duty of preventing wrong being done to their
fellow-beings, had betrayed their sacred trust, and
had judged unjustly and favoured evil-doers. Asaph
mourns their sin in the terrible words, "All the
foundations of the earth are out of course," i. e. the
moral foundations on which the well-being of man-
kind depend.
It is natural that unjust judges should be held
in peculiar horror and contempt by the "People
of the Book," and Asaph's words bring the feeling
vividly before us.
The equal right of every human being, however
lowly, to personal justice is repeatedly and
emphatically proclaimed in the Laws of Moses. The
passage in Exodus, chap. 21, "Thou shalt give
life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth," &c, has
sometimes been misinterpreted as a harsh and cruel
law, comparing unfavourably with the teachings of
the New Testament. But that comparison leaves out
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
of account the essential difference between the Law, mote on
which is an evenhanded instrument of justice to LXXXII.
protect both the weak and the powerful, and sermons,
which are moral precepts based on the Law. The
precepts of the prophets and preachers are based on
the Laws of Moses. The passage in Exodus quoted
above lays down the law on the sacred value of life
and bodily powers. The life and limbs of the slave
are as precious as those of the prince, and the
penalty of depriving a fellow-creature of them must
be the same in either case. But the rigid fairness
and rectitude enjoined in the Mosaic Law, and
above all in the Ten Commandments, did not mean
either harshness or cruelty; on the contrary the Law
of Moses is conceived in the very spirit of mercy and
kindness: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as Thy-
self" (Leviticus xix. 18). "Love ye the stranger, for
ye were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Deuteronomy
x. 19). "Let thy manservant and thy maidservant
rest as well as thou" (Deuteronomy v. 14). These
are the keynotes of the Mosaic Law, which enjoins
kind and considerate treatment of the unfortunate
m7
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? THE CHILDREN'S PSALM-BOOK
mote on and afflicted and of dependants, and punctual pay-
LXXXII rnen* ^or a^ service> generous treatment of faithtul
servants and charity to the poor--not as the out-
come of passing pity or generosity but as a perpetual
binding duty. * It also contains humane provisions
in regard to many matters (such as the prevention of
cruelty to animals, and of wanton waste of bird life,
safeguards against dangerous buildings, &c. ) only
dealt with by statute in this country as recently as
the Victorian era. f When Asaph calls on the judges
to defend the" poor and the fatherless, and to do
justice to the afflicted and the needy, and rid them
out of the hand of the oppressor, he is echoing the
very words of Moses.
The crowning law of all, which--as Hillel said --
is The Law, and all the rest only commentary, is the
famous eighteenth verse of the nineteenth chapter of
Leviticus:--
"Love thy neighbour as thyself. "
The word "neighbour" is used in no narrow
sense: "If a stranger sojourn with thee in thy land,
ye shall not vex him . . . thou shalt love him as
thyself" (Lev. xix. 34).
"Ye shall have one manner of law as well for the
stranger as for one of your own country" (Lev.
xxiv. 22).
* Leviticus xix. 13, 14; Deuteronomy xvi. 2, xxiv. 15.
t Deuteronomy xxii. 6, 8, 10.
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