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REJOICE in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. 2 Praise the LORD with harp sing unto Him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. 3 Sing unto Him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise. 4 For the word of the LORD is right; and all His works are done in truth. 5 He loveth righteousness and judgment the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. 6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. 7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: He layeth up the depth in storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. 9 For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. IO The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: He maketh the devices of the people of none effect. II The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever; the thoughts of His heart to all generations. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance. 13 The LORD looketh from heaven; He beholdeth all the sons of men. 14 From the place upon all the inhabi

of His habitation He looketh tants of the earth. 15 He fashioneth their hearts alike; He considereth all their works. 16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a

Ps. XXXIII. mighty man is not delivered by much strength. 17 A horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. 18 Behold the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His mercy; 19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waiteth for the LORD: He is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. 22 Let Thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in Thee.

Mote on

The first verse calls on the righteous to rejoice in Ps. XXXIII. the thought of God.

Rejoicing is a characteristic of the righteous, for goodness and happiness go together, just as evil is ever to be found in company with discontentedness and grumbling.

The Jewish religion is a religion of cheerfulness begotten by faith in the perfection of the wisdom and lovingkindness of God (such faith as is breathed in the fourth and fifth verses of this Psalm) and faith also in His infinite and universal power.

The twelfth verse finds an echo in the heart of every Israelite conscious of the God-given heritage of his people, the task and duty of making known to the world through all time that God alone is the Creator and Ruler of the universe and all that is therein.

For the world and all its wonders are the work of God, and His work and His laws last for ever by reason of their unalterable greatness and wisdom. How different to human work! But if we remember

and always try to obey the laws God has given to us note on
(and through Israel to the whole world), He will Ds. XXXIII.
bless us.
For God knows the heart of every one of
us:-"He fashioneth their hearts alike, He considereth
all their works," means that He has given to every
human being the power to try to do right, and He
knows all our temptations to do wrong, and all our
efforts to resist them.

Our own bodily strength, or the strength of soldiers and horses, however strong they may be, cannot save any one of us; for sorrow and misfortune, disease and death, may come upon us at all times. Where then is our strength? The Psalmist answers :--" 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 waiteth for the Lord. He is our Help and our Shield."

The Jewish conception of man's spiritual destiny -the safety of his soul as opposed to mere bodily safety-is forcibly told in these verses.

Mote on

of

Strength comes to us to face all manner Ps. XXXIII dangers and trials if we live our lives with "our souls waiting for the Lord," always trying to obey the eternal laws of right and wrong by resisting all temptation to do what we know is wrong, and ever striving to do what we know is right.

That is the attitude of mind and conscience that the Psalmist pictures in verses 18, 19, 20, and 21,

PSALM XXXIV.

A Psalm of David when be feigned madness before
Abimelech, who drove him away, and be departed.

I WILL bless the LORD at all times: His praise
shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul shall
make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear
thereof, and be glad. 3 O magnify the LORD with
me, and let us exalt His name together. 4 I sought
the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from
all my fears. 5 They looked unto Him, and were
lightened and their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him,
and saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel
of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear
Him, and delivereth them. 8 O taste and see that
the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth
in Him. 9 O fear the LORD, ye His saints: for
there is no want to them that fear Him.
IO The
young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they
that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.
II Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach