18 Saying, "Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, The 'lot of your inheritance;" 19 When ye were but 'few, Even a few, and strangers in it. 20 And when they went from nation to nation, 23 d Sing unto the LORD, all the earth; Show forth from day to day his salvation. 24 Declare his glory among the heathen; His marvellous works among all nations. 25 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: He also is to be feared above all gods. е 26 For all the gods of the people are idols: But the LORD made the heavens. 27 Glory and honour are in his presence; Strength and gladness are in his place. 28 Give unto the LORD, ye kindreds of the people, Give unto the LORD glory and strength. 29 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: Bring an offering, and come before him: Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. 30 Fear before him, all the earth: The world also shall be stable, that it be not moved. 31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: And let men say among the nations, The LORD reigneth! 32 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof: Let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein. 1 Heb. cord. Heb. men of number. e Gen. 12. 17; 20. 8. • Lev. 19. 4 f See Gen. 1. 1. d Psa. 96. 1, &c. 33 Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the pres ence of the LORD, Because he cometh to judge the earth. 34 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; For his mercy endureth for ever. 35 And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, And gather us together, And deliver us from the heathen, That we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise. 36 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel forever and ever. 5 Psa. 107. 1; 118. 1; 186. 1. h1 Kings 8. 15. INTRODUCTION TO PSALM XV. PSALM OF DAVID. When the priests had lifted the ark, and had advanced "six paces," and saw that God approved the attempt, they paused, and "offered seven bullocks and seven rams." As the procession approached the city, from the broad plateau of table-land west of Jerusalem, the particular hill of Zion, where the ark was to rest, arose to view in all its outline of grandeur and beauty; and the people now contemplated it as the "holy hill" where God would henceforward make his abode, and which he would consecrate by his peculiar presence. In such a place, the wicked and the profane might not fitly live. And the following Psalm seems now to have been chanted. PSALM XV. ON THE SECOND REMOVAL OF THE ARK. David describeth a worthy citizen of Zion. TA Psalm of David. 1 LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? с 3 He that backbiteth not with his tongue, Nor doeth evil to his neighbour, Nor 'taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. 4 In whose eyes a vile person is contemned, But he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. 5 He that putteth not out his money to usury, Nor taketh reward against the innocent. h He that doeth these things shall never be moved. As they ascend Mount Zion, the rejoicing of the people reaches its climax; and the measured sound of their praises and their exultations, led by the musical bands of the Levites, swell from the innumerable hosts like the sound of many waters. "Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord, with shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps." As they approach the place where the ark is to rest, and where Jehovah is to place his throne among his chosen people, feelings of triumph inspire the nation. The curtains of the sacred tent are lifted, the ark is soon to enter, and "Jehovah, the King of glory," is to "come in." They now chant the sublimest of all their triumphal odes. The Psalm is responsive, and must have been sung or cantillated with indescribable effect. PSALM XXIV. ON THE SECOND REMOVAL OF THE ARK, AS THE PRIESTS ASCENDED ZION AND APPROACHED THE SACRED TENT. God's dominion in the world, 1, 2; the citizens of his spiritual kingdom, 3-6; the triumphal entry of Jehovah upon Mount Zion, 7-10. TA Psalm of David. 1 The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein. 2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, 3 And established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? b 4 'He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully; 5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, 6 And righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek Him, That seek thy face, 'O Jacob! See Gen. 1. 19; 14. 19. Selah! b Job. 17. 9. 1 Tim. 2. 8. © Mat. 5. 8. Or, O God of Jacob! 7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates! 8 9 10 And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors! Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates! Even lift them up, ye everlasting doors! The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah! d Isaiah 26. 2. e Psa. 97. 6. Hag. 2. 7. Mal. 8. 1. 1 Cor. 2. 8. INTRODUCTION TO PSALMS CV, CVI, AND XCVI. PSALMS OF DAVID. The priests had now deposited the ark within the curtains of the sacred tent on Mount Zion. The earnest wish of the pious king was now fulfilled. He had made provision for the more regular and edifying worship of Jehovah. He had restored the Levites to their proper rank and influence. He had opened new privileges to the people, and had awakened a universal impulse of pious feeling in the nation. Now, more than at any time since the days of Moses, the chosen seed were prepared to enjoy the high political and religious blessings chartered to them in the covenant of Abraham, and ratified and enlarged in the law of Moses. 2 Samuel vi, 17, 18. It should be considered that the Hebrew people were originally nothing more than a nomad tribe, mixing agriculture with their pursuits only as a secondary interest, and so far as the sterner necessities of life required. As a consequence of this mode of life, they were unable to build cities, or even to maintain a permanent abode in any one locality. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had lived at Hebron, at Gerar, at Beersheba, |