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Heb. ii. 6-8, it is applied to Jesus as the "Son of Man," and the "Son of God:"-" But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet." As Jesus walked about among men he ever realized his standing as in this psalm. Thus when the children of Jerusalem shouted "Hosanna" before him, he accepted their praise as the fulfilment of ver. 2 (Matt. xxi. 16). He is Lord of nature; "the heavens are the work of his fingers, he has ordained the moon and the stars;" but the Father is seen by the Psalmist in this character, and the Son is spoken of as man, and the son of man:

"What is man that thou art mindful of him?

And the son of man that thou visitest him?" (ver. 4.) "Man" in the first clause is enosh, that is, man bearing evil, and frail because of this. In the second clause "man" is adam-the earthmade one. And to this answers the twofold standing of Christ:-He bare our sins in his own body-became enosh-and as such "he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows." He took a "true body and a reasonable soul"-true manhood, a child of Adam, the "son of man." In this twofold aspect of his nature as "for man," the Father greatly honours him, calls him "his beloved son," and leads the Psalmist in the spirit of prophecy to celebrate his glory as over all

nature:

"Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands:

Thou hast put all things under his feet:

All sheep and oxen,

Yea, and the beasts of the field;

The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea,

And whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.”

Psalm xi. In times of trial from the wicked, it is the privilege of the servant of God to continue devoted to the cause of his Lord. Many will urge him to forsake his post and consult his safety, but he must be steadfast to his testimony. This is the condition of matters described in this psalm. The opening words contain David's remonstrance to those who were eagerly urging him to escape the bent bow and set arrow of the wicked:

"In the Lord put I my trust:

How say ye to my soul,

Flee as a bird to your mountain ?"

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When the hunter has brought his bow to his eye, and the arrow is already on the string, flight is the bird's only hope. The carnal eye could not see that the analogy would not hold true. David was already his "mountain." His trust was in Jehova, and he was in good in keeping:

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"His eyes behold,

His eyelids try, the children of men.

His countenance doth behold the upright" (ver. 4, 7).

Psalm xvii.-Hengsterberg says "This psalm has many coincidences with Psalm xvi., which are so important that they favour the idea of both psalms having been united by the author into one pair." This consideration has justly strengthened the belief that Christ speaks here as the suffering Saviour. In the opening verse he appeals to his Father:

"Hear the right, O Lord, attend unto my cry."

He felt that he stood on slippery ground as one bearing the sins of many, and was constantly watched by the Adversary:

"Hold up my goings in thy paths,
That my footsteps slip not " (ver. 5).

But even as man, and the servant of Jehova standing as head and representative of his people, he had taken refuge in the Father:

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"Keep me as the apple of the eye;

Hide me under the shadow of thy wings" (ver. S).

Apple of the eye," see Deut. xxxii. 10. The "shadow of the wing" points to such safety, warmth, and comfort, as the bird enjoys under the shelter of the wing, and among the soft feathers of the parent bird. The wicked were strong upon him. They taunted him with proud words, they compassed his steps to hurt him, and were ready to pounce on him like "evil beasts" on their prey :

"Like as a lion that is greedy for its prey,

And as it were a young lion lurking in secret places" (ver. 12).

"Lion," Heb. ariyeh; "young lion," kephir. The former word is fully noticed under 1 Sam. xvii. 34. The latter points to the shaggy appearance of young lions. It occurs above thirty times, and is for the most part rendered as in this place. It is translated "lion" in Prov. xix. 12, xx. 2, xxviii. 1.

Psalm xviii. is given in 2 Samuel xxii.—“David spake unto the Lord

the words of this song, in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul." The imagery used throughout is highly figurative. In describing some forms of God's self-manifestation, the Psalmist

"And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly:

Yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind" (ver. 10).

"Cherub" is used here as meaning an agent employed by God in

Fig. 113.

Felis Leo.

his great scheme of providence. The riding points to the place in the chariot. The phrase is thus virtually, that God uses such agents as man would his chariot, in setting out to some great undertaking. The wings of the wind are the clouds.

"The Lord thundered in the heavens,

And the Highest gave his voice;
Hailstones and coals of fire" (ver. 13).

See under Psalm xxix. The "coals of
fire" were the lightning flashes which
accompanied the peals of thunder.

"He maketh my feet like hind's feet,

And setteth me on my high places" (ver. 33).

"Hind," Heb. ayālāh, the female of the hart. See under Deut. xii. 22. Allusions to the swiftness of this deer (Cervus elaphas) occur also in Gen. xlix. 21; 2 Sam. xxii. 34; Hab. iii. 19. Bochart proposed to render ayalah in the first passage by "goodly tree." But the use of ayālāh the word in other passages is against this. The terror of the hind in a thunder-storm is noticed in Psalm xxix. 9. The word occurs in other three passages, namely, Job xxxix. 1; Song ii. 7, iii. 5.

Psalm xix. The ministry of blessing yielded by the heavens to the earth, is stated and illustrated in verses 1-6. Unceasingly and universally the orbs of heaven declare God's glory. Chief among these is the sun, from whose heat nothing is hid. Leaving the Works of God, he bends his mind to the Word of God. The glory of Jehovah in the heavens becomes naturally suggestive of his glory in the revelation which he has made of himself to man in the law. The Psalmist has the whole written word in view; and in verses 7-11 he dwells on the purity, preciousness, pleasantness, and profitable character of the law of the Lord :

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