Many are the afflictions of Jehovah's anointed One, here called "the righteous One," but Jehovah delivers Him out of them all; but affliction shall utterly slay the wicked one. So also shall Jehovah deliver the souls of His servants; but those that hate "the righteous One" shall be desolate. Ver. 19-22.

PSALM XXXV.

Jehovah's anointed One, here called "the afflicted and needy One," prays to Him for help against those that contend with Him. Ver. 1-10.

He details their malice. Ver. 11-16.

He prays to Jehovah, as His Lord, to deliver His servant. Ver. 17-28.

PSALM XXXVI.

Here we have, first, an utterance concerning the wicked one. Ver. 1-4.

Then the godly remnant, at the contemplation of the wicked one's ways, offer praise to Jehovah on account of His lovingkindness, His faithfulness, His righteousness, and His judgments. Vers. 5 and 6. They especially praise Him on account of His loving-kindness to the children of men as a whole. Ver. 7-9. They pray for the continuance of His loving-kindness towards themselves. Vers. 10 and 11. As to the workers of iniquity, they must fall; their overthrow must Ver. 12.

come.

PSALM XXXVII.

This is a word of exhortation for the godly remnant of Israel in the last days, when the wicked one, antichrist, is oppressing, and spreading himself like a green native tree, flourishing in its own soil.

They are neither to fret under his goading, nor to envy his prosperity. They are to trust in Jehovah and do good, whatever others may do, or whatever may be the consequences of their so doing. Nay, more, they are to delight themselves

in Jehovah and to count upon His working on their behalf. In due time, and that speedily, the wicked one and his associates shall be cut down like the grass, and the lowly shall possess the land. It is not lowly to fret. Ver. 1-11.

The wicked one may plot against the righteous one, and the wicked may draw out their sword to cast down the afflicted and needy one; but it is the wicked that shall perish. Ver. 12-15.

The little of the righteous man is better than the riches of many wicked; for the former have Jehovah on their side, whilst the latter have Jehovah against them. Ver. 16–20.

Then we have the ways of the wicked one and of the righteous one, in things of this life, contrasted. The generosity of the latter stands in connection with their knowing that they possess the blessing of Jehovah, and that that blessing shall ultimately put them in possession of the land. Ver. 21-26.

So the word to the godly remnant, however severe their trials, is, "Depart from evil and do good.. the righteous shall possess the land, and dwell therein for ever." Ver. 27-29.

Neither is the tongue of the righteous to be silent. This may draw down upon them greater enmity, but it is they that shall possess the land. Ver. 30-34.

All this, says the prophet, he has seen. Ver. 35-40.

The party here addressed, although truly godly (acknowledged by God as such), and living on the earth during the last days, are evidently not the church; for they are expecting deliverance from their enemies, not by being caught up out of their midst, like the church (1 Thess. iv. 17), but by God's judgments upon their enemies, and this to put them in possession of an earthly inheritance.

PSALM XXXVIII.

This psalm and the next are intimately connected.

This psalm is a prayer of Jehovah's anointed One under the sense of His wrath, wrath for iniquities that were His, although not committed by Him. "Jehovah hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. liii. 6). Here we may see Him as the Goel redeemer, giving His own life's blood as the ransom-price. He commits Himself into the hands of

Jehovah as His Lord and His God.

PSALM XXXIX.

Jehovah's anointed One relates how He was exercised to keep silence even from good, whilst the wicked were before Him. Ver. 1-3.

This stirs His sorrow, so that ultimately He breaks silence, but not to man. Before Jehovah His Lord He pours out His heart, asking to be made acquainted with all His frailty as a man. Ver. 4-6.

He further asks to be delivered from all His transgressions, His, although not committed by Him; and that Jehovah would remove His stroke. Ver. 7-11.

He yet further asks that Jehovah would turn away His anger. Vers. 12 and 13. This prayer was surely answered when we find Him saying with His last words, "Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit" (Luke xxiii. 46).

PSALM XL.

Jehovah's anointed One records the fact that Jehovah had in answer to His prayer raised Him up from the dead and put a new song, even the song of praise, into His mouth. Many, he says, shall through the knowledge of this fact learn to trust in Jehovah. His resurrection is the token that sin has been put away, and a door of return for sinners opened, through His shed blood. Ver. 1-4.

He then offers praise to Jehovah, His God, for His many wonderful works on His own behalf and on behalf of those associated with Him. Ver. 5.

Next He records before Him the position that He found Himself in, as sent into the world to take the place of those sacrifices that were offered under the law, and recites before Him the prayer that He offered whilst bearing on that occasion the sins of others. This was the prayer that Jehovah had answered in raising Him up from the dead. Ver. 6-17.

PSALM XLI.

Jehovah's anointed One, here called "the poor One," pronounces a blessing upon the man that enters in spirit into His sorrows. Ver. 1-3.

He states His own case in the way of recording His prayer to Jehovah; He seeks acquittal from Jehovah as one charged with sin. Ver. 4. His enemies also so judged Him, not knowing that it was with their sins that He was laden. Ver. 5-9. He prays to be raised again from the dead. Anticipating this event, and not only so, but to be set before Jehovah's face for ever, He blesses Jehovah, the God of Israel. Ver. 10-13.

PART II.

PSALM XLII.

This psalm and the next are most intimately connected. Here we find a godly remnant of Israel, as separated from God's house and amongst enemies, bemoaning their condition. The taunts of their adversaries are deeply felt, and that all the more in the remembrance of former days. Ver. 1-5.

They mourn in the bitterness of their souls, but seek to encourage themselves by the knowledge that Jehovah, the unchanging One, will yet command His loving-kindness for them by day, and that in the night they can sing His song and pray unto Him, the God of their life. Ver. 6–11.

PSALM XLIII.

This psalm is altogether in the same strain as the last, indeed it seems to be a part of it. Its peculiarity consists in this, that whilst in the preceding psalm strangers seem to be the adversaries of the godly remnant of Israel, here their own ungodly nation seems to be the chief source of their sufferings. By the expression "the man of deceit and iniquity," we find the wicked one or antichrist referred to, and thus are led to see that it is the godly remnant of Israel in the last days that we are occupied with.

PSALM XLIV.

Here the godly remnant of Israel identify themselves with their still unpardoned nation. They rehearse before God what their fathers had told them concerning His works of old on behalf of their nation, and that simply because He was pleased to show them favour. Ver. 1-3.

They entreat Him to send forth His commands on their