201 Jehovah answer thee in the day of trouble; The name of the God of Jacob set thee up on high; 2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, And strengthen thee out of Zion; 3 Remember all thy offerings, And accept thy burnt-sacrifice; [Selah] 4 Grant thee thy heart's desire, And fulfil all thy counsel. 5 We will triumph in thy salvation, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners: Jehovah fulfil all thy petitions.
6 Now know I that Jehovah saveth his anointed; He will answer him from his holy heaven With the saving strength of his right hand. 7 Some [trust] in chariots, and some in horses; But we will make mention of the name of Jehovah our God. 8 They are bowed down and fallen; But we are risen, and stand upright. 9 Save, Jehovah: Let the King answer us when we call.
211 The king shall joy in thy strength, O Jehovah; And in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! 2 Thou hast given him his heart's desire, And hast not withholden the request of his lips. [Selah] 3 For thou meetest him with the blessings of goodness: Thou settest a crown of fine gold on his head. 4 He asked life of thee, thou gavest it him, Even length of days for ever and ever. 5 His glory is great in thy salvation: Honor and majesty dost thou lay upon him. 6 For thou makest him most blessed for ever: Thou makest him glad with joy in thy presence.
7 For the king trusteth in Jehovah; And through the lovingkindness of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8 Thy hand will find out all thine enemies; Thy right hand will find out those that hate thee. 9 Thou wilt make them as a fiery furnace in the time of thine anger: Jehovah will swallow them up in his wrath, And the fire shall devour them. 10 Their fruit wilt thou destroy from the earth, And their seed from among the children of men. 11 For they intended evil against thee; They conceived a device which they are not able to perform. 12 For thou wilt make them turn their back; Thou wilt make ready with thy bowstrings against their face. 13 Be thou exalted, O Jehovah, in thy strength: So will we sing and praise thy power.
221 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? [Why art thou so] far from helping me, [and from] the words of my groaning? 2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou answerest not; And in the night season, and am not silent. 3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. 4 Our fathers trusted in thee: They trusted, and thou didst deliver them. 5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered: They trusted in thee, and were not put to shame. 6 But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised of the people. 7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, [saying], 8 Commit [thyself] unto Jehovah; Let him deliver him: Let him rescue him, seeing he delighteth in him. 9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb; Thou didst make me trust [when I was] upon my mother's breasts. 10 I was cast upon thee from the womb; Thou art my God since my mother bare me.
11 Be not far from me; For trouble is near; For there is none to help. 12 Many bulls have compassed me; Strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. 13 They gape upon me with their mouth, [As] a ravening and a roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint: My heart is like wax; It is melted within me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; And my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; And thou hast brought me into the dust of death. 16 For dogs have compassed me: A company of evil-doers have inclosed me; They pierced my hands and my feet. 17 I may count all my bones; They look and stare upon me. 18 They part my garments among them, And upon my vesture do they cast lots. 19 But be not thou far off, O Jehovah: O thou my succor, haste thee to help me. 20 Deliver my soul from the sword, My darling from the power of the dog. 21 Save me from the lion's mouth; Yea, from the horns of the wild-oxen thou hast answered me.
22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: In the midst of the assembly will I praise thee. 23 Ye that fear Jehovah, praise him; All ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; And stand in awe of him, all ye the seed of Israel. 24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Neither hath he hid his face from him; But when he cried unto him, he heard. 25 Of thee cometh my praise in the great assembly: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. 26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied; They shall praise Jehovah that seek after him: Let your heart live for ever. 27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto Jehovah; And all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. 28 For the kingdom is Jehovah's; And he is the ruler over the nations. 29 All the fat ones of the earth shall eat and worship: All they that go down to the dust shall bow before him, Even he that cannot keep his soul alive. 30 A seed shall serve him; It shall be told of the Lord unto the [next] generation. 31 They shall come and shall declare his righteousness Unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done it.
211 And when it came to pass that were parted from them and had set sail, we came with a straight course unto Cos, and the next day unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara: 2 and having found a ship crossing over unto Phoenicia, we went aboard, and set sail. 3 And when we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left hand, we sailed unto Syria, and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unlade her burden. 4 And having found the disciples, we tarried there seven days: and these said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not set foot in Jerusalem. 5 And when it came to pass that we had accomplished the days, we departed and went on our journey; and they all, with wives and children, brought us on our way till we were out of the city: and kneeling down on the beach, we prayed, and bade each other farewell; 6 and we went on board the ship, but they returned home again. 7 And when we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais; and we saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day.
8 And on the morrow we departed, and came unto Caesarea: and entering into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, we abode with him. 9 Now this man had four virgin daughters, who prophesied. 10 And as we tarried there some days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus. 11 And coming to us, and taking Paul's girdle, he bound his own feet and hands, and said, Thus saith the Holy Spirit, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. 12 And when we heard these things, both we and they of that place besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, What do ye, weeping and breaking my heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. 14 And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done.
15 And after these days we took up our baggage and went up to Jerusalem. 16 And there went with us also [certain] of the disciples from Caesarea, bringing [with them] one Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge.
17 And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.
(Read Acts 21:1-7)
Providence must be acknowledged when our affairs go on well. Wherever Paul came, he inquired what disciples were there, and found them out. Foreseeing his troubles, from love to him, and concern for the church, they wrongly thought it would be most for the glory of God that he should continue at liberty; but their earnestness to dissuade him from it, renders his pious resolution the more illustrious. He has taught us by example, as well as by rule, to pray always, to pray without ceasing. Their last farewell was sweetened with prayer.
(Read Acts 21:8-18)
Paul had express warning of his troubles, that when they came, they might be no surprise or terror to him. The general notice given us, that through much tribulation we must enter into the kingdom of God, should be of the same use to us. Their weeping began to weaken and slacken his resolution Has not our Master told us to take up our cross? It was a trouble to him, that they should so earnestly press him to do that in which he could not gratify them without wronging his conscience. When we see trouble coming, it becomes us to say, not only, The will of the Lord must be done, and there is no remedy; but, Let the will of the Lord be done; for his will is his wisdom, and he doeth all according to the counsel of it. When a trouble is come, this must allay our griefs, that the will of the Lord is done; when we see it coming, this must silence our fears, that the will of the Lord shall be done; and we ought to say, Amen, let it be done. It is honourable to be an old disciple of Jesus Christ, to have been enabled by the grace of God to continue long in a course of duty, stedfast in the faith, growing more and more experienced, to a good old age. And with these old disciples one would choose to lodge; for the multitude of their years shall teach wisdom. Many brethren at Jerusalem received Paul gladly. We think, perhaps, that if we had him among us, we should gladly receive him; but we should not, if, having his doctrine, we do not gladly receive that.
