41 In my calling answer Thou me, O God of my righteousness. In adversity Thou gavest enlargement to me; Favour me, and hear my prayer. 2 Sons of men! till when 'is' my glory for shame? Ye love a vain thing, ye seek a lie. Selah. 3 And know ye that Jehovah Hath separated a saintly one to Himself. Jehovah heareth in my calling to Him. 4 'Tremble ye, and do not sin;' Say ye 'thus' in your heart on your bed, And be ye silent. Selah. 5 Sacrifice ye sacrifices of righteousness, And trust ye unto Jehovah.
6 Many are saying, 'Who doth show us good?' Lift on us the light of Thy face, O Jehovah, 7 Thou hast given joy in my heart, From the time their corn and their wine Have been multiplied. 8 In peace together I lie down and sleep, For Thou, O Jehovah, alone, In confidence dost cause me to dwell!
51 My sayings hear, O Jehovah, Consider my meditation. 2 Be attentive to the voice of my cry, My king and my God, For unto Thee I pray habitually. 3 Jehovah, 'at' morning Thou hearest my voice, 'At' morning I set in array for Thee, And I look out. 4 For not a God desiring wickedness 'art' Thou, Evil inhabiteth Thee not. 5 The boastful station not themselves before Thine eyes: Thou hast hated all working iniquity. 6 Thou destroyest those speaking lies, A man of blood and deceit Jehovah doth abominate.
7 And I, in the abundance of Thy kindness, I enter Thy house, I bow myself toward Thy holy temple in Thy fear. 8 O Jehovah, lead me in Thy righteousness, Because of those observing me, Make straight before me Thy way, 9 For there is no stability in their mouth. Their heart 'is' mischiefs, An open grave 'is' their throat, Their tongue they make smooth. 10 Declare them guilty, O God, Let them fall from their own counsels, In the abundance of their transgressions Drive them away, Because they have rebelled against Thee. 11 And rejoice do all trusting in Thee, To the age they sing, and Thou coverest them over, And those loving Thy name exult in Thee. 12 For Thou blessest the righteous, O Jehovah, As a buckler with favour dost compass him!
61 O Jehovah, in Thine anger reprove me not, Nor in Thy fury chastise me. 2 Favour me, O Jehovah, for I 'am' weak, Heal me, O Jehovah, For troubled have been my bones, 3 And my soul hath been troubled greatly, And Thou, O Jehovah, till when? 4 Turn back, O Jehovah, draw out my soul, Save me for Thy kindness' sake. 5 For there is not in death Thy memorial, In Sheol, who doth give thanks to Thee? 6 I have been weary with my sighing, I meditate through all the night 'on' my bed, With my tear my couch I waste. 7 Old from provocation is mine eye, It is old because of all mine adversaries,
8 Turn from me all ye workers of iniquity, For Jehovah heard the voice of my weeping, 9 Jehovah hath heard my supplication, Jehovah my prayer receiveth. 10 Ashamed and troubled greatly are all mine enemies, They turn back—ashamed 'in' a moment!
16 and Paul waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, beholding the city wholly given to idolatry, 17 therefore, indeed, he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the worshipping persons, and in the market-place every day with those who met with him. 18 And certain of the Epicurean and of the Stoic philosophers, were meeting together to see him, and some were saying, 'What would this seed picker wish to say?' and others, 'Of strange demons he doth seem to be an announcer;' because Jesus and the rising again he did proclaim to them as good news, 19 having also taken him, unto the Areopagus they brought 'him', saying, 'Are we able to know what 'is' this new teaching that is spoken by thee, 20 for certain strange things thou dost bring to our ears? we wish, then, to know what these things would wish to be;' 21 and all Athenians, and the strangers sojourning, for nothing else were at leisure but to say something, and to hear some newer thing.
22 And Paul, having stood in the midst of the Areopagus, said, 'Men, Athenians, in all things I perceive you as over-religious; 23 for passing through and contemplating your objects of worship, I found also an erection on which had been inscribed: To God—unknown; whom, therefore—not knowing—ye do worship, this One I announce to you. 24 'God, who did make the world, and all things in it, this One, of heaven and of earth being Lord, in temples made with hands doth not dwell, 25 neither by the hands of men is He served—needing anything, He giving to all life, and breath, and all things; 26 He made also of one blood every nation of men, to dwell upon all the face of the earth—having ordained times before appointed, and the bounds of their dwellings— 27 to seek the Lord, if perhaps they did feel after Him and find,—though, indeed, He is not far from each one of us, 28 for in Him we live, and move, and are; as also certain of your poets have said: For of Him also we are offspring. 29 'Being, therefore, offspring of God, we ought not to think the Godhead to be like to gold, or silver, or stone, graving of art and device of man; 30 the times, indeed, therefore, of the ignorance God having overlooked, doth now command all men everywhere to reform, 31 because He did set a day in which He is about to judge the world in righteousness, by a man whom He did ordain, having given assurance to all, having raised him out of the dead.'
32 And having heard of a rising again of the dead, some, indeed, were mocking, but others said, 'We will hear thee again concerning this;' 33 and so Paul went forth from the midst of them, 34 and certain men having cleaved to him, did believe, among whom 'is' also Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman, by name Damaris, and others with them.
(Read Acts 17:16-21)
Athens was then famed for polite learning, philosophy, and the fine arts; but none are more childish and superstitious, more impious, or more credulous, than some persons, deemed eminent for learning and ability. It was wholly given to idolatry. The zealous advocate for the cause of Christ will be ready to plead for it in all companies, as occasion offers. Most of these learned men took no notice of Paul; but some, whose principles were the most directly contrary to Christianity, made remarks upon him. The apostle ever dwelt upon two points, which are indeed the principal doctrines of Christianity, Christ and a future state; Christ our way, and heaven our end. They looked on this as very different from the knowledge for many ages taught and professed at Athens; they desire to know more of it, but only because it was new and strange. They led him to the place where judges sat who inquired into such matters. They asked about Paul's doctrine, not because it was good, but because it was new. Great talkers are always busy-bodies. They spend their time in nothing else, and a very uncomfortable account they have to give of their time who thus spend it. Time is precious, and we are concerned to employ it well, because eternity depends upon it, but much is wasted in unprofitable conversation.
(Read Acts 17:22-31)
Here we have a sermon to heathens, who worshipped false gods, and were without the true God in the world; and to them the scope of the discourse was different from what the apostle preached to the Jews. In the latter case, his business was to lead his hearers by prophecies and miracles to the knowledge of the Redeemer, and faith in him; in the former, it was to lead them, by the common works of providence, to know the Creator, and worship Him. The apostle spoke of an altar he had seen, with the inscription, "TO THE UNKNOWN GOD." This fact is stated by many writers. After multiplying their idols to the utmost, some at Athens thought there was another god of whom they had no knowledge. And are there not many now called Christians, who are zealous in their devotions, yet the great object of their worship is to them an unknown God? Observe what glorious things Paul here says of that God whom he served, and would have them to serve. The Lord had long borne with idolatry, but the times of this ignorance were now ending, and by his servants he now commanded all men every where to repent of their idolatry. Each sect of the learned men would feel themselves powerfully affected by the apostle's discourse, which tended to show the emptiness or falsity of their doctrines.
(Read Acts 17:32-34)
The apostle was treated with more outward civility at Athens than in some other places; but none more despised his doctrine, or treated it with more indifference. Of all subjects, that which deserves the most attention gains the least. But those who scorn, will have to bear the consequences, and the word will never be useless. Some will be found, who cleave to the Lord, and listen to his faithful servants. Considering the judgement to come, and Christ as our Judge, should urge all to repent of sin, and turn to Him. Whatever matter is used, all discourses must lead to Him, and show his authority; our salvation, and resurrection, come from and by Him.
