431 Judge me, O God, And plead my cause against a nation not pious, From a man of deceit and perverseness Thou dost deliver me, 2 For thou 'art' the God of my strength. Why hast Thou cast me off? Why mourning do I go up and down, In the oppression of an enemy? 3 Send forth Thy light and Thy truth, They—they lead me, they bring me in, Unto Thy holy hill, and unto Thy tabernacles. 4 And I go in unto the altar of God, Unto God, the joy of my rejoicing. And I thank Thee with a harp, O God, my God. 5 What! bowest thou thyself, O my soul? And what! art thou troubled within me? Wait for God, for still I confess Him, The salvation of my countenance, and my God!
441 To the Overseer.—By sons of Korah. An Instruction. O God, with our ears we have heard, Our fathers have recounted to us, The work Thou didst work in their days, In the days of old. 2 Thou, 'with' Thy hand, nations hast dispossessed. And Thou dost plant them. Thou afflictest peoples, and sendest them away. 3 For, not by their sword Possessed they the land, And their arm gave not salvation to them, But Thy right hand, and Thine arm, And the light of Thy countenance, Because Thou hadst accepted them. 4 Thou 'art' He, my king, O God, Command the deliverances of Jacob. 5 By Thee our adversaries we do push, By Thy name tread down our withstanders, 6 For, not in my bow do I trust, And my sword doth not save me. 7 For Thou hast saved us from our adversaries, And those hating us Thou hast put to shame. 8 In God we have boasted all the day, And Thy name to the age we thank. Selah.
9 In anger Thou hast cast off and causest us to blush, And goest not forth with our hosts. 10 Thou causest us to turn backward from an adversary, And those hating us, Have spoiled for themselves. 11 Thou makest us food like sheep, And among nations Thou hast scattered us. 12 Thou sellest Thy people—without wealth, And hast not become great by their price. 13 Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, A scorn and a reproach to our surrounders. 14 Thou makest us a simile among nations, A shaking of the head among peoples. 15 All the day my confusion 'is' before me, And the shame of my face hath covered me. 16 Because of the voice of a reproacher and reviler, Because of an enemy and a self-avenger.
17 All this met us, and we did not forget Thee, Nor have we dealt falsely in Thy covenant. 18 We turn not backward our heart, Nor turn aside doth our step from Thy path. 19 But Thou hast smitten us in a place of dragons, And dost cover us over with death-shade. 20 If we have forgotten the name of our God, And spread our hands to a strange God, 21 Doth not God search out this? For He knoweth the secrets of the heart. 22 Surely, for Thy sake we have been slain all the day, Reckoned as sheep of the slaughter. 23 Stir up—why dost Thou sleep, O Lord? Awake, cast us not off for ever. 24 Why Thy face hidest Thou? Thou forgettest our afflictions and our oppression, 25 For bowed to the dust hath our soul, Cleaved to the earth hath our belly. 26 Arise, a help to us, And ransom us for thy kindness' sake.
451 To the Overseer.—'On the Lilies.'—By sons of Korah.—An Instruction.—A song of loves. My heart hath indited a good thing, I am telling my works to a king, My tongue 'is' the pen of a speedy writer. 2 Thou hast been beautified above the sons of men, Grace hath been poured into thy lips, Therefore hath God blessed thee to the age. 3 Gird Thy sword upon the thigh, O mighty, Thy glory and Thy majesty! 4 As to Thy majesty—prosper!—ride! Because of truth, and meekness—righteousness, And Thy right hand showeth Thee fearful things. 5 Thine arrows 'are' sharp,—Peoples fall under Thee—In the heart of the enemies of the king.
6 Thy throne, O God, 'is' age-during, and for ever, A sceptre of uprightness 'Is' the sceptre of Thy kingdom. 7 Thou hast loved righteousness and hatest wickedness, Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee, Oil of joy above thy companions. 8 Myrrh and aloes, cassia! all thy garments, Out of palaces of ivory Stringed instruments have made thee glad. 9 Daughters of kings 'are' among thy precious ones, A queen hath stood at thy right hand, In pure gold of Ophir.
10 Hearken, O daughter, and see, incline thine ear, And forget thy people, and thy father's house, 11 And the king doth desire thy beauty, Because he 'is' thy lord—bow thyself to him, 12 And the daughter of Tyre with a present, The rich of the people do appease thy face. 13 All glory 'is' the daughter of the king within, Of gold-embroidered work 'is' her clothing. 14 In divers colours she is brought to the king, Virgins—after her—her companions, Are brought to thee. 15 They are brought with joy and gladness, They come into the palace of the king. 16 Instead of thy fathers are thy sons, Thou dost appoint them for princes in all the earth. 17 I make mention of Thy name in all generations, Therefore do peoples praise Thee, To the age, and for ever!
27 And when the fourteenth night came—we being borne up and down in the Adria—toward the middle of the night the sailors were supposing that some country drew nigh to them; 28 and having sounded they found twenty fathoms, and having gone a little farther, and again having sounded, they found fifteen fathoms, 29 and fearing lest on rough places we may fall, out of the stern having cast four anchors, they were wishing day to come. 30 And the sailors seeking to flee out of the ship, and having let down the boat to the sea, in pretence as 'if' out of the foreship they are about to cast anchors, 31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, 'If these do not remain in the ship—ye are not able to be saved;' 32 then the soldiers did cut off the ropes of the boat, and suffered it to fall off. 33 And till the day was about to be, Paul was calling upon all to partake of nourishment, saying, 'Fourteen days to-day, waiting, ye continue fasting, having taken nothing, 34 wherefore I call upon you to take nourishment, for this is for your safety, for of not one of you shall a hair from the head fall;' 35 and having said these things, and having taken bread, he gave thanks to God before all, and having broken 'it', he began to eat; 36 and all having become of good cheer, themselves also took food, 37 (and we were—all the souls in the ship—two hundred, seventy and six), 38 and having eaten sufficient nourishment, they were lightening the ship, casting forth the wheat into the sea.
39 And when the day came, they were not discerning the land, but a certain creek were perceiving having a beach, into which they took counsel, if possible, to thrust forward the ship, 40 and the anchors having taken up, they were committing 'it' to the sea, at the same time—having loosed the bands of the rudders, and having hoisted up the mainsail to the wind—they were making for the shore, 41 and having fallen into a place of two seas, they ran the ship aground, and the fore-part, indeed, having stuck fast, did remain immoveable, but the hinder-part was broken by the violence of the waves. 42 And the soldiers' counsel was that they should kill the prisoners, lest any one having swam out should escape, 43 but the centurion, wishing to save Paul, hindered them from the counsel, and did command those able to swim, having cast themselves out first—to get unto the land, 44 and the rest, some indeed upon boards, and some upon certain things of the ship; and thus it came to pass that all came safe unto the land.
(Read Acts 27:21-29)
They did not hearken to the apostle when he warned them of their danger; yet if they acknowledge their folly, and repent of it, he will speak comfort and relief to them when in danger. Most people bring themselves into trouble, because they do not know when they are well off; they come to harm and loss by aiming to mend their condition, often against advice. Observe the solemn profession Paul made of relation to God. No storms or tempests can hinder God's favour to his people, for he is a Help always at hand. It is a comfort to the faithful servants of God when in difficulties, that as long as the Lord has any work for them to do, their lives shall be prolonged. If Paul had thrust himself needlessly into bad company, he might justly have been cast away with them; but God calling him into it, they are preserved with him. They are given thee; there is no greater satisfaction to a good man than to know he is a public blessing. He comforts them with the same comforts wherewith he himself was comforted. God is ever faithful, therefore let all who have an interest in his promises be ever cheerful. As, with God, saying and doing are not two things, believing and enjoying should not be so with us. Hope is an anchor of the soul, sure and stedfast, entering into that within the veil. Let those who are in spiritual darkness hold fast by that, and think not of putting to sea again, but abide by Christ, and wait till the day break, and the shadows flee away.
(Read Acts 27:30-38)
God, who appointed the end, that they should be saved, appointed the means, that they should be saved by the help of these shipmen. Duty is ours, events are God's; we do not trust God, but tempt him, when we say we put ourselves under his protection, if we do not use proper means, such as are within our power, for our safety. But how selfish are men in general, often even ready to seek their own safety by the destruction of others! Happy those who have such a one as Paul in their company, who not only had intercourse with Heaven, but was of an enlivening spirit to those about him. The sorrow of the world works death, while joy in God is life and peace in the greatest distresses and dangers. The comfort of God's promises can only be ours by believing dependence on him, to fulfil his word to us; and the salvation he reveals must be waited for in use of the means he appoints. If God has chosen us to salvation, he has also appointed that we shall obtain it by repentance, faith, prayer, and persevering obedience; it is fatal presumption to expect it in any other way. It is an encouragement to people to commit themselves to Christ as their Saviour, when those who invite them, clearly show that they do so themselves.
(Read Acts 27:39-44)
The ship that had weathered the storm in the open sea, where it had room, is dashed to pieces when it sticks fast. Thus, if the heart fixes in the world in affection, and cleaving to it, it is lost. Satan's temptations beat against it, and it is gone; but as long as it keeps above the world, though tossed with cares and tumults, there is hope for it. They had the shore in view, yet suffered shipwreck in the harbour; thus we are taught never to be secure. Though there is great difficulty in the way of the promised salvation, it shall, without fail, be brought to pass. It will come to pass that whatever the trials and dangers may be, in due time all believers will get safely to heaven. Lord Jesus, thou hast assured us that none of thine shall perish. Thou wilt bring them all safe to the heavenly shore. And what a pleasing landing will that be! Thou wilt present them to thy Father, and give thy Holy Spirit full possession of them for ever.
