as kings, or as Divine rulers, ministrants of Divine order, in the common family, socia:.. political, and national relations of life. Perhaps it may be said with truth that iri regard to Messiah, as in regard to David, the governmental priesthood is more pro~i- nent than the sacrificial priesthood. 'l'he royalty of Melchizedek is certainly the chief poiut of reference to the psalmist, The Lord Jesus is our King-Priest for ever.-R. T. Ver. 7.-Spii-itual refreshment for spiritual work. "He shall drink of the brook in the way: tr,erefore shall he lift up the head." The literal meaning of the figure i~ easy to trace. "'l'he victorious leader, who has made so terrible a slaughter that the field of battle is covered with corpses, is now seen pursuing his enemies. W P-aried with the battle and the pursuits, be stops for a moment on his way to refresh himself by drinking of the· torrent rushing by, and then 'lifts up his head,' derives new vigour to continue the pursuit" (Perowne). But the war-figures only paint for us the spiritual work and the spiritual triumphs of Messiah; and this particular figure only suggests two things: (1) that Messiah, in doing his spiritual work, needs refreshment; and (2) that Messiah, in his anxiety about completing his spiritual work, scarcei_y stops to attend to his refreshment. To this a third thought may be added-that God provided refreshment for him who was so earnestly doing his work. It may be noticed that Eastern people have a very skilful way of drinking from a flowing stream without stopping in their running. They throw the water up into the mouth. An Eastern traveller writes, "In an excursion across an Arabian desert, some of the Arabs, on coming to water, rushed to it, and stooping sufficiently to allow the right hand to reach the water, they threw it up into their mouths so dexterollSly, that I never observed any of the water to fall upon the breast, I often tried to do it, but never succeeded." .Applying the verse in a general way to e.ll who, with Christ, are engaged in spiritual work, we may say- I. SPIBITUAL WORK IS EXHAUSTmG TO THE BODILY FRAME AS WELL AS TO THE sPmITUAL NATURE. It is enough to recall the fatigue of Jesus on some memorable occasions, such as at Jacob's well, in the boat, or at Gethsemane. II. GoD PROVIDES REFRESHMENTS FOR EXHAUSTED SPIRITUAL WORKERS, Represented by the "brook iu the way." Illustrate by God's gracious treatment of exhausted Elijah. He refreshed him, bodily, with food; he refreshed him, spiritually, with. visions. Water is the type of soul-refreshings. III. THE EARNEST SPIRI'l'UAL WORKER WILL NOT LET EVEN NE0ESSABY spiritual rcfreshings unduly detain him from his work. He will take only a passing drin.k. He will be "faint, yet pursuing."-Il. T.
Vars. 1-7.-0/irist the DiviM King and Prrest. Many difficulties in the inter- pretation of this psalm. Let us accept it as, in the maiD, a prophecy of the Jewish Messiah. Then we find the two main features of it fulfilled iu the Christ of history. I. HE HAS DEEN RAISED TO THE DIVINE THRONE OF KINGLY POWER. (Vars. 1-3.) 1. The power by which he subdues the world is spiritual and Divine. His cross " the rod of his strength." 2. Bis servants are willing soldiers in the holy war. (Ver. S.) Numberless as the drops of the morning dew. 3. He will reign till he has obtained a universal victory. II. THE PBIERTllOOD OF CHRIST. 1. Priest by direct Divine ordination. "The Lord hath sworn." 2. .A universal Priesthood, Not of the Jew only, but of the Gentile also, like Melchizedek. 3. A Priest not for a time, but for ever. 4. The eacrifice he offers is-himse?f.-S.
EXPOSITION. doubt closely resembles ll Both begin PSALM OXI. with "Hallelujah;" both are e.lphabetio; ANOTHER "Hallelujah psalm," and at the both cousin of twenty lines, arranged into same time an "alphabetic psalm." It bas ten verses. The one is tho complement of been called a "twin psalm" with the ono the other; while Ps. oxi. " sets forth the \'llhich follows (Ps. cxii.), and beyond all greatness, mercy, and righteousness of God,"_ SS THE BOOK OF PSALMS. [PB, oxr. 1-10.