Ver, 1.-Reasonings from the Divine activity. "Thy wondrous works declare." The thought of the restless activity of God is made by the psalmists, frequently, their ground of confidence. "He that keepeth thee will not slumber; behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep;" "Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders and the judgmente of his month." As first in trod need to us in the Word, God comes forth into activity ae the Creator of the earth; busy for six continuous Divine periods in framing the world of material things to be the trial-scene for man, and setting man in his sphere. And all the ages of human history have revealed God working in man's spheres, providing, correcting, guiding, restoring, delivering; man's model of unrcsting activity. I. THE DIVINE AOTIVITY IMPRESSES ON us THE DIVINE NOBILITY. Contrast the unexpressive, passive faces of idol-gods. There is no dignity in listlessness, no honour in doing nothing. He is miserable indeed who has nothing to do; but he is a thousandfold more miserable who wants to do nothing. Among men the workers are the true nobility, And God is exalted to our thought when the Lord Jesus says of him, "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." II. THE DIVINE AOTIVITY CONVINCES us OF THE DIVINE INTEREST. Thinking of God's wondrous works, the psalmist feels how near God is to him and to his people- near in love and power, near in succour and blessing. How much more impressive this becomes if we apply it to immediate signs of Divine activity in the sudden overthrow of Sennacherib (2 Kings xix. 35) I Hezekiah could confidently rest in the assurance that God was actively working for him, and the rest of his anxieties would surely be mastered, as this one had been. So we can in a general way assure OW' hearts by read- ing of what God has done for our fathers; but the impression of Divine interest comes home to us only when we have been the objects of some gracious deliverance and guid- e.nee; then we know God is working/or us. III. THE DIVINE ACTIVlTY ASSURES us OF THE DIVINE EFFICIENCY. we can trace the way in which that activity has wrought through long ages; and we can see what it has accomplished. It is not only that " with God all things are possible;" it is that all things are wise, right, good. He can-that is true. " He doeth all things well" -that is even more true; and it is a more precious truth. The conviction that God is working, and that God is near, calls for the thanks which would fittingly express our trust in him.-R. T, Ver. 2.-God'a see time for Judgment. It is not certain whether vers. 2 and 3 are to be taken as an utterance of the psalmist for himself, or whether God is here intro- duced as speaking. Dean Perowne thinks," God is abruptly introduced as the speaker. 'l'he oracle is thus given as from the mouth of God himself, to those who may be in doubt or perplexity because their lot is cast in troublous times." But other writers think that Hezekiah is appealing to God, e.nd assuring him that, even amidst the civil commotions and party struggles creating strong feelings, he will hold fast his integrity BS chief magistrate, and judge fairly, uprightly, between man and man. "Receiving the congregation " is thus a poetical figure for the king's daily magistracy. The Revised Version renders, "When I shall find the set time, I will judge uprightly," and this favours the view that God is the speaker. "Judgment" here probably stands for "active intervention." God often seems to delay his help; e.nd such delay is a strain on faith e.nd feeling. Ho never does really dele.y, because his time is set in infinite wisdom. Illustrate by the waiting at the shores of the Red Sea, for God's set time to make the pathway through. See also Hezekiah's waiting for God's set time before his deliverance from the Assyrians. A " set time" implies- !. 'l'HOUGHT BEFOREHAND. God knew all Hezekil\h's anxieties long before he seemed to intervene. He was interested. He watched. Go•i was caring when he did not seem to care. How much better it is that God should observe e.11 circumstances, and decide for the wisest moment in which to act for us I We may wish him to act e.t once; but in that co.se he could only alter our circumstances. By thoughtfully deciding on e. "set time," the "best time," God is able to bless us, to ce.rry on his sanctifying work in us, A set time implies- 11. THE SELECTION OF THE BEST TIME. But what is e. best time can never be judged from any one point of view. God's best is the best all round; the best for rsALJ/18-II, H 98 THE BOOK OF PSALMS [I'll. LXXV, 1-10,
everybody; 11nd the best in every sense. In connection with the pealm, God'e eet time had to be best for Assyria, best for Sennacherib, best for Israel, best for Hezekiah, best for Shcbna and his party, and best for us who have to lel\rn from the old-world story. We can so seldom make a fair judgment concerning God's "set times" for us because we cannot view them all ronnd, and therefore we easily misunderstand them a: seen from some point of self-interest. A "set time" implies- HI. EFFEOTIVE ACTION WHEN THE TIME BAB COME. Illustrate by the attack of Wolseley on Tel-el-Kebir. A set time was fixed, so everything was prepared and 114justed, and the stroke was vigorously delivered. It is well for us to wait God's time because his time is a " set time."-R. T. '