Ver. 2.-The Divine interest in Zion. Taking Zion as a poetical name for Jerusalem, the temple city, and as the representative of every place where public and united worship is offered to God. Zion is still, for us, the pious name for God's house. The point prominent is this-that we shonld love God's house and worship is not in any sense surprising; bui it is a surprise of condescension and grace that God should love our sanctuaries, and find his pleasure in our worship. Yet even this we are permitted to realize, and this the saints of God have realized. The historical associations of this psalm cannot be fixed. It certainly does not belong to the Davidic age, for its outlook is too wide, its spirit too liberal and too comprehensive. It may reflect the more hopeful feeling of the returned exiles; it does match precisely the feeling expressed in some of the later chapters of Isaiah, notably the sixtieth. But it must be admitted that a rigid exclusiveness rather than a liberal inclusiveness characterized the returned exiles; and the psalm is altogether too generous for them. The suggestion that it belongs to the time of Hezekiah is certainly to be preferred. When the Assyrian power was humbled by the overthrow of Sennacherib, it seemed, to excited feeling, that Judah was to be the world's deliverer, and Jerusalem was likely to become the centre of a confederacy of delivered nations. That was the hope of Hezekiah ; it was the promise of the moment, which gains expression in the psalm. In 2 Cbron. xxxii. 22, 23, the events immediately following on the deliverance from Assyria are indicated. "And many brought gifts unto the Lord to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah King of Judah; so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from henceforth." Hezekiah piously recognized that all the honour coming to him was really due to God, who bad showed such favour to his servant, his city, and his people. I. GoD IS INTERESTED IN ZION BECAUSE OF WHAT HE HAS DONE FOB IT. illus- trate bow those whom we tend and care for-the babe, the invalid~reep into our very hearts. So if we join in raising a new church building, bow dear it becomes to us I God had given ages of care to bis Zion, so it had become inexpressibly dear to him. See the pathetic pleadings, which reveal deep feeling, as in Hosea. II. GOD IS INTERESTED IN ZION BECAUSE OF WHAT HE CAN BE TO IT. We specially love those for whom we feel we can do all they need. Illust.: mother's feeling for her babe. God can "supply all our need," e.nd it must be infinitely pleasant to be able to make" all grace abound." III. GOD IS INTERESTED IN ZION BECAUSE OF WHAT IT CAN BE TO HDt:. Zion can need, and so draw out his fulness. Zion can trust, and so respond to his trustworthi- ness. Zion can worship, and so glorify him. Zion cnn be beautiful, and so show forth his praise.-R. T.
Ver. 3.-What can be said/or our Jerusalem, "Glorious things are spoken of thee, 0 city of God." In this joyous exclamation the poet of Hezekiah's time gathers up the joy of the kingdoms round Palestine, which were relieved of their anxiety by Jehovab's humiliation of Assyria. Jerusalem became the praise of everybody. It had become the champion-deliverer of the nations. Its God had brought it glory. To it every eye was gratefully turned. We may think what things were then said ; and let them suggest things that may rightly be said now of our "city of God." I. GLORIOUS THINGS WERE BEING SAID OF THE CITY ITSELF, Events bad turned everybody's eyes towards it, and everybody began to see that "beautiful for> situation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion." Give account of the very striking position of the city ; its remarkable bills, precipices, and valleys; and, according to the taste of tho acre, 0 the architectural grandeur of its temple, its palaces, and its towers. When we feel kindly towards a place or person, it is astonishing what excellent e.nd lovely 228 THE BOOK OF PSALMS, [PS. LXXXVD. 1-7,