Vers. 23-25.-Diaciplinary experience. It is singular that in ver. 25 God should be spoken of as the agent in turning the hearts of the Egyptians to hate hi~ people. Some would soften the expression, and make it mean only that God suffered the hostility arising from the increase of the people. But there is no difficulty when once we see that God's dealings with us are disciplinary; that he uses the ordioary events of life for bis disciplinary purposes, and that in a poem he may be said to arrange and control the events which he uses for his moral ends. I. ALL HU.MAN LIFE IS DISCIPLINARY. It is precisely this that ennobles human life, and distinguishes it from the life of the brute. The events and relations of life do nothing for the animal save complete its animal nature. The eveots and relations of life mould and train man. Heh the better or the worse, morally, for every incident of his career, and for every person with whom he comes in contact, To say that a thing is testing, or trying, is to say that it bas a culturing f<Yroe in it; it has a moral aim. Self-mastery can only be won through discipline. II. DISCIPLINE C0llEB THROUGH THINGS TIUT ABE GOOD. IIere, in the case of Israel, our attention is directed to that swift increase of populatioo "Which is the best idea of national good (ver. 24). It is representative of the successes which God often gives men. But the disciplinary feature of world-success is not sufficiently recognized. No severer strain is put on men's characters than that which comes by lettiog them succeed. Gaining wealth or fame has overstrained many a man. Moral character failed under the strain. III. DISCIPLINE COMES THROUGH THINQS THAT ARE MYSTERIOUS. The sphere of the mysterious enlarges as we grow in knowle,ige and experience. The youog stu.ient can explain everything, The grey-haired professor can explain nothing. Discipline comes by finding that we cannot know. It tests whether we can believe, and let faith give its tone to life. Science boasts that it knows, but science can do nothing witliout the scientific imagination ; and that brings in the element of uncertainty. IV. DISCIPLINI!: COMES 'l'HROUGH THINQS THAT ARE EVIL. This is true io both senses of the word "evil," which may mean "wicked" or "calamitous." Israel was disciplined through the hatred of Pharaoh, and also through the suffering~ of their lot. The sanctifying power of aflliction for Christians is oft.en dwelt on; the disciplinary power of hard nnd trying circumstances, for every one, needs fuller and wiser trea.tment.-R. 'l'.
Ver. 21.-Delivering judgme11ts. The "signs" here mentioned are the" plagues" which Jehovah sent on Egypt for the humbling of its weak but obstinate Pharaoh. They were "judgments" for Egypt; they were first steps of "deliverance" for Israel, So the psalmist, regarding them from the standpoint of God's dealing with his ancestors, very properly treats them as "delivering judgments." All Divine judgments a.re two- sided: we see what they are to those who are judged; we ought to see what they a.re to those who are called to learn through the judgme11ts. I. WHAT ARE DIVINE JUDGMICNTS TO THOSE WHO ENDURE THEM? Such the plagues were to Pharaoh 11nd the Egyptians. Observe that the question really at issue was, the THE BOOK OF PSALMS. • trs. ov. 1-45.
relative claim and ability of the Egyptian gods and Israel's G(-d, Then it is easy to see (and De11n Stanley, in his 'Jewish Church,' vol. i. p. 102, helps us to illustrate) tbat the plagues dem~nstrated the ~elplessne~s of_ t~e i~olR, and the supreme power of Jehovah. And that 1s the proper 1sRue of all D1vme Judgments. They are intended to break us off from all formR of self-trust, and to convince us of the supreme nuthority and power of God, '1'.•ho is "known by the judgments that he executeth." " When his judgments are abroad in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness." II. '\'il'HAT ARE DIVINE JUDGMENTS TO THOSE WHO WATCH THEM? Such wero the ~sraelites, whose. territory_ of Gosl_1cn was not aITected by the plagues. But they wore 111 dnnger of takmg up with the idolatry of Egypt; they found it hard to keep true to the unseen Jehovah. So the judgments they did but observe, and did not feel, exerted a similar influence on them. They convinced them of the utter helplessness and uselessness of the Egyptian gods. 'l'hey proved that tho unseen Jehovah-God was practically effective in the actual scenes of nature and life. They even saw more than thi".- '.J'he judgm~nts ~hich thus fell on those who held the~ in bondage, were plainly begmnmgs of Gods dehverauce for them. If they seemed to tighten the Egyptian hold, they really lo?sened i~. And when the series of judgments reached their climax, Pharaoh and his Egyptians were ready enough to thrust them out. So, while to those who come under Divine judgments they prove humblings; to those who watch and learn, they seem to be Divine deliverances.-R. T.