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The growing fear of war, the increasing terror of modern weapons, the shrinkage of
space by reason of wireless and air transport, the sudden worthlessness of frontiers as
defences, are driving the nations of the earth to seek some means of bringing about
international unity. This will ultimately lead to the rise of Babylon, and the advent of the
last and greatest of the world's dictators. But what the nations vainly seek to establish by
policy and through fear, God intends to bring about by grace. Rome attempted some
such uniting of the nations when it extended to them the rights of citizenship of that
Empire; Greek philosophy groped amid the shadows after universal citizenship, and by
its system of proselytizing even Judaism made some attempt to attain this end.
In Psalm 86:, which immediately precedes the one under review, Davie foresees
the conversion of the nations, saying:
"All nations whom Thou hast made, shall come and worship before Thee, O Lord;
and shall glorify Thy name" (Psa. 86: 9).
Coming to the Psalm from which the title of these articles is taken, and which has
started this line of thought, we observe the following features. The opening
superscription, "A Psalm or Song for the sons of Korah", is balanced by the closing
subscription, "A Song or Psalm for the sons of Korah, to the chief Musician upon
Mahalath Leannoth". The key to these Psalm titles was discovered by Dr. J. W. Thirtle
while examining two independent Psalms, namely the one in Isa. 38: 9-20, and that
in Hab. 3: In each of these the relationship of Title and Subscription is clear. The
complete Psalm is as follows:
(1)
The super-scription or title proper.
(2)
The body of the Psalm itself.
(3)
The sub-scription.
This subject forms the material of Appendices 64 and 65 of The Companion Bible,
in which great work all the Psalms are set out in conformity with this pattern.
The words Mahalath Leannoth, therefore, instead of being part of Psalm 88:,
form the sub-scription of Psalm 87: Mahalath means "The great dancing", for this
is how Aquila translates the word in his revision of the Septuagint. Leannoth means
"shouting", or "great shouting".
"We have only to read the Psalm in the light of I Sam. 6: 14, 15 to see the obvious
connection with David's bringing the Ark to Zion. In verse 2 of the Psalm there is a
distinct allusion to the other places where the Ark had found a temporary dwelling.
Shiloh (I Sam. 1: 3; 2: 14; 3: 21; Psa. 78: 60); Bethshemesh (I Sam. 6: 13);
Kirjath-jearim (I Sam. 7: 1); Gibeah (II Sam. 6: 3, 4); the house of Obededom
(II Sam. 6: 10-12).
But none of these was the dwelling place Jehovah had chosen.
Hence, Zion is celebrated as `the Mount Zion which He loved' (Companion Bible,
Appendix 65 10:)."
The association of the removal of the Ark with "dancing" is established by
II Sam. 6: 14.