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"Many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord", and this statement is followed by
the Divine benediction on all such (verse 4).
(4) THE DAY OF EXILE.--The eighty-fourth Psalm was written for the sons of
Korah whose duties are defined in I Chron. 9: 19 as "Keepers of the gates", or
thresholds and "Keepers of the entry". The Psalmist remembers, with poignant feeling,
the tabernacle and courts of the Lord, for there he had found the presence of the living
God. He says, in verse 4, "Blessed are they that dwell in thy house", and then, in the
second part of the Psalm, although for the time being unable to join in worship in the
house of the Lord, yet preferring a doorkeeper's post in the house of God to luxurious
living in wickedness outside of it, he has found full compensation in that simple
"clinging" to the Lord, recognizing that even though separated from the tabernacle of the
Lord, He is nevertheless both Sun and Shield, and will give both grace and glory. He
therefore readily concludes, "Blessed is the man that trusteth in Thee" (Psa. 84: 12).
#4.
The association of trust and hope (Psa. 71: 5).
pp. 53, 54
We have before us at the moment certain blessings and experiences which are linked
together in the Scriptures with that form of trust which can be represented by "clinging"
to the Lord.
In the present article we consider the relation of "hope" with "trust" which is indicated
in Psa. 71: 5.
"For thou art my HOPE, O Lord God, Thou art my TRUST from my youth."
The word "youth" is used with some latitude: it can refer to a new-born child
(Exod. 2: 6), or to one who has reached approximately the age of twenty, as in the case
of Joseph in Gen. 41: 12. The form in which it occurs implies that the words "the day
of" are to be supplied mentally (the evidence for this lies outside the scope of these
articles).
Psalm 71: speaks of "hope" and "trust", and by the disposition of the subject-matter,
"trust" appears to be associated with all the days of this life, from the earliest
recollections of youth to the days of old age and infirmity. "Hope", on the other hand,
appears to be used as though it were the logical outcome of this "trust", but whereas
"trust" extends to the limits of present life--youth and old age--"hope" goes back to the
unconscious moments of birth, and forward to the awakening and renewing of
resurrection. This argument of faith is one that is worth pondering. When we view the
whole stretch of time, and then attempt to visualize within it our own tiny span, so small
and insignificant is it that, were it not for the trust that clings to the Lord in all our
conscious weakness, we should be overwhelmed by the surrounding immensity. Ages