CHAPTERS 18 to 26 of Deuteronomy are filled with special instruction, various directions given by Moses, great principles by which questions are to be decided; and various laws are repeated for the government of Israel, regulation of their worship, etc. It is not possible for us to detail them in the space at our disposal. It may be worth while to mention the prophecy of our Lord Jesus Christ found in Deut. 18:15-18, as referred to by Peter in the third chapter of Acts. In Deuteronomy 27 and 28 are given the blessings and the curses which should come upon God's children if they were faithful to God or disobedient. A wonderful prophecy is that of Deuteronomy 28. Predictions again and again had been given of events which had come upon the Jews and which had been literally fulfilled. It also tells for the truth of the Scriptures. Here were prophecies which were given against the very people who recorded them and cared for them, yet their regard for that Word led them to keep it intact through all the centuries as the record which God left by Moses. Of course it condemned them and made all the more forcible the truth which the Lord uttered through them. Two excellent poems are given us in chapters 32 and 33; chapter 32 the song that Moses taught Israel to help them to remember God and His wonderful works and promises to them, and chapter 33 Moses' prophecy concerning the various tribes. Chapter 34 was doubtless added by Joshua in giving an account of Moses' death.
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AS AN interlude in our historic and legal readings we bring in the first book of Psalms. The Psalms are generally mentioned as one book, but in reality they compose four books, the first book from Psalm 1 to 41 inclusive. We have two days of reading the Psalms this week, including Psalms 1 to 11. Some of these are very precious indeed. In fact, not one single phase of human experience which this old world proffers but we have something in the Psalms which is in harmony with it, scriptures which will help the soul in discouragement, strengthen him in time of trial, give him solid comfort in times of grief, point out dangers of sin, warn of transgression. Ever do they point to a God who is able and willing and anxious to save. We wish that all our readers who could memorize at all would learn the first Psalm. It is well to keep it with us constantly. The second Psalm is a prophecy of our Lord Jesus Christ's crucifixion and resurrection from the dead, the power of righteousness triumphing over all the powers of darkness. Many of the sentiments of Psalm 5 are often sung in the old hymn beginning, "Lord, in the morning Thou shalt hear my voice ascending high." Note how many of the Psalms begin with an expression of a sense of great need and end with triumph and confidence in God.
