repared by the members of one of the choirs who led the worship in
the temple. By studying these we may learn something about how they
were used.

=The Prayers of David.=--This was the title of one of these smaller
books. It contained Psalms 2 to 41, and some others of our book of
Psalms. All of these are headed in our Bible, "A Psalm of David."
These words, in the original Hebrew, mean "dedicated to David." The
last page in this smaller book is perhaps now found where our Psalm 72
comes to an end with the words, "The Prayers of David the Son of Jesse
are Ended." This sentence corresponded, in the little book, to the
words, "The End," in our modern books. It was copied in what is now
our book of Psalms, even though it is no longer "the end."

These "David" hymns were probably written not only by David, but as
well by members of a synagogue of worshipers who were poor and
oppressed. There are a great number of references to "enemies."
"Deliver me not over unto the will of mine adversaries." "Thou
preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies." These
people probably lived in the days before the reforms of Nehemiah, when
there were indeed many enemies both outside of Jerusalem and within
the city, heathen robbers, and rich oppressors of their own race, men
who cheated them and who mocked them when they prayed for help to
Jehovah.

=The Pilgrim Songs.=--Another very different hymn book embedded in our
book of Psalms is one which we may call the "Pilgrim Songs." It is
found in chapters 120 to 134 of our Psalter. All of these psalms have
the title, "A Song of Ascents." This probably means a song to sing on
the ascent to Jerusalem. These come from the happy time after Nehemiah
when the city was safely protected by walls. Because of this blessed
safety it was now possible for the people once more to go on
pilgrimages to the great annual religious feasts as prescribed in the
law-book of Deuteronomy. Before the walls were rebuilt such gatherings
of pilgrims with their gifts would merely have been an invitation to
robbers. But now the custom of pilgrimages was renewed, and they came
to be among the happiest events of the year in the lives of Jewish men
and women and older boys and girls.

The journey to Jerusalem was usually made in large companies or
caravans for the sake of protection. For the roads outside of
Jerusalem were by no means safe. And naturally in such a crowd of
folks from the home village there w