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Expanded Comments |
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| 1 Thus said Jehovah: 'Keep ye judgment, and do righteousness, For near [is] My salvation to come, And My righteousness to be revealed.' |
And do justice – "Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne." (Psa. 89:14) T124
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| 2 O the happiness of a man who doth this, And of a son of man who keepeth hold on it, Keeping the sabbath from polluting it, And keeping his hand from doing any evil. |
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| 3 Nor speak let a son of the stranger, Who is joined unto Jehovah, saying: 'Jehovah doth certainly separate me from His people.' Nor say let the eunuch, 'Lo, I am a tree dried up,' |
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| 4 For thus said Jehovah of the eunuchs, Who do keep My sabbaths, And have fixed on that which I desired, And are keeping hold on My covenant: |
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| 5 I have given to them in My house, And within My walls a station and a name, Better than sons and than daughters, A name age-during I give to him That is not cut off. |
A name better – The name given is made to refer to position or of official relationship, so that the position is meant when the word "name" is used. R48:2*
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| 6 And sons of the stranger, who are joined to Jehovah, To serve Him, and to love the name of Jehovah, To be to Him for servants, Every keeper of the sabbath from polluting it, And those keeping hold on My covenant. |
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| 7 I have brought them unto My holy mountain, And caused them to rejoice in My house of prayer, Their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices [Are] for a pleasing thing on Mine altar, For My house, 'A house of prayer,' Is called for all the peoples. |
My house – The Temple then was merely a figure of a greater Temple, the Church, which is now in preparation. CR420:1; R5713:2
"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1 Cor. 3:16) R5713:2
House of prayer – The glorified Church, symbolized by the Temple with its Shekinah glory, will be the house of prayer for all nations. R5713:6; CR457:2
Men will approach God through the glorified Church, in which his presence will be manifested, and his mercy will be available to all. R5714:1
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| 8 An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Who is gathering the outcasts of Israel: 'Again I gather to him to his gathered ones.' |
Outcasts of Israel – The publicans and sinners who heard the Gospel message gladly, but whom the Scribes and Pharisees rejected. R5004:6
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| 9 Every beast of the field, Come to devour, every beast in the forest. |
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| 10 Blind [are] his watchmen all of them, They have not known, All of them [are] dumb dogs, they are not able to bark, Dozing, lying down, loving to slumber. |
His watchmen – The clergy of today. R330:4, R717:3
Blind – Of mental perception. R718:3
Because they hold the traditions of men, they cannot see the great prize of our calling. R330:5
Describing the last, or Laodicean, stage of the Gospel house. R717:3, R718:4
Are all ignorant – Of the character and purposes of God. R718:3
"Lo, they have rejected the Word of the Lord, and what wisdom is in them?" (Jer. 8:9) C157
Failing to recognize, and therefore rejecting, the spiritual King now present. C179
Dumb dogs – D-- D--s. F287[F287]
They cannot bark – Cannot speak faithfully for the Master. R718:3
They refuse to awaken the household under their care to a knowledge of Present Truth. R2674:5
Ministerial etiquette intimidating and sealing the lips of any disposed to lift up their voice like a trumpet to show God's people their sins and dangers. R2106:1
Sleeping – Dreaming or talking in their sleep. F287
Lying down – Lazy. F287
Loving to slumber – Loving ease. F287; HG712:6*
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| 11 And the dogs [are] strong of desire, They have not known sufficiency, And they [are] shepherds! They have not known understanding, All of them to their own way they did turn, Each to his dishonest gain from his quarter: |
They are shepherds – Ministers who outwardly pose as God's servants but in reality are hypocrites. SM134:1
Hireling shepherds, "Whose own the sheep are not." (John 10:12) D62; HG715:6
To their own way – Or ism; turned away to fables and science, falsely so-called. R718:3
Welfare, self-interest. F287, R330:4
For his gain – High-sounding titles and lucrative church appointments. R718:3, R3959:4; D61
"The priests thereof teach for hire." (Micah 3:11) F287
From his quarter – His denomination or sect. C179; D61; F287; R3449:3, R3748:2; HG715:3
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| 12 'Come ye, I take wine, And we drink, quaff strong drink, And as this day hath been to-morrow, Great exceeding abundant!' |
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