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| 1 Thus said Jehovah, To His anointed, to Cyrus, Whose right hand I have laid hold on, To subdue nations before him, Yea, loins of kings I loose, To open before him two-leaved doors, Yea, gates are not shut: |
To his anointed – Typically. R4699:5
Every business enterprise employs various classes of workers. The firm may not approve of all their moral qualities--some are of good moral character and some of poor character, but the most responsible positions are given to those of recognized good character. R5385:3
In no degree interfering with the moral sense of Cyrus or Israel but taking advantage of the aims and desires of carnal men, their courses, not their motives, to accomplish his plans. R1272:1, R1780:4
To Cyrus – The Median General. type of Christ. R509:6, R2498:4, R4699:5
Typical of Christ, the Prince of the Kings of the East, who, in Revelation is shown drying up the symbolic Euphrates, destroy symbolic Babylon and delivering spiritual Israel. HG521:2
I have holden – God prospered the way of the noble and benevolent Cyrus to the seat of power. R1780:4
Subdue nations – Overthrow literal Babylon, type of mystic Babylon. R2498:3, R509:6
The two leaved gates – Enormous gates of brass spanning the River Euphrates which flowed through Babylon. R2498:2
Shall not be shut – Cyrus dried up the old channel by digging another, and then passed under the brass gates. R2498:3, R509:6; D24
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| 2 'I go before thee, and crooked places make straight, Two-leaved doors of brass I shiver, And bars of iron I cut asunder, |
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| 3 And have given to thee treasures of darkness, Even treasures of secret places, So that thou knowest that I, Jehovah, Who am calling on thy name [am] the God of Israel. |
That thou mayest know – Rather, God would have Cyrus know that his accession to power was not accidental, but by divine arrangement, for the purpose of returning the Israelites. God would have Cyrus recognize him as supervisor of his people's affairs. R1351:1*
By the calamities (evils) inflicted upon them and the overthrow of their man--made gods, to whom they would vainly appeal for deliverance--that there was no God beside the God of Israel. R1351:1*
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| 4 For the sake of my servant Jacob, And of Israel My chosen, I call also thee by thy name, I surname thee, And thou hast not known Me. |
Jacob my servant's sake – As Cyrus made the proclamation which permitted literal Israel to return from captivity, so the King of kings, upon taking his great power as earth's new King, will set free all the Lord's people. HG521:3
Israel mine elect – The fact that we may see in this statement a certain typical application to Christ and the deliverance of nominal spiritual Israel from mystic Babylon does not interfere with the fact that typical Israel is here spoken of as "elect." F176
"You only have I known of all the families of the earth." (Amos 3:2) F176
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| 5 I [am] Jehovah, and there is none else, Except Me there is no God, I gird thee, and thou hast not known Me. |
I girded thee – A stronger hand guides them. R1089:6* Isaiah 45:7
Create darkness – Darkness may be said to be created by the withdrawing of light. R1351:1*
Create – To prepare or arrange, taking cognizance of, and permitting calamities, etc. R849:1
Evil may be said to be created by the withdrawal of the restraint and protection that affords peace. R1351:1*
Showing divine control of every trouble or evil. R871:5
Is God responsible for evil? Yes, in that it comes by permission and arrangement as the proper punishment for violating his laws. No, in that man is the author of his own suffering by his violations of those laws. R871:6
No matter what accidental evils might happen to other nations, no accident could occur to Israel. God would carry out his part of the covenant--every blessing and every evil, just as he had promised. R1226:4, R1887:2, R2029:2
Evil – In this text the word "evil" stands in opposition to the word "peace" and hence carries the thought of trouble, war, or some similar evil opposed to peace. R1271:5, R1780:2
Sin is always an evil, but evil is not always a sin. A125; R1226:2
God is not the author and instigator of sin. A124; R848:3, R1800:4
Because Israel was inclined to view their calamities as accidents, and not as chastisements, God here sends word reminding them of their covenant, and that their calamities were from him and by his will for their correction. A125
Calamities upon the Jewish nation as chastisements for wrongdoing. R1271:5, R1780:2; A124; Q773:4
Two things must be borne in mind--the proper significance of the word "evil" and the special covenant relationship between God and Israel. R1271:4, R1780:1
"Anything that directly or remotely causes suffering." (Webster) R1271:4, R1780:1
The Hebrew word "ra" is translated 32 different ways in our common version. It might be used in referring to any thing not good. Physical evil (calamity) is the only permissible meaning in this context. R1800:2, R871:5
Not sin, but calamity. R1351:2*
All evil, directly or indirectly of God, is both punitory and reformatory. R872:1
Speaking of the evil which came upon Babylon at the hand of Cyrus, who was God's messenger to punish Babylon and restore Israel. R871:5
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| 6 So that they know from the rising of the sun, And from the west, that there is none besides Me, I [am] Jehovah, and there is none else, |
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| 7 Forming light, and preparing darkness, Making peace, and preparing evil, I [am] Jehovah, doing all these things.' |
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| 8 Drop, ye heavens, from above, And clouds do cause righteousness to flow, Earth openeth, and they are fruitful, Salvation and righteousness spring up together, I, Jehovah, have prepared it. |
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| 9 Wo [to] him who is striving with his Former, (A potsherd with potsherds of the ground!) Doth clay say to its Framer, 'What dost thou ' And thy work, 'He hath no hands ' |
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| 10 Wo [to] him who is saying to a father, 'What dost thou beget ' Or to a wife, 'What dost thou bring forth |
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| 11 Thus said Jehovah, The Holy One of Israel, and his Former: Ask Me of the things coming concerning My sons, Yea, concerning the work of My hands, ye command Me.' |
His Maker – Man's Maker. A190; R612:5
Ask me – None have the right to dictate to God. A191; R612:5
Command ye me – Or, assert that he must carry out our ideas? A191
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| 12 I made earth, and man on it prepared, I My hands stretched out the heavens, And all their host I have commanded. |
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| 13 I have stirred him up in righteousness, And all his ways I make straight, He doth build My city, and My captivity doth send out, Not for price, nor for bribe, said Jehovah of Hosts. |
Raised him up – Cyrus was God's messenger to punish Babylon and restore Israel. R871:5
Build my city – Ir, a walled place; here, the court walls of the Temple. The city walls themselves were not built until the 20th year of Artaxerxes. (Neh. 2:3-8) B67
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| 14 Thus said Jehovah, 'The labour of Egypt, And the merchandise of Cush, And of the Sebaim men of measure, Unto thee pass over, and thine they are, After thee they go, in fetters they pass over, And unto thee they bow themselves, Unto thee they pray: Only in thee [is] God, And there is none else, no [other] God. |
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| 15 Surely Thou [art] a God hiding Thyself, God of Israel Saviour! |
God that hidest thyself – He can be seen only by those whose eyes of understanding have been opened. R5210:5; SM472:T
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| 16 They have been ashamed, And they have even blushed all of them, Together gone in confusion have those carving images. |
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| 17 Israel hath been saved in Jehovah, A salvation age-during! Ye are not ashamed nor confounded Unto the ages of eternity!
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World without end – "The world to come" (Heb. 2:5); "wherein dwelleth righteousness" (2 Pet. 3:13); the New Age. A67, E402
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| 18 For thus said Jehovah, Creator of heaven, He is God, Former of earth, and its Maker, He established it not empty He prepared it, For inhabiting He formed it: 'I [am] Jehovah, and there is none else. |
Not in vain – Not to be burned up as some ignorantly think. R1052:6*
To be inhabited – He created various orders of creatures adapted to the earthly home, of which man was the chief--lord, ruler, king. R470:3
By restored, perfect men. Who are we that we should say it is unjust for God to do as he likes with his own? A191
By a glorious race of perfect beings, to whose wants it will be perfectly adjusted when both they and it have attained its ideal perfection, at first illustrated in our progenitor, Adam, and his specially prepared Eden home. R1117:1*
Not to be destroyed by fire. R470:3; SM791:1; PD91/105; HG398:4
The whole earth is eventually to be made like Paradise. CR292:1; PD91/105
The world has never yet been fully inhabited. R5364:4; PD18/26
Necessary resources will suffice, for the process of change is always in a circle and mankind will merely need to follow the circle to its initial starting point and repeat the process throughout eternity. Q772:2
Year by year we see the earth preparing for full inhabitation. Through climatic changes the earth is gradually changing. Gradually will the curse be removed and the blessings of God be substituted. PD91/105
As opposed to scientific theories of the solar system running down, the earth becoming cold and lifeless, the earth dropping into the sun or colliding with a comet or other planet. Q771:1
There is sufficient room--Texas has room to bury three times an exaggerated estimate of all humanity, and they could all stand in an area less than the size of New York or Philadelphia. A161
"And every creature on earth heard I saying, Blessing and honor and glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne." (Rev. 5:13) F52
Other planets were not made in vain either, but may be inhabited by beings yet to be created in God's image, to whom this earth's experience with sin will be a perpetual lesson. F70; E416; Q161:2
There is none else – None has a right to dictate to him. R612:5
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| 19 Not in secret have I spoken, in a dark place of the earth, I have not said to the seed of Jacob, In vain seek ye Me, I [am] Jehovah, speaking righteousness, Declaring uprightness. |
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| 20 Be gathered, and come in, Come nigh together, ye escaped of the nations, They have not known, Who are lifting up the wood of their graven image, And praying unto a god [that] saveth not. |
A god – El, strong, powerful, mighty one. R296:2
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| 21 Declare ye, and bring near, Yea, they take counsel together, Who hath proclaimed this from of old From that time hath declared it Is it not I Jehovah And there is no other god besides Me, A God righteous and saving, there is none save Me. |
None beside me – Yet God hath exalted Jesus and given him the name at which all shall bow. R52:4*
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| 22 Turn to Me, and be saved, all ends of the earth, For I [am] God, and there is none else. |
Look unto me – Not to mind cures, hypnotism, Christian Science, Spiritism, Occultism, etc. SM329:T
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| 23 By Myself I have sworn, Gone out from my mouth in righteousness hath a word, And it turneth not back, That to Me, bow doth every knee, every tongue swear. |
That unto me – The whole world shall be brought back to allegiance to the Heavenly Father. SM16:2
Every knee – Not only the living nations, but also all those who have gone down into death. R2972:4
Shall bow – By acknowledging Christ and the Church the world will be bowing to Jehovah. OV351:4
All who are willing to come into harmony with God will have bowed the knee. R5303:1
Every tongue – Including the repentant fallen angels. R1679:6; HG729:5
Swear – Confess. Those who refuse shall die the Second Death. R5098:1; SM16:2; HG647:4
Bowing to Jehovah's Anointed and confessing him as their Lord and Ruler. HG729:5
There is no more reason why a sinner could not be forgiven in the future than that a sinner could not be forgiven in the present. HG647:2
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| 24 Only in Jehovah, said hath one, Have I righteousness and strength, Unto Him he cometh in, And ashamed are all those displeased with Him. |
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| 25 In Jehovah are all the seed of Israel justified, And they boast themselves.' |
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