| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
| 1 Call, I pray thee! Is there any that answereth thee? and to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn? |
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| 2 For vexation killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the simple. |
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| 3 I myself saw the foolish taking root, but suddenly I cursed his habitation. |
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| 4 His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, and there is no deliverer: |
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| 5 Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh even out of the thorns; and the snare gapeth for his substance. |
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| 6 For evil cometh not forth from the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; |
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| 7 For man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upwards. |
Born unto trouble – All of Adam's posterity are "born in sin and shapen in iniquity." (Psa. 51:5) R2049:3
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| 8 But as for me I will seek unto *God, and unto God commit my cause; |
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| 9 Who doeth great things and unsearchable, marvellous things without number; |
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| 10 Who giveth rain on the face of the earth, and sendeth waters on the face of the fields; |
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| 11 Setting up on high those that are low; and mourners are exalted to prosperity. |
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| 12 He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, and their hands carry not out the enterprise. |
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| 13 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness; and the counsel of the wily is carried headlong: |
Own craftiness – The wisdom of selfishness seeks to grasp and hold everything for self. R1518:3
The Lord chooses "babes" who will babble forth the truth unceremoniously to confound the wise. R942:2
Illustrated in the effect of the gold standard and the demonetizing of silver on the stock market. SM687:3; OV337:4
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| 14 They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope at midday as in the night. |
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| 15 And he saveth the needy from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty. |
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| 16 So the poor hath what he hopeth for, and unrighteousness stoppeth her mouth. |
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| 17 Behold, happy is the man whom +God correcteth; therefore despise not the chastening of the Almighty. |
Despise not – Illustrated by David's confession, reformation and seeking of forgiveness when overtaken in a fault. PD43/53
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| 18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up; he woundeth, and his hands make whole. |
He woundeth – Many of our own hearts were wounded, but it is the wounded heart that is ready to be bound up and to be healed and to be transformed. HG270:3
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| 19 He will deliver thee in six troubles, and in seven there shall no evil touch thee. |
Shall deliver thee – Exceeding great and precious promise to the Bride class. R4784:2
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| 20 In famine he will redeem thee from death, and in war from the power of the sword. |
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| 21 Thou shalt be hidden from the scourge of the tongue; and thou shalt not be afraid of destruction when it cometh. |
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| 22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh, and of the beasts of the earth thou shalt not be afraid. |
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| 23 For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee. |
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| 24 And thou shalt know that thy tent is in peace; and thou wilt survey thy fold, and miss nothing. |
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| 25 And thou shalt know that thy seed is numerous, and thine offspring as the herb of the earth. |
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| 26 Thou shalt come to the grave in a ripe age, as a shock of corn is brought in in its season. |
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| 27 Behold this, we have searched it out, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thyself. |
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