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Expanded Comments |
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| 1 [[To the Chief Musician, David's. A Melody.]] O Yahweh! thou hast searched me, and observed: |
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| 2 Thou, hast observed my downsitting and mine uprising, Thou hast given heed to my desire, from afar: |
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| 3 My path and my couch, hast thou examined, and, all my ways, thou well knowest. |
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| 4 Surely there hath not been a word on my tongue, [but] behold! O Yahweh, thou hast observed it on every side. |
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| 5 Behind and before, hast thou shut me in, and hast laid upon me thy hand:– |
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| 6 Knowledge, too wonderful, for me! high, I cannot attain to it! |
Such knowledge – His mighty intellect grasps with ease all the interests of his wide domain, from immensity to minutia. R1864:3
Memory that never fails, judgment that never errs, plans that never miscarry, vigilance that never ceases. R1560:2
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| 7 Whither can I go from thy spirit? or whither, from thy face, can I flee? |
Go from thy spirit – To escape or be hidden from divine power. E366
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| 8 If I ascend the heavens, there, thou art! If I spread out hades as my couch, behold thee! |
My bed in hell – Sheol, oblivion, death, not torment. E366
Thou art there – Even oblivion is accessible to divine power. E366
God has the same power to aid those in hell that he has to bless those in heaven. HG754:6*; HG756:1*
God's power is unlimited. Even over those in the tomb he can, and will, exert it, and bring forth all that are in the graves. (John 5:28) R2599:3
"I have the keys of death and of hades, oblivion." (Rev. 1:18) E366
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| 9 If I mount the wings of the dawn, settle down in the region beyond the sea, |
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| 10 Even there, thy hand shall lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. |
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| 11 If I say, Surely, darkness, shall cover me! then, night, is light about me. |
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| 12 Even darkness, will not conceal from thee,–but, night, like day, will shine, So is the darkness, as the light! |
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| 13 For, thou, didst possess thyself of my reins, thou didst weave me together in the womb of my mother. |
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| 14 I thank thee, in that fearfully was my being distinguished, Wonderful are thy works, and, mine own soul, is observing [them] intently! |
Fearfully – Awe-fully; we are noble creatures, in the image of our God, except as marred by sin. R1566:3
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| 15 My substance was not hid from thee,–when I was made in secret, when I was skilfully figured in the lower parts of the earth. |
My substance – My organism. E404
When I was made – Either at first birth, or in the resurrection. E404
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| 16 Mine unfinished substance, thine eyes beheld, and, in thy book, all the parts thereof were written,–the days they should be fashioned! while yet there was not one among them. |
In continuance – Gradually. E404
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| 17 To me, then, how precious have thy desires become, O GOD! How numerous, the heads of them! |
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| 18 I would recount them! Beyond the sands, they multiply, I rouse myself–and am still with thee. |
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| 19 Wilt thou not, O GOD, slay the lawless one? Therefore, ye men of bloodshed, depart from me! |
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| 20 For they speak of thee wickedly, Thy foes lift up [their hand] unto falsehood. |
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| 21 Do I not hate, them who hate thee, O Yahweh? And loathe, them who rise up against thee? |
Them – Includes both evil men and evil angels. Q322:2
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| 22 With completeness of hatred, I hate them, As enemies, have they become to me. |
Perfect hatred – We want to hate what the Lord hates. "Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity " (Heb. 1:9) R4909:5, R1861:4, R5949:2, R1291:1; Q321:5, Q783:T
We hate the Antichrist systems with "a perfect hatred" because we love God with a perfect love. The two, being opposites, properly produce opposite sentiments. R1191:4
We have no thought of ever becoming more loving than the Lord. R4909:6, R2131:2
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| 23 Search me, O GOD, and observe my heart, Try me, and observe my cares; |
Search me, O God – It is in the diagnosis of our case that we are most likely to err; it is here that sobriety of mind and meekness are so much needed. R2094:5
Try me – The Lord says, I will prove you by leaving you all your time, influence, money, everything, in your hands as my steward. Q615:T
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| 24 And see if there be any idol-way in me, and lead me in a way age-abiding. |
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