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| 1 Strengthen yourselves, sons of Benjamin, From the midst of Jerusalem, And in Tekoa blow ye a trumpet, And over Beth-Haccerem lift ye up a flame, For evil hath been seen from the north, And great destruction. |
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| 2 The comely and the delicate one I have cut off, The daughter of Zion. |
Daughter of Zion – The nominal church. D23
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| 3 Unto her come do shepherds and their droves, They have stricken tents by her round about, They have fed each [in] his own station. |
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| 4 Sanctify ye against her the battle, Rise, and we go up at noon. Wo to us, for turned hath the day, For stretched out are the shades of evening, |
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| 5 'Rise, and we go up by night, And we destroy her palaces.' |
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| 6 For thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Cut down her wood, And pour out against Jerusalem a mount, She [is] the city to be inspected, Wholly she is oppression in her midst. |
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| 7 As the digging of a well, is [for] its waters, So she hath digged [for] her wickedness, Violence and spoil is heard in her, Before My face continually [are] sickness and smiting. |
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| 8 Be instructed, O Jerusalem, Lest My soul be alienated from thee, Lest I make thee a desolation, a land not inhabited. |
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| 9 Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: They surely glean, as a vine, the remnant of Israel, Put back thy hand, as a gatherer to the baskets. |
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| 10 To whom do I speak, and testify, and they hear Lo, their ear [is] uncircumcised, And they are not able to attend. Lo, a word of Jehovah hath been to them for a reproach, They delight not in it. |
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| 11 And with the fury of Jehovah I have been filled, (I have been weary of containing,) To pour [it] on the suckling in the street, And on the assembly of youths together, For even husband with wife are captured, An elder with one full of days, |
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| 12 And their houses have been turned to others, Fields and wives together, For I stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land, An affirmation of Jehovah. |
With their fields – Of labor. C157
And wives – Churches. C157
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| 13 For from their least unto their greatest, Every one is gaining dishonest gain, And from prophet even unto priest, Every one is dealing falsely, |
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| 14 And they heal the breach of the daughter of my people slightly, Saying, 'Peace, peace!' and there is no peace. |
Peace, peace – The whole world boasts that civilization and Christianity have won the day, that the world has become God's empire and the blessings of the Millennium are ours to enjoy. R4795:3
As at the World Parliament of Religions, it is merely a stroke of human policy to try to quiet the fears of the church. D238
As at the opening of the Kiel ship canal, where 120 ironclads participated. D156
As at the First National Arbitration Board, convened at Geneva, Switzerland, Sept. 14, 1872. R5554:1
Ever since the first peace conference at The Hague the church systems have been declaring that war has come to an end. Q529:2
Their theory has been that universal peace between the nations would speedily usher in the Messianic Kingdom. R5554:2
There can be no true peace as long as there is sin; for sin is the great difficulty with the world. Q529:2
The Lord will raise up other servants who will not seek to please the ear with soft words, nor to lull the drowsy, but will proclaim the unvarnished truth concerning hypocrisy and deception. R563:3
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| 15 They were ashamed when they did abomination! Yea, they are not at all ashamed, Yea, blushing they have not known, Therefore they do fall among those falling, In the time I have inspected them, They stumble, said Jehovah. |
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| 16 Thus said Jehovah: Stand ye by the ways and see, and ask for paths of old, Where [is] this the good way and go ye in it, And find rest for yourselves. And they say, 'We do not go.' |
Ask for – If our ways are not in harmony with those of God. R705:6*
This is the appropriate lesson for each of us, to come to the Bible afresh, to hear its message. SM543:1
The old paths – Not the theories of the Dark Ages; not Higher Criticism, Evolution, Theosophy, etc.; but the doctrines of Jesus and the apostles. SM302:1, SM543:1; E62
The finding of the Word began afresh with the introduction of the art of printing. R3609:4
The doctrines older than Wesley, Calvinism or Roman Catholicism--the doctrines of Jesus and the apostles and prophets. HG433:5
For example, celebrating the Memorial Supper upon its anniversary. R1943:2, R2115:2
As the "old paths" are found, pompous human titles which seem so much to the world and to Babylon come to appear vain, inappropriate and deceitful. R2826:2
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| 17 And I have raised up for you watchmen, Attend ye to the voice of the trumpet. And they say, 'We do not attend.' |
Watchmen – The prophets and others. R1795:6
Of the trumpet – Let the trumpet give no uncertain sound. (1 Cor. 14:8) R309:1*
The trumpet is to sound until a company shall be developed who will be the virgins, the companions of the Bride. (Psa. 45:14) R309:1*
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| 18 Therefore hear, O nations, and know, O company, That which [is] upon them. |
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| 19 Hear, O earth, lo, I am bringing evil on this people, The fruit of their devices, For to My words they gave no attention, And My law they kick against it. |
Hear, O earth – Society. A318
I will bring evil – Prophetic of the siege of Jerusalem after Jesus' death. R2787:3
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| 20 Why [is] this to Me frankincense from Sheba cometh, And the sweet cane from a land afar off, Your burnt-offerings [are] not for acceptance, And your sacrifices have not been sweet to Me. |
Incense – Representing praise. R3703:4
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| 21 Therefore thus said Jehovah: Lo, I do give to this people stumbling blocks, And stumbled against them have fathers and sons together, The neighbour and his friend do perish. |
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| 22 Thus said Jehovah: Lo, a people hath come from a north country, And a great nation is stirred up from the sides of the earth. |
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| 23 Bow and javelin they take hold of, Fierce it [is], and they have no mercy, Their voice as a sea doth sound, And on horses they ride, set in array as a man of war, Against thee, O daughter of Zion. |
Like the sea – The restless, turbulent, dissatisfied masses of the world. A318
Ride upon horses – Doctrines. C316
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| 24 'We have heard its sound, feeble have been our hands, Distress hath seized us, pain as of a travailing woman. |
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| 25 Go not forth to the field, And in the way walk not, For a sword hath the enemy, fear [is] round about. |
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| 26 O daughter of My people, Gird on sackcloth, and roll thyself in ashes, The mourning of an only one make for thee, A lamentation most bitter, For suddenly come doth the spoiler against us. |
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| 27 A watch-tower I have given thee, Among My people a fortress, And thou knowest, and hast tried their way. |
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| 28 All of them are turned aside by apostates, Walking slanderously brass and iron, All of them are corrupters. |
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| 29 The bellows have been burnt, By fire hath the lead been consumed, In vain hath a refiner refined, And the wicked have not been drawn away. |
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| 30 'Silver rejected,' they have called to them, For Jehovah hath kicked against them! |
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