| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
| 1 By David. |
The LORD is my light – Guiding the heart. R3248:2
An encouragement when facing the finger of scorn or the lip of sarcasm and slander. R4857:5
And my salvation – Overruling our affairs for good. R3248:2
The more fierce the conflict with the powers of darkness, the more glorious the deliverance. R1915:1
Whom shall I fear? – The proper frame of mind for all the Lord's people who are fighting the good fight of faith. R2016:4
Courage, born of faith and strengthened by endurance, cries with humble boldness in the midst of the deepest darkness of the most perplexing difficulties. R1915:4
Our consciousness of loyalty to God and of divine guidance should keep us without fear. R4922:4
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| Jehovah [is] my light and my salvation, Whom do I fear Jehovah [is] the strength of my life, Of whom am I afraid |
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| 2 When evil doers come near to me to eat my flesh, My adversaries and mine enemies to me, They have stumbled and fallen. |
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| 3 Though a host doth encamp against me, My heart doth not fear, Though war riseth up against me, In this I [am] confident. |
Encamp against me – Let us not be of those who draw back, or those that faint by the way, for glorious will be the victory of faith and zeal. R1876:4
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| 4 One [thing] I asked of Jehovah it I seek. My dwelling in the house of Jehovah, All the days of my life, To look on the pleasantness of Jehovah, And to inquire in His temple. |
That I may dwell – Be counted worthy to be recognized by him as a member of his Church. R1915:1
In the house – "Whose house are we." (Heb. 3:6) R1915:2
Beauty of the LORD – The beauty of holiness; our pattern and chief joy. R1915:2
And to inquire – As students, of his holy law and testimony. R1915:4
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| 5 For He hideth me in a tabernacle in the day of evil, He hideth me in a secret place of His tent, On a rock he raiseth me up. |
The time of trouble – Rendered "evil" in "I create evil." (Isa. 45:7) A125; R1351:2*
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| 6 And now, lifted up is my head, Above my enemies my surrounders, And I sacrifice in His tent sacrifices of shouting, I sing, yea, I sing praise to Jehovah. |
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| 7 Hear, O Jehovah, my voice I call, And favour me, and answer me. |
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| 8 To Thee said my heart 'They sought my face, Thy face, O Jehovah, I seek.' |
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| 9 Hide not Thy face from me, Turn not aside in anger Thy servant, My help Thou hast been. Leave me not, nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. |
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| 10 When my father and my mother Have forsaken me, then doth Jehovah gather me. |
Father and my mother – My most trusted human friends. R1788:4
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| 11 Shew me, O Jehovah, Thy way, And lead me in a path of uprightness, For the sake of my beholders. |
Teach me – We know that the Lord can direct our course in whatever way he chooses, if we put ourselves under his care. R5212:2
Thy way, O LORD – We should study the scriptures bearing on any subject, trying to find the underlying principle of God's teachings; then commit all to the Father in prayer, asking him to guide both reason and judgment; then use that reason and judgment to the best of our ability. R5212:5
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| 12 Give me not to the will of my adversaries, For risen against me have false witnesses, And they breathe out violence to me. |
False witnesses – Foretelling the painful circumstances of the sacrificial death of the Messiah as the Lamb of slaughter. R1205:2
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| 13 I had not believed to look on the goodness of Jehovah In the land of the living! |
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| 14 Look unto Jehovah be strong, And He doth strengthen thy heart, Yea, look unto Jehovah! |
Wait on the LORD – Not a ministering to the Lord, but a patient watching and waiting until we learn what our Lord would have us to do. R5711:3, R5712:1
Be of good courage – Courage, fortitude, persistency, in the service of the Lord are very necessary to the child of God. R5712:2
Courage, born of faith in God and in his exceeding great and precious promises, is required to surmount difficulties. R5712:3
Shall strengthen – So that we will not be overwhelmed. R5712:3
Thine heart – The soul, the being, especially the intelligent portion of man. R5712:2
Wait – We are to have faith and hope even though the way is rough. R5331:4
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