| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
| 1 To the Overseer. A Psalm of David. |
In thy righteousness – Pray, pleading God's justice. R5381:1*
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| In Thee, O Jehovah, I have trusted, Let me not be ashamed to the age, In Thy righteousness deliver me. |
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| 2 Incline unto me Thine ear hastily, deliver me, Be to me for a strong rock, For a house of bulwarks to save me. |
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| 3 For my rock and my bulwark [art] Thou, For Thy name's sake lead me and tend me. |
For thy name's sake – For the sake of thy work and the share that I may have in it. R3062:4
Pray, pleading God's glory. R5380:6*, R5381:1*
Lead me, and guide me – Every spiritual Israelite must recognize the leadership of the Lord. R3061:6
And never attempt any undertaking, either temporal or spiritual, without seeking to note the will of the Lord concerning it. R4859:1, R3062:1
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| 4 Bring me out from the net that they hid for me, For Thou [art] my strength. |
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| 5 Into Thy hand I commit my spirit, Thou hast redeemed me, Jehovah God of truth. |
Into thine hand – Quoted by Jesus on the cross. (Luke 23:46) R2474:6
Hoping to receive it again by a resurrection. E315; R2475:4
Commit my spirit – Ruach, spirit of life or vital energy. E315
The ransom-price was thus placed into the hands of the Father, giving Jesus the right to all those things which he intends to bestow upon the whole world of mankind. R4637:5
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| 6 I have hated the observers of lying vanities, And I toward Jehovah have been confident. |
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| 7 I rejoice, and am glad in Thy kindness, In that Thou hast seen mine affliction, Thou hast known in adversities my soul. |
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| 8 And Thou hast not shut me up, Into the hand of an enemy, Thou hast caused my feet to stand in a broad place. |
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| 9 Favour me, O Jehovah, for distress [is] to me, Mine eye, my soul, and my body Have become old by provocation. |
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| 10 For my life hath been consumed in sorrow And my years in sighing. Feeble because of mine iniquity hath been my strength, And my bones have become old. |
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| 11 Among all mine adversaries I have been a reproach, And to my neighbours exceedingly, And a fear to mine acquaintances, Those seeing me without fled from me. |
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| 12 I have been forgotten as dead out of mind, I have been as a perishing vessel. |
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| 13 For I have heard an evil account of many, Fear [is] round about. In their being united against me, To take my life they have devised, |
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| 14 And I on Thee I have trusted, O Jehovah, I have said, 'Thou [art] my God.' |
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| 15 In Thy hand [are] my times, Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from my pursuers. |
Times are in thy hand – All the affairs of life, temporal and spiritual, of God's people. R4527:3, R4533:6
We wish to have the Lord's will done in respect to the time of our change, and in respect to all we enjoy together daily. R5728:5
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| 16 Cause Thy face to shine on Thy servant, Save me in Thy kindness. |
For thy mercies' sake – Pray, trusting God's love and mercy. R5380:5*
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| 17 O Jehovah, let me not be ashamed, For I have called Thee, let the wicked be ashamed, Let them become silent to Sheol. |
Silent in the grave – Sheol, oblivion, death, not torment. E363; HG121:3
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| 18 Let lips of falsehood become dumb, That are speaking against the righteous, Ancient sayings, in pride and contempt. |
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| 19 How abundant is Thy goodness, That Thou hast laid up for those fearing Thee, |
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| 20 Thou hast wrought for those trusting in Thee, Before sons of men. Thou hidest them in the secret place of Thy presence, From artifices of man, Thou concealest them in a tabernacle, From the strife of tongues. |
Strife of tongues – Confusion of human traditions. R1788:2
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| 21 Blessed [is] Jehovah, For He hath made marvellous His kindness To me in a city of bulwarks. |
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| 22 And I I have said in my haste, 'I have been cut off from before Thine eyes,' But Thou hast heard the voice of my supplications, In my crying unto Thee. |
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| 23 Love Jehovah, all ye His saints, Jehovah is keeping the faithful, And recompensing abundantly a proud doer. |
Preserveth the faithful – God is both able and willing to keep that which we have committed to his keeping, but we are not to expect miraculous help except when necessary. R2021:2
By being all gathered through death to glory before the terrible severity of the world's trouble will be permitted to come. R2020:4
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| 24 Be strong, and He strengtheneth your heart, All ye who are waiting for Jehovah! |
Be of good courage – Courage is necessary to fight down the tendency to sin. R5329:6
We are to resign our earthly interests to our Heavenly Father and to leave them under his supervision. If we allow the Adversary to beat our courage down, he will soon put us out of the battle entirely. R5329:3
Strong courage, godly courage, from right principles, based on faith in the Lord which says to us, do your duty whatever may be the Lord's will for you. R5330:1
Thus demonstrating our faith in the Lord. R5330:4
Strengthen your heart – Our faith is the basis of both our strength and our peace. R4817:6
That hope – The Lord will supervise our affairs and we are to trust in him. R5329:3
The Christian's secret of a happy life is in his knowing and trusting the Heavenly Father and the Heavenly Bridegroom. R2083:5
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