| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
| 1 By David. |
Fret not thyself – The New Creature should not be distressed over political, financial or other wrongdoings. F592
Under the Millennial order of things right-doers are to be exalted and evildoers restrained and punished. B138
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| Do not fret because of evil doers, Be not envious against doers of iniquity, |
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| 2 For as grass speedily they are cut off, And as the greenness of the tender grass do fade. |
They shall soon be – Verses 1 to 19 give clear prophectic testimony relative to the Kingdom and its operation on behalf of the poor--its overthrow of injustice and the general equalization of human affairs. B138
Cut down – In the reign of Christ. R492:6
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| 3 Trust in Jehovah, and do good, Dwell [in] the land, and enjoy faithfulness, |
Do good – So much the more as ye see the day drawing on, "strengthen ye the weak hands and confirm the feeble knees." (Isa. 35:3) R707:5
Especially when confronted with "perils among false brethren." (2 Cor. 11:26) R4540:3
Rather earn a humbler living with godliness and contentment and spend more time in his service, doing good unto all as you have opportunity. R1243:3
To forward the truth and suffer for it. R1102:5
Thou shalt be fed – Our food and water will be sure. He will never leave nor forsake his own. R1840:1
Naturally and spiritually. R2021:5
It is improper for saints to ask alms. R4101:5*
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| 4 And delight thyself on Jehovah, And He giveth to thee the petitions of thy heart. |
Delight thyself – This is a step further than trusting. "I delight to do thy will, O my God." (Psa. 40:8) R1840:1
To delight thus in the Lord is to have the affections centered on him. R1840:2
The heart that is continually looking for divine direction is continuously in a prayerful attitude. No other condition is proper to the Christian. R3806:1
The desires – If those desires are in harmony with his plan. R4983:6
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| 5 Roll on Jehovah thy way, And trust upon Him, and He worketh, |
Commit thy way – It is not sufficient that we merely place ourselves in the hand of the Lord. R4790:1
Before becoming entangled in multiplied cares and hampered by the outcome of our own misguided course. R1554:2
Bring it to pass – Their fervent prayers will avail much. R1840:4
Blessings and peace, even in the midst of the storms of life; and eventually glory, honor and immortality through Christ. R4506:4
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| 6 And hath brought out as light thy righteousness, And thy judgment as noon-day. |
He shall bring forth – In his own due time. R3820:3
There is likely to be in all our affairs a time in which, if we have been misunderstood and misrepresented, the truth will ultimately be brought forth. R2888:2
Thus we can rejoice when we are accounted worthy of misrepresentation for his sake. R1193:4
Thy righteousness – Thus silencing all our opposers. R1102:5, R1816:1
As the light – Clear, cloudless and widely manifest. R5803:5
As God was ultimately glorified by Daniel's course of letting his light shine. R3639:3
Thy judgment – Character will, in every case, be revealed in due time and meet its just recompense. R801:5*
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| 7 Be silent for Jehovah, and stay thyself for Him, Do not fret because of him Who is making prosperous his way, Because of a man doing wicked devices. |
Rest in the LORD – Do not make the mistake of expecting him to give you the desires of your heart instantly. R1840:5
Wait patiently – We must not be disappointed and allow our faith to falter when the test of patient endurance is applied. R5802:6, R1840:5
"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength." (Isa. 40:31) R1840:5
Outward peace and calm are not always the conditions best suited to our needs as New Creatures. R5803:1
Our Father has not forgotten us when the answer to our prayers seems delayed. R5803:1
For the grand outworking of his plan. R1070:1
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| 8 Desist from anger, and forsake fury, Fret not thyself only to do evil. |
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| 9 For evil doers are cut off, As to those waiting on Jehovah, they possess the land. |
For evil doers – All who, after coming to a clear knowledge of the truth, still wilfully disobey it. E388
Unless they attain the spirit of love, they will not be fit for the Kingdom, for God is love. SM230:2
From the mention of the character of this class it is manifest that the Second Death into which they are cast is not a death to sin, as Universalists claim. R1443:5
Shall be cut off – During the Millennial age. A67; R492:6, R443:1; HG538:2
"From among the people" (Acts 3:23) in the Second Death. E473; R2763:5, R1878:6, R1272:5
Because God has no pleasure in them that love evil. R1781:3
This rule, however, does not apply to the Gospel age. R2061:1
But those – During the Millennial age. E240
That wait upon – The Prince of life will use for servants the pure, the holy, the reverent, the godly. OV91:1
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| 10 And yet a little, and the wicked is not, And thou hast considered his place, and it is not. |
Wicked shall not be – God tells us plainly that the nature of the everlasting punishment of the wicked will be death, destruction. R2607:3
Contrary to the teachings of Universalism. R3083:6
It is merciful on God's part to destroy the incorrigibly wicked. R3083:6
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| 11 And the humble do possess the land, And they have delighted themselves In the abundance of peace. |
Meek shall inherit – Not yet. Today they seldom even get a good slice of it. CR493:5
In the reign of Christ. R492:6
Of peace – "God has called us to peace." (1Cor. 7:15) God's Word has many messages on peace. R2946:3
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| 12 The wicked is devising against the righteous, And gnashing against him his teeth.
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| 13 The Lord doth laugh at him, For He hath seen that his day cometh. |
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| 14 A sword have the wicked opened, And they have trodden their bow, To cause to fall the poor and needy, To slaughter the upright of the way. |
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| 15 Their sword doth enter into their own heart, And their bows are shivered. |
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| 16 Better [is] the little of the righteous, Than the store of many wicked. |
Little that a righteous – The Christian does not strive as anxiously as others for his full rights and full share of present blessings. R1245:2
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| 17 For the arms of the wicked are shivered, And Jehovah is sustaining the righteous. |
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| 18 Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect, And their inheritance is to the age. |
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| 19 They are not ashamed in a time of evil, And in days of famine they are satisfied. |
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| 20 But the wicked perish, and the enemies of Jehovah, As the preciousness of lambs, Have been consumed, In smoke they have been consumed. |
Wicked shall perish – All who, after coming to a clear knowledge of the truth, wilfully disobey it. R1878:6
Suffer the loss of everlasting life and all of its privileges, joys and blessings. E388
Perish does not mean preserve. SM521:T
"All the wicked will he destroy." (Psa. 145:20) R2607:3, R891:5
We do not find one verse in the Bible saying that the wicked can have life in torment or in any other condition. R2607:3, R1039:6
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| 21 The wicked is borrowing and repayeth not, And the righteous is gracious and giving. |
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| 22 For His blessed ones do possess the land, And His reviled ones are cut off. |
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| 23 From Jehovah [are] the steps of a man, They have been prepared, And his way he desireth. |
The steps – Walking in the right paths. R4628:6, R3155:6
"The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous." (Psa.1:6) R3155:6
Of a good man – A righteous man, reconciled to God through the death of his Son. R4628:6, R3156:1
Are ordered – The Lord will surely direct the path of such. R5711:5, R4628:6
Especially in respect to the service of the truth. R3157:2
Sometimes in sending financial or social disappointments or sickness to bring back his wandering sheep. R3157:2
The providence of God over his sons is a very particular providence. R1561:2
Therefore, the Christian should never view any experience as being lucky or unlucky. R4628:6
God does not arbitrarily interfere in the affairs of his people, set aside their free agency, and force them to move as mere machines. R3156:5
We must scrutinize the circumstances of life, lest that which is only a device of Satan be mistaken for the providence of God, and an indication of his will. R614:2,3
By the LORD – Who exercises supervision over his individual affairs. R3155:6
And he delighteth – Because of confidence in God's love and wisdom. R2762:6
In his way – In God's way; because, be it ever so thorny, narrow and rocky, he knows the end is best. R2762:6
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| 24 When he falleth, he is not cast down, For Jehovah is sustaining his hand. |
Though he fall – The feet class. R1268:2
Err in judgment and bring upon himself the consequences of his error. R3156:6
The noblest characters you have ever known in the racecourse have made failures at times. CR153:1
A just man will not fall into sin. The very most that could happen to him would be to stumble. R5218:3
While all the Bride will not fall with Babylon, yet some, really children of God, will fall, yet not be utterly cast down. R177:5
He shall not be – But, in due time, by constant effort, be able at least measurably to overcome the weaknesses of his nature. R628:5*
Utterly cast down – Which would mean Second Death. CR153:1; R3157:5
LORD upholdeth him – By making his blunders and weaknesses react so as to establish him in righteousness and fit him for joint-heirship in the Kingdom. R3156:6, R5218:3
With his hand – He will not let go of us as long as we are striving to walk in his way. R3157:5
His hand is still held by the Lord. R3157:4
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| 25 Young I have been, I have also become old, And I have not seen the righteous forsaken, And his seed seeking bread. |
The righteous forsaken – The Lord's children and work will get along without us; but a loss of opportunity and blessing will be sustained by us if we do not assist. R548:3,4
Begging bread – Each has confidence regarding the bread, water and plain clothing. What they fear is the loss of some of the comforts, the luxuries that God has not guaranteed us. R832:5
Does not exclude the providing of means for their deliverance. R1963:1 *
The Lord may provide through their own industry, through the generosity of friends, or by public provision. R2021:5
Accepting proffered help is not begging. R2021:5
It is improper for saints to ask alms. R4101:5*
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| 26 All the day he is gracious and lending, And his seed [is] for a blessing. |
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| 27 Turn aside from evil, and do good, and dwell to the age. |
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| 28 For Jehovah is loving judgment, And He doth not forsake His saintly ones, To the age they have been kept, And the seed of the wicked is cut off. |
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| 29 The righteous possess the land, And they dwell for ever on it. |
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| 30 The mouth of the righteous uttereth wisdom, And his tongue speaketh judgment. |
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| 31 The law of his God [is] his heart, His steps do not slide. |
Is in his heart – Symbolized by the breastplate's being bound to the High Priest's heart. R72:1
None of his steps – The Word of God furnishes principles, precepts, and examples broad enough to indicate the Lord's will in the minutest affairs of life. R614:4
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| 32 The wicked is watching for the righteous, And is seeking to put him to death. |
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| 33 Jehovah doth not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him in his being judged. |
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| 34 Look unto Jehovah, and keep His way, And He doth exalt thee to possess the land, In the wicked being cut off thou seest! |
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| 35 I have seen the wicked terrible, And spreading as a green native plant, |
Seen the wicked – At the present evil time. CR493:4; HG538:3
In great power – It is seldom indeed that God visits punishment upon the world in the present time. He has appointed a day in which he will judge the world by Christ Jesus. R569:5
Spreading himself – During the time in which evil has been permitted. A68; R492:3
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| 36 And he passeth away, and lo, he is not, And I seek him, and he is not found! |
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| 37 Observe the perfect, and see the upright, For the latter end of each [is] peace. |
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| 38 And transgressors were destroyed together, The latter end of the wicked was cut off. |
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| 39 And the salvation of the righteous [is] from Jehovah, Their strong place in a time of adversity. |
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| 40 And Jehovah doth help them and deliver them, He delivereth them from the wicked, And saveth them, Because they trusted in Him! |
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