| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
| 1 To the Overseer. A Psalm of David. |
I waited patiently – Pray perseveringly. R5381:2*
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| I have diligently expected Jehovah, And He inclineth to me, and heareth my cry, |
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| 2 And He doth cause me to come up From a pit of desolation from mire of mud, And He raiseth up on a rock my feet, He is establishing my steps. |
He brought me up – By the "arm of the Lord" Christ Jesus. (Isa. 53:1) E418
A testimony to be proclaimed publicly by all in their lives and conversation. Q514:4
An horrible pit – The pit of condemnation, sin and death. R3000:6; OV308:3
Depth of confusion. R287:6
Out of the miry clay – Of personal sin. R1673:1
My feet upon a rock – Christ and his redemptive work. R3000:6
Especially applicable to the feet members of Christ being established on the rock of truth. R287:6, R757:5
Established my goings – Established my feet of faith upon the rock foundation. R3000:6
Our course no longer vacillating. R3000:6
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| 3 And He putteth in my mouth a new song, 'Praise to our God.' Many do see and fear, and trust in Jehovah. |
Hath put a new song – Of divine justice, mercy and love, reasonable and harmonious in its every cadence. R3001:1
"The song of Moses and the Lamb." (Rev. 15:3) R3998:6; C237
Now sung by those who can exercise faith in the Lord, but its complete fulfilment will be in the Millennial age. R3999:1
In my mouth – What further commission is needed for every member of the New Creation to preach. F295
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| 4 O the happiness of the man Who hath made Jehovah his trust, And hath not turned unto the proud, And those turning aside to lies. |
The LORD his trust – "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." (1 John 5:4) R3064:6
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| 5 Much hast Thou done, Jehovah my God; Thy wonders and Thy thoughts toward us, There is none to arrange unto Thee, I declare and speak: They have been more than to be numbered. |
Thy wonderful works – Thy kindness towards us already performed. R3000:6
And thy thoughts – Thy plans, purposes, promises for the future. R3000:6
Cannot be reckoned – "Neither count I my life dear unto me." (Acts 20:24) R3001:3
"I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." (Phil. 3:8) R3001:4
"Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations." (Jas. 1:2) R3001:4
"I reckon that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared." (Rom. 8:18) R3001:5
"I thank Jesus Christ, who counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry." (1 Tim. 1:12) R3001:6
"That ye may be counted worthy of the Kingdom for which ye also suffer." (2 Thes. 1:5) R3002:2
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| 6 Sacrifice and present Thou hast not desired, Ears Thou hast prepared for me, Burnt and sin-offering Thou hast not asked. |
Thou didst not desire – The finest bullock could not take away sin. A perfect man had sinned. Only a perfect man could redeem the sinner. SM660:1
These were not the end of God's desire or intention; he had in mind the better sacrifices of Christ and the Church. Q611:4
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| 7 Then said I, 'Lo, I have come,' In the roll of the book it is written of me, |
Then said I – Christ Jesus, at the time of his baptism. F437
Lo, I come – At age 30 Jesus offered himself as the antitypical bullock of the sin-offering. R5128:2, R4969:6
Our Lord made a covenant of death at that moment, which required the succeeding three and a half years to accomplish. HG602:2
Representing in the consecration of the priesthood (Lev. 8) by the offering on the altar of the fat and parts of the life-producing organs as a sweet savor unto the Lord. T42
Volume of the book – The Law and the Prophets. CR400:4
At consecration, Jesus offered to do everything written in the book, though he did not then know all that was therein written. R5086:1, R5165:4
What book? The book of the divine will, represented in Revelation by the scroll written on the inside and outside, sealed with seven seals. Also the books of the Old Testament. Q182:1
Submitting himself to everything that was written in the book. R5085:3, R5264:2; Q36:7
We must also be willing to do everything written in the book. R5447:1
His consecration went beyond the moral law and embraced everything that God had written prophetically. R5165:4
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| 8 To do Thy pleasure, my God, I have delighted, And Thy law [is] within my heart. |
I delight – "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." (Psa. 37:4) R1840:1
Jesus was willingly delivered up to die; every talent and power was offered up as a sacrifice to God in the carrying out of the divine plan, whatever that might involve. SM644:3; CR401:1
Jesus came not for exaltation, but from a delight to do the Father's will. R5375:2, R5186:3
To have the affections centered in him, to see in God the fountain of all goodness and truth. R1840:2
We must all come to that point or we cannot be his disciples. CR322:6; R4462:5; CR469:4; R5269:6, R3021:3
How important patient, cheerful endurance seems to be in the light of the Word. R4910:5, R5650:6
Willing service, not compulsion. CR489:4
Not merely a willingness to do the Lord's will under restraint, but of a willing heart. R3609:1
Jesus had pleasure in self-abasement. R3885:5
The pleasure of an ideal life. R2694:6*
Not taking pleasure in turning, twisting and endeavoring to avoid the force of that Word, but seeking to conform thereto. R2649:1
Delight to surrender and sacrifice our own wills. R3237:2
Such desire is necessary before we can be, in any sense of the word, pleasing or acceptable to him. R4596:5
Endurance in an impatient or unhappy state of mind cannot be pleasing to God. R4910:5
So that his will is not grievous to us. R4277:4
The language of love, the language of the heart. SM283:T, F452
To do thy will – Christ Jesus, highly exalted as he is, delights to acknowledge the headship of Jehovah. R765:2*, R920:4, R1075:3*; SM492:3; OV307:T,
We know that God's will is best whether we understand it or not. R5843:6
God was specially, and more particularly, manifest in the flesh of Jesus when he presented himself to John at Jordan. (1 Tim. 3:16) R5291:5
Our first battle should be to gain the consent and full cooperation of our wills with the divine Word. R4062:3
Consecration to God will ensure a searching of his plan revealed in his Word, that we may be able to spend and be spent for him, in harmony with his revealed plan. T119
In accordance with the Father's will; NOT in obedience to the Father's law. R4591:2
He left the dignity of the chief place on the spirit plane and came prepared to face death to carry out the Father's will. R5846:6, R5085:3, R5022:6; Q212:4
Our service must not be rendered to obtain the reward. We must seek to know the divine will and to obey it. R4836:4, R5648:4, R5431:6
Yea, thy law – The Law, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind, being and strength." (Mark 12:30) F356
He sees more than merely, "Thou shalt," "Thou shalt not." He sees things from God's standpoint. He sees the principles of God's character which govern the universe. R5277:5
All under it must love God supremely. F356
That which condemns all imperfection. T35
Is within my heart – In the midst of. R5085:5
Is my pleasure. In the type, the breastplate of judgment, representing the Law, was worn upon Aaron's heart, Aaron typifying Christ. T35; R72:4
A part of the Christian's daily business is to engrave in his character, in his heart, more and more deeply the laws of the Lord. R3609:2
Moses carried the Law to the people in his hands; Christ carries the law to the people in his heart. R1322:5*
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| 9 I have proclaimed tidings of righteousness In the great assembly, lo, my lips I restrain not, O Jehovah, Thou hast known. |
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| 10 Thy righteousness I have not concealed In the midst of my heart, Thy faithfulness and Thy salvation I have told, I have not hidden Thy kindness and Thy truth, To the great assembly. |
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| 11 Thou, O Jehovah, restrainest not Thy mercies from me, Thy kindness and Thy truth do continually keep me. |
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| 12 For compassed me have evils innumerable, Overtaken me have mine iniquities, And I have not been able to see; They have been more than the hairs of my head, And my heart hath forsaken me. |
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| 13 Be pleased, O Jehovah, to deliver me, O Jehovah, for my help make haste. |
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| 14 They are ashamed and confounded together, Who are seeking my soul to destroy it, They are turned backward, And are ashamed, who are desiring my evil. |
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| 15 They are desolate because of their shame, Who are saying to me, 'Aha, aha.' |
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| 16 All seeking Thee rejoice and are glad in Thee, Those loving Thy salvation say continually, 'Jehovah is magnified.' |
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| 17 And I [am] poor and needy, The Lord doth devise for me. My help and my deliverer [art] Thou, O my God, tarry Thou not. |
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