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1 Call now; is there any that will answer thee?
And to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn?
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2 For vexation killeth the foolish man,
And jealousy slayeth the silly one.
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3 I have seen the foolish taking root:
But suddenly I cursed his habitation.
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4 His children are far from safety,
And they are crushed in the gate,
Neither is there any to deliver them:
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5 Whose harvest the hungry eateth up,
And taketh it even out of the thorns;
And the snare gapeth for their substance.
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6 For affliction cometh not forth from the dust,
Neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;
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7 But man is born unto trouble,
As the sparks fly upward.
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Born unto trouble – All of Adam's posterity are "born in sin and shapen in iniquity." (Psa. 51:5) R2049:3
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8 But as for me, I would seek unto God,
And unto God would I commit my cause;
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9 Who doeth great things and unsearchable,
Marvellous things without number;
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10 Who giveth rain upon the earth,
And sendeth waters upon the fields;
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11 So that he setteth up on high those that are low,
And those that mourn are exalted to safety.
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12 He frustrateth the devices of the crafty,
So that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.
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13 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness;
And the counsel of the cunning is carried headlong.
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Own craftiness – The wisdom of selfishness seeks to grasp and hold everything for self. R1518:3
The Lord chooses "babes" who will babble forth the truth unceremoniously to confound the wise. R942:2
Illustrated in the effect of the gold standard and the demonetizing of silver on the stock market. SM687:3; OV337:4
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14 They meet with darkness in the daytime,
And grope at noonday as in the night.
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15 But he saveth from the sword of their mouth,
Even the needy from the hand of the mighty.
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16 So the poor hath hope,
And iniquity stoppeth her mouth.
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17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth:
Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty.
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Despise not – Illustrated by David's confession, reformation and seeking of forgiveness when overtaken in a fault. PD43/53
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18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up;
He woundeth, and his hands make whole.
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He woundeth – Many of our own hearts were wounded, but it is the wounded heart that is ready to be bound up and to be healed and to be transformed. HG270:3
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19 He will deliver thee in six troubles;
Yes, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
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Shall deliver thee – Exceeding great and precious promise to the Bride class. R4784:2
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20 In famine he will redeem thee from death;
And in war from the power of the sword.
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21 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue;
Neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.
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22 At destruction and dearth thou shalt laugh;
Neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
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23 For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field;
And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.
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24 And thou shalt know that thy tent is in peace;
And thou shalt visit thy fold, and shalt miss nothing.
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25 Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great,
And thine offspring as the grass of the earth.
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26 Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age,
Like as a shock of grain cometh up in its season.
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27 Lo this, we have searched it, so it is;
Hear it, and know thou it for thy good. |
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