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Expanded Comments | Additional Comments |
Book IV
God's Eternity and Man's Transitoriness.
A Prayer of Moses the man of God. |
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1 Jehovah, thou hast been our dwelling-place
In all generations.
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LORD – Jehovah. E45
Dwelling place – Refuge. The city of refuge which God has provided for us is Christ, under the cover of his merit, his robe of righteousness. R3116:1
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2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
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From everlasting – From all eternity, without a beginning. E86; CR247:1; R338:4, R421:5, R3920:3, R4107:2
His qualities and attributes have always been the same. R5209:3
With unlimited time, he is working out his plan with great deliberation. R5251:3
Back of all inanimate causes there must be an intelligent first cause, an intelligent designer, and that is God. R675:6
Contrary to Mormonism. HG731:4
To everlasting – Self -centered, self -contained, the same yesterday, today and forever, he changes not. SM483:4 Psalms 90:3
Man to destruction – A condition of peaceful unconsciousness. R2172:3
As a natural result of the penalty on father Adam. E363; F331
To sheol, hades, the grave. HG228:3
Not torture. R649:3, R846:4
And sayest, Return – In resurrection, because the price is paid. E353; R615:5*; HG333:5
The revival of man's life will not make him immortal or incapable of destruction. HG358:3
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3 Thou turnest man to destruction,
And hast said, Return, ye children of men.
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4 For a thousand years in thy sight
Shall be but as yesterday when it shall pass,
And as a watch in the night.
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For a thousand years – From the divine standpoint "a day with the Lord is as a thousand years." (2 Pet. 3:8) "In the day that thou eatest thereof." (Gen. 2:17) SM151:2
It was within one of these "days" that Adam died at the age of 930. F332
God has permitted a reign of evil during six of these thousand-year days. PD18/26
"A little while and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me." (John 16:16) R702:4
But as yesterday – It is only as measured by the shortness of present life that the 6000 years of evil seems very long. R1092:4
The lapse of time between death and the awakening will be nothing to the dead when it is past, since they are entirely unconscious of it. R1017:6
Watch in the night – To God a thousand years are but a watch in the night. R5210:3
Showing that even a shorter period than a "day" can be referred to as a thousand years. SM151:2
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5 Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep:
In the morning they are like grass which groweth up.
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They are as a sleep – Rest, or peaceful sleep. R2172:3
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6 In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up;
In the evening it is cut down and withereth.
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7 For we are consumed in thine anger,
And in thy wrath are we troubled.
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8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee,
Our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
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9 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath:
We bring our years to an end as a sigh.
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10 The days of our years are seventy,
Or even by reason of strength eighty years;
Yet is their pride but labor and sorrow;
For it is soon gone, and we have flown away.
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And we fly away – Into the land of the enemy, the prisonhouse of death. R4792:6
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11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger,
And thy wrath according to the fear that is due unto thee?
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12 So teach us to number our days,
That we may get us a heart of wisdom.
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Number our days – Counting the days as so many blessings, so many privileges, so many opportunities to serve. R2896:6
"Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord." (Rom. 12:11) R1532:2
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13 Return, O Jehovah; how long?
And let it repent thee concerning thy servants.
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14 Oh satisfy us in the morning with thy lovingkindness,
That we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
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15 Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us,
And the years wherein we have seen evil.
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16 Let thy work appear unto thy servants,
And thy glory upon their children.
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| 17 And let the favor of Jehovah |
And let the beauty – The justice, mercy, wisdom and power. R2570:5
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our God be upon us;
And establish thou the work of our hands upon us;
Yes, the work of our hands establish thou it. |
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