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Expanded Comments |
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| 1 The burden that Habakkuk the prophet hath seen: |
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| 2 Till when, O Jehovah, have I cried, And Thou dost not hear I cry unto Thee 'Violence,' and Thou dost not save. |
O LORD, how long – Habakkuk, representative of all who love righteousness, asks how long it will be until the present evil world will give place to the world to come "wherein dwelleth righteousness." (2 Pet. 3:13) R622:2
Shall I cry – Have I entreated. R622:1
Of violence – Because of violence. R622:1
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| 3 Why dost Thou shew me iniquity, And perversity dost cause to behold And spoiling and violence [are] before me, And there is strife, and contention doth lift [itself] up, |
Spoiling – Robbery. R622:1
And there are – And there is a judgment, but oppression is more powerful. R622:1
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| 4 Therefore doth law cease, And judgment doth not go forth for ever, For the wicked is compassing the righteous, Therefore wrong judgment goeth forth. |
Slacked – Powerless. R622:1
Judgment doth never – Justice cometh not forth victorious. R622:1
Wrong judgment proceedeth – Therefore doth justice come forth perverted. R622:1
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| 5 Look ye on nations, and behold and marvel greatly. For a work He is working in your days, Ye do not believe though it is declared. |
Behold ye – Look ye about. R622:2
The Lord answers the complaint. R622:2
Wonder marvellously – Be astonished and astounded. R622:2
Work a work – The harvest work, and a change in dispensation. R1487:3
Referred to by Paul (Acts 13:40, 41) as applicable to the R1487:3
First, gathering his saints and separating them as wheat from tares; second, the binding of the tares; third, the heavens rolling together as a scroll; fourth, the elements of earth getting ready for the final conflagration. R1488:2
"His work, his strange work." (Isa. 28:21) R1487:3
Fulfill a work. R622:2
In preparation for Christ's glorious reign. R1487:6
Ye will not believe – Conservative Pharisees of today shake the cautious head, saying that we cannot be on the eve of a new dispensation, for " lo, all things continue as they were from the beginning." (2 Pet. 3:4) R1488:5
Though it be told you – If you did not see some evidences you would consider the things impossibilities. R622:2
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| 6 For, lo, I am raising up the Chaldeans, The bitter and hasty nation, That is going to the broad places of earth, To occupy tabernacles not its own. |
The Chaldeans – Communists, Socialists, Nihilists, etc. R622:2
Babylon was the capital of Chaldea, so symbolic Babylon reigns over the civilized world, and the masses are fitly termed the Chaldeans. R622:2
Nation – People. R622:2
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| 7 Terrible and fearful it [is], From itself its judgment and its excellency go forth. |
Their dignity – Their burden, or restraint. R622:2
Proceed of themselves – From them shall proceed the judgment. R622:3
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| 8 Swifter than leopards have been its horses, And sharper than evening wolves, And increased have its horsemen, Even its horsemen from afar come in, They fly as an eagle, hasting to consume. |
Their horses – Doctrines. R622:3
Are swifter – Indicating their rapid spread. R622:3
More fierce – Showing the ferocity of the doctrines. R622:3
Their horsemen – Teachers of these doctrines, the leaders. R622:3
Shall come from far – Will be foreigners. R622:3
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| 9 Wholly for violence it doth come in, Their faces swallowing up the east wind, And it doth gather as the sand a captivity. |
All for violence – Their mission is violence. R622:3
As the east wind – Be set in opposition to the east--the direction of the sunrising, representing the dawn of the Millennial day. R622:3
The captivity – The bounden ones. R622:3
These shall cause a measure of judgment to come upon the evil institutions, yet they will be in opposition to the true light. R622:3
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| 10 And at kings it doth scoff, And princes [are] a laughter to it, At every fenced place it doth laugh, And it heapeth up dust, and captureth it. |
Heap dust – Cast up earth mounds. R622:3
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| 11 Then passed on hath the spirit, Yea, he doth transgress, And doth ascribe this his power to his god. |
Then – By reason of their successes. R622:3
His mind change – Not realizing that they have been used to overthrow oppression. R622:3
He shall pass over – Become surpassingly proud. R622:3
Unto his god – Boasting themselves of the victory of Liberalism. R622:3
Not realizing that they have been used as the Lord's great army to overthrow oppression and bring down the proud. R622:3
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| 12 Art not Thou of old, O Jehovah, my God, my Holy One We do not die, O Jehovah, For judgment Thou hast appointed it, And, O Rock, for reproof Thou hast founded it. |
Art thou not – The prophet represents the true saints as addressing Jehovah. R622:4
O mighty God – O Protector. R622:4
For correction – Thou hast appointed them to correct nations. This is the confidence of the saints. R622:4
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| 13 Purer of eyes than to behold evil, To look on perverseness Thou art not able, Why dost Thou behold the treacherous Thou keepest silent when the wicked Doth swallow the more righteous than he, |
Of purer eyes – Nothing short of perfection can find favor in God's eyes. R1610:2
Than to behold evil – With approval. R5901:6*, R1351:5*
God detects the smallest deflection in our hearts, and his character is so holy that he cannot but hate it. R5902:1*
We must be purified from all iniquity before we can have the approval of God. R5901:6*
Hence ultimately all who are in any way imperfect will be destroyed. R1610:2
He will not permit evil to all eternity, for this condition would not be pleasing to him. R5211:4
Canst not look on – Recognize with any degree of allowance; countenance. F120; R870:3, R386:6, R5901:6*
Denoting his abhorrence. R1351:5*, R5901:6*
According to the principles of divine government and law, he has no degree of allowance; he cannot condone sin nor admit its necessity in any degree. E418
This does not signify a perfection in the flesh, but a perfection of heart, of intention, of will, of endeavor. R5902:1
In eastern countries long ago, to show the face was a mark of favor; to turn the back, a mark of disfavor. B188
To have pardoned Adam, God would have made himself a liar. The absolute unchangeableness of God is the firm foundation upon which all his loving promises rest. R386:6
Since the ransom has been laid down, Jehovah, in due time, will no more disregard and treat men as sinners, turning his back upon them, but will send refreshment from his face, his favor, through Jesus, his agent in the restitution of all things. (Acts 3:19-21) B188
Iniquity – Thus the destruction of the wicked in the Second Death is the essence of wisdom. Ultimately all evil shall be destroyed. R5211:4
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| 14 And Thou makest man as fishes of the sea, As a creeping thing none ruling over him. |
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| 15 Each of them with a hook he hath brought up, He doth catch it in his net, and gathereth it in his drag, Therefore he doth joy and rejoice. |
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| 16 Therefore he doth sacrifice to his net, And doth make perfume to his drag, For by them [is] his portion fertile, and his food fat. |
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| 17 Doth he therefore empty his net, And continually to slay nations spare not |
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