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| 1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. |
Mine elect – Jesus and the Church. R3587:4; E41
His well beloved Son, the chief of all the elect. R3109:1, R5576:3
Bring forth judgment – The work of the Lord's Anointed, Head and Body, in conferring restitution blessings upon mankind during the Millennial age. R3587:4
To the Gentiles – As well as to the Jews. A58, A59
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| 2 He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. |
He shall not cry – Jesus' preaching was reasonable and delivered with dignity and meekness. R646:2, R1468:4, R3070:5
Let us, likewise, endeavor to present God's truth in all its native simplicity and beauty and trust its inherent power to win its way in due time to every heart. R651:4*
Nor lift up – "Nor call aloud" (Leeser). R646:2
Heard in the street – Neither the Bible nor sound judgment dictates street quarreling for the truth's sake. R1468:4
Like the Salvation Army of the present day. R2597:4
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| 3 A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. |
If there be even a slight disposition to penitence, God fosters and cherishes it. R1614:5
Shall he not break – So, on the highway of holiness, if there is any tendency to appreciate divine favors, the Lord will not break off such a one at 100 years. R1772:5
So also the Lord's people who are strong in faith are taught to bear with weaker ones. R2163:4*
The smoking flax – Faith, in its beginning, is always weak; but God does not despise the day of small things. R2163:4*; F684
Shall he not quench – On the highway of holiness, if there is even a smouldering spark of love toward God, the Lord will fan it into a blaze. R1772:5
Judgment unto truth – Right, according to the truth. R527:6*
Eventually bringing every thought into captivity to the will of God. R1772:5
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| 4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. |
He shall not fail – He comes to do a variety of work and shall not leave it nor return until he hath accomplished to put down all authority and power. R631:5
All God's purposes shall be accomplished. A95
Nor be discouraged – Throughout the Gospel age the various agencies of evil, the civil power and subsequently the civil and ecclesiastical powers in combination, have seemed to thoroughly block the way for the development of the living stones of the Kingdom. R3651:3
Till he have – Present enlightenment of the people and their incidental discontent are merely means toward the great end that he has in view. R1770:2
Set judgment – Having first selected and glorified his saints. R631:5
Established righteousness, justice, on a lasting basis. R770:1, R764:4, R527:5, R569:1, R1770:2
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| 5 Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: |
Stretched them out – "Stretched them forth" (R.V.) Highly figurative and poetic language, not proving the firmament to be a solid structure. R1812:2
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| 6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; |
Will hold thine hand – By sending an angel to minister to Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. R1801:5
And will keep thee – From falling or failure. R1801:4
And give thee – The Christ. R3109:2; Q195:4
"Against thee" (Leeser). As the world's representative, God would appoint or enter into a covenant with Jesus on behalf of the people. R3109:1
For a covenant – Sacrificed in the interests of a covenant, the New covenant. R4321:3
Not that they become the covenant, but that there could be no covenant without Christ and the Church because it is the blood of Christ that constitutes the sealing value of the New covenant. Q195:4
The New covenant is given to Israel and the world only indirectly; the Father's dealings are not with Israel, nor the world, but with the Mediator. R3109:2
As the Mediator through whom the covenant towards our race will be fulfilled. R3109:2, R4571:5
Of the people – Israel. R4321:3
Light of the Gentiles – The Hebrew nation will be lightbearers to all other nations. R5768:6
To enable them all to come under the blessings of Israel's New covenant. R4321:3
The Gospel was to be told to the Jew first, but also to the Gentiles. R3010:2
"Of the nations" (Leeser). R3109:1
Not yet dawned--waiting for the completion of the resurrection of The Christ. R751:3*
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| 7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. |
To open – Under the New covenant the Lord will remove their blindness. Q171:3
Our Lord must do these things at his first advent, and in a measure begin the work of restitution, so that Israel could recognize him and be responsible for rejecting him and his "works." R2000:4
The Gospel must ultimately open the eyes of the blind. R1786:4
Blind eyes – Eyes of understanding. R1396:4, R3504:5
To bring out – Applied by our Lord to himself; but he did not break open the prison-house of death and set all the captives free by resurrection immediately upon his own resurrection. R4793:2
The prisoners – Death's captives. HG137:1; R930:6; A112
From the prison – From death. E41; R4793:2, R458:4*
The tomb, sheol, hades. From this prison none can break forth, but all are prisoners of hope. SM611:1; R5151:1
Sit in darkness – By contrast with those who walk in the light and run for the prize. A25
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| 8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. |
I am the LORD – Jehovah. E41
The distinctive, personal name of the Almighty Father should not be translated; the distinctiveness is lost by its being generally translated "LORD." R338:3, R1410:6, R379:2
That is my name – The name Jehovah signifies the "Self-Existing One" or "The Immortal One." E40
"I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name El Shaddai (God Almighty), but by my name Jehovah was I not known unto them." (Exo. 6:3) R1410:6
And my glory – My honor as the original lawgiver. E41; F396
Will I not give – The glory of the Son never has and never will eclipse the glory of the Father. The Son never attempted to diminish the Father's glory, but always to add to it. R920:1
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| 9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. |
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| 10 Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. |
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| 11 Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. |
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| 12 Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands. |
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| 13 The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies. |
LORD shall go forth – When he rises up in judgment against the nations. D549
A man of war – While the Lord forbids his people to fight with carnal weapons and declares himself to be a God of peace, he also declares himself to be a God of justice, and shows that evil shall not forever triumph in the world. D549
Shall cry, yea, roar – By means of his great army. D549
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| 14 I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once. |
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| 15 I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools. |
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| 16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. |
The blind – The hour is near when all the blinded ones who are now feeling after God shall have the eyes of their understanding opened and shall find the "way." R2090:6
Darkness – Ignorance. SM266:T
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| 17 They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods. |
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| 18 Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see. |
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| 19 Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the LORD's servant? |
Who is blind – To earthly ambitions, prospects and worldly wisdom. R3176:6
With this blindness Jehovah is well pleased. R3176:6
But my servant – Our Lord Jesus, and incidentally, the Church, his Body. R3176:6
Perfect – Surrendered, devoted. R3176:6
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| 20 Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not. |
But – Omit this word. R3176:6
Observest not – Heedeth not. It is not that we do not see earthly advantages, but we purposely reject them, closing our eyes to all earthly allurements. R3176:6
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| 21 The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable.
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Magnify the law – Bring out its fine points. R1463:2*
Our Lord showed how far-reaching and comprehensive are its requirements. SM352:3; R5756:1
The lengths, breadths, heights and depths of the meaning of the Law were seen by none until taught by Jesus. R5286:2
Shown to have a still higher and deeper scope than was ever previously comprehended. R3176:6
Failure to perceive the spirit of the Law was one of the reasons why Israel could not get eternal life. R5071:5
Christ kept the Law in its minutest and widest sense, and proved it a just and perfect Law which a perfect man could keep; thereby proving the fault to be in man and not in the Law. R678:5, R3176:6
The Law said, "Thou shalt not kill," but Christ magnified that when he taught that whomsoever hateth his brother without a cause is guilty of murder. (Matt. 5:21,22, 27, 28) HG582:5*
Christ magnified the Sabbath law by teaching that the Jew gave God one-seventh of his time, but the Christian is to give him seven-sevenths. HG583:1*
Make it honourable – Jesus kept the Law, proving that it could be kept and that the fault lay with mankind. R5071:6, R4451:6, R1462:3, R678:5
In bringing it down to the comprehension of sinful men, God was obliged to state it in such a way as to meet the exigencies of their case; and so it abounds in commands and prohibitions. R1462:3
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| 22 But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore. |
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| 23 Who among you will give ear to this? who will hearken and hear for the time to come? |
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| 24 Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not the LORD, he against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law. |
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| 25 Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle: and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart. |
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