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Therefore is judgment far from us - This is the confession of the people that they were suffering not unjustly on account of their crimes. The word ‹judgment‘ here is evidently to be taken in the sense of vengeance or vindication. The idea is this, ‹we are subjected to calamities and to oppressions by our enemies. In our distresses we cry unto God, but on account of our sins he does not hear us, nor does he come to vindicate our cause.‘
Neither doth justice overtake us - That is, God does not interpose to save us from our calamities, and to deliver us from the hand of our enemies. The word justice here is not to be regarded as used in the sense that they had a claim on God, or that they were now suffering unjustly, but it is used to denote the attribute of justice in God; and the idea is, that the just God, the avenger of wrongs, did not come forth to vindicate their cause, and to save them from the power of their foes.
We wait for light - The idea here is, that they anxiously waited for returning prosperity.
But behold obscurity - Darkness. Our calamities continue, and relief is not afforded us.
For brightness - That is, for brightness or splendor like the shining of the sun an emblem of happiness and prosperity.
[See Appendix]
Read in context »We wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. Isaiah 59:9. Mar 103.1
Read in context »The temptations of the enemy will come; but shall we give him the advantage to break down all the barriers, by yielding one iota from the strictest principles of integrity? If we yield in the least, he will follow one temptation with another, until we shall go directly contrary to the plainest statements of the Word of God, and follow the mind and will of Satan. Satan and his confederacy of evil angels are ever on the alert to see by what means they may ensnare and ruin souls who have enlisted under the blood-stained banner of Prince Immanuel. You did run well for a season, you did taste and see that the Lord is good; but when you fell into sin, you walked in darkness. When you yielded to temptation, you must have ceased to look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. But, having confessed your sins, believe that the Word of God cannot fail, but that He is faithful that hath promised. It is just as much your duty to believe that God will fulfil His word, and forgive your sins, as it is your duty to confess your sins. You must exercise faith in God as in one who will do exactly as He has promised in His Word, and pardon all your transgressions. TDG 89.2
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