Tobit's Thanksgiving and Prophetic Jerusalem

After realizing the great magnitude of blessings that God had endowed upon him and his family, Tobit wrote the prayer of Thanksgiving below. The words of praise are consistent with many of the praise of other Israelites from the Old Testament. Perhaps one thing that stood out is the description of the extravagance of Jerusalem. Although Jerusalem would have been quite magnificent in the times of Solomon, the description of Jerusalem using precious stones, gold and jewels suggest this may be a prophetic view of Jerusalem and not too different from the eternal Jerusalem described in Revelation.


Tobit 13: Tobit’s Thanksgiving to God
Then Tobit wrote a prayer of rejoicing, and said:
“Blessed is God who lives for ever,
    and blessed is his kingdom.
2 For he afflicts, and he shows mercy;
    he leads down to Hades, and brings up again,
    and there is no one who can escape his hand.
3 Acknowledge him before the nations, O sons of Israel;
    for he has scattered us among them.
4 Make his greatness known there,
    and exalt him in the presence of all the living;
because he is our Lord and God,
    he is our Father for ever.
5 He will afflict us for our iniquities;
    and again he will show mercy,
and will gather us from all the nations
    among whom you[a] have been scattered.
6 If you turn to him with all your heart and with all your soul,
    to do what is true before him,
then he will turn to you
    and will not hide his face from you.
But see what he will do with you;
    give thanks to him with your full voice.
Praise the Lord of righteousness,
    and exalt the King of the ages.
I give him thanks in the land of my captivity,
    and I show his power and majesty to a nation of sinners.
Turn back, you sinners, and do right before him;
    who knows if he will accept you and have mercy on you?
7 I exalt my God;
    my soul exalts the King of heaven,
    and will rejoice in his majesty.
8 Let all men speak,
    and give him thanks in Jerusalem.
9 O Jerusalem, the holy city,
    he will afflict you for the deeds of your sons,
    but again he will show mercy to the sons of the righteous.
10 Give thanks worthily to the Lord,
    and praise the King of the ages,
    that his tent may be raised for you again with joy.
May he cheer those within you who are captives,
    and love those within you who are distressed,
    to all generations for ever.
11 Many nations will come from afar to the name of the Lord God,
    bearing gifts in their hands, gifts for the King of heaven.
Generations of generations will give you joyful praise.
12 Cursed are all who hate you;
    blessed for ever will be all who love you.
13 Rejoice and be glad for the sons of the righteous;
    for they will be gathered together,
    and will praise the Lord of the righteous.
14 How blessed are those who love you!
    They will rejoice in your peace.
Blessed are those who grieved over all your afflictions;
    for they will rejoice for you upon seeing all your glory,
    and they will be made glad for ever.
15 Let my soul praise God the great King.
16 For Jerusalem will be built with sapphires and emeralds,
    her[b] walls with precious stones,
    and her towers and battlements with pure gold.
17 The streets of Jerusalem will be paved[c] with beryl and ruby and stones of Ophir;
18     all her lanes will cry ‘Hallelujah!’ and will give praise,
    saying, ‘Blessed is God, who has exalted you for ever.’”

O Lord, I have heard Your Speech and was Afraid

The chapter starts with the description of the majesty and awesomeness of God. He is radiant and full of glory, and all creation bow to Him. He has full command of nature. God is also acknowledged as bringing salvation to His people and judging the wicked. The chapter ends with a hymn of faith, describing when everything else fails, the author still rejoice in the Lord, who is the God of Salvation.


Habakkuk 3
The Prophet’s Prayer

1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, on Shigionoth.[a]

2 O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid;
O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years!
In the midst of the years make it known;
In wrath remember mercy.
3 God came from Teman,
The Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah
His glory covered the heavens,
And the earth was full of His praise.
4 His brightness was like the light;
He had rays flashing from His hand,
And there His power was hidden.
5 Before Him went pestilence,
And fever followed at His feet.
6 He stood and measured the earth;
He looked and startled the nations.
And the everlasting mountains were scattered,
The perpetual hills bowed.
His ways are everlasting.
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction;
The curtains of the land of Midian trembled.
8 O Lord, were You displeased with the rivers,
Was Your anger against the rivers,
Was Your wrath against the sea,
That You rode on Your horses,
Your chariots of salvation?
9 Your bow was made quite ready;
Oaths were sworn over Your arrows.[b] Selah
You divided the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains saw You and trembled;
The overflowing of the water passed by.
The deep uttered its voice,
And lifted its hands on high.
11 The sun and moon stood still in their habitation;
At the light of Your arrows they went,
At the shining of Your glittering spear.
12 You marched through the land in indignation;
You trampled the nations in anger.
13 You went forth for the salvation of Your people,
For salvation with Your Anointed.
You struck the head from the house of the wicked,
By laying bare from foundation to neck. Selah
14 You thrust through with his own arrows
The head of his villages.
They came out like a whirlwind to scatter me;
Their rejoicing was like feasting on the poor in secret.
15 You walked through the sea with Your horses,
Through the heap of great waters.
16 When I heard, my body trembled;
My lips quivered at the voice;
Rottenness entered my bones;
And I trembled in myself,
That I might rest in the day of trouble.
When he comes up to the people,
He will invade them with his troops.


A Hymn of Faith

17 Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
19 The Lord God[c] is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.
To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.

My Elect Shall Inherit It

God speaks to His people declaring that there are many who have abandoned their relationship with God to pursue various forms of idolatory. However God declares that He will not destroy all His people because of His covenant with them and also because there is an elect group who is still faithful. In the last part, God describes the new heaven and new earth. In that world, there will be no infant mortality, men will live their full lifes, they will be productive in building and planting and their fruits will not be robbed, and even in the animal kingdom, all animals will be tamed.



Isaiah 65
The Righteousness of God’s Judgment

1 “I was sought by those who did not ask for Me;
I was found by those who did not seek Me.
I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’
To a nation that was not called by My name.
2 I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people,
Who walk in a way that is not good,
According to their own thoughts;
3 A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face;
Who sacrifice in gardens,
And burn incense on altars of brick;
4 Who sit among the graves,
And spend the night in the tombs;
Who eat swine’s flesh,
And the broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
5 Who say, ‘Keep to yourself,
Do not come near me,
For I am holier than you!’
These are smoke in My nostrils,
A fire that burns all the day.
6 “Behold, it is written before Me:
I will not keep silence, but will repay—
Even repay into their bosom—
7 Your iniquities and the iniquities of your fathers together,”
Says the Lord,
“Who have burned incense on the mountains
And blasphemed Me on the hills;
Therefore I will measure their former work into their bosom.”
8 Thus says the Lord:

“As the new wine is found in the cluster,
And one says, ‘Do not destroy it,
For a blessing is in it,’
So will I do for My servants’ sake,
That I may not destroy them all.
9 I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,
And from Judah an heir of My mountains;
My elect shall inherit it,
And My servants shall dwell there.
10 Sharon shall be a fold of flocks,
And the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down,
For My people who have sought Me.
11 “But you are those who forsake the Lord,
Who forget My holy mountain,
Who prepare a table for Gad,[a]
And who furnish a drink offering for Meni.[b]
12 Therefore I will number you for the sword,
And you shall all bow down to the slaughter;
Because, when I called, you did not answer;
When I spoke, you did not hear,
But did evil before My eyes,
And chose that in which I do not delight.”
13 Therefore thus says the Lord God:

“Behold, My servants shall eat,
But you shall be hungry;
Behold, My servants shall drink,
But you shall be thirsty;
Behold, My servants shall rejoice,
But you shall be ashamed;
14 Behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart,
But you shall cry for sorrow of heart,
And wail for grief of spirit.
15 You shall leave your name as a curse to My chosen;
For the Lord God will slay you,
And call His servants by another name;
16 So that he who blesses himself in the earth
Shall bless himself in the God of truth;
And he who swears in the earth
Shall swear by the God of truth;
Because the former troubles are forgotten,
And because they are hidden from My eyes.


The Glorious New Creation

17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;
And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing,
And her people a joy.
19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
And joy in My people;
The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her,
Nor the voice of crying.
20 “No more shall an infant from there live but a few days,
Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days;
For the child shall die one hundred years old,
But the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.
21 They shall build houses and inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They shall not build and another inhabit;
They shall not plant and another eat;
For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people,
And My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They shall not labor in vain,
Nor bring forth children for trouble;
For they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord,
And their offspring with them.
24 “It shall come to pass
That before they call, I will answer;
And while they are still speaking, I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
The lion shall eat straw like the ox,
And dust shall be the serpent’s food.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,”
Says the Lord.

Then Our Mouth Was Filled With Laughter

The joy of the people is expressed in this Psalm, in particular relating to the event that God brought the captive Israelites back to their homeland. This most likely refers to the Babylonian captivity, but it is also reminiscent of the deliverance from Egypt; as well as God's deliverance of us from our former selves into His family.

The second part may be open to misinterpretation about those who are weeping and sow in tears will be rejoicing in the future. Some may view this as an encouragement to weep or be sorrowful so that we will be rewarded with joy. But an understanding of God and His son Jesus will clarify this. There are many descriptions in Scriptures showing people dancing and singing with joy and praising God, eg the Israelites at their victories and deliverance and David's worship of God. So the Scripture here is more likely saying that for those who happen to be in tears and weeping, not that it is encouraged, they can look forward to rejoicing in the future as God delivers them.


Psalm 126
A Joyful Return to Zion
A Song of Ascents.

1 When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion,
We were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
And our tongue with singing.
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us,
And we are glad.
4 Bring back our captivity, O Lord,
As the streams in the South.
5 Those who sow in tears
Shall reap in joy.
6 He who continually goes forth weeping,
Bearing seed for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
Bringing his sheaves with him.