Psalm 97:9-12 |
9. For thou, Jehovah, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods. 10. Ye that love Jehovah, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his meek ones; he will deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. 11. Light has been sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. 12. Rejoice in Jehovah, ye righteous, and celebrate the memory of his holiness. |
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"Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity,"
(2 Timothy 2:19)
He shows from the very nature of God, that we cannot be judged and acknowledged to be his servants unless we depart from sin, and practice holiness. God is in himself the fountain of righteousness, and he must necessarily hate all iniquity, unless we could suppose that he should deny himself; and we have fellowship with him only on the terms of separation from unrighteousness. As the persecution of the wicked is apt to provoke us to seek revenge, and unwarrantable methods of escape, the Psalmist guards us against this temptation, by asserting that God is the keeper and protector of his people. If persuaded of being under the Divine guardianship, we will not strive with the wicked, nor retaliate injury upon those who have wronged us, but commit our safety to him who will faithfully defend it. This gracious act of condescension, by which God takes us under his care, should serve as a check to any impatience we might feel in abstaining from what is evil, 1 and preserving the course of integrity under provocation.
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1 "De nous tenir en bride, de peur qu'il ne nous soit fascheux ou grief de nous abstenir de malice," etc. -- Fr.
2 "Quamvis non statim suos liberet Deus, arcana tamen virtute tucri eorum salutem." -- Lat.
3 Walford objects to the version light is sown, on the ground that it presents an incongruous combination of figures; and he translates, "light is diffused." "Who can say," he remarks, "what is meant by the sowing of light? The diffusion or expansion of light is intelligible, and means that though good men may be in darkness or adversity, light and prosperity will burst through the cloud." The Septuagint, Vulgate, Arabic, and Æthiopic versions translate, "light is risen for the righteous," probably reading