For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.
When pressure mounts to flee like a bird to the mountain because the wicked bend the bow to shoot secretly at the upright in heart and the foundations appear destroyed, this verse is the answer that steadies trust. It declares that the Lord Himself is righteous, that He loves righteousness, and that His face looks with favor upon the upright. That confidence rests on the fact that He is still in His holy temple, with His throne established in heaven and His sovereignty unshaken.
From that throne His eyes behold the children of men, watching and proving them, and He tests the righteous for their refining and vindication. At the same time His soul hates the wicked and everyone who loves violence, making a clear moral distinction in His judgment. The portion He assigns to the wicked is a rain of snares, fire and brimstone, and horrible tempest meted out as their cup.
When pressure mounts to flee like a bird to the mountain because the wicked bend the bow to shoot secretly at the upright in heart and the foundations appear destroyed, this verse is the answer that steadies trust. It declares that the Lord Himself is righteous, that He loves righteousness, and that His face looks with favor upon the upright. That confidence rests on the fact that He is still in His holy temple, with His throne established in heaven and His sovereignty unshaken.
From that throne His eyes behold the children of men, watching and proving them, and He tests the righteous for their refining and vindication. At the same time His soul hates the wicked and everyone who loves violence, making a clear moral distinction in His judgment. The portion He assigns to the wicked is a rain of snares, fire and brimstone, and horrible tempest meted out as their cup.