Psalm 97:10—”You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.”
Believers must hate sin in all its forms because it is hated by God. Hatred of sin is a consequence and proof of our love for God, when it is genuine and sincere; it must be rooted and spring from the heart. In addition to serving God outwardly, we must love Him inwardly. We must not be content to stay away from overt acts of sin, but truly hate it! If we love sin in our heart, there is no true love for God. God hates sin, His fire consumes it, His presence shakes it out of its place, and His glory defeats all the lovers of sin. We must therefore not only refuse to face evil, but be up in arms against it. Sin is contrary to God’s nature, will, and law, and is hated by Christ. We must not only hate the evil of sin, but avoid fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness in our love for God.
The Lord preserves the souls of His people from sin and despair. He will deliver them out of the hands and designs of the wicked one, and preserve them safe to His heavenly kingdom. God freely loves the repentant sinner who believes in Christ. Jesus will make a final separation between the person whom He loves and their sin, and sanctify His people wholly – body, soul, and spirit. In Heaven, none of the schemes of wicked people can reach them. Therefore, they need not be afraid to war with evil. Even if peoples’ bodies may be persecuted in the hands of the wicked, but not their souls, these are very dear to God, and He preserves them safe in His bosom. This foretells for the church a season of battles with the powers of darkness, but the Lord will preserve and bring His church to the light. Although you, who love Christ, will meet with many troubles and persecutions; yet don’t be discouraged, for God will preserve you in troubles, and in His time deliver you out of them all.
God preserves the souls of His people; who are:
– set apart by Him and dear to Him
– chosen in Him to be holy
– sanctified by His blood and by His Spirit and grace
– redeemed by His blood; whose salvation He has obtained, and they still receive.
God preserves from the evil of sin, from its governing and damning power, from its ruin and destruction, from being hurt by the second death. It is indifference to evil that lays us open to Satan’s assaults. Jehovah guards us from danger, watches over us with a careful eye, preserves us from destruction, and will put us entirely out of the reach of the hand of the wicked. Let gratitude for blessings of providence and grace incite us to live lives acceptable to God.
