Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends

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Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends

Psalm 97 with John Calvin – God, the Fountain of Righteousness

The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad (v. 1). God’s throne is founded in justice and judgment. This is the benefit we derive from it. The greatest misery that we can conceive is living without righteousness and judgment. The psalmist mentions it as a matter of praise exclusively due to God that when he reigns, righteousness is revived in the world. He denies that we can have any righteousness, until God brings us into submission to his word, by the gentle but powerful influences of his Spirit. A great proportion of people stubbornly resist and reject the government of God. For that reason, the psalmist was forced to show God’s severe qualities, to teach the wicked that their opposition will not pass unpunished. When God draws near to people in mercy, and they fail to welcome him with reverence and respect, this implies blasphemy. Let those who love the LORD hate evil (v. 10). Those who fear God are here encouraged to practice righteousness. The psalmist shows from God’s very nature that we cannot be acknowledged as his servants unless we depart from sin and practice holiness. God is the fountain of righteousness, so he hates all sin—or do you suppose that he can deny himself? We have fellowship with him only when we separate ourselves from unrighteousness. We have seen that the LORD’s people are often treated with the utmost cruelty and injustice, and would seem to be abandoned to the fury of their enemies. The psalmist reminds us for our encouragement that God, even when he does not immediately deliver his children, upholds them by his secret power. In the concluding verse he exhorts the LORD’s people to gratitude, that looking upon God