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“LET THOSE WHO LOVE THE LORD HATE EVIL, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.” (Psalms 97:10) [Our Abba Father preserves or guards the lives of His saints; he preserves our lives as long as he has work for us to do, and wonderfully delivers us out of the hand of the wicked, precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. But something more is meant than our lives; for when we choose to be his disciples we must be willing to lay down our lives, and not just secure it. It is the immortal soul that Jesus preserves, the inward man, which may is renewed more and more as the outward man decays!] “LIGHT SHINES ON THE RIGHTEOUS and joy on the upright in heart.” (Psalms 97:11) [Jesus told his disciples, as He was about to leave this world (Joh_16:20), you shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. Joy is sure to the upright in heart, to those only that are sincere in their relationship with the Lord. The joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment. There is no serenity without a lasting sincerity, as we grow in our love for the Lord Jesus, in the love of his appearing and kingdom, that love his word and love praising Him, make sure that you hate evil, the evil of sin, and everything that is offensive to Him. Notice, A true love to God will show itself in a real hatred of all sin, as that abominable thing which he hates. Our joy should likewise confirm our love for our Abba Father!] “Rejoice in the LORD, YOU WHO ARE RIGHTEOUS, and praise his holy name.” (Psalms 97:12) [Be thankful that we can live in righteousness and PURE joy, as a result of our relationship with Jesus!] “I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; MY BODY ALSO WILL REST SECURE, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; YOU WILL FILL ME WITH JOY IN YOUR PRESENCE, with ETERNAL PLEASURES at your right hand.” (Psalms 16:8-11)
[This Psalm foretells that Jesus should suffer and die. This is implied here when he says (Psa_16:8), I shall not be shaken or moved; Jesus supposed that he should be struck, and have a dreadful experience in the purchasing of our redemption. As He was about to suffer great agony, when his soul was exceedingly sorrowful, and He prayed that the cup might pass from him. Then He says, “My flesh shall rest,” it is implied that He must put off the body, and therefore must go through the pains of death. That is what allows us to be filled with eternal JOY!]

Be blessed as you praise The Lord, knowing that AS HE MAKES KNOWN TO US THE PATH OF LIFE; HE WILL FILL US WITH JOY IN HIS PRESENCE, WITH ETERNAL PLEASURES AT HIS RIGHT HAND!
Bill Stockham