RESH.

Psalm 119:155. Salvation — Which is nigh to the faithful, because they diligently and earnestly seek to know and do the will of God, revealed to them in his word; is far from the wicked — They cannot, upon any good grounds, promise themselves even temporal deliverance, when they are in any adversity or trouble, but certainly eternal salvation is far from them. They may, indeed, flatter themselves that it is near, or that they are in the way to it; but they are dreadfully mistaken. It is at a great distance, for they thrust it from them, by thrusting the Saviour from them, and his statutes, to know, and much more, to practise which, they give themselves no concern; and the longer they persist in sin, at the greater distance it is. But, while salvation is far from them, damnation is near; it slumbers not: for, behold, the Judge standeth before the door.

119:153-160 The closer we cleave to the word of God, both as our rule and as our stay, the more assurance we have of deliverance. Christ is the Advocate of his people, their Redeemer. Those who were quickened by his Spirit and grace, when they were dead in trespasses and sins, often need to have the work of grace revived in them, according to the word of promise. The wicked not only do not God's statutes, but they do not even seek them. They flatter themselves that they are going to heaven; but the longer they persist in sin, the further it is from them. God's mercies are tender; they are a fountain that can never be exhausted. The psalmist begs for God's reviving, quickening grace. A man, steady in the way of his duty, though he may have many enemies, needs to fear none. Those that hate sin truly, hate it as sin, as a transgression of the law of God, and a breaking of his word. Our obedience is only pleasing to God, and pleasant to ourselves, when it comes from a principle of love. All, in every age, who receive God's word in faith and love, find every saying in it faithful.Salvation is far from the wicked - That is,

(a) in their present course: they are very far from being safe, or from having a prospect of salvation;

(b) they are constantly going farther and farther off - making their salvation less probable - not going toward heaven, but from it.

(c) Destruction is very near to them, and they are constantly making it nearer and nearer.

(d) In their present course it may be said that salvation is far - is infinitely remote - from them, so that they can never come to it.

(e) If they would be saved, they must change their course altogether, and go "toward" salvation and not from it.

For they seek not thy statutes - They do not regard thy law; they do not make it a principle to obey thy commandments.

154. Plead, &c.—Hengstenberg translates, "Fight my fight." (See Ps 35:1; 43:1; Mic 7:9).Ver. 155. And therefore, on the contrary, I trust that thou wilt save me because I do seek them. My wicked enemies shall certainly be destroyed, by which means I shall be delivered.

Salvation is far from the wicked,.... Christ, the author of salvation, is far from them: he was far from the unbelieving Jews, even though salvation was of them, and he, the Saviour, was among them; and he is far from all unconverted persons, as to knowledge of him, faith in him, or love to him; and from all those that seek for salvation elsewhere, let them make ever such pretences to religion: the word of salvation is far from them, as Kimchi; the Gospel of salvation, which they put away from them, as the Jews did in the times of Christ and the apostles; an experimental knowledge of salvation, a sense of need of it, and an application of it, are far from them; and the enjoyment of it in heaven, which, though nearer the saints than when they first believed, is far off from the wicked, and whose damnation is near: Aben Ezra interprets it,

"the days of salvation;''

for they seek not thy statutes; either to know them, or keep them: they seek not after God, to know him, his mind and will; the language of their hearts and actions is, "depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways"; no, not of life and salvation, and therefore it must be far from them, Job 21:14.

Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes.