I. The character of God's people —
In general terms they are represented as " fearing God." This of itself would be sufficient to distinguish them from all other people, more especially as it marks " the spirit of their minds." A humble sense of his presence, a dread of doing any thing contrary to his will, and a filial desire to please him, universally distinguish his children : but still they are more clearly discerned by the characters assigned to them in our text :
1. They " keep God's covenant" —
[This is the covenant which was made with Abraham b; and of which Christ is the surety: he has undertaken to ac- complish every thing for his believing people ; to expiate their
sins by hLs blood, and to renew their souls by his grace
" It is ordered in all things and surec" This the Be- liever sees to be exactly suited to his necessities, in that it pro- vides every thing for him, and only requires that he receive thankfully what is thus offered to him freely. This therefore he embraces : " He lays hold on it" as all his hope : and he relies upon it with his whole heart ]
2. They " do his commandments" —
[They are not negligent of good works, though they do not rely upon them for their justification before God: "they love God's law," which is written in their hearts : and they treasure up in their minds his precepts, no less than his promises. To do the will of God, to do it universally without exception, and con- stantly without intermission, is the one desire of their hearts. They would gladly, if it were possible, " stand perfect and com- plete in all the will of God," being " holy, as God is holy," and " perfect, even as their Father which is in heaven is perfect."]
Such are the objects of God's love : bat how shall we express,
II. The extent of his mercy towards them —
The mercy of God is the great subject of this psalm. In the foregoing verses it is set forth in a way of comparison; (equalling the boundless extent of heaven;) but in the words before us it is declared in a way of contrast with the transitoriness of man's existence upon earth.
Man's existence here is only as the flower of the field—
b Gal. iii. 16, 17. c 2 Sam. xxiii. 5.