The Pulpit Commentary on Psalms 145:17

The Pulpit Commentary · Joseph S. Exell and contributors · Public domain

The absoluteness of the Divine righteousness.

"The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and gracious in all his works." This is not the impression every man has of God; it is not the impression even the good man has of God at all times. It is the good man's thought of God when he is at his best; raised by holy emotion above himself. He can say, "The Lord is righteous in all his ways"—

I. WHEN HE TRIES TO READ THE HISTORY OF THE PAST. The story of the ages is kept for us in order that we may find in it what God has been, and therefore what God is. History as a series of facts is but a poor affair. The philosophy of history is its intercept, and the Divine philosophy of history (God in history) is the supreme interest of it. But it is difficult work, because man can never fully take the Divine standpoint about anything. He is always obliged to get his faith to help his judgment. And yet, what is ever coming out more and more clearly to the devout student is the righteousness of God's ways. He sees how God has made things come right.

II. WHEN HE TRIES TO READ THE MYSTERIES OF THE PRESENT. This is always perplexing work, because of the disturbing influence of feeling and prejudice. God's ways are not always what we like, and then it is very easy to say that they are not right. The good man has constantly to fall back upon his absolute knowledge of what God is, and upon his deep, experimental conviction of God's righteous goodness, in order to undo the tangle in which things seem to have got, and to put things into an order and relation that bring to view the Divine righteousness.

III. WHEN HE TRIES TO READ GOD'S DEALINGS WITH HIMSELF. Under previous divisions we have had in mind the macrocosm, the whole world of things and people. Now we have in mind the microcosm, the limited sphere of the individual life. And the personal element so seriously influences a man that it takes a whole long life before an adequate impression of the absolute righteousness of God can be gained. And yet it is there, in every man's life. To see it, and live in the joy of it, is heaven.—R.T.

HOMILIES BY C. SHORT

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