For the rod— That is, the power of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot or portion; i.e. the country of the righteous; that the righteous, &c. The meaning seems to be, that if their enemies had gained their purpose on Jerusalem, and continued in possession of it, there would have been an utter extinction of the Jewish religion; they would all have been confounded in one scene of iniquity: the righteous would either have been forced or tempted to do as the rest did.
REFLECTIONS.—They who have an almighty God to fly to, have nothing to fear; and his great and precious promises are a sure support to every faithful soul.
1. Their character. They are his people, justified through the blood of the covenant, converted by his Spirit, and separated for his service. They trust in the Lord, on his merit and on his strength, for pardon, acceptance, support, and comfort, under every trial and difficulty. They are righteous through his grace,—their hearts and ways are renewed. Blessed are the people who are in such a case, for to them all the promises of God are yea and amen in Christ Jesus.
2. He prays that God would fulfil what he promises. Do good, O Lord, unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts; such they are by his grace, and such he trusts they will continue, the God of all grace continuing to vouchsafe to them a continual rich supply of his spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus.
3. He foresees and foretels the end of the ungodly. As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, either the sinners, who rush into the paths of error and immorality, or the false professors, who in time of trial apostatise, and fly to sinful expedients to extricate themselves from their sufferings, the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity, to the place of terrible execution, and cast them into that eternal abyss, where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched: but peace shall be upon Israel; it is either a prayer that it may be, or a promise that it shall be so. The end of the righteous is as blessed as the end of the wicked is miserable; peace, present and eternal, is their happy portion; and when the smoke of their torment, who have no rest night nor day, ascendeth, the saints in glory shall rejoice and sing.