“For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.”
The affirmation that God finds no pleasure in wickedness and evil does not dwell with Him establishes God's moral nature as fundamentally incompatible with evil, making divine preference for righteousness flow from divine character. The language of dwelling suggests both spatial separation and relational distance, establishing that wickedness and holiness cannot coexist in God's presence. This verse grounds the psalm's call for justice in God's basic nature rather than in arbitrary preference, suggesting that justice serves God's character and the fundamental order of creation. The statement excludes any possibility of God's indifference to moral distinction or tolerance of evil, establishing righteousness as non-negotiable.
Church Fathers on Psalms 5:4
1. The title of the Psalm is, “For her who receives the inheritance.” The Church then is signified, who receives for her inheritance eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ; that she may possess God Himself, in cleaving to whom she may be blessed, according to that, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth.” Matthew 5:5 What earth, but that of which it is said, “You are my hope, my portion in the land of the living”? And again more clearly, “The Lord is the…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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