And make straight paths for your feet
By "feet" are meant the walk and conversation of the saints, both
in the church, and in the world, ( Song of
Solomon 7:1 ) and there are paths made ready for these feet
to walk in; as the good old paths of truth, of the word and
worship of God, of faith and holiness: and to make these paths
"straight", is to make the word of God the rule of walking; to
avoid carefully joining anything with it as a rule; to attend
constantly on the ordinances of Christ; to go on evenly in a way
of believing on him; to walk in some measure worthy of the
calling wherewith we are called, and by way of example to others.
Lest that which is lame be turned out of the
way;
a lame member, as the Syriac version, a lame member of the body
of Christ, the church; or a lame person, as the Arabic version, a
weak believer; one that is ready to halt, either through the
corruption of nature, or through the weakness of grace, or
through want of light and judgment, and through instability and
inconstancy; lest such an one should, through the irregular walk
and conversation of others, be stumbled and offended, and go out
of the way, and leave the paths of righteousness and truth. God
takes care of, and has a regard to such, and he would have others
also, ( Micah 4:6
) ( Zephaniah 3:19 ) . The
Ethiopic version reads, "that your halting may be healed, and not
offended": that you yourselves may not halt and stumble.
But let it rather be healed;
the fallen believer be restored, the weak brother be confirmed,
the halting professor be strengthened, and everyone be built up
and established upon the most holy faith, and in the pure ways of
the Gospel.