Ye that love the Lord, hate evil
The evil of sin, which is to be hated, because of the evil nature
of it, it being exceeding sinful; and because of its evil
consequences, bringing death, ruin, and destruction with it to
the souls of men, unless grace prevents; and disquietude,
distress, and trouble to the saints themselves; and because it is
hateful to God, being contrary to his nature, will, and law, and
is hated by Christ; and therefore those that love him should hate
that, shun it, avoid it, depart from it, and abstain from all
appearance of it; as all such will that love him in sincerity
above all persons and things; and all of him, and that belong to
him, his people, ways, worship, truths, and ordinances: and such
are they that have seen the loveliness of him, and know his love,
and have had it shed abroad in their hearts; and these will not
only hate the evil of sin, but evil men; not their persons, but
their actions and conversations; and will avoid them, and have no
fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness:
he preserveth the souls of his saints;
that are set apart by him, and chosen in him to be holy; that are
sanctified by his blood, and by his Spirit and grace, and to whom
he is made sanctification: the "souls" of these, their better and
more noble part, which are dear to him, and he has redeemed by
his blood, and whose salvation he has obtained, and they still
receive, he "preserves" from the evil of sin, from its governing
and damning power, from a final and total apostasy by it, from
ruin and destruction through it, from being hurt by the second
death; and he preserves them from all their enemies, sin, Satan,
and the world, from being destroyed by them, safe to his kingdom
and glory; therefore he is to be loved, and sin to be hated by
them:
he delivereth them out of the hand of the
wicked;
of wicked and unreasonable men, into whose hands they sometimes
fall, cruel and bloodthirsty persecutors; as he is able to
deliver them, so oftentimes he does; and will, ere long, put them
entirely out of their reach. Kimchi interprets this of the
deliverance of the Jews from the captivity of Babylon, Media, and
Persia.