John Calvin Commentary Psalms 97:10

"O ye that love Jehovah, hate evil: He preserveth the souls of his saints; He delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked." — Psalms 97:10 (ASV)

You that love Jehovah, hate evil. Those that fear God are here enjoined to practice righteousness, as Paul says, Let everyone that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity, (2 Timothy 2:19).

He shows from the very nature of God that we cannot be judged and acknowledged to be His servants unless we depart from sin and practice holiness.

God is in Himself the fountain of righteousness, and He must necessarily hate all iniquity, unless He were to deny Himself. We have fellowship with Him only on the terms of separation from unrighteousness.

As the persecution of the wicked is apt to provoke us to seek revenge and use unwarrantable methods of escape, the Psalmist guards us against this temptation by asserting that God is the keeper and protector of His people.

If we are persuaded that we are under Divine guardianship, we will not strive with the wicked, nor retaliate against those who have wronged us, but will commit our safety to Him who will faithfully defend it.

This gracious act of condescension, by which God takes us under His care, should serve as a check to any impatience we might feel in abstaining from evil and in preserving our integrity when provoked.