Sublime

To the ignorant or slothful believer there is a great difference between the promises and commands of Scripture. The former he counts his comfort and his food; but to him who is really seeking to abide in Christ's love, the commands become no less precious, As much as the promises they are the revelation of the divine love, guides into the deeper

The word Jeshurun that appears three times in this song is a reference to the Israelites. It means “upright ones,” and it’s used ironically here, since they aren’t upright.

Indeed, if you fulfill the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, C, n you are doing well. 9 If, however, you show favoritism, o you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all.

A deep doctrine of sin, a high doctrine of joy, and the two together produce this blessed, happy man who mourns, and who at the same time is comforted. The way to experience that, obviously, is to read the Scriptures, to study and meditate upon them, to pray to God for His Spirit to reveal sin in us to ourselves, and then to reveal to us the Lord

As the practical outworking of this truth, Calvin once said that half of the church’s funds should be allotted specifically for the poor (a far cry from most church budgets today).30 While he did not expect everyone to enjoy the same resources, Calvin concluded that “no one is to be allowed to starve.