13 “You who are far away, hear what I have done;
And you who are near, [j]acknowledge My might.”
14 Sinners in Zion are terrified;
Trembling has seized the godless.
“Who among us can live with the consuming fire?
Who among us can live with [k]continual burning?”
15 He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity,
He who rejects [l]unjust gain
And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe;
He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed
And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil;
16 He will dwell on the heights,
His refuge will be the [m]impregnable rock;
His bread will be given him,
His water will be sure.17 Your eyes will see the King in His beauty;
They will behold a far-distant land.
18 Your heart will meditate on terror:
“Where is he who counts?
Where is he who weighs?
Where is he who counts the towers?”
19 You will no longer see a fierce people,
A people of [n]unintelligible speech [o]which no one comprehends,
Of a stammering tongue [p]which no one understands.
20 Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts;
Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an undisturbed habitation,
A tent which will not be folded;
Its stakes will never be pulled up,
Nor any of its cords be torn apart.
21 But there the majestic One, the Lord, will be for us
A place of rivers and wide canals
On which no boat with oars will go,
And on which no mighty ship will pass—
22 For the Lord is our judge,
The Lord is our lawgiver,
The Lord is our king;
He will save us—
23 Your tackle hangs slack;
It cannot hold the base of its mast firmly,
Nor spread out the sail.
Then the prey of an abundant spoil will be divided;
The lame will take the plunder.
24 And no resident will say, “I am sick”;
The people who dwell [q]there will be forgiven their iniquity.
These first four verses (though not the start of the chapter) seem to set the stage for the rest of this passage. God says, “Hey everyone, near and far, pay attention to my might and the works that I have done (and do)!” He then continues with a contrast, first the sinners and the godless, and then the righteous.
In the first case, they are terrified and trembling. The might of God, and His works are too much for them. To them He is a consuming fire, a constant burning, and they must either shut their ears (and hearts and minds) or admit that He is God alone and serve Him. But for the righteous–who is not just and pure of his own accord, but due to that consuming fire of God–the picture is completely different.
They will dwell in security, and their needs will be taken care of. But there is another strange contrast, as they “meditate on terror” or at least that which ought to be terrifying, and is to the unbeliever. Instead of a fierce and foreign people, their perspective has shifted. And they will say, “the Lord is our judge, our lawgiver, our king, and He will save us…”
Not only do they, and should we, have confidence in God, but living for Him should change our perspective. Rather than seeing others as foreign, or fierce, or any number of negative things, we should see them as God does. That is, they are lost, hurting, hungry, and in need of everything that God is. To often, they don’t really know who He is, whether they’ve seen bad examples in the past, or if they have never seen His love on display.
So, be an example that God can use, and let His love shine in your heart, your life, and your actions. Don’t hold on tightly to what you have gained, as if it were yours to hoard. Rather, share it freely, for God is big enough and can provide enough for you and anyone else you share with. See through His eyes, and let Him direct your paths.