Commentaries:
"He who walks righteously" - Psalms 119:172 gives us a definition of what righteousness is: "All my commandments are righteousness." We understand that the righteousness of Christ has to be in us, but we also have to make effort to keep the commands of God. This verse is similar to what David wrote in Psalm 15:1: "Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?" The "who" will be in Zion.
"Speaks uprightly" - James says that the person who can control his tongue, the same is a perfect man. This is setting high standards, giving us something to shoot for in our lives—things of practical value.
"He who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes" - He will not accept a payment under the table; he keeps his hand closed. In other words, he is an honest and upright person in his dealings with other people.
"Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed" - Rather than listening to gossip while somebody slanders the character of others.
"Shuts his eyes from seeing evil" - This does not mean that the Christian is naive but that the Christian does not put himself into a position where he will witness evil. He does not run with that kind of crowd. Think of this in relation to the entertainments that we seek. What kind of music do we listen to? What kind of entertainments do we watch? Do these things not have an impact on the mind? If they do not have an impact on the mind, then billions of dollars are being wasted on advertising, because advertisers think that hearing and seeing a message will motivate one to do something: to buy their product. Does it not logically follow that, if we witness something that is foul and against the law of God (in terms of entertainment), it will have a vile impact upon us?
John W. Ritenbaugh
A Place of Safety? (Part 4)
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