Psalms 143:2

Atticus: From this it is clear that people are called righteous and said to be without fault; but that, if negligence comes over them, they may fall. [It is also clear] that a person always occupies a middle place, so that he may slip from the height of virtue into vice or may rise from vice to virtue. He is never safe but must dread shipwreck even in fair weather. Therefore, a person cannot be without sin. Solomon says, "There is not a righteous person on earth that does good and sins not." Likewise in the book of Kings [2 Chronicles]: "There is no one that sins not." So, also, the blessed David says, "Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from hidden faults, and keep back your servant from presumptuous sins." And again, "Enter not into judgment with your servant, for in your sight shall no one living be justified." Holy Scripture is full of passages to the same effect.

And enter not into judgment with your servant. See, he has shown most plainly that he awaits the mercy of Christ, saying: And enter not into judgment with your servant. Here it is as though someone judges between God and the prophet, just as it is also written in the fiftieth psalm: 'That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.' And God enters into judgment for this reason, that he may punish justly. Something of this sort was done also by Cyrus, king of the Persians and Medes, to the king of the Armenians, when he had violated his friendship. He conquered him, and took him captive; and he made that man's own kinsmen, and his wife, and his sons judge between them, so that he might justly either show mercy or punish. For in your sight shall no living man be justified. 'The God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob: the God of the living, and not of the dead.' Therefore not even the patriarchs themselves will be justified in the sight of God. 'For the stars are not clean in his sight.'

In another way tears flow, proceeding without any consciousness of deadly sin, yet still from the fear of hell and an awareness of that terrible judgment. With such terror, the prophet was struck and prayed to God, saying: "Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for in your sight shall no one living be justified."

But if someone asks why God predicted all the things predestined and still did not promise all the predestined things, we answer that it cannot be called a promise unless when it is predicted that something is going to be done, what is done can …

It is clear from all this that there are two kinds of perfections in holy Scripture, and two kinds of justices and two kinds of fears.

And enter not into judgment with thy servant,....

And enter not into judgment with thy servant. He had entreated for audience at the mercy seat, but he has no wish to appear before the judgment seat. Though clear before men, he could not claim innocence before God. Even though he knew himself to be the Lord's servant, yet he did not claim perfection, or plead merit; for even as a servant he was unprofitable. If such be the humble cry of a servant, what ought to be the pleading of a sinner? For in thy sight shall no man living be justified.

enter . . . judgment--deal not in strict justice. shall no . . . justified--or, "is no man justified," or "innocent" (Job 14:3; The exciting reason for his prayer--his afflictions--led to confession as just made: he now makes the complaint. as those that have been long dead--deprived of life's comforts (compare Ps 40:15;

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase+unbalanced-parens

And enter not into judgment with thy servant. He had entreated for audience at the mercy seat, but he has no wish to appear before the judgment seat. Though clear before men, he could not claim innocence before God. Even though he knew himself to be the Lord's servant, yet he did not claim perfection, or plead merit; for even as a servant he was unprofitable. If such be the humble cry of a servant, what ought to be the pleading of a sinner? For in thy sight shall no man living be justified. None can stand before God upon the footing of the law. God's sight is piercing and discriminating; the slightest flaw is seen and judged; and therefore pretence and profession cannot avail where that glance reads all the secrets of the soul. In this verse David told out the doctrine of universal condemnation by the law long before Paul had taken his pen to write the same truth. To this day it stands true even to the same extent as in David's day: no man living even at this moment may dare to present himself for trial before the throne of the Great King on the footing of the law. This foolish age has produced specimens of n pride so rank that men have dared to claim perfection in the flesh; but these vain glorious boasters are no exception to the rule here laid down: they are but men, and poor specimens of men. When their lives are examined they are frequently found to be more faulty than the humble penitents before whom they vaunt their superiority.

Enter not into judgment - אל תבוא al tabo. Do not come into court, either as a Witness against me, or as a Judge, else I am ruined; for thou hast seen all my ways that they are evil, and thy justice requires thee to punish me. Nor can any soul that has ever lived be justified in the sight of thy justice and righteousness. Had I my desert from thee, I should have worse than even my unnatural son intends me. O what a relief is Jesus crucified to a soul in such circumstances!

And enter not into judgment with thy servant - Do not deal with me on the ground of justice as toward “thee;” do not mark my own offences against thee, when I plead that justice may be done as between me and my fellow-men. While I plead that thou wouldst judge righteously between me and them, I am conscious that I could not claim thy needed interposition on the ground of any righteousness toward thee. There I must confess that I am a sinner; there I can rely only on mercy; there I could not hope to be justified. For in thy sight - As before thee; in thy presence; by thee. Shall no man living - No one of the race, no matter what his rank, his outward conduct, his gentleness, his amiableness, his kindness; no matter how just and upright he may be toward his fellow-men. Be justified - Be regarded as righteous; be acquitted from blame; be held to be innocent. The meaning is, “I do not come before thee and plead for thy favor on the ground of any claim on thee, for I am conscious that I am a sinner, and that my only hope is in thy mercy.” See the notes at Rom 3:20. Compare Job 4:17; Job 9:2, Job 9:20; Job 15:14-16; Job 25:4-6. This is a great and momentous truth in regard to man; it is the foundation of the necessity for a plan of salvation through an atonement - for some way in which man “may” properly be regarded and treated as righteous. Assuredly every man, conscious of what he is in himself, may and should fervently pray that God “would” not enter into judgment with him; that he would not mark his offences; that he would not judge him as strict justice would demand. Our hope is in the “mercy,” not in the “justice” of God.