Psalm 17:12 — he set darkness his hiding-place; bodily gloom between us and God

“And he set darkness his hiding-place, around him his tent” (Psalm 18:11).

He set the darkness his hiding-place, having placed it in the middle of himself and us, as Moses of old the veil in the middle of himself and the hardening of Israel, unless a dark nature easily sees — not easily attaining the stored-up beauty, it also easily casts it off, because of the ease of the creation. Therefore in the middle of us and God this bodily gloom stands, as the cloud of old of the Egyptians and the Hebrews; and this is perhaps “he set darkness his hiding-place.” Therefore also Paul says: “Who alone has immortality, and dwells in unapproachable light” (1 Timothy 6:16).