Commentary on Psalms - Volume 3 - Bible Study Guides

Comm on Psalms (V3)John Calvinto denote the condition or lot with which every man is contented. Accordingly, the reason why Godis represented as a portion is, because he alone is abundantly sufficient for us, and because in himthe perfection of our happiness consists. Whence it follows, that we are chargeable with ingratitude,if we turn away our minds from him and fix them on any other object, as has been stated in Psalm16:4, where David explains more clearly the import of the metaphor. Some foolishly assert thatGod is called our portion, because our soul is taken from him. I know not how such a silly conceithas found its way into their brains; for it is as far from David’s meaning as heaven is from the earth,and it involves in it the wild notion of the Manicheans, with which Servetus was bewitched. But itgenerally happens that men who are not exercised in the Scriptures, nor imbued with sound theology,although well acquainted with the Hebrew language, yet err and fall into mistakes even in firstprinciples. Under the word heart the Psalmist comprehends the whole soul. He does not, however,mean, when he speaks of the heart failing, that the essence or substance of the soul fails, but thatall the powers which God in his goodness has bestowed upon it, and the use of which it retains onlyso long as he pleases, fall into decay.27. For, lo! they who depart from thee shall perish. Here he proves, by an argument taken fromthings contrary, that nothing was better for him than simply to repose himself upon God alone; forno sooner does any one depart from God than he inevitably falls into the most dreadful destruction.All depart from him who divide and scatter their hope among a variety of objects. The phrase togo a whoring 210 is of similar import; for it is the worst kind of adultery to divide our heart that itmay not continue fixed exclusively upon God. This will be more easily understood by defining thespiritual chastity of our minds, which consists in faith, in calling upon God, in integrity of heart,and in obedience to the Word. Whoever then submits not himself to the Word of God, that feelinghim to be the sole author of all good things, he may depend upon him, surrender himself to begoverned by him, betake himself to him at all times, and devote to him all his affections, such aperson is like an adulterous woman who leaves her own husband, and prostitutes herself to strangers.David’s language then is equivalent to his pronouncing all apostates who revolt from God to beadulterers.28. As for me, it is good for me to draw near to God. Literally the reading is, And I, etc. Davidspeaking expressly of himself, affirms that although he should see all mankind in a state ofestrangement from God, and wandering after the ever-changing errors and superstitions of theworld, he would nevertheless study to continue always in a state of nearness to God. Let othersperish, says he, if their headstrong passions cannot be restrained, and they themselves preventedfrom running after the deceits of the world; but as for me, I will continue steadfast in the resolutionof maintaining a sacred communion with God. In the subsequent clause he informs us that we drawnear to God in a right manner when our confidence continues firmly fixed in him. God will nothold us by his right hand unless we are fully persuaded of the impossibility of our continuingsteadfast and safe in any other way than by his grace alone. This passage is worthy of notice, thatwe may not be carried away by evil examples, to join ourselves to the wicked, and to act as theydo, although even the whole world should fall into unbelief; but that we may learn to gather in ouraffections from other objects, and to confine them exclusively to God. In the close, the Psalmist210 “Go a whoring, etc.; i.e., forsake God for false gods, which is spiritual adultery.” — Sutcliffe. When God is said to havedestroyed such as do this, some think there is an allusion to that part of the Mosaic law which doomed idolaters to be punishedwith death, as guilty of high treason against Jehovah the King of Israel.94