Commentary on Psalms - Volume 3 - Bible Study Guides

Comm on Psalms (V3)John Calvinwhose spirit leaned not upon God. 315 But it is better to follow the former interpretation, That theywere not faithfully and steadfastly devoted to God, although they had solemnly sworn allegianceto him. The Papists make use of this passage as an argument to prove that man has the power ofbending his own heart, and directing it either to good or evil as he pleases; but this is an inferencefrom it which cannot stand examination for a single moment. Although the prophet justly blamesthose who have not directed their heart aright, his object is not expressly to speak of what men cando of themselves. It is the special work of God to turn to himself the hearts of men by the secretinfluence of his Holy Spirit. It does not however follow from this, that they will be exempted fromblame, when their own lust and depravity draw them away from God. Moreover, from the sinswhich are here reproved, we should learn in what way he would have us to obey and serve him. Inthe first place, we must lay aside all obstinacy and take his yoke upon us; 316 and, secondly, wemust clothe ourselves with the spirit of meekness, bring the affections of the heart to the obedienceof God, and follow after uprightness, and that not with the fervor of a mere transient impulse, butwith unfeigned and unwavering steadfastness.9. The children of Ephraim being armed, and shooting with the bow. The sacred writer setsbefore us an example of this unfaithfulness in the children of Ephraim. As those who arepertinaciously set upon doing evil are not easily led to repentance and reformation by simpleinstruction, the punishments with which God visited the children of Ephraim are brought forward,and by these it is proved that they were reprobates. Since they were a warlike people, it was anevidence of the divine displeasure for them to turn their backs in battle. And it is expressly declared,that they were skillful in shooting with the bow; 317 for it is an additional stigma to represent suchas were armed with weapons to wound their enemies at a distance as fleeing through fear. Fromthis, it is the more abundantly manifest that they had incurred the displeasure of God, who not onlydeprived them of his aid, but also made their hearts effeminate in the hour of danger.Here the question may be raised, Why the children of Ephraim only are blamed, when we finda little before, all the tribes in general comprehended in the same sentence of condemnation? Somecommentators refer this to the slaughter of the sons of Ephraim by the men of Gath, who cameforth against them to recover their cattle of which they had been despoiled, 1 Chronicles 7:20, 21,22. 318 But this exposition is too restricted. Perhaps the kingdom of Israel had fallen into decay, andhad been almost ruined when this psalm was composed. It is therefore better to follow the opinionof other interpreters, who think, that by the figure synecdoche, the children of Ephraim are put for315 “The Syriac version reads, ‘And confided not in the God of its spirit,’ translating , [the word which Calvin renders ‘wasfaithful,’] by a masculine verb; and this indeed the sense will very well bear, and the change of genders is not unusual, and Godis frequently known by that title, ‘the God of the spirits of all flesh.’ See Numbers 16:22.” — Hammond316 “Premierement il faut que nous ostions toute obstination, avant que nous puissions avoir les cols propres pour recevoir sonjoug.” — Fr. In the first place, we must lay aside all obstinacy before we can bend our necks to receive his yoke.317 Of the Ephraimites shooting with the bow, or being archers, we have an intimation in Genesis 49:24, where, in Jacob’sblessing on Joseph, the father of Ephraim, it is said, “His bow abode in strength.”318 Dr Morison supposes, that the history here referred to, is that of the Israelites going up contrary to the divine command totake possession of the promised land, when, for their temerity, they were smitten and humbled before their enemies. (Deuteronomy1:42.) “The tribe of Ephraim,” he observes, “is doubtless specially singled out, because they were the most warlike of all thechosen tribes, and because, perhaps, they led on the other tribes to the fatal act of rebellion against the expressed will of the Godof Israel.” This, perhaps, may be considered as receiving some support from comparing the number of the tribe of Ephraim(Numbers 2:19) when they came out of Egypt, with their number when taken in the plains of Moab, at the termination of theirwanderings in the wilderness, (Numbers 26:37.) At the former period, they amounted to 40,500, at the latter, to 32,500, eightthousand less; whereas, during those forty years the other tribes had considerably increased.142