Commentary on Psalms - Volume 3 - Bible Study Guides

Comm on Psalms (V3)John Calvinbeing restored to them, they were recovered to the favor of God from which they had fallen. AsGod had, so to speak, been banished from the kingdom, and his strength led into captivity throughthe sins of the Israelites, they had need to be taught, by this memorial, that God had been so highlydispleased with their wickedness, that he could not bear to look upon the place in which he hadformerly dwelt. After this separation, although to teach the people to be more on their guard in timeto come, there was not a full and perfect restitution, yet God again chose a fixed residence for hisark, which was a manifestation of wonderful goodness and mercy on his part. The ark, after itsreturn, was carried from one place to another, as to Gath, Ekron, and other places, until mount Zionwas pointed out by an oracle as its fixed abode; but this intervening period is not taken notice ofby the prophet, because his design went no farther than to impress upon the memory, both theexample of the punishment, and the grace of God, which was greater than any could have venturedto hope for. 367 That which is often repeated by Moses should also be remembered:“But unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his namethere, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come,” etc., (Deuteronomy 12:5.)Shiloh having acquired this renown, because the ark had dwelt there for a long time, when theark was carried away into the country of the enemies of Israel, the minds of men were strangelyperplexed, until they knew the place which God had chosen for its future residence. The ten tribeswere not at that time rejected, and they had an equal interest in the kingdom and the priesthoodwith the tribe of Judah; but in process of time their own rebellion cut them off. This is the reasonwhy the prophet says, in scorn, that the tribe of Ephraim was rejected, and that the tribe of Joseph,from whom it sprung, was not chosen.68. But he chose the tribe of Judah. The meaning is, that God preferred the tribe of Judah to allthe rest of the people, and chose from it a king, whom he might set over all the Israelites as wellas the Jews. And he chose the mountain of Zion, appointing a certain spot upon it to be the seat ofhis sanctuary. That the cause of this choice might not be sought any where else but in God, it isparticularly stated that the preferring of mount Zion to all other places, and the enriching of it insuch a distinguished manner, proceeded entirely from the free and unmerited love of God. Therelative which is here put instead of the causal adverb for; the meaning being, that the sanctuaryof God was established there, not for any worthiness of the place, but solely because it was thegood pleasure of God. It was proper that this second restitution of the people should be no less freethan their first adoption was, when God made his covenant with Abraham, or when he deliveredthem from the land of Egypt. God’s love to the place had a respect to men. From this it follows,that the Church has been gathered together from the beginning, and in all ages, by the pure graceand goodness of God; for never have men been found to possess any intrinsic meritorious claimsto his regard, and the Church is too precious to be left to depend upon the power of men.69. And built his sanctuary like high places. 368 In this verse, what is intimated is simply this,that Mount Zion was singularly beautified; which, however, ought to be referred to the heavenlypattern. It was not the will of God that the minds of his people should be entirely engrossed withthe magnificence of the building, or with the pomp of outward ceremonies; but that they should be367 “La grace de Dieu plus grande qu’on n’eust ose esperer.” — Fr.368 In our English Bible it is, “And he built his sanctuary like high palaces.” On which Archbishop Secker has the followingnote: — “That God built his tabernacle like high palaces, is not a strong expression. On high, which Hare adopts, is better. Andperhaps changing , into , would suffice for this sense. But the old versions have , and yet in the latter part of the verse theyhave , for . It is a remarkable anticipation to mention the temple, which Solomon built, before the mention of David.”166