Commentary on Psalms - Volume 3 - Bible Study Guides

Comm on Psalms (V3)John Calvinbeing of any benefit to us. Let us also learn from the same example, when the Divine anger isblazing all around, and even when we are in the midst of its burning flames, to cast all our sorrowsinto the bosom of God, who, in a wonderful manner, raises up his Church from the gulf ofdestruction. He would assuredly be ready not only to exercise without interruption his favor towardsus, but also to enrich us with his blessings more and more, did not our wickedness hinder him. Asit is impossible for him not to be angry at the many offenses which we have committed, it is anevidence of unparalleled mercy for him to extinguish the fire which we ourselves have kindled,and which has spread far and wide, and to save some portion or remnant of the Church, or, to speakmore properly, to raise up even from the very ashes a people to call upon his name. It is againrepeated that the Church perished not by the strength and arms of her enemies, but at the rebukeof God’s countenance. Never can we expect any alleviation of our punishment, unless we are fullypersuaded that we are justly chastised by the hand of God. It was a good sign of the repentance ofthese Israelites that, as is observed in Isaiah 9:12, “they looked to the hand of him who smote them.”17 Let that hand be upon the Man of thy right hand. Here the Psalmist repeats in plain wordsthe prayer which he had expressed under the figure of a vineyard, pleading that God would defend,under his hand, the Man of his right hand, and the Son of man whom he hath strengthened forhimself It is uncertain whether he speaks of the king alone, or whether the people also are included.Although Jeroboam was anointed to be king, yet he did not come to the possession of the royaldignity in a lawful way; and God never so approved of any of his successors, as to divest theposterity of David of the right and power of dominion. God, as we have seen in Psalm 78:67, didnot choose the tribe of Ephraim. on the contrary, the scepter, by his immutable decree, was givento the house of Judah, as is plainly taught in the prophecy of Jacob, (Genesis 49:10.) It was thereforea base and wicked dismembering of the body, when the majority of the people revolted from thehouse of David, and submitted themselves to Jeroboam as their king. Such being the ease, whythen, it may be said, is the king of Israel prayed for in this manner? For removing this difficulty,let it be observed, that although that kingdom had an untoward commencement, and God, as isstated in Hosea 13:11, gave them a king in his anger, yet he was afterwards pleased to tolerate itscontinuance; and the anointing of Jeroboam testified that he had ratified what had been unadvisedlyand wickedly done by the tumult and rebellion of the people. The nation of Israel might thereforesay that their king was created and established by God, who, with the view of remedying the rupturewhich had been made, added him as a sharer in the royal dignity to the children of David. By thatrent the state of the people was greatly impaired; but, to prevent an entire overthrow, the erectionof the ten tribes into a separate kingdom, under the sovereignty of Jeroboam, was, as it were, apillar put under it by the secret counsel of God to uphold it.I have, however, no hesitation in considering the whole body of the Church as comprehendedunder the expressions, the Man of God’s right hand, and the Son of man The similar number isvery properly made use of, it having been the Divine will that the chosen people should be as oneman. For the same reason, the Apostle Paul also, in Galatians 3:16, lays great stress upon the words,one seed; for Ishmael, Esau, and others, were separated and scattered when God redeemed armgathered together the seed of Abraham. Thus, by the Son of man is to be understood the peoplewhom God had adopted to himself, that they might be as one man. 400 But as this oneness depended400 Muis, Walford, and others, in like manner, suppose these titles, The Man of thy right hand, and The Son of man, to belongto the people of Israel. Walford translates the 15th and 17th verses thus: —184