Commentary on Psalms - Volume 3 - Bible Study Guides

Comm on Psalms (V3)John Calvinand Ammon, 440 and Amalek 441 the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre. 8. Assur is alsoassociated with them: they have been an arm to the sons of Lot. Selah.5 For they have consulted with the heart together. The multiplied hosts which united theirpowers together to oppose the Church of God and to effect her overthrow, are here enumerated.As so many nations, formed into one powerful confederacy, were bent on the destruction of akingdom not greatly distinguished by its power, the miraculous aid of God was indispensablynecessary for the deliverance of a people who, in such extremity, were altogether unable to defendthemselves. In circumstances apparently as hopeless good king Asa gave utterance to that trulymagnanimous reflection:“Lord, it is nothing with thee to help whether with many, or with them that have no power: helpus, O Lord our God! for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitudes”(1 Chronicles 14:11.)The same Spirit who inspired that pious king with such invincible fortitude dictated this psalmfor the benefit of the whole Church, to encourage her with unhesitating confidence to betake herselfto God for aid. And in our own day he sets before us these words, in order that no danger or difficultymay prevent us from calling upon God. When the whole world may conspire together against us,we have as it were a wall of brass for the defense of Christ’s kingdom in these words, “Why do theheathen rage?” etc., (Psalm 2:1.)It will be in no small degree profitable to us to contemplate this as an example in which wehave represented to us, as in a mirror what has been the lot of the Church of God from the beginning.This, if rightly reflected upon, will keep us at the present day from being unduly dejected when wewitness the whole world in array against us. We see how the Pope has inflamed the whole worldagainst us with diabolical rage. Hence it is, that in whatever direction we turn our eyes, we meetwith just so many hostile armies to destroy us. But when we have once arrived at a settled persuasionthat no strange thing happens to us, the contemplation of the condition of the Church in old timewill strengthen us for continuing in the exercise of patience until God suddenly display his power,which is perfectly able, without any created aid, to frustrate all the attempts of the world.To remove from the minds of the godly all misgivings as to whether help is ready to be impartedto them from heaven, the prophet distinctly affirms that those who molest the Church are chargeablewith making war against God, who has taken her under his protection. The principle upon whichGod declares that he will be our helper is contained in these words,“He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of mine eye,”(Zechariah 2:8.)And what is said in another psalm concerning the patriarchs, is equally applicable to all truebelievers,“Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm,”between Tripoli and Sidon, are supposed to be those of the chief city of the Giblites. If so, these ruins attest its ancient grandeurto have been considerable. Others suppose that Gebal (the Gebalene of the Romans) was a mountainous district inhabited by theEdomites, and extending from the Dead Sea southward to Selal or Petra. By the Arabs it is called Djebal.440 That is, the Ammonites, the descendants of Ammon, another of Lot’s sons, by one of his daughters, (Genesis 19:38.) Theydwelt in Arabia Petrea.441 The Amalekites were a powerful people, who dwelt also in Arabia Petrea, between the Dead Sea and the Red Sea, or betweenHavilah and Shur, (1 Samuel 15:7,) south of Idumea, and east of the northern part of the Red Sea.206