Commentary on Psalms - Volume 3 - Bible Study Guides

Comm on Psalms (V3)John Calvinand delays the communications of his grace. As the physician, although his patient may experiencesome alleviation of his disease, keeps him still under medicinal treatment, until he become fullyconvalescent, and until, the cause of his disease being removed, his constitution become invigorated,— for to allow him all at once to use whatever diet he chose, would be highly injurious to him; —so God, perceiving that we are not completely recovered from our vices to spiritual health in oneday, prolongs his chastisements: without which we would be in danger of a speedy relapse.Accordingly, the prophet, to assuage the grief with which the protracted duration of calamitieswould oppress the faithful, applies this remedy and solace, That God purposely continues hiscorrections for a longer period than they would wish, that they may be brought in good earnest torepent, and excited to be more on their guard in future.Psalm 85:9-139. Surely 475 his salvation is near to them that fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. 10.Mercy and truth shall meet together; righteousness and peace shall kiss each other. 11. Truth shallspring [or bud] out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. 12. Likewise,Jehovah will grant prosperity: and our land shall yield her increase. 13. Righteousness shall gobefore him; and set her steps in the way.9 Surely his salvation is near to them that fear him. Here the Psalmist confirms the statementmade in the preceding verse. He encourages both himself and other servants of God in the hope,that although to outward appearance God was far off from his people, yet deliverance was near athand; because it is certain, that God secretly regards those whom he seems openly to neglect. If itis considered preferable to take the particle , ach, adversatively, Yet his salvation, etc., — a sensein which it is often used in Hebrew — the sentence will be fuller. The prophet had just now said,that God continues to lengthen out the chastisement of his people, when he perceives that they aretoo prone to fall anew into sin; and here, lest his slowness in removing the stroke of his hand shouldprove too much for their patience, he qualifies the above statement, by observing, that even whenthe Divine help seems slowest in coming it is then near at hand. The glory which in the second partof the verse he anticipates will dwell in the land, is undoubtedly set in opposition to the ruinousappearance it then presented to the eye, which was a token of the dreadful anger of God, and whichconsigned the land to ignominy and reproach. 476 By this language, therefore, he encourages himself475 Walford, who thinks that the composition of this psalm is referable to some period subsequent to the return of God’s ancientpeople from Babylon, explains this concluding clause of the 9th verse as follows: — “The glory that is here spoken of is thatwhich was formerly enjoyed, when they were surrounded on all sides by prosperity; and when especially they were favored withthe tokens of the divine presence, in the performance of all the instituted worship of the sanctuary, when the ark, the templesetc., were in their pristine beauty and splendor.”476 Mercy and truth are very generally applied by commentators to God; and the passage is understood as the celebration ofthe harmony of the divine attributes in the salvation of man. The description is one of great beauty and sublimity. “How admirable,”says Bishop Lowth, in illustrating this verse, “is that celebrated personification of the divine attributes by the Psalmist; Howjust, elegant, and splendid does it appear, if applied only according to the literal sense, to the restoration of the Jewish nationfrom the Babylonish captivity! but if interpreted as relating to that sublimer, more sacred, and mystical sense, which is notobscurely shadowed under the ostensible image, it is certainly uncommonly noble and elevated, mysterious and sublime.” —(Lowth’s Lectures on Hebrew Poetry, volume 1, page 284.)225