Commentary on Psalms - Volume 3 - Bible Study Guides

Comm on Psalms (V3)John Calvinthey could bring no well-founded charge, and who had even endeavored to the utmost of his powerto please them. 481 Since God then has avowed himself to be the defender both of good causes andof those who follow after righteousness, David, not without good reason, testifies that he hadendeavored to exercise kindness and gentleness; that from this it may appear that he was baselyrequited by his enemies, when they gratuitously acted with cruelty towards a merciful man. But asit would not be enough for our lives to be characterised by kindness and righteousness, an additionalqualification is subjoined — that of trust or confidence in God, which is the mother of all truereligion. Some, we are aware, have been endued with so high a degree of integrity, as to haveobtained among men the praise of being perfectly just, even as Aristides gloried in having nevergiven any man cause of sorrow. But as those men, with all the excellence of their virtues, wereeither filled with ambition, or inflated with pride, which made them trust more to themselves thanto God, it is not surprising to find them suffering the punishment of their vanity. In reading profanehistory, we are disposed to marvel how it came to pass that God abandoned the honest, the grave,and the temperate, to the enraged passions of a wicked multitude; but there is no reason for wonderingat this when we reflect that such persons, relying on their own strength and virtue, despised thegrace of God with all the superciliousness of impiety. Making an idol of their own virtue theydisdained to lift up their eyes to Him. Although, therefore, we may have the testimony of anapproving conscience, and although He may be the best witness of our innocence, yet if we aredesirous of obtaining his assistance, it is necessary for us to commit our hopes and anxieties to him.If it is objected, that in this way the gate is shut against sinners, I answer, that when God invites tohimself those who are blameless and upright in their deportment, this does not imply that he forthwithrepels all who are punished on account of their sins; for they have an opportunity given them, ifthey will improve it, for prayer and the acknowledgement of their guilt. 482 , But if those whom wehave never offended unrighteously assail us, we have ground for double confidence before God.3 Have mercy upon me, O Jehovah! The Psalmist again betakes himself to the mercy of God.The word , chanan, which I have rendered have mercy, is substantially the same as to gratify, todo a pleasure. It is as if he had said, I bring no merit of my own, but humbly pray for deliverancesolely on the ground of thy mercy. When he speaks of crying daily, it is a proof of his hope andconfidence, of which we have spoken a little before. By the word cry, as I have already had occasionfrequently to remark, is denoted vehemence and earnestness of soul. The saints do not indeed alwayspray with a loud voice; but their secret sighs and groanings resound and echo upwards, and, ascendingfrom their hearts, penetrate even into heaven. The inspired suppliant not only represents himselfas crying, but as persevering in doing so, to teach us that he was not discouraged at the first orsecond encounter, but continued in prayer with untiring earnestness. In the following verse, heexpresses more definitely the end for which he besought God to be merciful to him, which was,that his sorrow might be removed. In the second clause, he declares that there was no hypocrisy inhis crying; for he lifted up his soul to God, which is the chief characteristic of right prayer.5 For thou, O Lord! art good and propitious. 483 We have here a confirmation of the wholepreceding doctrine, derived from the nature of God. It would avail the afflicted nothing to have481 Here, and in all the verses in this psalm where , Adonai, occurs, many MSS. read , Yehovah We have before observed,(volume 1, page 13, note 2, and page 195, note,) that the Jews, out of reverence to the incommunicable name Jehovah, pronouncewhere is in the text. It is, therefore, not improbable that is the true reading in all these places.482 “Veu que luy qui estoit homme innocent, voire qui s’estoit efforce de tout son pouvoir a leur faire plaisir.” — Fr.483 “Quia illis ad manum est deprecatio.” — Lat. “Car ils ont en main la priere et recognoissance de leur faute.” — Fr.230