Commentary on Psalms - Volume 3 - Bible Study Guides

Comm on Psalms (V3)John Calvinthe king was a reproach to his neighbors. The worldly and the profane, there can be no doubt,finding an opportunity so much according to their wishes, derided him, saying, Is this that king ofGod’s choice, a king more excellent than the angels, and whose throne was to continue as long asthe sun and the moon should endure? As these railings recoiled upon God himself, the prophetjustly complains of the reproachful derision with which God’s Anointed was treated, whose dignityand royal estate were ratified and confirmed by heavenly anointing.42 Thou hast exalted the right hand of his oppressors. Here he states that God took part withthe enemies of the king; for he was well aware that these enemies could not have prevailed but bythe will of God, who inspires some with courage, and renders others faint-hearted. In short, inproportion to the number of the calamities which had befallen the chosen people, was the numberof the evidences of their having been forsaken by God; for, so long as he continued his favor, thewhole world, by all their machinations, were unable to impair the stability of that kingdom. Had itbeen said that the enemies of the king obtained the victory, the statement would have been quitetrue; but it would not have been a mode of expression so obviously fitted to exalt the Divine power;as it might have been thought that men setting themselves in opposition to God had, by their ownpower, forced their way, and effected their purpose, even against those who enjoyed his protection.Accordingly, the prophet reflects with himself, that unless the Divine anger had been incensed, thatkingdom which God had erected could not have been reduced to a condition so extremely wretched.45. Thou hast shortened the days of his youth. Some would explain this sentence as meaning,that God had weakened the king, so that he faded or withered away at his very entrance upon theflower of youth, and was exhausted with old age before reaching the period of manhood. 554 Thisexposition may be regarded as not improbable; but still it is to be observed, in order to our havinga clearer understanding of the mind of the prophet, that he does not speak exclusively of any oneindividual, but compares the state of the kingdom to the life of man. His complaint then amountsto this, That God caused the kingdom to wax old, and finally to decay, before it reached a state ofcomplete maturity; its fate resembling that of a young man, who, while yet increasing in strengthand vigor, is carried away by a violent death before his time. This similitude is highly appropriate;for the kingdom, if we compare the state of it at that period with the Divine promise, had scarceyet fully unfolded its blossom, when, amidst its first advances, suddenly smitten with a grievousdecay, its freshness and beauty were defaced, while at length it vanished away. Moreover, whatwe have previously stated must be borne in mind, that when the prophet complains that the issuedoes not correspond with the promise, or is not such as the promise led the chosen people to expect,he does not, on that account, charge God with falsehood, but brings forward this apparent discrepancyfor another purpose — to encourage himself, from the consideration of the Divine promises, tocome to the throne of grace with the greater confidence and boldness; and, while he urged thisdifficulty before God, he was fully persuaded that it was impossible for Him not to show himselffaithful to his word. As the majority of men drink up their sorrow and keep it to themselves, becausethey despair of deriving any benefit from prayer so true believers, the more frankly and familiarlythey appeal to God in reference to his promises, the more valiantly do they wrestle against theirdistrust, and encourage themselves in the hope of a favorable issue.554 “Ou, as quitte l’alliance de ton serviteur.” — Fr. marg. “Or, thou hast quitted the covenant of thy servant.”271