Commentary on Psalms - Volume 3 - Bible Study Guides

Comm on Psalms (V3)John Calvinpossessed, as a ground for entertaining the confident hope of salvation, but that the only groundupon which he rests this hope is, that as God is righteous, it is impossible for God to forsake him.The righteousness of God, as we have just now observed, does not here denote that free gift bywhich he reconciles men to himself, or by which he regenerates them to newness of life; but hisfaithfulness in keeping his promises, by which he means to show that he is righteous, upright, andtrue towards his servants. Now, the Psalmist declares that the righteousness of God alone will becontinually before his eyes, and in his memory; for unless we keep our minds fixed upon this alone,Satan, who is possessed of wonderful means by which to allure, will succeed in leading us astrayafter vanity. As soon as hopes from different quarters begin to insinuate themselves into our minds,there is nothing of which we are more in danger than of falling away. And whoever, not contentwith the grace of God alone, seeks elsewhere for the least succor, will assuredly fall, and therebyserve as an example to teach others how vain it is to attempt to mingle the stays of the world withthe help of God. If David, in regard to his mere external condition in life, could remain stable andsecure only by renouncing all other confidences, and casting himself upon the righteousness ofGod; what stability, I pray you to consider, are we likely to have, when the reference is to thespiritual and everlasting life, if we fall away, let it be never so little, from our dependence upon thegrace of God? It is, therefore, undeniable that the doctrine invented by the Papists, which dividesthe work of perseverance in holiness between man’s free will and God’s grace, 114 precipitateswretched souls into destruction.Psalm 71:17-1917. O God! thou hast taught me from my youth; and hitherto will I announce thy wondrousworks. 18. And still, O God! when I am old and grey-headed, forsake me not, until I declare thystrength to the generation, and thy power to all who are to come. 19. And thy righteousness, OGod! Is very high: for thou hast done great things: O God! who is like thee?17. O God! thou hast taught me from my youth. The Psalmist again declares the great obligationsunder which he lay to God for his goodness, not only with the view of encouraging himself togratitude, but also of exciting himself to continue cherishing hope for the time to come: which willappear from the following verse. Besides, since God teaches us both by words and deeds, it iscertain that the second species of teaching is here referred to, the idea conveyed being, that Davidhad learned by continual experience, even from his infancy, that nothing is better than to leanexclusively upon the true God. That he may never be deprived of this practical truth, he testifiesthat he had made great proficiency in it. When he promises to become a publisher of God’s wondrousworks, his object in coming under this engagement is, that by his ingratitude he may not interruptthe course of the Divine beneficence.Upon the truth here stated, he rests the prayer which he presents in the 18th verse, that he maynot be forgotten in his old age. His reasoning is this: Since thou, O God! hast from the114 That is, which represents this work as performed, partly by God, and partly by a power which man has in himself underivedfrom God.57