Commentary on Psalms - Volume 3 - Bible Study Guides

Comm on Psalms (V3)John Calvincommencement of my existence given me such abundant proofs of thy goodness, wilt thou notstretch forth thy hand to succor me, when now thou seest me decaying through the influence of oldage? And, indeed, the conclusion is altogether inevitable, that as God vouchsafed to love us whenwe were infants, and embraced us with his favor when we were children, and has continued withoutintermission to do us good during the whole course of our life, he cannot but persevere in actingtoward us in the same way even to the end. Accordingly, the particle , gam, which we havetranslated still, here signifies therefore; it being David’s design, from the consideration that thegoodness of God can never be exhausted, and that he is not mutable like men, to draw the inferencethat he will be the same towards his people in their old age, that he was towards them in theirchildhood. He next supports his prayer by another argument, which is, that if he should fail or faintin his old age, the grace of God, by which he had been hitherto sustained, would at the same timesoon be lost sight of. If God were immediately to withdraw his grace from us after we have but justtasted it slightly, it would speedily vanish from our memory. In like manner, were he to forsake usat the close of our life, after having conferred upon us many benefits during the previous part of it,his liberality by this means would be divested of much of its interest and attraction. David thereforebeseeches God to assist him even to the end, that he may be able to commend to posterity theunintermitted course of the Divine goodness, and to bear testimony, even at his very death, thatGod never disappoints the faithful who betake themselves to him. By the generation and those whoare to come, he means the children and the children’s children to whom the memorial of theloving-kindness of God cannot be transmitted unless it be perfect in all respects, and has completedits course. He mentions strength and power as the effects of God’s righteousness. He is, however,to be understood by the way as eulogising by these titles the manner of his deliverance, in whichhe congratulates himself; as if he had said, that God, in the way in which it was accomplished,afforded a manifestation of matchless and all-sufficient power.19. And thy righteousness, O God! is very high. 115 Some connect this verse with the preceding,and repeating the verb I will declare, as common to both verses, translate, And I will declare thyrighteousness, O God! But this being a matter of small importance, I will not dwell upon it. Davidprosecutes at greater length the subject of which he had previously spoken. In the first place, hedeclares that the righteousness of God is very high; secondly, that it wrought mightily; and, finally,he exclaims in admiration, Who is like thee? It is worthy of notice, that the righteousness of God,the effects of which are near to us and conspicuous, is yet placed on high, inasmuch as it cannotbe comprehended by our finite understanding. Whilst we measure it according to our own limitedstandard, we are overwhelmed and swallowed up by the smallest temptation. In order, therefore,to give it free course to save us, it behoves us to take a large and a comprehensive view — to lookabove and beneath, far and wide, that we may form some due conceptions of its amplitude. Thesame remarks apply to the second clause, which makes mention of the works of God: For thou hastdone great things. If we attribute to his known power the praise which is due to it, we will neverwant ground for entertaining good hope. Finally, our sense of the goodness of God should extendso far as to ravish us with admiration; for thus it will come to pass that our minds, which are oftendistracted by an unholy disquietude, will repose upon God alone. If any temptation thrusts itself115 “Usque in excelsum.” — Lat “Est eslevee jusques en haut.” — Fr. “ , ad marom — is up to the exalted place, — reachesup to heaven The mercy of God fills all space and place It crowns in the heavens what it governed upon earth.” — Dr AdamClarke58