Commentary on Psalms - Volume 3 - Bible Study Guides

Comm on Psalms (V3)John Calvinof mind: which is, because God always sees to it, that there are some of his own people remainingin the world. He seems to repeat the demonstrative particle, Behold! for the sake of contrast. Hehad a little before said, Behold! these are the ungodly; and here he says, Behold! the generation ofthy children. It is assuredly nothing less than a divine miracle that the Church, which is so furiouslyassaulted by Satan and innumerable hosts of enemies, continues safe.16. Although I applied my mind to know this. The first verb , chashab, which he employs,properly signifies to reckon or count, and sometimes to consider or weigh. But the words whichfollow in the sentence require the sense which I have given, That he applied his mind to know thepart of Divine Providence referred to. He has already condemned himself for having transgressed;but still he acknowledges, that until he entered into the sanctuaries of God, he was not altogetherdisentangled from the doubts with which his mind had been perplexed. In short, he intimates thathe had reflected on this subject on all sides, and yet, by all his reasoning upon it, could notcomprehend how God, amidst so great disorders and confusions, continued to govern the world.Moreover, in speaking thus of himself, he teaches us, that when men are merely under the guidanceof their own understandings, the inevitable consequence is, that they sink under their trouble, notbeing able by their own deliberations and reasonings to arrive at any certain or fixed conclusions;for there is no doubt that he puts the sanctuaries of God in opposition to carnal reason. Hence itfollows, that all the knowledge and wisdom which men have of their own is vain and unsubstantial;since all true wisdom among men — all that deserves to be so called — consists in this one point,188That they are docile, and implicitly submit to the teaching of the Word of God. The Psalmistdoes not speak of unbelievers who are wilfully blind, who involve themselves in errors, and arealso very glad to find some color or pretext for taking offense, that they may withdraw to a distancefrom God. It is of himself that he speaks; and although he applied his mind to the investigation ofdivine subjects, not only earnestly, but with all humility; and although, at the same time, hecontemplated, according to his small measure, the high judgments of God, not only with attention,but also with reverence, yet he confesses that he failed of success; for the word trouble 189 hereimplies unprofitable or lost labor. Whoever, therefore, in applying himself to the examination ofGod’s judgments, expects to become acquainted with them by his natural understanding, will bedisappointed, and will find that he is engaged in a task at once painful and profitless; and, therefore,it is indispensably necessary to rise higher, and to seek illumination from heaven.By the sanctuaries of God some, even among the Hebrews, understand the celestial mansionsin which the spirits of the just and angels dwell; as if David had said, This was a painful thing inmy sight, until I came to acknowledge in good earnest that men are not created to flourish for ashort time in this world, and to luxuriate in pleasures while in it, but that their condition here is thatof pilgrims, whose aspirations, during their earthly pilgrimage, should be towards heaven. I readilyadmit that no man can form a right judgment of the providence of God; but he who elevates hismind above the earth; but it is more simple and natural to understand the word sanctuary as denotingcelestial doctrine. As the book of the law was laid up in the sanctuary, from which the oracles ofheaven were to be obtained, that is to say, the declaration of the will of God, 190 and as this was thetrue way of acquiring profitable instruction, David very properly puts entering into the sanctuaries,188 “D’autant que toute la vraye sagesse qui doit estre ainsi nommee es hommes, consiste en un seul poinct.” — Fr.189 Green translates the Hebrew word for this, “hard;” Horsley, “perplexing;” and Boothroyd, “difficult.”190 “C’est a dire, la declaration de la volonte de Dieu.” — Fr.85