John Calvin Commentary Deuteronomy 16:11

"and thou shalt rejoice before Jehovah thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the sojourner, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are in the midst of thee, in the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there." — Deuteronomy 16:11 (ASV)

And thou shalt require. On another ground, he exhorts and encourages them to willingness, because the service of God brings this rejoicing. For there is nothing which should more stimulate us to obedience than when we know that God considers our good rather than seeking to obtain any advantage from us.

Ungodly men, indeed, also rejoice; no, they are even excessive and unrestrained in their joy. But since that joy is not only transient, but their laughter is turned into weeping and gnashing of teeth, it is not without reason that Moses here magnifies it as a special blessing, to rejoice before God, as if a father should invite his children to delight themselves together with him.

By this external exercise, believers were reminded that there is no real or desirable joy, except in reference to God. And surely, however the wicked may exult in their pleasures, and abandon themselves to gratifications, still, since tranquility of conscience, which alone brings true rejoicing, is lacking for them, they do not enjoy the merriment into which they plunge themselves.

Finally, Moses amplifies by a comparison the good which they enjoyed in the service of God, when he says, And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt; so that their present condition might be more pleasant to them, he heightened its sweetness by the recollection of their most miserable captivity.

I have here neglected Cicero’s³⁶⁰ very subtle distinction between the words gaudium and laetitia, for unless I take both of them in a good sense, I could not translate the Hebrew words, by which God would express how indulgently He deals with His children. Meanwhile, this passage contains an exhortation to give thanks to God our deliverer.

³⁶⁰ Tusc. Quoest iv., “iv., “Nam cum ratione animus movetur placide et constanter, tum illud gaudium dicitur; cum autem inaniter, et effuse animus exultat, tum ilia laetitia gestiens, vel nimia dici potest; quam ita definiunt, sine ratione animi elationem.” —.” — Edit. Elz., 1661, p. 1088, a.1661, p. 1088, a.