John Calvin Commentary Psalms 10:14

"Thou hast seen [it]; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: The helpless committeth [himself] unto thee; Thou hast been the helper of the fatherless." — Psalms 10:14 (ASV)

You have seen it; for you, etc. Here David, suddenly kindled with a holy zeal, enters into conflict and, armed with the shield of faith, courageously repels these execrable opinions. But since he could gain no advantage by appealing to men, he turns to God and addresses Him.

As the ungodly, in the hope of enjoying unrestrained license in committing all kinds of wickedness, withdraw to the greatest possible distance from God and, through the dictates of a perverse mind, imagine themselves far beyond His reach, so, on the contrary, the faithful ought to carefully keep themselves aloof from those wild opinions that are circulating in the world and, with minds lifted upward, speak to God as if He were present with them.

Accordingly, David, to prevent himself from being overcome by the blasphemies of men, very properly turns his attention away from them. A reason is added to confirm the first sentence of the verse, namely, because God considers mischief and vexation. Since it is the special province of God to take notice of all wrongs, David concludes that it is impossible for God to shut His eyes when the ungodly are recklessly and without restraint committing their outrages.

Moreover, he proceeds from the general to the particular, which should be carefully noted, for nothing is easier than to acknowledge in general terms that God exercises care over the world and the affairs of men; but it is very difficult to apply this doctrine to its various uses in everyday life.

And yet, all that the Scripture says concerning the power and righteousness of God will be of no advantage to us and, as it were, only a matter of meager speculation, unless everyone applies these statements to himself, as his necessity may require. Let us therefore learn, from the example of David, to reason thus: that since it is God’s role to take notice of all the mischief and injuries inflicted on the good and simple, He considers our trouble and sorrows even when He seems for a time to take no notice of them.

The Psalmist also adds that God does not look down from heaven upon human conduct here below as an idle and unconcerned spectator, but that it is His work to pass judgment upon it, for to take the matter into His own hand is nothing else than to duly and effectually examine and determine it as a judge.

It is, however, our duty to wait patiently as long as vengeance is reserved in the hand of God, until He stretches forth His arm to help us. We see, therefore, the reason why it is immediately added, Upon You shall the poor leave. By these words David means that we ought to give God’s providence time to manifest itself.

The godly, when they are afflicted, may with confidence cast their cares into His bosom and commit themselves to His protection. They ought not, however, to be in haste for the accomplishment of their wishes; but, being now unburdened, they should take their breath until God manifestly declares that the right time for interfering on their behalf has come.

The person, therefore, leaves upon God who commits himself to His protection and, fully persuaded of His faithfulness in keeping what is entrusted to Him, quietly waits until the right time for his deliverance has come.

Some read the verb passively: The poor shall be left upon You. The first reading, however, is more correct and agrees with the rules of grammar; only it is a defective form of expression, since the thing that the poor leaves is not expressed.

But this defect is common in Hebrew, and there is no obscurity in the matter itself—namely, that when the godly commit themselves and their concerns to God by prayer, their prayers will not be in vain. For these two clauses are closely connected: Upon You shall the poor leave, and, You shall be a helper to the fatherless.

By a metaphor, he calls the person fatherless whom he had called poor in the preceding clause. And the verb being in the future tense denotes a continued act.