John Calvin Commentary Psalms 105:12

"When they were but a few men in number, Yea, very few, and sojourners in it." — Psalms 105:12 (ASV)

When they were but very few in number, the prophet here recounts the benefits God conferred upon the holy fathers from the beginning, to show that even long before the deliverance from Egypt, the covenant was not ineffective.

The main purpose of this account is to show that ever since God took Abraham under His protection, He cherished him in a wonderful way, and also that His fatherly love and care were displayed in maintaining and defending the other two patriarchs.

When it is said, they were but very few in number, this circumstance not only magnifies God's power but also points out the reason He was so beneficent toward them.

We must then, first, pay attention to this: so that the Jews would not arrogate anything to themselves, the prophet expressly declares that their fathers had experienced divine favor even when they were feeble and despised, wandering from place to place, in every respect poor and miserable according to the flesh.

Thus Moses also reproaches them:

The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people; but because the Lord loved you. (Deuteronomy 7:7–8).

In short, in the choosing of this people, no consideration was given either to number or to any excellence whatever. There was only the house of Abraham, and yet it was barren. Isaac was compelled to banish one of his two sons far from him, and he saw the other cut off from his family.

The house of Jacob was indeed more fruitful, but it was nevertheless in a humble condition. Besides, they were not only ignoble and despised when sojourning in a foreign land, but famine and the lack of other necessities also frequently compelled them to move from one place to another. Taking all these things into account, the idea of human worth falls to the ground, and it is clearly seen that all the blessings God had bestowed upon them flowed from no other fountain than His own free love.

And the cause of this love is not to be sought outside of Him. If the Holy Spirit is so careful to magnify God's grace in these earthly blessings, how much more must He observe this rule when speaking of the heavenly inheritance!

When it is said, they walked about from nation to nation, this intimates more plainly how wonderfully divine protection was displayed in preserving them. If they had found any quiet nest in which to repose, such comfort would have been a notable sign of divine goodness. However, when they were exiles in various countries, driven from one place to another with bitter scorn, like chaff driven by the wind, the guardianship God exercised over them shone forth much more conspicuously.

Since their life everywhere hung only by a thread, and their frequent moves exposed them to new dangers from time to time, it is evident that God's power alone preserved them in safety.