John Calvin Commentary Psalms 112

Blessed is the man that feareth Jehovah. Although the prophet begins with an exhortation, he has, as I have already pointed out, something further in view than simply calling upon the faithful to praise God. To practice wickedness and perpetrate injustice is widely considered a great happiness; and, although integrity may be occasionally praised, nevertheless, there is scarcely one among a hundred who pursues it, because everyone imagines they will be miserable unless, by one means or another, they seize as booty everything that comes their way.

In opposition to this, the prophet tells us that more advantage is to be expected from God’s paternal regard than from inflicting every type of injury and perpetrating every kind of injustice in our power; and by setting before us the certain hope of reward, he calls us back to the practice of equity and beneficence.

The following is my analysis of the verse: Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, and delighteth himself in his commandments; and thus, by the second clause of the verse, the prophet specifies in what the fear of God consists. And the need for this explanatory clause is quite apparent from what we remarked towards the conclusion of the preceding psalm.

For, while the law is boldly despised by mankind, yet nothing is more common than for them to pretend they fear God. Such impiety is well refuted by the prophet, who acknowledges as belonging to God's worshippers only those who endeavor to keep His law. The Hebrew verb חפף, chaphets, is rather emphatic, meaning, as it were, to take his pleasure, and I have translated it as to delight himself. For the prophet distinguishes between a willing and prompt endeavor to keep the law and one that consists of mere servile and constrained obedience.

We must, therefore, cheerfully embrace the law of God, and do so in such a manner that the love of it, with all its sweetness, may overcome all the allurements of the flesh; otherwise, mere attention to it will be futile. Hence a man cannot be regarded as a genuine observer of the law until he has attained to this—that the delight which he takes in the law of God makes obedience agreeable to him.

I now return to consider the passage as a whole. The prophet, in affirming that the worshippers of God are happy, guards us against the very dangerous deception that the ungodly practice on themselves, imagining that they can reap a sort of happiness—I know not what—from doing evil.

His seed shall be powerful. To confirm the statement he made concerning the happiness of the man who fears Jehovah and delights in His commandments, the prophet enumerates the evidences of God’s loving-kindness, which He is accustomed to bestow upon His worshippers. And, in the first place, he says that God’s fatherly kindness is not confined to them personally; it also extends to their descendants, consistent with what is said in the Law: I am merciful to a thousand generations, toward those who love Me and keep My commandments (Exodus 34:7).

And in Psalm 103:8-9 and other passages, we have previously referred to this doctrinal statement. However, since many are inclined to pervert this doctrine by applying it as the standard by which God dispenses His temporal favors, it is therefore proper to keep in mind what I have said in Psalm 37:25: that these are bestowed in the way and to the extent that God pleases.

Sometimes it happens that a good man is childless, and barrenness itself is considered a curse of God. Again, many of God’s servants are oppressed with poverty and want, are weighed down by sickness, and harassed and perplexed by various calamities. It is therefore necessary to keep this general principle in mind: that God sometimes bestows His bounty more generously, and at other times more sparingly, upon His children, as He sees it to be most for their good. Moreover, He sometimes conceals the evidences of His kindness, apparently as if He had no regard for His people at all.

Still, amidst this perplexity, it constantly becomes clear that these words were not spoken in vain: the righteous and their offspring are blessed. God very frequently shatters the vain hopes of the ungodly, whose sole aim is to rule in the world and to elevate their children to positions of wealth and honor.

On the other hand, since the faithful are satisfied with raising their children in the fear of God and are content to live frugally, God, as it were with an outstretched hand, exalts them to honor. Add to this that anciently, under the Law, the truth of this doctrine was more evident, because it was necessary for an inexperienced and weak people to be trained gradually, through temporal benefits, to cherish a better hope.

And in our times, if it were not for our vices, God’s temporal kindness would shine more brightly upon us. For experience shows that what immediately follows does not always hold true: wealth and riches shall be in the houses of the righteous. It is not uncommon for the virtuous and holy to suffer hunger and to lack even the simplest food; and for this reason, it would not be for their good if God were to bestow more earthly benefits upon them.

In distressing circumstances, many of them would be incapable of behaving in a manner befitting their profession.

Meanwhile, we may observe that the grace the prophet commends appears principally in this: that the good and sincere are satisfied with their humble condition, whereas no amount, however large, even the whole world, will satisfy the ungodly worldly person. The old adage holds true: the covetous person lacks what he has, as well as what he does not have, because he is master of nothing and is a slave to his own wealth.

In connection with this clause, we must also consider what follows: the righteousness of good men endures for ever. This, in fact, constitutes the true and proper difference between the godly and the ungodly. The ungodly may, for a time, hoard immense wealth; yet, all of it will, according to the words of the prophet, suddenly vanish away at the blast of the Almighty (Haggai 1:9). And we daily see that what has been acquired by violence and deceit becomes the prey and property of others. But for the faithful, their integrity is the best and surest preserver of God’s blessings.

Light ariseth: The Hebrew verb זרח, zarach, may be taken intransitively, as I have inserted it in the text, or transitively, as in the marginal reading; in either way, the meaning is the same. Whichever of these translations you adopt, the words are open to a twofold interpretation: either, that as the sun shines on one part of the earth and all the other parts of it are enveloped in darkness, so God exempts the righteous from the common calamities of human life; or, that as day succeeds night, so God, though He allows the hearts of His servants to be in heaviness for a season, will cause a time of calmness and clearness to return to them.

If the latter interpretation is adopted, then by darkness, or by the cloudy, rainy, or stormy season, the prophet means the afflictions to which God subjects His servants for the trial of their patience. The former interpretation appears to be more appropriate: that when the whole world is overwhelmed with troubles, God’s grace shines upon the faithful, who feel comfortable and happy because He is gracious to them.

This is how their condition is properly distinguished from that which forms the common lot of other men. For the ungodly, however they may exult in prosperity, are nevertheless blind in the midst of light, because they are strangers to God’s paternal kindness; and, in adversity, they are plunged into the darkness of death. Consequently, they never enjoy a season of calm repose.

On the contrary, the godly, upon whom the favor of God constantly shines, though liable to the ills incident to humanity, are never overwhelmed with darkness, and hence the appropriateness of what is stated here: light ariseth to them in darkness. If we give the Hebrew verb an active meaning, then, in one respect, the construction of the words will be preferable.

For I have no doubt that the prophet intends the epithets gracious, merciful, and just as applicable to God. Therefore, if we read it as a neuter verb, light ariseth, then the latter clause of the verse will be the reason for the statement made in the former clause. As to the interpretation that the righteous and humane do not diffuse darkness over the world as the unrighteous and wicked do; that they do not extract smoke from light, but light from smoke; it must be viewed as nothing other than a perversion of the prophet’s language.

A good man. This is the commonly received interpretation of the passage. I am disposed, however, to prefer another: that it will be well with those who are gracious and communicative, because this is more in accordance with the purport of the prophet’s language. It is his intention to show how greatly the ungodly are deceived when they aspire to happiness by nefarious and unlawful practices, since the favor of God is the source and cause of all good things.

Hence, it becomes necessary to supply the relative who. He proceeds, therefore, to warn us about the deception that those who hasten to enrich themselves by sordid parsimony and oppressive extortion practice on themselves. For the faithful, by their clemency and kindness, open up a channel through which the favor of God flows to them. For the term טוב, tob, though in the masculine gender, signifying good, is often taken as if it were neuter, to denote that which is good.

He presents lending as if it were the fruit of mercy. For the usurer also lends, but his purpose is that, under the false pretense of assisting the distressed, he may plunder them. It is, then, the truly liberal, who grant relief to them from compassion and not with the design of ensnaring the poor, that God makes prosperous.

The term דברים, debarim, at the end of the verse, signifies words. However, along with David Kimchi, the most correct expositor among the Rabbis, I take it to mean affairs. Words is a very tame translation, not to mention that if this had been the prophet’s intention, he would have expressed himself in simpler terms.

The translation I have given is the proper one: that the righteous will manage their affairs with prudence and discernment. Consequently, in their domestic affairs, they will be neither too lavish nor sordidly parsimonious. Rather, in everything, they will strive to combine frugality with economy, without giving way to luxury.

And, in all their mercantile transactions, they will always be guided by the principles of equity and morality.

Surely he shall not be moved. The Hebrew particle כי, ki, may here be taken in its natural or causal meaning, and thus be rendered for, especially if in the preceding verse we adopt the marginal reading, It shall be well with the man. For he refers in more explicit terms to that happiness of which he spoke, that God sustains the compassionate and humane, so that amid all the vicissitudes of life they remain unmoved; that he makes their innocence appear, and protects them from unjust calumny.

It is said they are never moved. They are indeed liable to the incidents common to humanity, and even may often appear as if they were about to sink under the weight of their calamities; but their confidence remains unshaken, and by invincible patience they surmount all their adversities. With God as the defender of their righteousness, they yet do not escape from being assailed by the slanders of the ungodly, but it is enough for them that their name is blessed before God, the angels, and the whole assembly of the godly.