John Calvin Commentary Psalms 118

Praise you Jehovah. In this passage, we see that David does not merely render thanks to God in a private capacity, but he loudly summons the people to engage in the common exercises of piety.

He does this not simply because of his divine appointment as the captain and teacher of others, but because God, having invested him with royal power, had thereby manifested his sympathy with his distressed Church.

Therefore, he exhorts the Israelites to magnify the grace of God, under whose kind protection he evidently re-establishes them in safety. In the beginning of the psalm, David alludes generally to the goodness and mercy of God, but he soon points to himself as an evidence of God's goodness, as will be seen in its proper place.

We should now recall what I mentioned in the preceding psalm: a reason for praising God is given to us because of his mercy, rather than his power or justice. For although his glory also shines forth in his power and justice, we will never promptly and heartily sound forth his praises until he wins us by the sweetness of his goodness.

Accordingly, in Psalm 51:17, we found that the lips of the faithful were opened to praise God when they perceived that he was truly their deliverer.

In restricting his address to Israel and to the children of Aaron, David is guided by a consideration of his own times, because, until that time, the adoption did not extend beyond that one nation.

He again resumes the order observed in Psalm 116:1. For, after exhorting the children of Abraham, who had been separated from the Gentiles by God's election, and also the sons of Aaron, who by virtue of the priesthood should take precedence in leading the psalmody, he directs his discourse to the other worshippers of God. He does this because there were many hypocrites among the Israelites who, though occupying a place in the Church, were still strangers to it.

This is not inconsistent with David speaking here by the Spirit of prophecy concerning the future kingdom of Christ. That kingdom, undoubtedly, extended to the Gentiles, but its commencement and first-fruits were among God’s chosen people.

I called upon God in my distress. We have here a particular application of the doctrine we previously mentioned, concerning the person of David. Connected with this is also the rejoicing of the whole Church, for whose public welfare God provided by upholding him. By his own example he strengthens the faithful, showing them that they should not lose heart in the day of adversity.

He seems to intentionally anticipate an objection that is likely to arise in people's minds the moment God's goodness is proclaimed: “Why does He permit His servants to be so severely oppressed and afflicted?” David therefore reminds them, nevertheless, that God’s mercy never fails, for in prayer we have consolation and an antidote for all our troubles. Furthermore, the time when he says he made supplication, and through it obtained deliverance, was one of distress. This is significant for us, teaching that the time of sad adversity is most appropriate for abounding in prayer.

Jehovah is with me among those who help me. Confiding solely in God’s help, he defies not just a few enemies, but the whole world. “Defended by God’s hand, I may boldly and safely nullify all the schemes of men.” When all the power of the universe is considered as nothing in comparison with God, then indeed, due honor is attributed to Him.

Thus he implicitly rebukes the unbelief of almost all people, who needlessly alarm themselves with groundless fears. All, indeed, desire peace of mind; but because of robbing God of the praise due to His power, their own ingratitude does not permit them to experience this blessing. If they were, as they should, to submit in all things to the good pleasure and power of God, they would always be ready to boldly overcome all those difficulties, the dread of which periodically troubles them.

But by giving more importance to the malicious schemes of men than to the help God can give them, they deserve to tremble at the rustling of a falling leaf. It is David’s wish, by his own example, to correct such waywardness. For this reason, he affirms that, while enjoying God’s favor, he would fear no one, being fully persuaded that God could rescue him from all the wicked plots schemed against him.

If he composed this psalm after his deliverance, we see how much he benefited from the experience of God’s grace. Therefore, whenever God helps us, our confidence in Him for the future should increase, and we should not forget His goodness and power, which we experienced in our greatest need.

Possibly, he recounts the thoughts that came to him amidst his distresses. However, the first suggestion appears more probable: that after he obtained deliverance, he would glory in God’s continued assistance for the future.

Some refer the clause those who are helpers with me, to the small troop David had gathered to him. However, this interpretation, in my opinion, is too subtle, as it would do little to honor God to classify Him among the six hundred whom David commanded, as if He were merely one of the soldiers. My interpretation is simpler: he calls God his helper. “It is enough for me that God is on my side.” Even if he were deprived of all human aid, he would still have no hesitation in setting God against all his enemies.

It is better to trust in Jehovah. He appears to state nothing but what is commonplace, as it is unanimously admitted that when God and men are compared, He must be seen as infinitely exalted above them. Therefore, it is best to trust in Him for the aid He has promised to His own people.

All acknowledge this, and yet there is scarcely one in a hundred who is fully persuaded that God alone can provide him sufficient help. That man has attained a high rank among the faithful who, resting satisfied in God, never ceases to maintain a lively hope, even when he finds no help on earth.

The comparison, however, is improper, since we are not allowed to transfer to men even the smallest portion of our confidence, which must be placed in God alone. The meaning is by no means ambiguous: the Psalmist is ridiculing the illusory hopes of men by which they are tossed to and fro, and declares that when the world smiles on them, they become proud and either forsake God or despise Him.

Some believe that David bitterly reproaches his enemies for being deceived in depending on the favor of Saul. This appears to me to be too limited a view of the passage, and I do not doubt that David here presents himself as an example to all the faithful, since he had reaped the full fruit of his hope when, depending solely upon God, he had patiently borne the loss of all earthly help.

In the ninth verse, where he substitutes princes for men, there is an extension of the idea: “Not only do those who put their confidence in men of low status act foolishly, but also those who confide even in the greatest potentates; for the trust that is placed in flesh will ultimately be accursed, but the enjoyment of God’s favor will turn even death itself into life.”

All nations compassed me. In these verses, he relates the wonderful deliverance he had received, so that all might know that it was not of human but divine origin. Repeatedly, he declares that he was surrounded not by a few persons, but by a vast multitude. The people, all inflamed with anger and fury against him, surrounded him so that there were no means for his escape, and he could obtain help from no source but from heaven.

Some consider his complaint that all nations were hostile to him as referring to the neighboring nations, who, as we know, dangerously surrounded David. In my opinion, his meaning is that the whole world was hostile to him, because he sets God’s help alone against the deadly and furious hatred of both his own countrymen and the neighboring nations toward him, so that there was not a place on earth where he could be safe.

It is true, there was no army collected from several nations besieging him; still, he had no peaceful retreat except among the haunts of wild beasts, from which he was also driven by terror. And the snares laid to entrap him were proportional to the number of people he encountered.

Therefore, it is not surprising that he said he was surrounded by all nations. Besides, this concise way of speaking is more powerful than if he had merely said that he trusted in God, through which he had become victorious. By publicly mentioning the name of God alone, he maintains that no other means of deliverance were available to him, and that without God's intervention, he would have perished.

It seems preferable to me to translate the particle כי (ki,) affirmatively: “Besieged as I am on all sides by the world, yet if the power of God helps me, that will be more than adequate for the extermination of all my enemies.” Their obstinate and implacable hatred is pointed out by him in the repetition of the phrase compassed about, and their outrageous fury is set forth in comparing them to bees, which, though not possessing much strength, are very fierce, and when in their senseless fury they attack a person, they cause considerable fear.

He soon adds, they are quenched as a fire of thorns, which at first makes a great crackling and throws out a greater flame than a fire of wood, but soon passes away. The point is that David’s enemies had furiously assailed him, but their fury soon subsided. Therefore, he repeats that, sustained by the power of God, whatever opposition might arise against him would soon pass away.