John Calvin Commentary Psalms 118:8

"It is better to take refuge in Jehovah Than to put confidence in man." — Psalms 118:8 (ASV)

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.”