John Calvin Commentary Psalms 13

How long, O Jehovah. It is very true that David was so greatly hated by most people, because of the slanders and false reports that had been spread about him, that almost everyone judged that God was no less hostile to him than Saul and his other enemies were.

But here he does not speak so much according to the opinion of others as according to his own feelings, when he complains of being neglected by God. It is not that the conviction of the truth of God’s promises was extinguished in his heart, or that he did not rest in His grace; but when we are weighed down by calamities for a long time, and when we do not perceive any sign of divine aid, this thought inevitably forces itself upon us: that God has forgotten us.

To acknowledge in the midst of our afflictions that God really cares about us is not the usual way for people, nor what natural feelings would prompt; but by faith we perceive His invisible providence. Thus, it seemed to David, as far as could be judged from observing the actual state of his affairs, that he was forsaken by God.

At the same time, however, the eyes of his mind, guided by the light of faith, penetrated even to the grace of God, although it was hidden in darkness. When he saw no ray of good hope in any direction he turned, as far as human reason could judge, constrained by grief, he cried out that God did not regard him. Yet, by this very complaint, he gives evidence that faith enabled him to rise higher and to conclude, contrary to the judgment of the flesh, that his welfare was secure in the hand of God.

If it had been otherwise, how could he have directed his groanings and prayers to Him? Following this example, we must wrestle against temptations in such a way as to be assured by faith, even in the very midst of the conflict, that the calamities that urge us to despair must be overcome. This is just as we see that the infirmity of the flesh could not hinder David from seeking God and turning to Him. And so, in this struggle, he has very beautifully united emotions that are apparently contrary to each other.

The words, How long, for ever? are an incomplete expression, but they are much more emphatic than if he had asked the question in the usual way: Why for so long a time?

By speaking this way, he helps us understand that to cherish his hope and encourage himself in the exercise of patience, he looked far ahead. Therefore, he is not complaining about a calamity lasting only a few days, as the faint-hearted and cowardly are accustomed to do, who see only what is right in front of them and immediately succumb at the first assault. He teaches us, therefore, by his example, to look as far as possible into the future, so that our present grief may not entirely deprive us of hope.

How long shall I take counsel in my soul? We know that people in adversity yield to discontent, and look around them, first in one direction and then another, searching for remedies. Especially when they see that they are destitute of all resources, they greatly torment themselves and are distracted by a multitude of thoughts. In great dangers, anxiety and fear compel them to change their purposes from time to time, when they cannot find any plan on which they can settle with certainty.

David, therefore, complains that, while thinking of different methods of obtaining relief and deliberating with himself now in one way and now in another, he is exhausted to no purpose by the multitude of suggestions that pass through his mind. By joining to this complaint the sorrow which he felt daily, he points out the source of this anxiety.

As in severe sickness the sick would desire to change their place every moment, and the more acute the pains that afflict them are, the more fitful and eager they are in shifting and changing; so, when sorrow seizes upon people's hearts, its miserable victims are violently agitated within, and they find it more tolerable to torment themselves without obtaining relief than to endure their afflictions with composed and tranquil minds.

The Lord, indeed, promises to give the faithful the spirit of counsels (Isaiah 11:2), but he does not always give it to them at the very beginning of any matter they are engaged in; instead, he allows them for a time to be hindered by long deliberation without reaching a definite decision, or to be perplexed, as if they were entangled among thorns, not knowing where to turn or what course to take.

Some explain the Hebrew word יומם, yomam, as meaning all the day long. But it seems to me that by it is rather meant another kind of continuance, namely, that his sorrow returned and was renewed every day. At the end of the verse, he deplores another evil: that his adversaries triumph over him the more boldly when they see him wholly enfeebled and, as it were, wasted by continual languor.

Now this is an argument of great weight in our prayers; for there is nothing that is more displeasing to God, and that he will tolerate less, than the cruel insolence that our enemies display when they not only gloat over our misery but also rise up all the more against us, and treat us all the more disdainfully the more they see us oppressed and afflicted.

Look upon me, answer me. When God does not promptly provide assistance to His servants, it seems to the eye of sense that He does not behold their necessities. For this reason, David asks God, first, to look upon him, and second, to help him.

Neither of these things, it is true, is earlier or later in relation to God; but it has already been stated in a preceding psalm, and we will frequently have occasion to repeat the statement later, that the Holy Spirit purposely accommodates to our understanding the models of prayer recorded in Scripture.

If David had not been persuaded that God had His eyes upon him, it would have been of no use for him to cry to God; but this persuasion was the effect of faith. In the meantime, until God actually extends His hand to give relief, carnal reason suggests to us that He shuts His eyes and does not behold us.

The manner of expression used here amounts to the same thing as if he had put the mercy of God first, and then added to it His assistance, because God hears us when, having compassion on us, He is moved and prompted to help us. To enlighten the eyes signifies the same thing in the Hebrew language as to give the breath of life, for the vigor of life appears chiefly in the eyes. In this sense Solomon says,

The poor and the deceitful man meet together; the Lord lighteneth both their eyes (Proverbs 29:13).

And when Jonathan fainted from hunger, the sacred history relates that his eyes were overcast with dimness; and again, that when he had tasted the honeycomb, his eyes were enlightened (1 Samuel 14:27).

The word sleep, as it is used in this passage, is a similar metaphor, meaning death. In short, David confesses that unless God causes the light of life to shine upon him, he will be immediately overwhelmed with the darkness of death, and that he is already like a man without life, unless God breathes new vigor into him.

And certainly, our confidence in life depends on this: that even though the world may threaten us with a thousand deaths, God possesses countless means of restoring us to life.

Lest my enemy. David again repeats what he had previously said concerning the pride of his enemies: namely, that it would be unfitting for God's character if He were to abandon His servant to the mockery of the ungodly. David’s enemies were, as it were, lying in ambush, watching for the moment of his ruin, so that they might deride him when they saw him fall. And since it is the unique role of God to repress the audacity and insolence of the wicked whenever they glory in their wickedness, David implores God to deny them the opportunity for such boasting.

It must be observed, however, that David had in his conscience a sufficient testimony to his own integrity, and he also trusted in the goodness of his cause. Consequently, it would have been unfitting and unreasonable if he had been left without help in danger and overwhelmed by his enemies. Therefore, we can confidently pray for ourselves, as David does here for himself, only when we fight under the standard of God and are obedient to His commands, so that our enemies cannot achieve victory over us without also wickedly triumphing over God Himself.

The Psalmist does not yet feel how much he has benefited from praying. However, relying on the hope of deliverance, which God's faithful promise enabled him to hold, he uses this hope as a shield to repel those temptations whose terror might greatly distress him.

Therefore, although he is severely afflicted, and a multitude of cares urge him to despair, he nevertheless declares his resolution to remain firm in his reliance on God's grace and in the hope of salvation. All the godly ought to be equipped and sustained with this very same confidence, so that they may properly persevere in prayer.

From this, we also gather what I have previously pointed out: that it is by faith we grasp God's grace, which is hidden from and unknown to carnal understanding.

Since the verbs the Psalmist uses are not in the same tense, different meanings can be drawn from them. However, I have no doubt that David here wishes to testify that he remained firm in the hope of the deliverance promised to him, and would continue to do so even to the end, however heavy the burden of temptations that might press upon him.

Accordingly, the word exult is put in the future tense to denote the continued expression of the emotion spoken of, and to show that no affliction will ever shake the joy of faith from his heart. It should be observed that he places God's goodness first as the cause of his deliverance: I will sing unto the Lord. I translate this in the future tense.

It is true that David had not yet obtained what he earnestly desired. However, being fully convinced that God was already near to grant him deliverance, he pledges to give thanks to God for it. And surely, it is fitting for us to engage in prayer in such a frame of mind that we are at the same time ready to sing God's praises; this is impossible unless we are fully persuaded that our prayers will not be ineffective.

We may not be wholly free from sorrow, but it is nevertheless necessary that this cheerfulness of faith rise above it and put a song in our mouths because of the joy reserved for us in the future, even though we have not yet experienced it. This is just as we see David here preparing himself to celebrate God's grace in songs before he sees the outcome of his troubles.

The Hebrew word גמל (gamal), which others translate as to reward, here signifies nothing other than to bestow a benefit from pure grace, and this is its meaning in many other passages of Scripture. What kind of thanksgiving, I ask you to consider, would that be, to say that God rewarded and gave His servant due recompense?

This is sufficient to refute the absurd and trivial sophistry of those who twist this passage to prove the merit of works. In short, the only thing that remains to be observed is that David, in hastening with eagerness of soul to sing of God’s benefits before he had received them, places the deliverance, which was then apparently at a distance, immediately before his eyes.