John Calvin Commentary Psalms 135

Praise you the name of Jehovah. Though this Psalm begins in almost the same way as the preceding one, the Psalmist does not seem to be addressing the Levites exclusively, but the people generally, since the reasons given for praising God are equally applicable to all God’s children. No mention is made of night watching, or of their standing constantly in the Temple.

But indeed, as it was the special duty of the priests to take the lead in this devotional exercise, to lead, if we might use such an expression, and sing the praises of God before the people, there is no reason why we should not suppose that they are primarily addressed and stirred up to their duty.

We need only to examine the words more closely to be convinced that the people are included next after the priests. For the Psalmist addresses the servants of God who stand in the temple, then those who are in the courts, whereas no notice was taken of the courts in the former Psalm. Mention seems to be made of courts in the plural because the priests had their court, and then there was another common to all the people, for by the law spoken of (Leviticus 16:17), they were prohibited from entering the sanctuary.

To prevent any feeling of disgust that might arise from the very frequent repetition of this exhortation to praise God, it is only necessary to remember, as was already observed, that there is no sacrifice in which he takes greater delight than the expression of our gratitude. Thus, it is written (Psalms 50:14):

“Sacrifice to the Lord thanksgiving,
and pay your vows to the Most High;”

And, as it is written in Psalm 116:12-13:

“What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.”

Particular attention is to be paid to those passages of Scripture that speak in such high terms of the spiritual worship of God. Otherwise, exercising a misguided zeal, we may be led to spend our labor on trifles. In this respect, we might imitate the example of too many who have wearied themselves with ridiculous attempts to invent additions to the service of God, while they have neglected what is most important of all.

This is the reason why the Holy Spirit so repeatedly inculcates the duty of praise: it is so that we may not undervalue or grow careless in this devotional exercise. It also implies an indirect censure of our tardiness in performing this duty, for he would not reiterate the admonition if we were ready and active in discharging it.

The expression at the end of the verse—because it is sweet,—admits of two meanings: that the name of God is sweet (as in the previous clause it was said that God is good), or that it is a sweet and pleasant thing to sing God’s praises. The Hebrew word נעים naim, properly signifies beautiful or comely, and this general signification answers best.

For God has chosen Jacob. Other reasons are given later why they should praise God, drawn from His government of the world. But as it was only the children of Abraham who were favored with the knowledge of God at that time, and were capable of praising Him, the Psalmist directs them to the fact of their having been chosen by God to be His peculiar people, as giving them cause for thanksgiving. The mercy was surely one of incomparable value, and which might well stir them up to fervent gratitude and praise, adopted as they were into favor with God, while the whole Gentile world was passed by.

The praise of their election is given by the Psalmist to God—a clear proof that they owed the distinction not to any excellence of their own, but to the free mercy of God the Father which had been extended to them. He has laid all without exception under obligation to His service, for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good (Matthew 5:45).

But He bound the posterity of Abraham to Himself by a closer tie, such as that by which He now adopts people generally into His Church, and unites them with the body of His only-begotten Son.

For I know that Jehovah is great. We have here a general description of the power of God, to show the Israelites that the God they worshipped was the same who made the world, and rules over all according to his will, and there is no other besides him.

He would not exclude others when he speaks of having known for himself the greatness of God, but is rather to be considered as taking occasion from his own experience to stir up people generally to attend to this subject, and to awaken to the recognition of what is abundantly open to observation.

The immensity of God is what no one can comprehend; still, his glory, so far as was deemed fit, has been sufficiently manifested to leave all the world without excuse for ignorance. How can one who has enjoyed a sight of the heavens and the earth shut his eyes so as to overlook their Author without sin of the deepest dye?

It is with the aim, then, of stirring us up more effectively that the Psalmist refers to himself when inviting us to the knowledge of God’s glory; or rather, he rebukes our carelessness in not being sufficiently attentive to it.

The second part of the verse makes the truth of the observation I have already stated even more apparent: that the Psalmist’s design was to retain the Israelites in the service and fear of the one true God, by declaring that the God who made a covenant with their fathers was the same who created heaven and earth. No sooner had he mentioned Jehovah than he adds that He is the God of Israel.

It necessarily follows that all who depart from this God prefer a god who has no claim to that title. For example, Jews and Turks in our own time are guilty of mere pretense when they claim to worship God the Creator of the world.

When people have diverged from the law and from the gospel, any appearance of piety they may have amounts to a renunciation of the true God. The Psalmist, therefore, in giving God a specific title, intended to limit the Israelites to that God who was set forth in the doctrine of the Law.

If by אלהים, Elohim, we understand the false gods of the Gentiles—the title is given to them only by concession, for it could not be properly assigned to what are mere lying vanities. The meaning is that God’s greatness altogether eclipses any pretended deity.

But the expression would seem to include the angels, as has already been observed, in whom there is some reflection of divinity, since they are heavenly principalities and powers. However, they are exalted by God and assigned such a subordinate place that it does not interfere with his glory.

Whatever does please him, etc. This is that immeasurable greatness of the divine being, of which he had just spoken. He not only founded heaven and earth at first, but governs all things according to his power. To acknowledge that God made the world, but maintain that he sits idle in heaven and takes no interest in its management, is to cast an impious aspersion on his power; and yet the idea, absurd as it is, is widely prevalent among people.

They would not say, perhaps, in so many words, that they believed God slept in heaven; but by imagining, as they do, that he resigns the reins to chance or fortune, they leave him with the mere shadow of a power, one that is not manifested in effects. Scripture, however, teaches us that it is a real, practical power, by which he governs the whole world according to his will.

The Psalmist expressly asserts that every part of the world is under divine care, and that nothing takes place by Chance, or without determination. According to a very common opinion, all the power necessary to assign to God in this matter is that of a universal providence, which I do not profess to understand.

The distinction made here between the heavens, earth, and waters denotes particular governance. The term חפר , chaphets, is emphatic. The Holy Spirit declares that he does whatever pleases him. That confused sort of divine government which many talk of amounts to no more than a certain maintenance of order in the world, without due counsel.

In this view, no consideration whatever is given to his will, for will implies counsel and method. Consequently, a special providence is exerted in the government of the various parts of the world; there is no such thing as chance, and what appears most fortuitous is, in reality, ordered by his secret wisdom.

We are not called to inquire why he wills events that contradict our sense of how his administration should be. However, if we are not to unsettle the very foundations of religion, we must hold to this as a firm principle: nothing happens without the divine will and decree. His will may be mysterious, but it is to be regarded with reverence as the fountain of all justice and rectitude, unquestionably deserving our supreme consideration.

For further information on this subject, the reader may consult Psalm 115.

Causing the clouds to ascend. The Psalmist touches upon one or two particulars, in illustration of the point that nothing takes place of itself, but by the hand and counsel of God. Our understandings cannot comprehend a thousandth part of God’s works, and it is only a few examples which he brings forward to be considered in proof of the doctrine of divine providence which he had just announced.

He speaks of the clouds ascending from the ends of the earth; for the vapors which rise out of the earth form clouds when they accumulate more densely together. Now who would think that the vapors which we see ascending upwards would shortly darken the sky and impend above our heads?

It strikingly proves the power of God, that these thin vapors, which steam up from the ground, should form a body overspreading the whole atmosphere. The Psalmist mentions it as another circumstance calling for our wonder, that lightnings are mixed with rain, things quite opposite in their nature one from another.

If custom did not make us familiar with the spectacle, we would pronounce this mixture of fire and water to be a phenomenon altogether incredible. The same may be said of the phenomena of the winds. Natural causes can be assigned for them, and philosophers have pointed them out; but the winds, with their various currents, are a wonderful work of God.

He does not merely assert the power of God, it should be noted, in the sense in which philosophers themselves grant it, but he maintains that not a drop of rain falls from heaven without a divine commission or dispensation to that effect. All readily allow that God is the author of rain, thunder, and wind, insofar as he originally established this order of things in nature; but the Psalmist goes further than this, holding that when it rains, this is not effected by a blind instinct of nature, but is the consequence of the decree of God, who is pleased at one time to darken the sky with clouds, and at another to brighten it again with sunshine.