John Calvin Commentary Psalms 144:9

"I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: Upon a psaltery of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee." — Psalms 144:9 (ASV)

O God! I will sing a new song to you. He again calmly prepares himself to praise God, not doubting that God would continue those mercies which He had once bestowed. I have noted elsewhere that by a new song is meant one of a unique or uncommon kind; and from this we can infer that David’s expectations stretched beyond the conclusions of human judgment. For, anticipating the greatness of the help to be extended, he promises a song of praise unprecedented in its nature, and distinguished by this title from ordinary thanksgivings.

As to the nebel and psaltery, I have observed elsewhere that they formed part of that system of training under the Law to which the Church was subjected in its infancy. But the chief thing to be noticed is the subject of his songs: that God, who is the preserver of kings, had kept David—and even rescued him from the sword—whom He had made and anointed king by His authoritative decree.

As for the idea that the term kings implies an opposition to the common people—with David supposedly meaning that not only the common class of people are indebted to divine preservation, but also the more influential and those who appear to have sufficient and abundant strength of their own—I question whether it is well-founded.

His meaning, it seems to me, is rather different: that while God preserves all people without exception, His care is particularly extended to the maintenance of political order, which is the foundation of the common safety of all.

It is, in effect, as if David called God the guardian and defender of kingdoms. For since the very mention of government is often odious, and no one willingly obeys another, and nothing is more contrary to natural human inclination than servitude, people would seek to throw off the yoke and subvert the thrones of kings if these were not safeguarded by a hidden divine governance.

David, however, distinguishes himself from other kings, as elsewhere he is called the firstborn of kings (Psalms 89:27). At least he speaks of God’s goodness as having been preeminently shown to him, representing himself as holding the highest place on account of the holy anointing that had been more eminently bestowed upon him.

As a title of distinction, he claims the special name of God’s servant. For although all kings are God’s servants, and Isaiah emphatically applies this name to Cyrus (Isaiah 45:1), a distinction remains: no pagan prince ever recognized himself as called by God. In contrast, David alone in all the world was invested with legitimate authority and possessed a warrant to reign upon which faith could rest with certainty. It was not without reason, therefore, that this mark of distinction is applied to him.

By the hurtful sword are doubtless meant all the dangers he had passed through over a series of years. These dangers were such that he might truly be said to have come to the throne by deaths oft, and to have been established on the throne in their midst.