John Calvin Commentary Psalms 149

Sing to Jehovah a new song. This introduction proves what I have just said: that the exhortation now given is addressed only to God’s people, for the singular goodness which is particularly extended to them provides more ample reason for praise. The probable conjecture is that the Psalm was composed at the time when the people had begun to rejoice, or after they had returned to their native country from the Babylonian captivity.

We will see from the context that a promise of recovery from their ruined condition is given. The Psalmist’s object, I think, is to encourage them to expect the full and complete deliverance, a prelude to which had been suddenly and unexpectedly given in the permission to return.

Since the Church was not fully restored at once, but only with difficulty and after a long period was brought to a state of vigor, comfort such as this was much needed. The Spirit of God would also provide a remedy for evils that were later to break out. For the Church had scarcely begun to breathe again when it was once more harassed with various evils and oppressed by the cruel tyranny of Antiochus, which was followed by a dreadful dispersion.

The Psalmist therefore had good reason for encouraging the godly to look forward to the full accomplishment of God’s mercy, so that they might be persuaded of divine protection until the time when the Messiah should arise who would gather all Israel. He calls this a new song, as we have noticed elsewhere, to distinguish it from those with which the saints commonly and daily praised God, for praise is their continual practice.

It follows that he speaks of some rare and unusual benefit, demanding notable and particular thanksgiving. I am inclined to think that whoever may have been the author of the Psalm, he alludes to that passage in Isaiah (Isaiah 42:10), Sing unto the Lord a new song, when he speaks of the future restoration of the Church and the eternal kingdom of Christ.

In the second clause of the verse, a promise is implied. For though he exhorts the Lord’s people to sing God’s praises together, he also hints that the Church would coalesce again into one body to celebrate God’s praises in the solemn assembly. We know that the Israelites were so scattered that the sacred songs ceased to be sung, as they complain elsewhere when called upon to sing—

How shall we sing the songs of the Lord in a strange land? (Psalms 137:4).

He therefore urges them to prepare, after this sad dispersion, to hold their sacred assemblies again.

Let Israel rejoice in his Maker. He insists upon the same point, that the Lord’s people should remain firmly convinced that their family had not been chosen out in vain from the rest of the world, but that God would be mindful of His covenant, and not allow the mercies which He had extended to them to fail or become extinct.

Although they had been temporarily deprived of the inheritance of the land of Canaan, which was the pledge of their adoption, the Psalmist calls God their Maker, and king of the sons of Zion, to remind them that when adopted to a preeminence above other nations, this was a type of new creation.

So in Psalm 45:6, the Israelites are called the work of God’s hands, not merely because they were like other men created by Him, but because He had formed them anew and distinguished them with a new honor: that of being separated from the whole human race.

The name king has a wider meaning, intimating that as this people was at first formed by God, so it was with the intention that they would always be governed by His power.

The musical instruments he mentions were peculiar to this infancy of the Church, nor should we foolishly imitate a practice that was intended only for God’s ancient people.

But the Psalmist confirms what has already been mentioned: that their religious assemblies, which had been interrupted for a time, would soon be restored, and they would call upon the name of the Lord in the due order of His worship.

For God hath taken pleasure in his people. We have spoken elsewhere of the verb רצה (ratsah); here it means free favor, the Psalmist saying that it was entirely of his good pleasure that God had chosen this people to himself.

From this source flows what is added in the second clause: that God would give a new glory of deliverance to the afflicted. In Hebrew, ענוים (anavim) means poor and afflicted ones, but the term was later applied to merciful persons, as bodily afflictions have a tendency to subdue pride, while abundance begets cruelty.

The Psalmist accordingly mitigates the sadness of present evils by administering seasonable consolation, so that God’s people, when oppressed by troubles, might look forward with hope to the glorious deliverance that was yet unseen. The sum of the passage is this: that God, who had fixed his love upon his chosen people, could not possibly abandon them to such miseries as they now suffered.

They shall rejoice. In mentioning here joy, jubilee, and the high praises of God, he shows even more clearly from the effects it would produce that he is not speaking of a common benefit from God. For if the deliverance of the people had not been remarkable, there would have been no occasion for such joy, and even triumph.

And by these expressions, he suggests that the people would not be brought back from exile only to be immediately dispersed again, but to flourish in the enjoyment of every kind of blessing. For this reason, he mentions couches, teaching them to expect daily rest under the divine protection.

He declares that they would be equipped with arms and power, not only to ward off enemies but also to put them to flight on every side, thereby reducing to subjection kings and nations that formerly ruled over them. By swords of a double-mouth, or two-edged, are meant those that cut on both sides, because at that time swords only had one edge.

To execute vengeance, etc. Both during their exile and after their return from it, this might seem to be altogether incredible. Nor did it take place before the advent of Christ; for though the Maccabees and their posterity reduced the neighboring nations to subjection, this was but a faint prelude and foretaste to direct the thoughts of the Lord’s people to what was approaching.

But as Haggai prophesied that the glory of the second Temple would be greater than that of the first, so here a more prosperous state than had ever existed is promised (Haggai 2:9). Reduced as the Jews were in numbers, and low as the state of things was among them, the Psalmist announces to all nations that opposed and troubled them, that they would have the ascendancy.

As they were still tributary, and dwelt in Jerusalem only by permission, they were called to exercise faith in a promise that, from a purely human perspective, might appear visionary, and to raise their thoughts to the infinite power of God, which triumphs over all worldly obstacles. The vengeance spoken of is such as the Israelites would take, not under the influence of private resentment, but by commandment of God; and we mention this so that no one may infer that they are allowed to take vengeance for personal injuries.

The next verse, where mention is made of kings and nobles, is an amplification; for had he only spoken of peoples and nations, this might have been restricted to the common people and men of low condition. Here is something much greater — that kings and others of noble rank would be dragged to punishment in chains. But it is to be remembered, as I have just hinted, that only a small part of this splendid prospect was realized until Christ appeared; for any small increase of prosperity that the people enjoyed under the Maccabees was not worthy of any consideration, except insofar as by this help God sustained the drooping spirits of the people until Christ’s advent. Here the prediction of Jacob is to be noticed —

the scepter shall not depart from Judah, until Shiloh come (Genesis 49:10).

But the Maccabees sprang from another tribe. We must, therefore, infer that the regular order was then interrupted, and that to consider the prosperous state of the people as based upon their victories is building a castle in the air. And God would appear to have intentionally removed the government from the tribe of Judah, lest this success should intoxicate the minds of his people; for most of them, through pride in these signal victories, overlooked the true and substantial deliverance. As the Psalmist here treats of the perfection of the people's prosperity, it follows that he refers to the Messiah, so that their expectation and desire for him might never cease, either in their prosperity or adversity.