John Calvin Commentary Psalms 18:10

"And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly; Yea, he soared upon the wings of the wind." — Psalms 18:10 (ASV)

He rode also upon a cherub. The Psalmist, having shown us a sign of the wrath of God in the clouds and in the darkening of the air, representing him as if he breathed out smoke, from his nostrils, and descended with a threatening countenance to afflict people by the dreadful weight of his power; and having also represented lightnings and thunderbolts as flaming fire proceeding from his mouth—he now introduces him as riding upon the winds and tempests, to survey the whole world with rapid speed, or rather with the swiftness of flight.

We encounter a similar description in Psalm 104:3, where God is said to walk upon the wings of the winds, and to send them out in every direction as his swift messengers. David does not, however, simply represent God as the governor of the winds, who drives them by his power wherever he pleases; he also tells us that he rides upon a cherub, to teach us that the very violence of the winds is governed by angels as God has ordained.

We know that angels were represented under the figure of cherubim. Therefore, I have no doubt that David here intended to make an allusion to the ark of the covenant. In presenting for our consideration the power of God as manifested in the wonders of nature, he does so in such a way as to always be mindful of the temple, where he knew God had made himself known in a special way to the descendants of Abraham.

He therefore celebrates God not only as creator of the world, but as He who entered into covenant with Israel and chose for himself a holy dwelling place in the midst of that people. David might have called the angels by their common name, but he has expressly used a term that refers to the visible symbol of the ark, so that true believers, in singing this psalm, might always have their minds directed to the service of God performed in the temple.

What follows with respect to God’s dark pavilion or tent, is a repetition of the preceding statement in different words: namely, that when God covers the air with dark clouds, it is as if he spread a thick veil between himself and people, to deprive them of the sight of his countenance, just as if a king, enraged with his subjects, were to retire into his private chamber and hide himself from them.

Those take a mistaken view of this verse who bring it forward to prove, in general, the hidden and mysterious character of God’s glory, as if David, intending to restrain the presumption of human curiosity, had said that God is hidden in darkness from humankind.

God, it is true, is said to dwell in the light which no man can approach unto (1 Timothy 6:16); but I have no doubt that the form of expression David uses here ought to be restricted, according to the context of the passage, to the meaning I have given.