John Calvin Commentary Psalms 18:37-40

"I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them; Neither will I turn again till they are consumed. I will smite them through, so that they shall not be able to rise: They shall fall under my feet. For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me. Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me, That I might cut off them that hate me." — Psalms 18:37-40 (ASV)

The point on which David insists so much is showing from the outcome, that all his victories were to be traced to God's favor; and from this it follows that his cause was good and just. God, no doubt, sometimes grants successes even to the ungodly and wicked; but He eventually shows by the result, that He was all the while opposed to them and was their enemy.

It is His servants alone who experience such tokens of His favor as He showed towards David, and He intends by these to testify that they are approved and accepted by Him.

We are apt to think that David here speaks too much like a soldier, in declaring that he will not cease from the work of slaughter until he has destroyed all his enemies. Or rather, we might think he has forgotten the gentleness and meekness which ought to shine in all true believers, and in which they should resemble their heavenly Father.

But since he attempted nothing without God's command, and since his affections were governed and regulated by the Holy Spirit, we may be assured that these are not the words of a man who was cruel and who took pleasure in shedding blood, but of a man who faithfully executed the judgment God had committed to him.

Indeed, we know that he was so distinguished for gentleness of disposition that he abhorred shedding even a single drop of blood, except insofar as duty and the necessity of his office required. Therefore, we must consider David’s calling, and also his pure zeal, which was free from all disturbance of the flesh.

Moreover, it should be particularly noted that the Psalmist here calls those his enemies whose indomitable and infatuated obstinacy merited and provoked such vengeance from God. Since he represented the person of Christ, he inflicted the punishment of death only on those who were so inflexible that they could not be brought to order by the exercise of a mild and humane authority; and this itself shows that he delighted in nothing more than to pardon those who repented and reformed themselves.

He thus resembled Christ, who gently allures all people to repentance, but breaks in pieces with His iron rod those who obstinately resist Him to the last. The sum of these verses is that David, since he fought under God's authority, having been chosen king by Him, and engaging in no undertaking without His warrant, was assisted by Him, rendered invincible against the assaults of all his enemies, and enabled even to defeat vast and very powerful armies.

Furthermore, let us remember that under this type is foreshadowed the invincible character and condition of the kingdom of Christ: who, trusting in and sustained by God's power, overthrows and destroys His enemies; who, in every encounter, He uniformly emerges victorious; and who continues as king despite all the resistance the world makes to His authority and power.

And since the victories secured for Him involve a security of similar victories for us, it follows that we are promised here an impregnable defense against all the efforts of Satan, all the machinations of sin, and all the temptations of the flesh.

Therefore, although Christ can only obtain a tranquil kingdom by fighting, let us not be troubled on that account. Instead, let it be enough to satisfy us that God's hand is always ready to be extended for its preservation.

David was, for a time, a fugitive, so that he could save his life only with difficulty, by taking shelter in the dens of wild beasts; but God, eventually, made his enemies turn their backs, and not only put them to flight, but also delivered them over to him, so that he might pursue and utterly defeat them.

Similarly, our enemies for a time may be, as it were, just ready to put the knife to our throats to destroy us; but God, eventually, will make them not only flee before us, but also perish in our presence, as they deserve.

At the same time, let us remember the kind of warfare to which God is calling us, the kind of enemies against whom He will have us contend, and the armor with which He furnishes us, so that it may be enough for us to have the devil, the flesh, and sin overthrown and placed under our feet by His spiritual power.

With respect to those to whom He has given the power of the sword, He will also defend them and not allow them to be unrighteously opposed, provided they reign under Christ and acknowledge Him as their head.

Regarding the words, interpreters almost unanimously render the beginning of the 40th verse, My enemies have turned the back, a phrase with the same meaning as, They have been put to flight.

But since the Hebrew word ערף (oreph) properly signifies the head or neck, we may very suitably view the words as meaning that God gave David the neck of his enemies, because He delivered them into his hands to be slain.