John Calvin Commentary Psalms 22:23

"Ye that fear Jehovah, praise him; All ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; And stand in awe of him, all ye the seed of Israel." — Psalms 22:23 (ASV)

You who fear Jehovah. Here, again, the Psalmist expresses more distinctly the fruit of public and solemn thanksgiving, of which I have spoken before, declaring that by engaging in this exercise, every man in his own place invites and stirs up the church by his example to praise God.

He tells us that the end for which he will praise the name of God in the public assembly is to encourage his fellow believers to do the same. But as hypocrites commonly thrust themselves into the church, and as on the barn floor of the Lord the chaff is mingled with the wheat, he addresses himself expressly to the godly and those who fear God.

Impure and wicked men may sing the praises of God with open mouth, but assuredly, they do nothing but pollute and profane his holy name. It would, indeed, be greatly desired that people of all conditions in the world would, with one accord, join in holy melody to the Lord.

But as the chief and most essential part of this harmony proceeds from a sincere and pure affection of the heart, no one will ever, in a right manner, celebrate the glory of God, except the one who worships him under the influence of holy fear. David names, a little later, the seed of Jacob and Israel, referring to the common calling of the people; and certainly, he put no obstacle in the way to hinder even all the children of Abraham from praising God with one accord.

But as he saw that many of the Israelites were bastard and degenerate, he distinguishes true and sincere Israelites from them; and at the same time shows that God’s name is not duly celebrated unless there is true piety and the inward fear of God. Accordingly, in his exhortation he again joins together the praises of God and reverence towards him.

Fear him, you seed of Israel, he says; for all the fair faces that hypocrites put on in this matter are nothing but pure mockery.

The fear that he recommends is not, however, one that would frighten the faithful from approaching God, but one that will bring them truly humbled into his sanctuary, as has been stated in Psalm 5.

Some may be surprised to find David addressing an exhortation to praise God to those whom he had previously commended for doing so. This, however, is easily explained, for even the holiest people in the world are never so thoroughly imbued with the fear of God that they do not need to be continually spurred to its practice.

Accordingly, the exhortation is not at all superfluous when, speaking of those who fear God, he exhorts them to stand in awe of him and to prostrate themselves humbly before him.