John Calvin Commentary Psalms 25:13

"His soul shall dwell at ease; And his seed shall inherit the land." — Psalms 25:13 (ASV)

His soul shall dwell in good. If humanity's supreme happiness consists in undertaking or attempting nothing except with God's authorization, it follows that it is also a high and incomparable benefit to have Him as our leader and guide through life, so that we may never go astray. But, in addition to this, an earthly blessing is here promised, in which the fruit of the preceding grace is distinctly shown, as Paul also teaches:

Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come (1 Timothy 4:8).

In summary, those who truly serve God are not only blessed regarding spiritual things, but are also blessed by Him regarding their condition in the present life. It is indeed true that God does not always deal with them according to their desires, and that the blessings they would wish for do not always flow in a consistent and uniform manner.

On the contrary, it often happens that they are tossed with sickness and trouble, while the wicked enjoy prosperity. But we must know that as often as God withdraws His blessing from His own people, it is for the purpose of awakening them to a sense of their condition and revealing to them how far removed they still are from the perfect fear of God.

And yet, insofar as it is expedient for them, they now enjoy the blessings of God, so that, in comparison with worldly people and the despisers of God, they are truly happy and blessed. This is because, even in their greatest poverty, they never lose the assurance that God is present with them; and being sustained by this consolation, they enjoy peace and tranquility of mind.

It is indeed true that all our miseries proceed from this one source—that by our sins we prevent the divine blessing from flowing down consistently to us. And yet, amidst such a state of confusion, His grace never ceases to shine forth, so that the condition of the godly is always better than that of others. For although they are not satiated with good things, they continually experience a sense of God's fatherly favor.

And I am inclined to connect the word soul with this idea: namely, that when receiving God's gifts, they do not devour them without sensing their sweetness, but truly relish them. Consequently, the smallest provision is more effective in satisfying them than the greatest abundance is in satisfying the ungodly.

Thus, as each person is contented with their condition and cheerfully cherishes a spirit of patience and tranquility, their soul is said to dwell in good. Some interpreters apply the words to dwell or abide to the time of death, but this interpretation is more subtle than solid. The inspired writer, as we have already said, speaks rather of the condition of the present life.

He adds, secondly, by way of illustration, that the posterity of the faithful shall inherit the land, and from this it follows that God continues to extend His favor toward them. Hence, we may again infer that the death of God’s servants does not imply their utter destruction, and that they do not cease to exist when they depart from this world, but continue to live forever.

It would be absurd to suppose that God would totally deprive of life those for whose sake He does good even to others. Regarding what is said here, that the children of the saints shall inherit the land, this has been touched upon elsewhere, and it will be shown still more fully in the exposition of Psalm 37, in what ways and how this is accomplished.