John Calvin Commentary Psalms 3

Sacred history teaches that David was not only dethroned but also forsaken by almost all people, so that he had nearly as many enemies as he had subjects. It is true that a few faithful friends accompanied him in his flight, but he escaped in safety not so much by their aid and protection as by the hiding places of the wilderness.

It is therefore no wonder that he was frightened by the great numbers who were opposed to him, for nothing could have happened more unexpectedly on his part than such a sudden rebellion. It was a mark of uncommon faith, when stricken with such great consternation, to venture freely to make his complaint to God and, as it were, to pour out his soul into his bosom.

And certainly, the only remedy for calming our fears is this: to cast upon him all the cares that trouble us. On the other hand, those who are convinced that they are not the objects of his regard must be prostrated and overwhelmed by the calamities that befall them.

In the third verse, he expresses more distinctly and emphatically the pride of his enemies in deriding him as a castaway and as a person whose circumstances were beyond hope. He means that their boldness increased as a result, because they were confident he had been rejected by God. Perhaps, in these words, their ungodliness is also indirectly referred to, since they disregarded the help of God in preserving the king whom he had chosen.

And this second view is more probable, for Absalom did not flatter himself with the hope of God's favor but, entirely disregarding him, hoped for victory from his own power. David, therefore, expressly introduces both him and the rest as speaking in this way to show that it was by a monstrous and outrageous contempt of God that they were driven to such fury against him, as if they completely disregarded the fact that he had often been wonderfully delivered from the greatest dangers.

The ungodly, when they rise up to destroy us, may not openly break forth into such daring presumption as to maintain that it is impossible for us to derive any advantage from God's favor. Yet, since they either ascribe everything to fortune or hold the opinion that a person’s success will be in proportion to their strength, they therefore fearlessly rush forward to gain their object by any means, whether right or wrong. They act as if it would make no difference whether God is angry with them or favorable towards them. It is evident, then, that they set no value whatever upon God's favor and mock the faithful, as if being under God's care and protection would profit them nothing.

The translation by some, Many say OF my soul, does not give the true meaning of this passage. The letter ל (lamed) is indeed sometimes used as meaning of in Hebrew, but David here intended to express something more: namely, that his heart was in a way pierced by the mockery of his enemies.

The word soul, therefore, in my opinion, here signifies the seat of the affections. It has a corresponding meaning in a passage we will find in another Psalm (Psalms 35:3): Say to my soul, I am thy salvation.

David thus teaches us by his own example that even if the whole world, with one voice, should attempt to drive us to despair, we should not listen to it. Instead, we ought to listen to God alone and always cherish within us the hope of the salvation he has promised. And as the ungodly strive to destroy our souls, we ought to defend them with our prayers.

With respect to the word Selah, interpreters are not agreed. Some maintain it is a mark of affirmation and has the same meaning as truly or amen. Others understand it as meaning for ever. But as סלל (Selal), from which it is derived, signifies to lift up, we incline to the opinion of those who think it denotes the lifting up of the voice in harmony in the practice of singing.

At the same time, it must be observed that the music was adapted to the sentiment, and so the harmony was in unison with the character or subject matter of the song. This is just as David here, after complaining about his enemies shamefully laughing to scorn his hope—as if God's protection would be of no avail to him—fixes the attention on this blasphemy, which severely wounded his heart, by using the word Selah. A little later, when he has added a new ground for confidence regarding the safety of his person, he repeats the same word.

The conjunction and should be understood as the contrasting particle 'but,' because David uses language full of confidence, opposing the audacity and irreverent mockery of his enemies, and declares that whatever they may say, he would still rely on God's word. Moreover, it appears he had previously held an assured hope of deliverance because he does not mention his current calamity here as a chastisement inflicted by God's hand. Instead, relying on divine aid, he courageously confronts his enemies. They were waging an ungodly and wicked war against him, intending to depose a true and lawful king from his throne.

In short, having previously acknowledged his sin, he now considers only the merits of the current situation. And this is how God's servants should act when troubled by the wicked. After mourning their own sins and humbly turning to God's mercy, they should keep their eyes fixed on the clear and immediate cause of their afflictions. This way, they may have no doubt of God's help when they are undeservedly mistreated.

Especially when God's truth is opposed through their mistreatment, they should be greatly encouraged. They should glory in the assurance that God will undoubtedly uphold the truth of His own promises against such treacherous and wicked people. If it had been different for David, he might seem to have claimed these things for himself without basis, since he had deprived himself of God's approval and help by offending Him. But, persuaded that he was not entirely cut off from God's favor and that God’s choice of him as king remained unchanged, he encourages himself to hope for a positive outcome to his current trials. And, firstly, by comparing God to a shield, he means that he was defended by his power. From this he also concludes that God was his glory, because he would be the maintainer and defender of the royal dignity that he had been pleased to bestow on him. And for this reason, he became so bold that he declares he would walk confidently.

With my voice have I cried unto the Lord. He informs us here that he had never been so broken by adversity, or cast down by ungodly mockery, as to be prevented from addressing his prayers to God. And it was an infallible proof of his faith to exercise it by praying even in the midst of his troubles.

Nothing is more unfitting than to sullenly resent the restraints imposed on us and to refrain from crying out to God, if indeed we have any faith in His promise. Nor is there wordiness in these words, I have cried with my voice. David distinctly mentions his voice to better express that however much the ungodly might rage against him, he was by no means silenced, but pronounced God's name in a loud and clear voice; and doing this was a difficult task under such a painful and severe temptation.

He also particularly mentions his voice to show that he contrasts the voice of prayer with the chaotic outcries of those who either blame fate, curse God, or give way to excessive complaints. These are people who, in short, pour out their excessive sorrow with passionate confusion. But David’s primary meaning, it seems to me, is this: amidst his enemies' blasphemies, by which they tried to overwhelm his faith, he was not silenced but rather lifted up his voice to God, whom the ungodly imagined had become his enemy.

He adds that he did not cry in vain, to encourage all devout people to similar constancy. Regarding the expression, from the hill of his holiness, or, meaning the same, from his holy hill, it is incorrectly interpreted by some as heaven. Heaven, I indeed admit, is often called God’s holy palace in other places; but here David undoubtedly refers to the ark of the covenant, which at that time stood on Mount Zion.

And he expressly affirms that he was heard from there, even though he had been forced to flee into the wilderness. The biblical account relates (2 Samuel 15:24) that when Abiathar the priest commanded the Levites to carry the ark, David would not allow it. And in this, the wonderful faith of the holy man is clearly evident.

He knew that the Lord had chosen Zion to be the dwelling place of the ark. Nevertheless, he was willing to be torn from that sacred symbol of the divine presence (which was as painful to him as if his own insides were torn out) rather than make any change not approved by God's will.

Now, he confidently states that although he was deprived of seeing the ark, and despite his distance from it, God was near him to listen to his prayers. By these words, he implies that he maintained a proper balance, because he neither despised the visible sign, which the Lord had appointed due to the less developed understanding of that era, nor did he entertain worldly ideas about God's glory by attaching superstitious importance to a particular place.

Thus, he did not idly speak empty words, as unbelievers typically do, who also pray but are unsure to where they should direct their words. David turned directly towards the tabernacle, from where God had promised to be merciful to his servants.

Hence the confidence with which he prayed; and this confidence was not without success. In our day, since what was formerly prefigured by the symbols of the Law has been fulfilled in Christ, a much easier way of approaching God is made available to us, provided we do not knowingly and willingly stray from the path.

According to Hebrew usage, these words, which are in the past tense, I laid me down and slept, are sometimes understood as referring to the future, I will lie down and sleep. If we keep the verb in the past tense, David expresses a wonderful and almost incredible steadfastness of mind in that he slept so soundly in the midst of many deaths, as if he were beyond the reach of all danger.

He had undoubtedly been tossed amid the merciless waves of anxiety, but it is certain their violence had been calmed by faith, so that however much he was troubled, he rested in God. Thus the godly never fail in ultimately proving victorious over all their fears, whereas the ungodly, who do not rely on God, are overwhelmed with despair, even when they meet with the smallest perils.

Some think there is a change of tenses here and, therefore, translate the verbs into the future tense, I will lay me down and will sleep, and will awake, because a future tense verb is added immediately after, The Lord shall uphold me, but as he expresses a continuous act with these last words, I thought it unnecessary to change the tenses of the first three verbs.

Still, we ought to know that this confidence in his safety is not to be attributed particularly to the time of his affliction, or, at least, should not be limited to it: for, in my judgment, David rather declares how much good he had obtained through faith and prayer; namely, the peaceful and undisturbed state of a well-regulated mind.

He expresses this metaphorically when he says that he performed the ordinary actions of life without being disturbed by fear. "I have not lain," he says, "waking and restless on my bed, but I have slept soundly; whereas this kind of sleep does not generally happen to those who are full of anxious thoughts and fear." But let us particularly note that David gained this confidence in his safety from God's protection, and not from stupidity of mind.

Even the wicked are kept soundly asleep by an intoxication of mind, while they dream they have made a covenant with death. It was different for David, who found rest on no other basis than that he was upheld by God's power and defended by His help. In the next verse, he elaborates on the incalculable efficacy of this confidence, of which all the godly have some understanding from their experience of divine protection.

Since God's power is infinite, they conclude that it will be invincible against all the assaults, outrages, preparations, and forces of the whole world. And indeed, unless we ascribe this honor to God, our courage will always be failing us. Therefore, let us learn, when in danger, not to measure God's assistance by human standards, but to despise whatever terrors may stand in our way, since all human attempts against God are of little or no account.

Arise, O Lord. As in the former verses David boasted of his quiet state, it now appears he desires the Lord to preserve him in safety throughout his whole life; as if he had said, Lord, since you have overthrown my enemies, grant that your goodness may follow me and be continued even to the end of my course.

But because it is not uncommon for David, in the Psalms, to mingle various emotions, it seems more probable that, after having mentioned his confidence in God, he returns again to make the same prayers as at the beginning. He therefore asks to be preserved, because he was in great peril.

What follows concerning the smiting of his enemies may be explained in two ways: either that in praying he recalls his former victories, or that having experienced God’s assistance and obtained the answer to his prayers, he now follows it up with thanksgiving. This last meaning I am much inclined to adopt. In the first place, then, he declares that he fled to God for help in danger and humbly prayed for deliverance. After salvation was granted to him, he gives thanks, by which he testifies that he acknowledged God as the author of the deliverance he had obtained.

Salvation belongs to the Lord. Because ל is sometimes used by the Hebrews for מך Min, some appropriately translate this clause, Salvation is of the Lord. I, however, consider the natural and obvious meaning to be simply this: that salvation or deliverance is only in the hands of God.

By these words, David not only claims the office and praise of saving for God alone, tacitly opposing God's power to all human aid, but also declares that even if a thousand deaths hang over his people, this cannot make God unable to save them or prevent him from speedily sending, without any effort, the deliverance he is always able to provide.

In the end of the psalm, David affirms that this deliverance was granted not so much to him as an individual, but to the whole people, so that the universal Church, whose welfare depended on the safety and prosperity of his kingdom, might be preserved from destruction. David, therefore, acknowledges that the dispersion of this wicked conspiracy was due to the care God had for the safety of his Church.

From this passage we learn that the Church will always be delivered from the calamities that befall her, because God, who is able to save her, will never withdraw his grace and blessing from her.