John Calvin Commentary Psalms 37:24

"Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For Jehovah upholdeth him with his hand." — Psalms 37:24 (ASV)

Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down. This verse has generally been interpreted proverbially, meaning that though the righteous may fall into sin, his fall is not deadly; but this is not at all in accordance with the design of the prophet, who is speaking about the happiness of the godly. The simple meaning is that when God visits his servants with severe afflictions, he at the same time mitigates them so that they do not faint under them, as Paul declares:

We are persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:9)

Some say that the righteous are not utterly cast down because they do not lose their courage, but rather bear with invincible fortitude whatever burden is laid upon them. I readily admit that the reason they are not overwhelmed is that they are not so tender and delicate as to sink under the burden. I, however, understand the words in a more extensive sense and explain them this way: that the miseries of the godly are so tempered with God’s fatherly mercy that they do not fail under their burden, and even when they fall, do not sink into destruction.

From these words we learn that the godly, although they serve God sincerely and study to lead a blameless life, are not allowed to continue unmoved and always in the same condition, but are often afflicted and cast down by various trials; and that the only difference between them and the unbelieving is that their falls are not deadly. We know that if God strikes the reprobate, even very slightly, it becomes the cause of their final destruction. Solomon speaks still more expressly when he says:

For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again, (Proverbs 24:16)

And by these words he teaches us that the godly are not only subjected to frequent afflictions in this life but are also visited with daily trials, and yet are never forsaken by the Lord. We must also briefly observe that even the slightest fall would be enough to destroy us utterly, if God did not uphold us by his hand.