John Calvin Commentary Psalms 40

In waiting I waited. The beginning of this psalm is an expression of thanksgiving, in which David relates that he had been delivered not only from danger but also from present death. Some are of the opinion, but without good reason, that it should be understood as referring to sickness. It is rather to be supposed that David here includes a multitude of dangers from which he had escaped.

He had certainly been exposed more than once to the greatest danger, even of death, so that, with good reason, he might be said to have been swallowed up in the gulf of death and sunk in the miry clay. Nevertheless, it appears that his faith had still remained firm, for he did not cease to trust in God, although the long duration of the calamity had nearly exhausted his patience.

He tells us not merely that he had waited, but by the repetition of the same expression, he shows that he had been a long time in anxious suspense. Thus, in proportion as his trial was prolonged, the evidence and proof of his faith in enduring the delay with calmness and equanimity of mind became all the more apparent.

The meaning, in short, is that although God delayed His help, David’s heart did not faint or grow weary from the delay; but after he had given, as it were, sufficient proof of his patience, he was finally heard.

His example sets before us this very useful doctrine: although God may not immediately appear for our help, but rather intentionally keeps us in suspense and perplexity, we must not lose courage, since faith is not thoroughly tried except by long endurance.

The result, too, of which he speaks in terms of praise, should inspire us with increased fortitude.

God may help us more slowly than we desire. But when He seems to take no notice of our condition—or, if we might so speak, when He seems to be inactive or to sleep—this is entirely different from deceit.

For if we are enabled by the invincible strength and power of faith to endure, the fitting season of our deliverance will finally arrive.

And he drew me out of the roaring pit. Some translate this as from the pit of desolation, because the verb שאה (shaah), from which the noun שאום (shaon) is derived, signifies to destroy or to waste, as well as to resound or to echo. But it is more appropriate to consider that there is an allusion here to the deep gulfs, where the waters gush with a tumultuous force.

By this similitude he shows that he was placed in as imminent peril of death as if he had been cast into a deep pit, roaring with the impetuous rage of waters. To the same purpose also is the similitude of the miry clay, by which he intimates that he had been so nearly overwhelmed by the weight of his calamities, that it was no easy matter to extricate him from them.

Next, there follows a sudden and incredible change, by which he makes manifest to all the greatness of the grace which had been bestowed upon him. He declares that his feet were set upon a rock, whereas formerly he had been overwhelmed with water; and that his steps were established or upheld, whereas before they were not only unsteady and slippery, but were also stuck fast in the mire.

And he hath put into my mouth a new song. In the first clause of the verse, he concludes the description of what God had done for him. By God’s putting a new song into his mouth, he denotes the consummation of his deliverance. In whatever way God is pleased to help us, He asks nothing else from us in return but that we should be thankful for and remember it.

As often, therefore, as He bestows benefits on us, so often does He open our mouths to praise His name. Since God, by acting liberally towards us, encourages us to sing His praises, David with good reason concludes that, having been so wonderfully delivered, the material for a new song had been provided for him.

He uses the word new in the sense of exquisite and not ordinary, just as the manner of his deliverance was exceptional and worthy of everlasting remembrance. It is true that there is no benefit of God so small that it should not call forth our highest praises; but the more mightily He stretches out His hand to help us, the more it is fitting for us to stir ourselves up to fervent zeal in this holy exercise, so that our songs may correspond to the greatness of the favor which has been conferred on us.

Many shall see it. Here the Psalmist extends still further the fruit of the aid which he had experienced, telling us that it will serve as instruction common to all.

And certainly, it is the will of God that the benefits He bestows on any individual of the faithful should be proofs of the goodness He constantly exercises toward all of them. In this way, one person, instructed by the example of another, should not doubt that the same grace will be manifested toward himself.

The terms fear, and hope, or trust, do not seem at first glance to harmonize. However, David has rightly joined them together, for no one will ever entertain the hope of God's favor unless his mind is first imbued with the fear of God.

I understand fear generally to mean the feeling of piety produced in us by the knowledge of God's power, equity, and mercy.

The judgment God executed against David's enemies served, it is true, to inspire all people with fear. But, in my opinion, David rather means that by the deliverance he had obtained, many would be induced to yield themselves to God's service and to submit with all reverence to His authority, because they would know Him to be the Judge of the world.

Now, whoever submits wholeheartedly to God's will will necessarily join hope with fear. This is especially true when the evidence of grace—by which God commonly allures all people to Himself—is presented to him. For, as I have already said, God is presented to us as merciful and kind to others, so that we may be assured that He will be the same toward us.

As to the word see, which David uses, we should understand it as referring not only to the eyes, but chiefly to the mind's perception. Everyone without distinction saw what had happened, but it never occurred to many of them to recognize David's deliverance as God's work.

Since, then, so many are blind regarding God's works, let us learn this lesson: only those are considered to see clearly to whom the Spirit of understanding has been given. This Spirit enables them not to occupy their minds merely dwelling on the events that take place, but rather to discern in them by faith God's secret hand.

Blessed is the man who hath set Jehovah for his confidence. David here relates what ground for good hope his deliverance would give to all the faithful; since, setting aside all the allurements of the world, they would by this be encouraged to commit themselves with confidence to the protection of God, persuaded not only that they are happy who trust in him alone, but that all other expectations at variance with this are deceitful and cursed.

This assurance is not natural to us but is derived partly from the word of God and partly from his works. However, as I have said before, the contemplation of God's works alone would not kindle this light within us, unless God, illuminating us by his word, shows us his benevolence.

After having promised to be gracious to us, and also manifesting his goodness by indubitable proofs, he confirms with his own hand what he had previously uttered with his lips. David, therefore, from the fact of his having been restored to life from the abyss of death, justly declares that the faithful are taught by this proof—what men are naturally so reluctant to believe—that they are happy who trust in God alone.

As the instability of our nature commonly tends to draw us downward, and as all of us, from our proneness to yield to delusions, are tempted by many wicked examples, David immediately adds that he is blessed who regardeth not the proud. Some, indeed, render רהבים, rehabim, the rich, or the great of this world, but improperly, in my opinion; because pride, and turning aside to lies, are two things David here joins together.

To regard the great of the earth, therefore, does not signify, as they suppose, to rely upon their power and riches, as if a man’s welfare depended on that, but it rather means to be carried away by their examples, to imitate their conduct. When we are everywhere constantly seeing men puffed up with pride, who despise God and place their highest happiness in ambition, in fraud, in extortion, in guile, a perverse desire to imitate them gradually steals upon us. Especially when everything turns out according to their wishes, a vain and delusive expectation tempts us to try the same course.

David, therefore, wisely, and not without good reason, warns us that in order to have our mind constantly fixed in simple reliance upon God alone, we must guard against those evil examples which always seek to allure us from all sides to apostatize from him. Moreover, when he says that the proud turn aside to lying, or vanity, in this way he describes briefly the foolish confidence of the flesh.

What else is the pride of those who put their own imaginations in the place of God but a vain illusion? Certainly, the man who, puffed up by the breath of vain conceit, arrogates anything in the slightest to himself, flatters himself to his own destruction. In short, pride and vanity are opposed to the holy confidence which relies upon God alone; for there is nothing more difficult for the flesh than to trust in God alone, and the world is always full of proud and haughty men who, soothing themselves with vain allurements, would soon corrupt the minds of the godly if this restraint were not placed upon them, to curb, as with a bridle, their erroneous and extravagant opinions.

Many are your wonderful works which you have done, O Jehovah! Interpreters are not entirely agreed about these words; but it is generally admitted that David here contemplates with admiration the providence of God in the government of humankind. And first of all, he exclaims that the wonders of God’s works are great or many; meaning by this, that God in his inscrutable wisdom so governs human affairs, that his works, which people often think little of due to their constant familiarity with them, far surpass the comprehension of the human understanding.

Thus we find that from one particular species he ascends to the whole class; as if he had said, God has proved not only by this particular act the paternal care which he exercises towards people, but that, in general, his wonderful providence shines forth in the various parts of creation.

Then he adds, that the counsels of God concerning us are so high and so hidden, that it is impossible to count them up in order distinctly and according to their nature. Some think that the word אלינו, elenu, towards us, is employed by way of comparison, in this sense: The counsels of God are far beyond the reach of our understanding (but David rather commends the care which God graciously provides for us). And as, in this way, the connection of the words is broken, they are constrained to render the word ערוד, aroch, which I have translated to count in order, differently, namely, that none is equal to God, or can be compared with him.

To avoid a lengthy refutation, the intelligent reader will agree with me that the true meaning is this: God, by his incomprehensible wisdom, governs the world in such a manner that we cannot count up his works in their proper order, since our minds, through their very dullness, fail us before we can reach such a great height.

It follows, to you, for although we should to some extent reflect on how wonderfully the Lord can provide for our needs, yet this consideration is limited by the imperfection of our understanding, and hence it falls far short of the infinite glory of God. Those who give this explanation—that the counsels of God are not referred to him because most people imagine that everything is subject to chance and fortune, as if David meant in passing to censure the ingratitude of those who defraud God of his praise—are undoubtedly mistaken about the meaning.

In stating, as David does immediately after, that however much he might set himself to recount the works of God, he yet would fail before he could declare even half of them—in stating this, he shows clearly enough that the godly and devout meditation in which the children of God are often engaged gives them only, as it were, a slight taste of them and nothing more.

We have now arrived, then, at the Psalmist’s meaning. Having spoken before of the deliverance which God had granted him, he uses this as an opportunity to set forth the general providence of God in nourishing and sustaining people. It is also his aim here to exhort the faithful to consider God’s providence, so that they may not hesitate to cast all their cares upon it.

While some are in constant pain because of their own anxiety and discontent, or quake at the slightest breeze that blows, and others labor hard to fortify and preserve their life by means of earthly aid—all this proceeds from ignorance of the doctrine that God governs the affairs of this world according to his own good pleasure.

And since most people, measuring the providence of God by their own understanding, wickedly obscure or degrade it, David, placing it on its proper footing, wisely removes this impediment. The meaning of the sentence, therefore, amounts to this: in the works of God people should reverently admire what they cannot comprehend by their reason; and whenever the flesh moves them to contradiction or murmuring, they should raise themselves above the world.

If God ceases to work, he seems to be asleep, because, when we restrict his actions to outward means, we do not consider that he works by secret means. We may therefore learn from this passage that although the reason for his works may be hidden or unknown to us, he is nevertheless wonderful in his counsels.

This verse is closely connected with the preceding one. No one places entire trust in God as one ought, except the person who, shutting their eyes to external circumstances, allows themselves to be governed by him according to his good pleasure. Moreover, having spoken until now in the third person, David now suddenly addresses his discourse to God—not, however, rashly—so that he might lead us more effectively to this sobriety and discretion.

When, however, he affirms that the works of God cannot be distinctly known by us, it is not to deter us from seeking to know them or from examining them, but only to restrain our rashness, which would otherwise exceed the proper limits in this respect.

To this end, the words to you, or before you, are expressly employed, by which we are admonished that however diligently a person may set themselves to meditate upon the works of God, they can only attain to the extremities or borders of them. Although, then, such a great height is far above our reach, we must, nevertheless, endeavor, as much as lies within our power, to approach it more and more by continual advances; as we also see the hand of God stretched out to reveal to us, as far as is appropriate, those wonders which we are unable to discover by ourselves.

There is nothing so preposterous as to affect, of one’s own accord, a profound ignorance of the providence of God, because we cannot yet comprehend it perfectly, but only discern it in part. Even today we find some who make every effort to bury it in oblivion, under no other pretext than that it surpasses our understanding, as if it were unreasonable to allow God anything more than what appears right and proper according to our carnal reason.

David acts very differently regarding it. Feeling all his senses absorbed by an inconceivable majesty and brightness, which he could not bear to look upon, he frankly confesses that these are wonderful things whose reason he could not comprehend. But still he does not wholly and everywhere abstain from mentioning them; instead, according to his capacity, he devoutly sets himself to meditate upon them.

From this we learn how foolish and vain it is to say, by way of caution, that no one should speak of the counsels or purposes of God because they are high and incomprehensible. David, on the contrary, though he was ready to sink under the weight, did not cease to contemplate them and did not abstain from speaking of them because he felt unequal to the task of recounting them; instead, he was content, after having declared his faith on this subject, to conclude his discourse in admiration.