John Calvin Commentary Psalms 41:10

"But thou, O Jehovah, have mercy upon me, and raise me up, That I may requite them." — Psalms 41:10 (ASV)

Do thou, O Jehovah, have mercy upon me. From a consideration of the wrongful cruelty of his enemies, he again takes encouragement to pray. And in what he says, there is included a tacit contrast between God and men; as if he had said, Since no aid or help is to be found in the world, but on the contrary, a strange degree of cruelty or secret malice prevails everywhere, may you, at least, O Lord, be pleased to help me by your mercy.

This is the course that ought to be pursued by all the afflicted, whom the world unjustly persecutes; that is to say, they ought not only to occupy themselves with bewailing the wrongs that are done to them, but they ought also to commend their cause to God. And the more Satan endeavors to overthrow their faith and to distract their thoughts, the more they should fix their minds attentively on God alone.

In using such language, the Psalmist again ascribes his restoration to the mercy of God as its cause. What he says in the concluding clause of the verse about taking vengeance seems harsh and unaccountable. If he confessed truly and from the heart, in the preceding part of the psalm, that God was just in thus afflicting him, why does he not extend forgiveness to others, as he desires that forgiveness should be granted to himself?

Surely it would be a shameful abuse of the grace of God if, after having been restored and pardoned by him, we should refuse to follow his example in showing mercy. Besides, it would have been a feeling far removed from that of humility or kindness for David, even while he was still in the midst of death, to have desired revenge.

But here two things are to be taken into account:

1. David was not like one of the common people, but a king appointed by God and invested with authority.
2. It is not from an impulse of the flesh, but in virtue of the nature of his office, that he is led to denounce against his enemies the punishment that they had merited.

If, then, each individual indiscriminately, in taking vengeance upon his enemies, should allege the example of David in his own defense, it is necessary:

1. To take into account the difference that exists between us and David, because of the circumstances and position in which he was placed by God.
2. To ascertain whether the same zeal that was in him also reigns in us, or rather, whether we are directed and governed by the same divine Spirit.

David, being king, was entitled in virtue of his royal authority to execute God's vengeance against the wicked; but as for us, our hands are tied. Secondly, since he represented the person of Christ, he cherished pure and holy affections in his heart. Therefore, in speaking as he does in this verse, he did not indulge his own angry spirit but faithfully fulfilled the duties of the station to which he had been called by God.

In short, by acting thus, he executed the righteous judgment of God, just as it is lawful for us to pray that the Lord himself would take vengeance upon the ungodly. For, since we are not armed with the power of the sword, it is our duty to appeal to the heavenly Judge.

At the same time, in beseeching him to show himself our guardian and defender by taking vengeance on our enemies, we must do so in a calm and composed state of mind. We must also exercise watchful care, lest we give too loose a rein to our desires by casting off the rule prescribed by the Spirit.

As for David, the duties of his station required him to employ means for subduing the rebellious and to be truly the minister of God in inflicting punishment upon all the wicked.