John Calvin Commentary Psalms 5:10

"Hold them guilty, O God; Let them fall by their own counsels; Thrust them out in the multitude of their transgressions; For they have rebelled against thee." — Psalms 5:10 (ASV)

Cause them to err. As the Hebrew word אשם asam, signifies to cut up or to destroy, as well as to sin, and is taken metaphorically for to err, or be deceived, either of these senses is suitable in this passage; but, as David immediately after adds, Let them fall from their counsels, I have no doubt that this first prayer is allied and similar to the second.

I therefore join these two clauses together, as the cause and the effect. In the first, he prays that God would deprive them of their understanding and drive them into error; and in the second, he prays that, as the effect of this, their counsels might come to nothing, in other words, that their undertakings might prove unsuccessful.

For how is it that the ungodly take counsel in vain, and are carried to and fro without consideration or judgment, and become so basely obstinate, if it is not because the Lord takes them unawares in their own craftiness, breaks their artful schemes, and intoxicates them with the spirit of frenzy and giddiness, so that they act foolishly even in the smallest matters?

If, therefore, we are afraid of the snares and deceits of people, and if we find those who wish to harm us to be clear-headed and sharp-witted individuals, let us remember that it is the continual role of God to strike with stupidity and madness those who are wise only to commit iniquity.

Thus it will happen that, although we may be asleep, the Lord will dissipate their devices with the breath of his mouth, however subtle they may be, and, in the end, expose them to the mockery of the whole world. In short, David wishes God to lay his hand upon his enemies and to put a stop to their wicked deliberations.

And in fact, it is necessary that God bring to nothing the schemes which the wicked cunningly devise, since it is Satan, the originator of all deceits, who suggests to them all their methods of doing harm. By praying Let them fall from their counsels, he means that they may not obtain or accomplish what they had determined.

Again, he prays to God to punish them as they deserved, because, in wrongfully and wickedly making war against an innocent person, they rebelled against God.

The proud, indeed, never think of this: that the poor, whom they afflict and despise, are of such value in the sight of God, that he feels himself insulted and injured in them. For they do not imagine that the blows aimed at them are struck against heaven, any more than if they trampled a little dust or clay under their feet.

But God grants to his servants the inestimable reward of taking their cause into his own hand. Whoever, therefore, has a clear conscience and does not turn away from his integrity, although wrongfully troubled, has no reason to doubt his warrant to use God as a shield against his enemies.