John Calvin Commentary Psalms 66:13

"I will come into thy house with burnt-offerings; I will pay thee my vows," — Psalms 66:13 (ASV)

I will come into your house with burnt offerings. Until now the Psalmist has spoken in the name of the people at large. Now he emphatically gives expression to his own private feelings and calls upon them, by his example, to engage individually in the exercises of religion, as it is impossible that there should be any hearty common agreement unless each person seriously undertook the service of thanksgiving for himself and separately. We are taught that when God at any time helps us in our adversity, we do an injustice to His name if we forget to celebrate our deliverances with solemn acknowledgments. More is spoken of in this passage than thanksgiving. He speaks of vows he made in his affliction, and these demonstrated the constancy of his faith. The exhortation of the Apostle James is worthy of our special notice—

“Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry?
let him sing psalms” (James 5:13).

How many there are who lavish their hypocritical praises upon God in the course of their good fortune, while they are no sooner reduced to difficulties than the fervor of their love is diminished, or is replaced by the violence of fretfulness and impatience! The best evidence of true piety is when we sigh to God under the pressure of our afflictions and show, by our prayers, a holy perseverance in faith and patience, while afterwards we come forward with the expression of our gratitude.

The words, which my lips have uttered, are not a meaningless addition, but imply that he had never allowed himself to be so overcome by grief that he failed to articulate his desires in the express form of a petition, declaring that he entrusted himself to God for safety.

On the subject of vows, I will briefly repeat the remarks that have been given more extensively elsewhere.

1. The holy fathers never vowed anything to God but what they knew met with His approval.
2. Their sole purpose in vowing was to demonstrate their gratitude.

The Papists, therefore, can find no justification from their example for the rash and impious vows which they practice. They impose upon God whatever they first think of; the purpose they propose for themselves is very far from the correct one; and with devilish presumption they commit themselves to things that are not permitted to them.