John Calvin Commentary Psalms 74:9

"We see not our signs: There is no more any prophet; Neither is there among us any that knoweth how long." — Psalms 74:9 (ASV)

We see not our signs. Here the pious Jews show that their calamities were aggravated by the fact that they had no consolation to alleviate them. It is a powerful means of encouraging the children of God when He enables them to cherish the hope that He will be reconciled to them, by promising that, even in the midst of His wrath, He will remember His mercy.

Some limit the signs spoken of here to the miracles by which God had in former days testified, even while He was afflicting His people, that He would nevertheless still continue to be gracious to them. But the faithful rather complain that He had removed from them the tokens of His favor and had, in a way, hidden His face from them.

We are overwhelmed with darkness, as if the prophet had said, because You, O God, do not make Your face to shine upon us as You have been accustomed to do. Thus it is common for us to speak of persons giving us signs either of their love or of their hatred.

In short, God’s people here complain not only that the time was cloudy and dark, but also that they were enveloped in darkness so thick that not even a single ray of light appeared. Since being assured by the prophets of future deliverance was one of the chief signs of God's favor, they lament that there is no longer a prophet to foresee the end of their calamities.

From this we learn that the office of imparting consolation was committed to the prophets, that they might lift up the hearts that were cast down with sorrow by inspiring them with the hope of Divine mercy. They were, it is true, heralds and witnesses of the wrath of God to drive the obstinate and rebellious to repentance by threats and terrors.

But had they merely and without qualification denounced the vengeance of God, their doctrine, which was appointed and intended for the salvation of the people, would have only been the means of their destruction. Accordingly, the foretelling of the outcome of calamities while still hidden in the future is ascribed to them as a part of their office; for temporary punishments are the fatherly chastisements of God, and the consideration that they are temporary alleviates sorrow. But His continual displeasure causes poor and wretched sinners to sink into utter despair.

If, therefore, we also would find grounds for patience and consolation when we are under the chastening hand of God, let us learn to fix our eyes on this moderation on God's part, by which He encourages us to entertain good hope; and from it let us rest assured that although He is angry, yet He does not cease to be a father.

The correction that brings deliverance does not inflict unmitigated grief: the sadness it produces is mingled with joy. This purpose all the prophets endeavored to keep in view in the doctrine that they delivered. They, no doubt, often use very hard and severe language in their dealings with the people, in order, by inspiring them with terror, to break and subdue their rebellion; but whenever they see people humbled, they immediately address them in words of consolation, which, however, would be no consolation at all if they were not encouraged to hope for future deliverance.

The question may be asked here whether God, in order to assuage the sadness arising from the chastisement that He inflicted, always determined the number of years and days during which it would last. To this I answer that although the prophets did not always mark out and define a fixed time, they frequently gave the people assurance that deliverance was near; and, moreover, all of them spoke of the future restoration of the Church.

If it is again objected that the people in their affliction did wrong by not applying to themselves the general promises, which certainly were the common property of all ages, I answer that since it was God's usual way to send a messenger in every affliction to announce the news of deliverance, the people, when at that time no prophet appeared to be expressly sent for that purpose, justifiably complained that they were deprived of the signs of the Divine favor that they had been accustomed to enjoy.

Until the coming of Christ, it was highly necessary that the memory of the promised deliverance should be renewed in every age to show the people of God that, whatever afflictions they might be subjected to, He still continued to care for them and would provide them aid.