John Calvin Commentary Psalms 89

I will sing of the mercies of Jehovah for ever. It must be kept in mind, as I have just observed, that the Psalmist opens with the praises of God and with recalling the Divine covenant, to encourage the faithful to strengthen their faith against the formidable assaults of temptation.

If, when we begin to pray, some despairing thought comes to us at the very outset, we must forcibly and resolutely break through it, lest our hearts faint and utterly fail.

The prophet's purpose, therefore, was to fortify the minds of the godly at the very beginning with stable and substantial supports. He intended that, by relying on the Divine promise—which, to outward appearance, had almost fallen to the ground—and by repelling all the assaults of temptation that severely shook their faith, they might confidently hope for the re-establishment of the kingdom and persevere in praying for this blessing.

From the sad spectacle of the decay that had begun, which Ethan saw, if he had listened to the dictates of carnal reason, he might have thought that both he and the rest of God’s believing people were deceived; but he expresses his determination to celebrate the mercies of God, which at that time were hidden from his view.

And since it was not easy for him to grasp and acknowledge the merciful character of God—of whose severity he had actual experience—he uses the plural phrase the Mercies of God, so that by reflecting on the abundance and variety of the blessings of Divine grace, he might overcome this temptation.

For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever. He assigns the reason why he perseveres in singing the Divine praises in the midst of adversities; this reason is that he does not despair of the manifestation of God’s loving-kindness toward His people, although at present they were under severe chastisement.

Never will a man freely open his mouth to praise God unless he is fully persuaded that God, even when angry with His people, never lays aside His fatherly affection toward them. The words I have said, imply that the truth which the inspired writer sets forth was deeply fixed in his heart.

It is as if he had said: "Whatever has happened until now, it has never succeeded in erasing from my heart the undoubted hope of experiencing Divine favor in the future, and I will always continue steadfastly to cherish this same hope."

It should be noted that it was not without a painful and arduous conflict that he succeeded in embracing by faith the goodness of God, which at that time had entirely vanished from sight. This point, we stress, should be particularly noted, so that when God at any time withdraws from us all the tokens of His love, we may nevertheless learn to erect in our hearts that everlasting building of mercy spoken of here—a metaphor signifying that Divine mercy will be extended, or will continue until it reaches its end or consummation.

In the second clause of the verse, something must be supplied. In short, the meaning is that the Divine promise is no less stable than the settled course of the heavens, which is eternal and exempt from all change. By the word heavens, I understand not only the visible skies but also the heavens that are above the whole structure of the world; for the truth of God, in the heavenly glory of His kingdom, is placed above all the elements of the world.

I have made a covenant with my chosen. To more effectively confirm himself and all the godly in the faith of the Divine promise, he introduces God Himself as speaking and sanctioning, by His authority, what had been said in the preceding verse. As faith ought to depend on the Divine promise, this manner of speaking, by which God is represented as coming forward and drawing us to Himself by His own voice, is more powerful than if the prophet himself had simply stated the fact.

And when God in this way approaches us first, we cannot be charged with rashness in coming confidently to Him; just as, on the contrary, without His word we have no ground to presume that He will be gracious to us, or to hope, based merely on our own imagination, for what He has not promised.

Moreover, the truth of the promise is made even more indisputable when God declares that He had made a covenant with His servant David, ratified by His own solemn oath. As it was customary in ancient times to engrave leagues and covenants on tablets of brass, a metaphor borrowed from this practice is used here.

God gives David two titles of distinction, calling him both His chosen and His servant. Those who would refer the former title to Abraham do not pay sufficient attention to the style of the Book of Psalms, in which it is quite common for one thing to be repeated twice.

David is called the chosen of God, because God, of His own good pleasure, and from no other cause, preferred him not only to the posterity of Saul and many distinguished individuals, but even to his own brothers. If, therefore, the cause or origin of this covenant is sought, we must necessarily return to the Divine election.

The title servant, which follows immediately after, is not to be understood as implying that David by his services merited anything from God. He is called God’s servant regarding the royal dignity, into which he had not rashly thrust himself, having been invested with the government by God, and having undertaken it in obedience to His lawful call.

When, however, we consider what the covenant essentially contains, we conclude that the prophet has not incorrectly applied it to his own use, and to the use of the whole people; for God did not enter into it with David individually, but had in view the whole body of the Church, which would exist from age to age.

The sentence, I will establish your throne forever, is partly to be understood concerning Solomon and the rest of David’s successors; but the prophet well knew that perpetuity, or everlasting duration, in the strict and proper sense, could be fulfilled only in Christ. In ordaining one man to be king, God certainly did not have regard for one house alone, while He forgot and neglected the people with whom He had previously made His covenant in the person of Abraham; but He conferred sovereign power upon David and his children, so that they might rule for the common good of all the rest, until the throne would be truly established by the advent of Christ.

And the heavens shall praise thy wondrous work. The prophet, having spoken of God’s covenant, just as faith ought to begin with the word, now turns to a general commendation of his works. It should be noted, however, that when he discusses the wonderful power of God, his only purpose is to further exalt and magnify the holiness of the covenant.

He exclaims that this is the God who rightly deserves to be served and feared, who ought to be believed, and in whose power the most unhesitating confidence can be placed. Therefore, I would limit the words wondrous work, in the first clause, to the power that God displays in preserving and maintaining his Church.

The heavens, it is true, are most excellent witnesses and preachers of God’s wonderful power. However, by considering the scope of the passage, it becomes even more evident that the praises expressed here all specifically refer to the purpose I have mentioned. Some interpreters judiciously explain the word heavens as referring to the angels, among whom there is shared joy and congratulation over the salvation of the Church.

This interpretation is confirmed by the last clause of the verse, in which it is asserted that God’s truth will be celebrated in the congregation of the saints. There is no doubt that the same subject is continued here, and that by the word truth, the intention is to highlight the remarkable deliverances by which God had manifested his faithfulness to the promises made to his servants.

For who in the clouds can be compared to Jehovah? The prophet now proceeds to illustrate further what he had said respecting God’s wonders, and exclaims emphatically, Who in the clouds can be compared to God? The reason he speaks of the clouds, or heaven, is because, not surprisingly, nothing is to be found on the earth that can at all approach the glory of God.

Although man excels other living creatures, yet we see how contemptible and miserable his condition is, or rather, how full it is of shame and reproach. From this it follows that under heaven there is no excellence that can compete with that of God. But when we ascend to heaven, immediately filled with intense admiration, we conceive of a multitude of gods, which obscure the true God.

The last clause of the verse, in which it is said, that among the sons of the gods there is none like the true and only God, is an explanation of the first. The opinion of some, that by the clouds, or the heavens, is to be understood the sun, moon, and stars, is disproved by the context itself.

The point then is, that even in the heavens, God alone has the entire pre-eminence, having there no one as a companion or equal. The appellation the sons of the gods is here given to angels, because they neither originate from the earth, nor are clothed with a corruptible body, but are celestial spirits, adorned with a Divine glory.

It is not meant that they are a part of the Divine essence or substance, as some fanatics dream; but as God displays his power in them, this title is attributed to them to distinguish between their nature and ours. In short, although a greater majesty shines forth in the angels than in other creatures, at the contemplation of which we are filled with intense admiration, yet they do not come near God, so as to obscure and impair his glory by their excellence, or to share with him in the sovereignty of the universe. This is a point worthy of our careful attention; for, although God everywhere declares in his word that the angels are only his servants, and always ready to execute his commands, yet the world, not content with having only one God, forges for itself a countless number of deities.

To the same effect is the following verse, in which it is affirmed that God is very terrible in the assembly of the saints. In these words is censured that devilish superstition, to which almost all men are prone, of exalting angels beyond measure and without reason. But if the angels themselves tremble and are afraid before the Divine Majesty, why should they not be regarded as subjects and kept in their own rank, so that God alone may have the sovereignty entirely to himself?

Furthermore, when they are represented as around God, the meaning is that they surround his royal throne like bodyguards and are always ready to execute his commands.

In the subsequent verse, the same thing is repeated yet again: Who is a strong God as thou art? This is done so that at least the fear of the Divine Majesty may teach us to beware of robbing him of the honor that belongs to him.

However, so that we are not prevented by too much fear from approaching him, some portion of sweetness is intermingled with this description, when it is declared that his truth is to be seen round about him on all sides; by which we are to understand that God is always steadfast in his promises, and that whatever changes may happen, he nevertheless continues invariably true, both before and behind, on the right hand and on the left.