John Calvin Commentary Psalms 94:16

"Who will rise up for me against the evil-doers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?" — Psalms 94:16 (ASV)

Who will rise up for me against my adversaries? Here the Psalmist points out, in a lively and graphic manner, how lacking he was in all human aid. As if in immediate danger, he cries out—Who will stand up for me? Who will oppose my enemies? And immediately afterward he replies, that if God had not helped him, he would have despaired of safety.

In declaring that he had been miraculously rescued from death in this way, when deserted by all the world, he further commends God’s kindness and grace. When men aid us, they are only instruments by which the grace of God works; but we tend not to recognize God’s hand when we see any subordinate agency in the deliverance. He speaks of his life dwelling in silence (verse 17), for the dead lie in the grave without feeling or strength. Thus the Psalmist acknowledges that there was no way his life could have been preserved, if God had not intervened without delay.