John Calvin Commentary Psalms 94:5

"They break in pieces thy people, O Jehovah, And afflict thy heritage." — Psalms 94:5 (ASV)

They break in pieces thy people, O Jehovah! Having spoken of their discourse or language as vain-glorious and shameless, he proceeds to speak of their deeds in cruelly persecuting the Church. It is hard that even the subjects of heathen princes should be subjected to unjust persecution, but it is a more intolerable thing still that those who are God’s own people, His special inheritance, should be trampled under the foot of tyranny.

The prayer before us is one which, as I have already remarked, is given with the intention that we should offer it ourselves when we or others may be persecuted by wicked men, and especially by internal enemies. Our safety is dear to the Lord, not only as we are men, the workmanship of His hand, but also as we are His special heritage; and this should lead us, when wronged at any time, to turn to God with greater confidence.

It is further added—that they do not spare the widow, and the orphan, and murder the stranger. God, while He has commanded us in general to cultivate equity and justice in our common dealings, has commended the orphan, widow, and stranger to our special care, as they are more exposed to injury and therefore more entitled to humane treatment and compassion.

To treat such individuals with cruelty demonstrates an exceptional degree of impiety and contempt for divine authority. This is not only an outrage against common justice but also a violation of a privilege of special protection which God has condescended to extend to them. Those who are guilty of such conduct particularly provoke divine anger.

Regarding little children especially, their helplessness and tender age often protect them even from being attacked by dogs and wild beasts. What, then, shall we think of the monstrous inhumanity of men who would make them the targets of their assault? We have here an example of the dreadful state of affairs that must have prevailed at that time in the Church of God.

The Law was there, and the ordinances of divine appointment, yet we see to what an awful extent every kind of wickedness abounded. Let us beware that we do not fall into a similar state of corruption. And if it should happen under our own observation that men persecute the stranger, seize the widow, and rob the fatherless, let us, in imitation of the Psalmist, who would have us alleviate their misfortunes, pray that God would undertake their defense.