Commentary on Psalms Volume 2 John Calvin
COMMENTARY ON PSALMS - VOLUME 2 be incontrovertible that my favor to you did not proceed from any regard to your good desert. This rebuke is not less applicable to us than to the Israelites; for God not only heard our groanings when we were afflicted under the tyranny of Satan, but before we were born appointed his only begotten Son to be the price of our redemption; and afterwards, when we were his enemies, he called us to be partakers of his grace, illuminating our minds by his gospel and his Holy Spirit; while we, notwithstanding, continue to indulge in murmuring, yea, even proudly rebel against Him.
Psalm 81:8-12
8. Hear, O my people! and I will protest to thee: 893 O Israel! if thou wilt hearken to me. 9. Let there be no strange god in thee: neither worship thou a strange god. 10. I am Jehovah thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. 11. But my people hearkened not to my voice, and Israel would none of me 12. And I gave them up to the thoughts 894 of their own heart: they shall walk in their own counsels.
8 Hear, O my people! The more effectually to touch the hearts of the people, God is here invested with the character of a teacher, and introduced as speaking familiarly in the midst of the congregation; and this is done for the purpose of instructing them, that all assemblies are unprofitable and trifling in which the voice of God stirring up men to faith and true godliness is not uttered. But let us proceed to the consideration of the words. This
Literally "the waters of contradiction;",מריבהmeribah, from,רובrub, to quarrel, being a noun signifying contention, strife It is therefore fitly used as the name of the place in the desert where the Israelites quarrelled with Moses. "The local specification," observes Bishop Mant, "as used in our Bible translation, is much more poetical than the rendering in the Common Prayer-Book, 'the waters of strife.'" "The mention of Meribah," says Lowth, "introduces another idea, namely, the ingratitude and contumacy of the Israelites, who appear to have been ever unmindful of the favors and indulgence of their heavenly Benefactor."
Street reads, "and I will make a testimony with thee." ""אעידהsays he, "is in the hiphil conjugation, which frequently signifies to make or cause a thing to be made. The ark is called the ark of the testimony,,העדת ארוןExodus 30:26, and the ark of the covenant, Joshua 3:6, and Exodus 25:21. Moses is commanded to put the testimony which God shall give him into the ark. It is plain, therefore, that the covenant and the testimony are the same." "I will testify unto thee I will, upon all occasions, give the oracular direction, so that thou shalt have no occasion to resort to other gods, nor shall any pretended god have power to harm thee." — Horsley
"Ou, perversite, ou, durete." — Fr. marg. "Or, the perversity, or, the hardness." Hammond reads: "I gave them up unto the imaginations of their hearts." Horsley: "So I gave them up to the government of their own hearts." Fry: "And I gave them up to the desires of their heart." Walford: "Therefore I gave them up to the purposes of their heart."