Psalms 78

Hear my teaching, my people, to my teaching. Wesley: My law—the doctrine about to be delivered. The maskil opens as catechesis for the covenant people.

Shared—teaching the next generation begins with hearing. Incline the ear; the narrative of mercies and sins that follows is meant to form hope and obedience.

Calvin: the writer addresses the Jews as teacher, calling attention because even true believers are often backward to receive instruction. Torah here is instruction—words of his mouth.

Shared—solemn call to hear. The majesty of what follows should stir sluggish disciples; the gospel likewise demands earnest attention.

I will open my mouth in a parable; utter dark sayings of old. Wesley: Parable—weighty sentences; Dark sayings—not hard words but prodigious things: God's goodness, Israel's ingratitude, stupid insensibleness under such teaching.

Shared—ancient history pressed as parable. The darkness is moral wonder, not genre fog.

Calvin: mashal denotes grave striking sentences; chidoth pointed sayings worthy of notice—not ambiguous wrap. Design: stimulate hearers to weigh God's benefits and the people's ingratitude.

Shared—weighty history, not riddle for its own sake. Matthew 13 applies the pattern to Christ teaching with prophetic majesty.

Things heard and known, and our fathers told us. Shared transmission: domestic memory of God's works.

Wesley is silent here; the plain sense holds—fathers tell, children know. Faith receives public history, not private speculation.

Calvin: common subject transmitted father to son, yet illustrated with majesty. Heard and known—not fables; fathers are the chosen people entrusted with divine truth.

Shared—apostolic chain of memory. Sublime truth reaches even babes who are teachable.

We won’t hide them from their children; we will tell the generation to come the praises of the LORD, his strength, and his wondrous works. Praise published to the next age.

Teaching is refusal to hide. Wesley’s tradition hears sincere duty to declare deeds so hope may be set (v. 7).

Calvin: we will not conceal from posterity what ancestors taught—truth published age to age. End: celebrate Jehovah's praises, power, and wonderful works.

Shared—no concealment. Church and household shoulder transmission so praise does not die.

He established a covenant in Jacob, and appointed a teaching in Israel, commanded fathers to teach children. Wesley: Established—chief of mercies; testimony—law as witness of duties and blessings.

Shared—law and testimony are mercy first. Fathers teach so children may answer God.

Calvin: God is author; fathers instruct by commandment, not mere impulse. Statute and law seal grace so knowledge of free adoption is not obliterated.

Shared—commanded pedagogy. Written law ratifies the covenant people as gathered for holy obedience.

That the generation to come might know, children yet unborn arise and tell their children.

Wesley silent; the aim is knowing that spreads. Teach so the unborn may teach.

Calvin: law given not for one age; fathers transmit as inheritance that it never be lost. Each father diligently instructs; preachers of truth should be as numerous as those born.

Shared—continual succession of teaching. Church as pillar serves this transmission.

So they might set their hope in God, not forget his works, but keep his commandments. Shared triad: hope, memory, obedience.

Hope first—then remembrance that fuels keeping. Wesleyan Arminians urge trust that issues in kept commands.

Calvin: trust first; remembrance of benefits confirms faith; then devoted obedience. True service begins with faith; distrust breeds murmuring.

Shared—hope in God, not forget, keep. Heavenly wisdom: hearts fixed on God, then holy obedience.

Not like their fathers—stubborn and rebellious, heart not steadfast, spirit not faithful. Shared warning against ancestral pattern.

The generation is blamed for unset heart and unfaithful spirit. Arminians hear culpability and a sincere call not to imitate—without making the Spirit's converting work unnecessary.

Calvin: Jews no better than fathers—treacherous, rebellious, crooked. Special work of God to turn hearts by the Spirit; yet men are not exempt from blame when lust draws them away. Papist inference of autonomous heart-bending does not stand.

Shared—do not copy the fathers' revolt. Blame and need of Spirit stand together.

Ephraimites armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle. Wesley: Ephraim put for all Israel; may refer to 1 Sam 4; bows for all arms; discourse of causes runs to Shiloh's fall and move to Judah/Zion.

Shared—armed yet fleeing.

Calvin: example of unfaithfulness; skillful archers fleeing proves divine displeasure and effeminate hearts. Ephraim named as leaders into revolt (calves), warning against empty church title without holy fruit.

Shared—bow and flight. Deprived of God's aid, martial pride collapses.

They didn’t keep God’s covenant, refused to walk in his law.

Refusal is willful. Arminian interpreters hear rejection of known law.

Calvin: reason aid was withheld—perfidy despising law and covenant. Covenant first (trust in promises), then law; refuse implies deliberate obstinacy, not mere giddiness.

Shared—covenant not kept. Unbelief toward promises underwrites the walk of refusal.

They forgot his doings, his wondrous deeds he had shown them. Both hear: forgetfulness of wonders.

Wesley silent; ingratitude is the hinge. Remembering wonders should restrain sin.

Calvin: shameful impiety from ingratitude—wickedly buried deliverances. Monstrous stupidity; they shut eyes lest God's glory restrain them.

Shared—forgot works and wonders. Memory of grace is a means God uses to keep a people.

Wonders in Egypt, in the field of Zoan, in fathers' sight. Wesley: Field—territory; Zoan—ancient eminent Egyptian city.

Shared—public miracles before the fathers. Zoan names the scene; history, not myth.

Calvin: transition to first ancestors—whole race perverse from the origin. Miracles before departure; Zoan recalls the place.

Shared—wonders in Egypt/Zoan. Forgetting such signs aggravates later revolt.

He divided the sea; waters stood like a heap.

Wesley silent; heap of waters is the LORD's act. Pass through as gift, not technique.

Calvin: order of nature reversed—waters heaped. Passage and cloud (v. 14) are pledges toward the heavenly inheritance; Paul reads baptismal pattern (1 Cor 10).

Shared—divided sea, heap of waters. Deliverance that stretches toward everlasting salvation.

Daytime cloud; night fiery light. Shared guidance.

Pillar leads continually. Trust the Guide in desert heat and dark.

Calvin: after the sea, God still guides; cloud shades and pledges protection until the inheritance.

Shared—cloud and fire. Guidance is fatherly presence, not bare navigation.

He split rocks; drink abundantly as out of the depths. Wesley: Wilderness—Rephidim and again Kadesh.

Shared—rock water in named places. Abundance from the dry rock.

Calvin: not mere spring opened—water from profound deeps, as from the earth's center. Fatherly care in miracle.

Shared—clave the rock. Ordinary nature changed to supply the flock.

Wesley: Streams miraculously followed even to Canaan's borders.

Both traditions see God’s ongoing supply here. Grace that travels with the camp.

Calvin: where no drop was, a mighty river—abundance that silences cavil.

Shared—rivers from rock. Copious gift exposes later craving as lust, not need.

Yet they still went on sinning against him, provoking the Most High in the wilderness. Wesley: Wilderness—where singular obligations to obedience; great aggravation.

Shared—desert sin against near mercies. Obligation intensifies guilt.

Calvin: after succession of love, they rebelled as was natural to them. Provoke—heinous; place aggravates: fresh deliverance, tokens of presence, need itself should have restrained.

Shared—sinned still more in the desert. Mercies abused become witnesses against.

They tempted God in their heart by asking food they craved. Wesley: Tempted—desired proof of power; Lust—not necessary subsistence but luxurious appetite.

Shared—heart-test by craving. Ask within God's limits; do not demand proof for lust.

Calvin: tempting is overpassing bounds—not asking food when hungry, but loathing manna and craving for the soul/lust. Separate power from will and you rend God.

Shared—tested in heart by craving. Impose restraint; unchecked flesh murmurs for more than lawful.

They spoke against God: Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? Shared open blasphemy of doubt.

Mouth publishes the heart's test. Classical Arminians hear sincere invitation still to trust the table-God.

Calvin: not ashamed to utter impiety conceived within; malignity possessed the heart. Table means dainty Egypt-fare—abundance and variety demanded.

Shared—speech against God. Lust develops from consent into public question of God's power.

He struck the rock—water gushed; can he give bread or meat? Shared irony of unbelief after water.

Wesley silent; water miracle should have silenced the sneer. Faith argues from gift to Giver.

Calvin: bitter irony—reciting as from their mouth what stood before their eyes. Unbelief grants the rock yet denies bread and flesh.

Shared—water conceded, bread doubted. Past mercy does not automatically produce trust.

The LORD heard; wrath, fire against Jacob, anger against Israel.

Hearing is full knowledge before judgment. Anger rises against covenant names Jacob/Israel.

Calvin: hearing implies perfect knowledge—figure from earthly judges; God does not punish unacquainted. Wrath answered unbelief (v. 22).

Shared—LORD heard and was wroth. Fire in Jacob is holy response to distrust.

Because they didn’t believe in God, and didn’t trust in his saving power. Wesley: Trusted not—that he could and would save from feared famine.

Shared—unbelief and distrust of salvation. Classical Arminians urge trust in saving power sincerely offered in the narrative of care.

Calvin: enormity—believed not, trusted not in his salvation. Faith hopes every blessing from God and yields obedience; distrust murmurs and rebels.

Shared—no belief, no trust in saving power. Faith is root of piety; pretenses without hope in God's salvation are empty.

Yet he commanded the skies and opened the doors of heaven. Wesley: Heaven—storehouse whose doors God shuts or opens.

Shared—sky under command. Doors open at his word despite unbelief.

Calvin: not bare history—censure: though fed with manna they still lusted. Heaven's doors magnify the gift they scorned.

For the reader: Shared—commanded skies. Fatherly storehouse opened; later flesh-gift comes in wrath.

Rained manna; grain of heaven. Shared corn from above.

Manna as gift to eat. Receive heavenly grain with thanks, not loathing.

Calvin: corn of heaven—ingratitude twofold if they despise common food and angels' bread. Verbs recall past mercy against present lust.

Shared—manna rained. Spiritual meat in Paul's sense points beyond the wilderness loaf.

Man ate bread of the angels; food in abundance. Wesley: Angels' food—manna by ministry of angels.

Both traditions see abundance in the bread of angels. Full supply removes excuse for craving Egypt.

Calvin: bread of the mighty/angels—high celebration to make impiety more detestable. Sent to the full.

Shared—angels' bread, abundance. Scorning such provision is monstrous.

East wind; by his power the south wind. Wesley: First eastern, then southern wind.

Shared—winds as servants. Power leads the weather for judgment-gift.

Calvin: flesh granted differently from manna—fatherly manna vs gluttony's flesh. Winds obey; elements execute his command.

Shared—east and south by power. Distance cannot bar his will.

Rained meat like dust; winged birds like sand. Wesley: Fowl—God took away use of wings; fell to Israel.

Shared—quail deluge. Miracle of quantity and fall.

Calvin: flesh as dust, birds as sand—undoubted proof of power they malignantly denied.

Shared—meat rained. Lavish answer to lust is distinct from fatherly manna.

Fell in midst of camp, around dwellings. Shared placement of the catch.

Food at the tent door. Proximity of gift and later wrath (vv. 30–31).

Calvin: fall in his camp/tabernacles—Israel's camp as God's. Provision into the heart of the people.

Shared—midst of camp. No scavenging hunt required; judgment arrives mid-feast.

They ate and were well filled; he gave what they craved.

Desire granted. Filling is not the same as blessing when lust leads.

Calvin: ate and filled—not mere supply but ungovernable lust proved. God fulfills desire of those who fear him (Ps 145) differently; here he yields to perverse desire in wrath.

Shared—filled with craving. Deadly burden can be the answer to unbridled want.

Before craving satisfied, food still in mouths. Shared unfinished lust.

Wesley silent; meat between teeth when judgment hits. Desire outruns gratitude.

Calvin: not estranged from lust—still burning while meat in mouth. Present felt pleasure when vengeance struck.

Shared—food in mouth, lust unslaked. Abundance does not quench depraved appetite.

Anger of God rose; killed strongest; laid low young men. Wesley: Mightiest—most healthy and strong, likely most eager feeders.

Shared—elite cut down. Strength is no shield against holy anger.

Calvin: wrath ascended—sudden rising to judgment. Fat ones and chosen named so the robust who trust strength are conspicuously judged.

For the church: Shared—strongest fall. Pride of vigor meets the plague mid-banquet.

For all this they still sinned and did not believe in his wondrous works. Shared hardened unbelief after plague.

Rod should teach; continued sin after wonders is willful. Classical Arminians urge repentance while wonders still preach.

Calvin: fools wise under the rod—yet these unreformed; monstrous obduracy. Wondrous works include the plague; disbelief of word and despising miracles; plagues increased.

Shared—still sinned, did not believe. Obstinacy after severe spectacle is near despair of reform.

Days vanish like a breath; years in terror. Wesley: Vanity—tedious fruitless marches; Trouble—diseases, dangers, perplexities.

Shared—wasted years under curse. Wilderness chronology as judgment.

Calvin: whole people consumed—forty years confirmed. Days in vanity like smoke; years in haste/tumult—strength proud suddenly withered.

Shared—breath-days, terror-years. Righteous retribution for obstinacy.

When he killed them, then they inquired after him; repented and sought earnestly. Wesley: Returned—from idols; Enquired—speedily sought ease and safety.

Shared—death awakens seeking. Yet later verses expose flattery; seek in sincerity.

Calvin: aggravation—convinced yet not sincerely humbled; mocked God with false pretenses. Severe killing opened eyes to discover desperate wickedness.

Shared—when slain, they sought. Fear-seeking without upright heart (vv. 36–37) is hollow.

Remembered God their rock, Most High their redeemer. Wesley: Redeemer—God alone preserved and alone could help.

Shared—rock and redeemer confessed. Memory of redemption should stick.

Calvin: remembered Rock and Redeemer—yet from fallen redemption; eyes opened to strip excuse of ignorance.

Shared—Rock, Redeemer recalled. Right titles on the tongue can still mask a wrong heart.

Flattered with mouths; lied with tongues. Wesley: Lied—false protestations of sincere future obedience.

Shared—mouth religion. Arminians demand unfeigned confession, not fear-flattery.

Calvin: perfidy—no sincere confession; constrained slavish flattery while wishing truth extinguished. Guard hidden hypocrisy as well as gross.

Shared—flattery and lies. Assent without pure affection is double heart.

Heart not steadfast; not faithful to his covenant. Shared unstable heart and covenant breach.

Steadfastness required. Faithfulness is free loyalty, not momentary panic piety.

Calvin: source—not steadfast/faithful; what lacks unfeigned purity is lying before God. Covenant-breakers toward faithfulness of divine promises.

Shared—heart and covenant. Mutual relation: God's faithful covenant answered by unfeigned faith.

Yet compassionate, atoned for iniquity, did not destroy; restrained anger often, not all wrath.

Compassion leads God to restrain his anger again and again. Classical Arminians celebrate mercy that spares and atones while still calling for true return—God's resolve to show mercy is firm, not hesitant.

Calvin: merciful, expiated iniquity, did not destroy; multiplied turning away anger; mitigated chastisements. Mercy essential attribute—not induced by desert; punishments moderate versus guilt.

Shared—compassion, atonement, restrained wrath. Underserved goodness sustains a remnant seed.

Remembered they were flesh; wind that passes away, and doesn’t come again. Shared frailty moved pity.

Flesh and passing wind—ground of compassion. Humility fits creatures who do not return to earthly life.

Calvin: remembered flesh—spirit/breath fleeting. Nothing in us but misery moves pity; pure undeserved goodness sustains. Not excluding resurrection; earthly state alone viewed.

Shared—flesh, passing wind. Compassion rests on our frailty and his goodness, not our merit.

How often rebelled in wilderness; grieved him in the desert.

The words “How often” pile up the people’s sins. Desert grief of God is relational language without denying his settled holiness.

Calvin: confirms—provoked so often they must have perished thousand times but for mercy. Wilderness includes place and time; fresh benefits and short span aggravate.

Shared—often rebelled and grieved. Interrogative heightens continual sinning.

Tested again and again; provoked the Holy One of Israel.

Wesley's "limited" (AV)—fencing God's power by unbelief. Do not shrink the Holy One to your measure.

Calvin: returned—continued course of sinning; tempted and limited—metaphor of marking out, shutting God within bars when operations are capped by human fancy.

Shared—tested and provoked the Holy One. Unbelief that measures God by small capacity pulls him from his throne.

Did not remember his hand, nor the day he redeemed them from the adversary. Wesley: Hand—glorious works; Enemy—day delivered from Pharaoh.

Shared—forgotten redemption day. Memory of the foe's defeat should curb new tests.

Calvin: remembered not his hand in the day of deliverance from the oppressor. Forgetfulness of unusual stretched-out hand leaves no excuse.

Shared—power and redemption day forgotten. Wilful amnesia feeds waywardness.

Signs in Egypt; marvels in fields of Zoan. Shared reprise of exodus signs.

Zoan again—public marvels. Teach children these signs (vv. 4–6).

Calvin: signs then miracles—Egypt stricken with terror that should not have vanished. Both terms heighten what forgetfulness buried.

Shared—signs and marvels in Zoan. Rehearsal serves accusation of ingratitude.

Rivers to blood; could not drink streams.

Nile turned—judgment on Egypt's life-water.

Calvin: enumerates enough to open wickedness—not full order. Extraordinary plagues, previously unheard-of.

Both traditions remember the rivers turned to blood. Accumulation of judgments should have stuck in Israel's mind.

Swarms of flies; frogs destroyed them. Wesley: Flies extraordinary in nature and hurt; likewise frogs.

Shared—devouring swarms. Created pests as rods of God.

Calvin: mixture/flies and frog—destroying agents. Variety of terms enhances vengeance.

Shared—flies and frogs. Nature armed against oppressors.

Crops to destroying locust; fruit of labor to the locust. Wesley: Labour—herbs by their care.

Shared—labor's fruit eaten. Toil without divine favor fails.

Calvin: produce to caterpillar/locust—harvest seized. Labor lost under judgment.

Shared—locust on crops and labor. Egypt's economy under the LORD's hand.

Wesley: Under vines and sycamores all trees; hail/frost destroy fruit and sometimes trees.

Shared—vineyard and sycamore struck. Food trees fail at his word.

Calvin: vines and wild figs/sycamores with hailstones—severe loss on valued Egyptian produce.

Shared—hail and frost on trees. Agricultural pride leveled.

Cattle to hail; flocks to thunderbolts. Shared livestock plague.

Herds and flocks given over. Wealth on the hoof is not secure against God.

Calvin: cattle to hail, flocks to thunderbolts—continuing the cascade of wrath.

Shared—cattle and flocks. Animate wealth under the same sentence.

Burning anger, wrath, indignation, distress; company of destroying angels. Wesley: Evil angels—employed in producing plagues.

Shared—angels as instruments of judgment. Fierceness piled in synonyms.

Calvin: fierceness, fury, anger, affliction; evil/hurtful angels—ministers of calamity (elect or fallen as instruments differ). Accumulation awakens dull minds.

Shared—destroying angels. God executes wrath by appointed messengers.

Made a path for his anger; spared not from death; lives over to plague. Shared cleared way for wrath.

Path for anger—judgment unimpeded. Death and pestilence as sentenced.

Calvin: leveled a path to anger—no impediment; kept not soul from death; cattle/life to pestilence. Overflowing torrent of wrath.

Shared—path for anger, plague. Final Egyptian strokes approach.

Struck every firstborn; firstfruits of strength in tents of Ham. Wesley: Ham—Egyptians, posterity of Ham.

Practically: Shared—firstborn struck. Tents of Ham name the judged line.

Calvin: firstborn as firstfruits of strength; tents of Ham—Misraim son of Ham. Free love toward Shem's seed preferred without intrinsic desert.

Shared—firstborn in Ham's tents. Election-mercy to Israel stands out against Egypt's loss.

Led out his own people like sheep; guided in wilderness like a flock.

Sheep and flock—tender guidance after plagues. People go forth under care.

Calvin: fatherly love—people as sheep; no wisdom or power of their own; God condescends as shepherd.

Shared—sheep led, flock guided. Mean servile Israel shepherded against warlike foes.

Led in safety, not afraid; sea overwhelmed enemies. Shared safe conduct vs drowned foe.

Safety and fearlessness as gift. Enemies under the sea.

Calvin: conducted in safety—not that they always felt confident, but with God as guardian they had no just cause to fear; unbelief bred panic questions.

Shared—safety; sea covers enemies. Objective protection stands even when hearts flutter.

Brought to his holy land; mountain his right hand won. Wesley: Holy place—Canaan separated; Mountain—mountainous country.

Shared—holy land, won mountain. Gifted geography of presence.

Calvin: holy border; mountain his right hand acquired—inheritance secured by his power.

Shared—holy land by his right hand. Arrival is purchased grace, not Israelite prowess.

Drove out nations; apportioned possession; settled tribes in tents.

Nations expelled; lots assigned. Tribes dwell by gift.

Calvin: expelled heathen; inheritance by line; Israel in their tents—settled after driving out.

Shared—nations out, tribes in. Possession is apportioned under God.

Yet tested and rebelled against Most High; did not keep testimonies. Shared relapse in the land.

Land-gift does not automate fidelity. Testimonies still bind.

Calvin: after settlement they tempted and provoked; kept not testimonies—ingratitude in the inheritance.

Shared—tested, rebelled, testimonies broken. New stage, same revolt pattern.

Wesley: Deceitful bow—breaks when drawn or shoots awry, frustrates archer.

Shared—treachery and useless bow. Promise of aim without true flight.

Calvin: turned back, treacherous like fathers; deceitful bow—appears ready, fails in action.

Shared—fathers' pattern, deceitful bow. Covenant people who will not shoot straight.

Provoked with high places; jealousy with idols. Shared cultic provocation.

High places and graven images. Jealousy language is holy love offended.

Calvin: high places and graven images moved him to anger/jealousy—idolatry as covenant adultery.

Shared—high places, idols. Worship rivals awaken divine jealousy.

When God heard, full of wrath, utterly rejected Israel. Wesley: Heard—perceived after manner of men.

Shared—wrath and rejection.

Calvin: heard and wroth—long-suffering abused; cry ascended; weight of punishment shows offense. Abhorred Israel when ark departed as sign of farewell.

Shared—heard, wrath, rejected. Patient God finally exhibits severe judgment.

Forsook dwelling at Shiloh, tent among mankind. Wesley: Shiloh; Among men—condescension and folly of despising the privilege.

Takeaway: Shared—Shiloh forsaken. Presence withdrawn as judgment on scorned nearness.

Calvin: bereft of presence—only true comfort; ark carried testifies departure. Shiloh habitation among men—God near by power and grace; wickedness constrained forsaking.

Shared—Shiloh tent forsaken. Warning to all who flatter themselves on false grounds of presence (Jer 7).

Delivered his strength into captivity, glory to the foe. Wesley: Strength/glory—the ark; Enemies—Philistines.

Shared—ark as strength and glory captured. Sign and pledge removed.

Calvin: strength into captivity, beauty/glory into enemy hand—not that Philistines imprisoned God, but protection withdrawn as if the general taken.

Shared—power and glory delivered. Hyperbole aggravates Israel's heinous offense.

Gave people over to sword; vented wrath on his heritage.

Sword and heritage—covenant people not immune. Wrath on what he claims.

Calvin: shut up to the sword; wroth with inheritance—flower of people consumed; fire metaphor for sudden slaughter (1 Sam 4).

Shared—sword on the people, wrath on heritage. Own inheritance can taste the rod.

Fire devoured young men; young women no marriage song.

No nuptial joy—demographic judgment. War silences wedding songs.

Calvin: fire devouring chosen—metaphor; maidens not applauded—nuptial songs cease for want of men.

Shared—youth dead, no marriage song. Calamity heaped in domestic silence.

Priests fell by sword; widows made no lamentation. Wesley: Priests—Hophni and Phinehas; No lamentation—prevented by death or invasion.

Both traditions remember the fall of Eli’s house here. Even priests fall; mourning disrupted.

Calvin: priests under special protection perish; widows make no lamentation—sorrow-death or captivity forbids rites.

Shared—priests by sword, widows silent. Every kind of calamity heaped.

Lord awakened as one out of sleep; mighty man who shouts by reason of wine.

Asleep figure—not literal slumber. Sudden arousal for defense and shame of foes.

Calvin: awoke as asleep—made drunk by people's sins so watch failed; yet not long sunk; heathen mockery of majesty awoke him like a giant after wine.

Shared—awoke as from sleep. Figure teaches delayed then decisive action for his glory.

Put adversaries to rout; everlasting shame. Wesley: Smote—with piles; Reproach—golden emerods with returned ark as monuments of shame.

For the reader: Shared—Philistine shame. Everlasting reproach on ark-mockers.

Calvin: smote enemies behind; everlasting disgrace—awful vengeance shows covenant not disannulled even while Israel still bears traces of chastisement.

Shared—adversaries routed, everlasting shame. God avenges his glory on the uncircumcised.

Rejected tent of Joseph; did not choose tribe of Ephraim. Wesley: Refused—ark no longer in Shiloh's tabernacle in Joseph/Ephraim.

Shared historic transfer of the ark's seat. Rejection of Joseph's tent is cultic relocation under judgment—not spite of whole genealogy forever.

Calvin: rejection—ark's removal deprives honor; Ephraim rejected as ark-residence (not fully severed from the church body). Traces of punishment remain even after Philistines struck; scornful note as revolt later cuts ten tribes.

Shared—Joseph's tent rejected, Ephraim not chosen for the dwelling. Judicial reshaping of where God sets his name.

Chose tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which he loved. Wesley: Chose—for seat of ark and worship.

Shared—Judah and beloved Zion as historic worship seat. Love language marks place of name without turning the verse into abstract metaphysics.

Calvin: preferred Judah; chose Zion—sanctuary there solely from free unmerited love, not place's worthiness. Relative as causal: because he loved. Second restitution as free as Abrahamic adoption; church gathered by pure grace in all ages.

Shared—Judah chosen, Zion loved. Unconditioned love of the place for the people's good.

Built sanctuary like high heavens, like earth founded forever. Wesley: Sanctuary—Solomon's temple; Palaces—magnificent; Established—fixed, not moved like tabernacle.

Shared—temple stability versus mobile tent. Forever language pledges settled worship.

Calvin: sanctuary like high places—conspicuous; like earth established forever—not temporary palace. Perpetuity in Christ the truth of the figure; Chaldean ruin answered by the antitype.

Shared—sanctuary founded forever. Stability celebrated is finally Christ-ward.

Chose David his servant; took him from the sheepfolds.

Choice of David from folds—historic elevation of the servant. Vocational election to rule Jacob.

Calvin: after temple, kingdom—chief signs of favor; David made king from sheepfold, peasant to throne. Grace not limited to his person; worth of Abraham's children flows from mercy. Christ our king and priest typified; lowly start matches the type.

Shared—David chosen from sheepfolds. Pure good pleasure elevates the servant.

From nursing ewes to be the shepherd of Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance. Shared transfer of flock-care.

Ewes to Israel—same shepherd skill redirected. People and inheritance named as God's.

Calvin: grace furthered—keeper of sheep made shepherd of chosen heritage. Allusion teaches lawful kings must be like shepherds, not tyrants.

Shared—from ewes to Jacob/Israel. Shepherd-king pattern under God's claim on the flock.

With upright heart he shepherded; guided with skillful hand. Shared integrity and skill of David.

Upright heart and skillful hand—model rule. Close calls the people to grateful fidelity under such care.

Calvin: fed in uprightness; guided by prudence of hands—Spirit-governed success. Indirect rebuke of later ingratitude that shook off the holy order and yoke.

Shared—upright heart, skillful hand. David's fidelity magnifies the people's later perverseness; Christ the greater shepherd remains.