Untitled Sermon

Psalm 50 NKJV

A Psalm of Asaph. The Mighty One, God the Lord, Has spoken and called the earth From the rising of the sun to its going down. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; A fire shall devour before Him, And it shall be very tempestuous all around Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, And to the earth, that He may judge His people: “Gather My saints together to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.” Let the heavens declare His righteousness, For God Himself is Judge. Selah “Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God! I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices Or your burnt offerings, Which are continually before Me. I will not take a bull from your house, Nor goats out of your folds. For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains, And the wild beasts of the field are Mine. “If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all its fullness. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to declare My statutes, Or take My covenant in your mouth, Seeing you hate instruction And cast My words behind you? When you saw a thief, you consented with him, And have been a partaker with adulterers. You give your mouth to evil, And your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother’s son. These things you have done, and I kept silent; You thought that I was altogether like you; But I will rebuke you, And set them in order before your eyes. “Now consider this, you who forget God, Lest I tear you in pieces, And there be none to deliver: Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.”

The Bible Knowledge Commentary Psalm 50

Psalm 50

This didactic psalm, written by Asaph, a leading Levite musician (1 Chron. 16:4–5) who also wrote Psalms 73–83, deals with man’s worship of God and duty to his neighbor, which are in the two portions of the Decalogue (Ten Commandments). Asaph described a scene in the heavenly courtroom in which the Lord will examine His people. Asaph then declared that the Lord had indictments against two sins of His people: formalism in worship and hypocrisy in living. To please God His people must bring sacrifices of thanksgiving from obedient, trusting hearts.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary A. The Lord’s Appearance to Judge (50:1–6)

A. The Lord’s appearance to judge (50:1–6)

50:1–3. Asaph described a courtroom scene in which the Mighty One, God, the LORD—three designations for the Lord—came to judge. Everyone on the earth, from east to west, was summoned before Him. From beautiful Zion (cf. comments on 2:6; also see 48:2, 11–12), the place of the temple, God shines forth. As He comes to judge, His presence is accompanied by devouring fire and a raging tempest. These phenomena, frequently accompanying theophanies, signify His consuming judgment.

50:4–6. Asaph then visualized the participants in the case. The inhabitants of the universe will be the witnesses (the heavens and the earth standing for the inhabitants of each). When He judges His people, all the universe will witness it. The defendants in the case will be the saints, who have made a covenant with Him. And God is the righteous Judge. With this scene envisioned, Asaph then reported the Lord’s two charges against His people (vv. 7–15 and 16–23).

B. The Lord’s indictment against formalism (50:7–15)

50:7–13. Asaph, announcing the Lord’s first of two charges against His people, described their formalism in worship. The charge was given as a word from God, their God, so they would take heed. God did not reprove them, however, for their meticulous keeping of the letter of the Law in offering the prescribed sacrifices. But Israel failed to realize that God did not need their bulls or goats (v. 9; cf. v. 13), for He is the Lord of all Creation. He already owns every animal and knows every bird. He instituted the sacrifices not because He needed the animals but because the people desperately needed Him. He is not like the gods of the pagans who supposedly thrived on food sacrifices. The Lord does not depend on man’s worship for survival.

50:14–15. Israel should offer their sacrifices of thanksgiving from a genuine trust in the Lord. The solution to formalism is to worship in genuine faith, which is why Asaph called on the people to sacrifice thank offerings. The Hebrew word for thank offerings is tôdâh, from the verb yāḏâh, “to acknowledge, thank.” Such an offering could not be given unless the offerer had experienced God’s work on his behalf. If he was in distress and called on God, the Lord would answer. Then the offerer would praise the Lord as a spontaneous expression of his enjoyment of God’s benefits. If the people had been praising they would have enjoyed His benefits, not worshiping in an empty ritualistic form.

C. The Lord’s indictment against hypocrisy (50:16–23)

50:16–17. Asaph, announcing God’s second charge, decried the nation’s hypocritical living. He first rebuked the wicked for reciting His laws and speaking of His covenant as their profession of faith, for they actually hated God’s instruction. Though these wicked people assembled with those who loved the Lord, God knew their hearts.

50:18–21. The psalmist then selected several examples of their wickedness. While appearing righteous, they tolerated and took part in theft (cf. Ex. 20:15), adultery (cf. Ex. 20:14), and slander (cf. Ex. 20:16). He warned them not to confuse God’s patience with His approval. God’s silence did not mean that He agreed with their actions. Instead the Lord would rebuke them directly (to your face).

50:22–23. Asaph instructed the hypocrites to consider their ways before it was too late. Again he called on them to sacrifice thank offerings (cf. comments on v. 14) from hearts that are right with God.

So the psalm indicts God’s people for formalism and hypocrisy in worship. Jesus’ advice to “worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24) provides the proper correctives for these faults.