Psalms 50

Psalms 50:1

Psalm 50: God’s Ongoing JudgmentThe setting of this Psalm is a courtroom with God Himself the Judge, Israel the defendant, and heaven and earth the witnesses. But we should not think of this courtroom scene as some obscure trial that took place long ago in Israel’s history; it is instead God’s continuing evaluation of His saints throughout the world. The Court in Session (50:1-6)50:1 First the Judge is heard as He summons all the people in the entire land of Israelfrom east to westto stand before His tribunal. What gives authority to the Judge’s voice is the fact that He is the Mighty One, God the LORD. 50:2, 3 Next the Judge is seen as He leaves His chamber in the temple on Mount Zion in the form of a dazzling, brilliant glory cloudthe Shekinah. He will no longer keep silent about His people’s sin. He comes down as He did at Mount Sinai, with a great jet of fire sweeping before Him and a great storm with thunder and lightning all around Him. But this time He comes not to present the law, but to interpret its inward, spiritual meaning. 50:4, 5 As He takes His place on the judgment seat He subpoenas the heavens and the earth to stand by in the witness box. Then He commands His attendants to bring in the defendants. First He is going to try the saints of the nation of Israel, whom He describes as those who have made a covenant with Him by sacrifice. (This refers to the covenant of the law made at Mount Horeb and ratified by the blood of sacrificesExo_24:3-8.) The trial of His faithful ones is found in verses 7-15. Later He has a special session with the wicked (vv. 16-19). 50:6 The heavens are called to bear witness to the righteousness of God’s judgments. The fact that God Himself is the Judge means that He has perfect knowledge of all the facts, that He is absolutely impartial, and that all His verdicts are wise and equitable. The Sin of Ritualism (50:7-15)50:7 God now assumes the position of prosecuting attorney, testifying against His people, Israel. In human affairs it would be unthinkable for the judge to also serve as prosecutor, but in this case it is altogether proper, for the Judge is none other than God the Most High. 50:8 God makes it clear at the outset that Israel has not been remiss in bringing sacrifices to Him. They had been faithful in bringing their burnt offerings. But the trouble was that they thought these rituals completely discharged their obligations to Jehovah. They were like girls who treat their mother indifferently throughout the year, then smother her with chocolates on her birthday! Or like sons who never thank their father for all he does for them, then give him a gift tie on Father’s Day! So Jehovah protests that while they had loaded His altar with sacrificial animals, they had treated Him personally with cold neglect. As to the technical details of the offerings, His people had been punctilious. But when it came to a warm, personal relationship with the Lord Himself, they were seriously lacking. F. B. Meyer writes: The Psalm is a severe rebuke of the hypocrite who contents himself with giving a mere outward obedience to the ritual of God’s house, but withholds the love and homage of his heart. 50:9 That is why God says that He will not take a bull from their house, nor goats out of their folds. He is not a ritualist, satisfied with religious ceremonies. In instituting the sacrificial system, God had never intended right outward action to serve as a cover for wrong inward attitudes. 50:10-13 If they would only stop to think, God’s people would realize that God owns all the creatures in the world anywayevery beast of the forest . . . the cattle on a thousand hills, . . . the birds of the air, and everything that moves in the field. They would quickly realize that God doesn’t need a single thing from men. He doesn’t suffer hunger; if He did, He wouldn’t have to ask us for anything, because He has a well-stocked pantry! Nor does He derive nourishment or satisfaction from bulls’ meat or goats’ blood. In that sense, God is totally self-sufficient. 50:14, 15 What then does God want from His people? Three things: Thanksgiving. No gift can ever take the place of simple gratitude. Too often we are like the family that took their queenly mother for granted, then after her death attempted to atone for their thanklessness by dressing her body in a two-thousand-dollar Dior original! Fulfilled vows. “Pay your vows to the Most High"vows of love, worship, service and devotion. Fellowship in prayer. “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” Here we have a wonderful insight into the heart of God. He loves to hear His people pray, and He loves to answer those prayers. He cherishes an intimate, tender relationship between His people and Himself. But to the Wicked… (50:16-21)50:16, 17 It seems clear that the Judge now turns to address a different portion of the nation, those who profess to be religious but whose lives openly contradict the truth. He denies that they have any right to piously quote the Scriptures or to claim the blessings of the Covenant for themselves. Then He levels a series of charges against them. They hated discipline. Apparently they considered themselves above correction. Instead of welcoming or at least tolerating constructive criticism, these hypocrites resented it bitterly and attacked anyone who tried to offer iteven if it was the Lord. They treated God’s Word with contempt. Instead of profound reverence for the Scriptures, they cast God’s words behind them as a worthless thing. 50:18 They refused to walk in a path of separation. By fraternizing with thieves and adulterers, they disobeyed the Lord and brought reproach on His name. 50:19, 20 Their speech was wicked. Their mouths spewed out evil without restraint. They had become experts in lying and deceit. Even their closest relatives were not safe from their vicious slander. 50:21 Because God had not punished them immediately, they thought He was as careless as they were. They failed to realize that His patience was designed to give them time to repent. But now the Lord breaks His silence and rebukes them for the charges listed above. Warning and Promise (50:22, 23)The Psalm closes with a warning and a promise. The warning is to those who forget God, living as if He doesn’t matter. If they do not repent, God will pounce on them like a lion and utterly destroy them. But those who come to Him with sacrifices of thanksgiving glorify Him; all who walk in this pathway of obedience will experience God’s marvelous deliverances in times of peril.