This Psalm, attributed to the musician Asaph, emphasises the idea that engaging in the service of God enables personal growth and a deeper understanding of His holiness. This musician, who previously composed music for David’s verses, now conveys a message about God’s ways, illustrating that being solely a musician does not limit one’s capacity to write about matters of faith.
In our church roles, such as worship leaders or ushers, we should not confine ourselves to a specific position. Instead, by humbling ourselves to serve God, He exalts and uplifts us. Asaph further enlightens a group of believers who mistakenly believe that materialistic offerings and tithes please God. He emphasises that God does not require such external displays of wealth, but rather seeks the sincerity of our hearts.
God Judges His People
The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets. From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth. Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages. He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that he may judge his people:
Psalm 50: 1-4 (NIV)
The verses precisely capture the scene of the second coming of Jesus. The Psalmist, despite not having heard Jesus speak about His second coming nor having read the book of Revelation, had a deep longing in his heart for the judgement of God. Even with numerous prophecies about the second coming of Jesus, we often fail to anticipate His arrival due to our preoccupation with worldly affairs.
Jesus Himself declared that His coming would be as sudden and unmistakable as a lightning strike spanning the entire sky. Peter, too, wrote about the imminent arrival of a consuming fire before Him. In one of his letters, he urged believers to eagerly await the day of God and hasten its arrival, as on that day, the heavens will be destroyed by fire, and the very elements will melt in the intense heat (2 Peter 3:12). It is on this day that God will summon His people from both heaven and earth to pronounce His judgement.
I Will Testify Against You
“Gather to me this consecrated people, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice.,
Psalm 50: 5-8 (NIV)
“Listen, my people, and I will speak; I will testify against you, Israel: I am God, your God. I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
God will bear witness against His consecrated people, for there will be no other survivors left after the consuming fire of God. As the God of justice, He will testify against His people, taking into account their sacrifices and burnt offerings. Regrettably, these ritual acts of sacrifice and offering will not meet the standards that God expects from His people. God does not ask for sacrifices and offerings to increase His treasures, but rather to awaken us to the sins we have committed and to grieve for the lives of the animals we offer. These innocent creatures are sacrificed to atone for our transgressions. Over time, people have lost this sentiment and have become content with their mere offerings.
Everything Is Mine
I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it. Do I eat the flesh of bulls
Psalm 50: 9-13 (NIV)
or drink the blood of goats?
When individuals are blessed with wealth, they often fall into the illusion of ownership, forgetting the vital role of the Creator in the creation of all of Earth’s resources. It is disheartening to observe how they offer only small portions of their wealth to God as if it were a mere afterthought. Some pluck beautiful flowers each morning or adorn the altar with ferns and blooms. Meanwhile, others degrade the glory of God, reducing it to the likeness of giants or colossal animals, as if these human-made idols needed sustenance.
Astonishingly, even the followers of the living God sometimes succumb to this trend, offering similar things and money, mistakenly believing that our God is hungry for those. Yet, the Psalmist magnificently expresses the unparalleled majesty of God, who possesses everything and lacks nothing. It is He who provides abundantly for us, not the other way around.
Honour God Who Delivered You
“Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
Psalm 50: 14-15 (NIV)
The Psalmist urges us to express gratitude to God and honour our commitments in order to foster a harmonious relationship with Him. This entails not calling upon Him solely in times of distress while neglecting our spiritual connection on a daily basis. It is truly remarkable that God, in His infinite mercy, did not wait for us to call upon Him in moments of imminent peril or when our sins had driven us to the brink of despair. Instead, He graciously sent His Son to save us from eternal damnation, the just consequence of our transgressions.
Sadly, we often underestimate the boundless love and grace of our benevolent God, failing to fully grasp His constant presence and unwavering protection. We often offer our thanks and appreciation only when we become aware of narrowly escaping a potential disaster, unaware of the continuous safeguarding He has bestowed upon us long before we even realized the looming danger. Thus, it is not solely in times of trouble or when we believe God has averted a catastrophic event that we are indebted to profusely thank Him. Rather, it is our duty to express gratitude throughout every moment and every day of our lives for the unparalleled salvation He has granted us, ensuring our eternal life.
A Call For A Legal Process
But to the wicked person, God says: “What right have you to recite my laws
Psalm 50: 16-21 (NIV)
or take my covenant on your lips? You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you. When you see a thief, you join with him; you throw in your lot with adulterers. You use your mouth for evil and harness your tongue to deceit.
You sit and testify against your brother and slander your own mother’s son.
When you did these things and I kept silent, you thought I was exactly like you.
But I now arraign you and set my accusations before you.
It is a well-known phenomenon that many individuals harbour an aversion towards instructions and the teachings of God. However, paradoxically, they desire to possess the power to impose these very instructions upon others, particularly in the context of healing and deliverance. For such individuals, God queries, What entitlement do they hold to engage in these acts? In his letter to the church in Rome, the apostle Paul admonishes believers not to conform to the patterns of this world. This solemn warning underscores the timeless truth that throughout the ages, people have tended to conform to worldly standards rather than adhere to the principles of God’s word. What’s more, they often compromise the integrity of His teachings to accommodate their pursuit of worldly desires.
Regrettably, numerous individuals perceive the word of God as detached from their daily lives, dismissing it as inconsequential, while embracing vulgar and offensive language as a means of survival in this earthly existence. This conformity to worldly standards leads people to perceive God as merely another inhabitant of this terrestrial sphere, reducing Him to the status of a mere mortal. Consequently, the profound depths of His unconditional love remain elusive to our understanding, as earthly beings are accustomed to offering love under conditions. In this passage, God highlights our inclination towards engaging in ungodly behaviours, such as slandering our fellow brothers and sisters. All of these actions stem from our misguided perception of God’s nature. And now, the righteous God calls upon each and every one of us to carefully consider His indictments against us.
A Thing To Remember
“Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you: Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me, and to the blameless I will show my salvation. ”
Psalm 50: 22-23 (NIV)
God warns us about the dire consequences of our forgetful nature. We are graciously redeemed by the sacrificial blood of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. The scripture emphasises that God has mercifully purchased us from the grip of darkness, delivering us into the realm of light, through the priceless offering of His Son’s life as a ransom. It is vital for us to regularly remind ourselves of this solid truth and offer heartfelt gratitude to God, recognising the boundless love and immeasurable favour that He has bestowed upon us by rescuing us from eternal damnation. Through the righteousness of Jesus, we stand blameless, for it is not our own righteousness that saves us, but the righteousness of our Saviour. Let our thanksgiving overflow from the depths of our souls to our God.
Father God, we humbly implore you to guide us in cultivating perpetual gratitude towards you, as we strive to achieve eternal salvation through the grace you have bestowed upon us. May we be deserving of the blessings you have gifted us.
The Jordan Valley 
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