Sacrifice of Praise

    by Dr. Tony Ash

    Psalm 50

        Since this psalm refers to making a covenant (vs. 5) and the offering of sacrifices (vs. 14, 23), it was quite possibly composed in connection with a formal worship occasion, perhaps even one to renew the covenant relationship with God. The message stresses that that relationship must be entered into by God's people in a proper manner. The psalm denotes two areas of wrongdoing that could deny the covenant relation and bring down God's judgment (vs. 4, 22). One intriguing suggestion, based on the reference to sunrise (vs. 1), supposes the psalm was recited just at daybreak, when the first rays of the sun could symbolize the coming of the Lord.

        If this psalm were employed as part of a regular ritual, we would still assume there was an original occasion for which it was composed. In that context, the message of the poem comes like a prophetic proclamation inveighing against the sins of the people. This psalm differs from most others because its form is a word from God to man, rather than from man to God (as is the case with most other psalms). In fact, most of the psalm is in the form of direct speech from God (vs. 5, 7-23). In the worship context, these words were no doubt delivered by a priest or by a prophet who functioned in priestly ways.

        The psalm falls into neat segments. Verses 1-6 describe the coming of God in judgment. The first sin of the people is described in verses 7-15 -- they do not understand true thankfulness and need. Verses 16-22 describe the second sin -- actually a series of transgressions of the Ten Commandments. The last verse (vs. 23) is a final exhortation in terms of the wrongs described in the previous two sections.

    Commentary

    Verse 1 - NLT - RSV
    This is a powerful summons, given to the earth (1), the heavens (4) and the people. Three words are used for God (Mighty One, God, Lord), making the coming of God the more impressive.

    Verse 2 - NLT - RSV
    The manifestation of God emanates from Zion, whose beauty is derived from God's presence there. This verse suggests some worship occasion in the city chosen by God.

    Verse 3 - NLT - RSV
    God comes in a powerful storm, with howling wind and flashing lightning. He had been silent about the sins of the people, but would be so no more. Any who would be casual about the "coming" of God would do well to consider the language here, which is reminiscent of the great Sinai theophany.

    Verses 4,5 - NLT - RSV
    The divine voice is raised in a mighty cry to heavens and earth. They will be witness to God's action to judge. The theme of judgment will be central to the rest of the psalm.

    In verse 5 God speaks, and his words are a sobering call to his "faithful ones." These are those who were in covenant with God. But their sacrifices will be the point of contention in the next few verses. Though they are called "faithful" and those in covenant, these descriptions will only be appropriate if they heed the divine words to follow.

    Verse 6 - NLT - RSV
    There will be no mistaking the fairness or seriousness of this judgment, since God is judge. The heavens are called to witness how perfectly the judgment will be rendered. None can protest the appropriateness of what he would say, for his authority is absolute.

    "Selah" is a term which has never been fully explained. It may indicate a pause in the recitation of the psalm, or perhaps denote a musical interlude.

    Verse 7 - NLT - RSV
    The great storm (vs. 3) breaks and the first charge from God is delivered (vs. 7-15). Any who would disregard this call to hear would be guilty of ultimate folly. But it was not just any diety who thus spoke, but the God who had chosen them as his people.

    Verses 8,9 - NLT - RSV
    The people observed the sacrificial ritual on a consistent basis. God did not rebuke them for keeping the sacrificial rituals consistently. Verse 9 gives the first hint of the problem. God would refuse their offerings. Why? The following verses will give the answer.

    Verses 10,11 - NLT - RSV
    All that exists -- beasts of the forest, cattle, birds, all that moves in the field, belongs to God. He created them and sustains them. If any Israelite offering an animal to God thought he was giving to God something God did not have, these verses disabuse them of this mistaken notion. Far above human ownership is divine ownership. A human cannot, in the ultimate sense, give anything to God. To think one could bestow on God that which he did not possess would be to elevate man to a position above God. God refuses their sacrifices because they are based on a false assumption that God needs the sacrifices or is in debt to the one providing the sacrifice.

    Verses 12,13 - NLT - RSV
    The psalm turns almost comical. How ridiculous to conceive of God as hungry and thirsty, able only to be satisfied by a human gift. The psalm may be using irony, drawing an exaggerated picture from the attitudes of the worshipers of pagan deities around Israel.

    Verses 14,15 - NLT - RSV
    What should the people do? Their proper response is caught up in "thanksgiving" as "call upon me," God reminds them. They must recognize their need, and that God is the only true Giver. They must learn humility and give thanks to God rather than thinking their sacrifices would put God in their debt.

    A variant reading to the first line of verse 14 is "make thanksgiving your sacrifice to God." The ultimate meaning is the same with either reading.

    God promises to deliver those who call upon him. For that to happen there must be a recognition of the need for deliverance. This verse stands as a call to humans to renounce that independence which feels no need for God. Pride, the bane of the human race, often stifles the recognition of the true human situation.

    Verses 16,17 - NLT - RSV
    Now the psalm addresses a second problem of the people -- evil behavior, in violation of the Ten Commandments. There are eight charges leveled in verses 17-20, and they involve breaking the seventh, eighth, and ninth commandments. People can cite God's commands, but words alone cannot conceal from the infallible judge the true scorn of the divine regulations.

    Verses 18-20 - NLT - RSV
    Now the psalm addresses a second problem of the people -- evil behavior, in violation of the Ten Commandments. There are eight charges leveled in verses 17-20, and they involve breaking the seventh, eighth, and ninth commandments. People can cite God's commands, but words alone cannot conceal from the infallible judge the true scorn of the divine regulations.

    Verse 21 - NLT - RSV
    In all their evil ways, the wicked supposed that God is not concerned. They misinterpreted his silence, mistakenly thinking it indicated that God approved of their actions. They did not realize that God always must call humans to account, even if it is on his time-table rather than on theirs. But the game was up, the silence was shattered, and the judgment had come.

    Verse 22 - NLT - RSV
    The doom of those forgetting God was terrible indeed, and is likened to a body being torn apart by a wild beast, with no hope of deliverance.

    Verse 23 - NLT - RSV
    Here, as is sometimes the case in the psalms, a closing verse acts as a summary. The first line repeats the divine word which offered a solution to the first problem -- thanklessness (vs. 14, 15). The second line, with its call to right living, is the mandate to the wicked if they expected to stand when the judgment came.

        For any who are inclined to take the matters of God lightly, this psalm is a sobering call to careful consideration of the issues involved if one exhibits such a flippant attitude.

    Devotional Applications

    • God meeting his people in worship is not a trivial matter. He is holy. He has entered into covenant with his people, calling them to be holy in reflection of his character. They should not enter into God's presence lightly. They should not come pretending to be his in worship and then living far from him.

    • God doesn't need our sacrifices. All creatures, all things, in the world were made by him and are his. What God wants from us is our thanksgiving, praise, and trust. He wants us to call upon him for help and trust him to answer. He loves to hear our words of praise.

    • God doesn't need our sacrifices. All creatures, all things, in the world were made by him and are his. What God wants from us is our thanksgiving, praise, and trust. He wants us to call upon him for help and trust him to answer. He loves to hear our words of praise.

    Posted: 03/10/2002
    URL: http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200203/20020310_psalm50.html

    (c) 2002 Dr. Tony Ash. Used by permission.

    (c) 1996-2006, Heartlight, Inc.