December 22
Reading: Psalm 50
A Psalm of Asaph.
1 The Mighty One, God the LORD, speaks
and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth.
3 Our God comes; he does not keep silence;
before him is a devouring fire,
around him a mighty tempest.
4 He calls to the heavens above and to the earth,
that he may judge his people:
5 “Gather to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”
6 The heavens declare his righteousness,
for God himself is judge!
Selah
7 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak;
O Israel, I will testify against you.
I am God, your God.
8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
your burnt offerings are continually before me.
9 I will not accept a bull from your house
or goats from your folds.
10 For every beast of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds of the hills,
and all that moves in the field is mine.
12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and its fullness are mine.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and perform your vows to the Most High,
15 and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
16 But to the wicked God says:
“What right have you to recite my statutes
or take my covenant on your lips?
17 For you hate discipline,
and you cast my words behind you.
18 If you see a thief, you are pleased with him,
and you keep company with adulterers.
19 “You give your mouth free rein for evil,
and your tongue frames deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your brother;
you slander your own mother’s son.
21 These things you have done, and I have been silent;
you thought that I was one like yourself.
But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.
22 “Mark this, then, you who forget God,
lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!
23 The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
to one who orders his way rightly
I will show the salvation of God!”
Twelve psalms in the Psalter are attributed to Asaph. This is the first. Asaph was one of the Levites, a priest, prophet, skilled singer, and a great poet during the time of King David and Solomon. We read of Asaph’s ancestry in 1 Chronicles 6:39-43 and his duties in 1 Chronicles 16.
Psalm 50 is a prophetic psalm and carries a theme of warning and judgment. Much like what we see in many of the prophetic books, God speaks here as a covenant prosecutor, calling creation as His witness, identifying sin and pronouncing judgment.
This constitutes an important message for people in our time and place, as in any time and place. People today take a defiant attitude toward God, even as they claim not to believe in Him. Who is God to tell me what to do and how to live? Who is God to judge me on His terms and not my own?
He is “El Elohim Yahweh” (vs. 1) which is translated “The Mighty One, God the Lord.” These names, together, are the clearest and grandest way to express who God is. “El” is the ancient word for a god, but in Biblical usage it means God, the very highest of all the gods. “Elohim” means the creator God who made and reigns over all things. “Yahweh” means the self-existent one who makes and keeps His promises to His covenant people.
This God, the only real God, is beautiful (vs. 2), wrathful (vs. 3), and the rightful judge of every person whether a person likes it or not (vss. 4-6).
After a pause, beginning in verse 7, God directs His attention to His people who have forsaken Him and His commands. Do they think that they can buy Him off with sacrifices (vss. 8-13)? All things are already His. Be thankful and keep your covenant promises.
For those who reject Him or forget Him, He is coming (vss. 16-22). So it makes sense to humbly seek His salvation and walk in obedience for the glory of God.