Psalm 50: The Song of the Judge

“The Mighty One, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.” (Psalm 50:1)

The Psalms give us the voice of God. When we think of the Psalms, we typically think of a poet pouring his heart out to the Lord, but there are also psalms that are the opposite: God pouring out his heart to his people. And, of course, all Scripture is breathed out by God, so the mystery of inspired revelation is nowhere more clear than in these psalms, the conversations between the human and the divine.

The Woven Psalms is a reflective, unhurried, and practical podcast about praying every psalm in the Bible. This podcast is a ministry of Rock Hill Community Church in Duluth, MN. You can learn more about our work at www.wovenpsalms.com.

Mike Solis is our writer and host. Ethan Gibbs is our editor, producer, and composer of the theme music. Beau Walsh designed our logo. This episode features the song “Psalm 50” by Poor Bishop Hooper, and we want to thank them for allowing us to use the music from their EveryPsalm project. You can learn more about their music at www.poorbishophooper.com.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

Transcript

The Psalms give us the voice of God. When we think of the Psalms, we typically think of a poet pouring his heart out to the Lord, but there are also psalms that are the opposite: God pouring out his heart to his people. And, of course, all Scripture is breathed out by God, so the mystery of inspired revelation is nowhere more clear than in these psalms, the conversations between the human and the divine.

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!”

Psalm 50 is the first of the psalms of Asaph, who was the head of a Levitical family of musicians appointed by David (you can see him pop up in 1 Chronicles 15). Interestingly, it’s the only psalm of Asaph in Book II of the Psalms. The other eleven are in Book III, so it seems intentionally set apart and placed here in the Psalter. We’ll get to the reasons why in a moment, because the opening lines of this psalm are bold and attention-grabbing: “The Mighty One, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.” Just like God came down at Mt. Sinai to meet the people of Israel, here Asaph imagines God coming down on Mt. Zion (Jerusalem) to meet with the entire world. There are three names of God packed into the very first verse: El (which was used often by the patriarchs of Genesis), Elohim (the generic term for God), and YHWH (the covenantal name given to Moses at the burning bush). Later in the psalm Asaph uses the terms “Most High” (which is connected to Melchizedek) and “Eloah” (which is a poetic spin on Elohim). It’s like he is using these different names to span Israel’s history and give the full picture of our remarkable God. We certainly get a vivid sight in the next verses, which echo the thunder and fire of Sinai. Verses 3-4: “Our God comes; he does not keep silence; before him is a devouring fire, around him a mighty tempest. He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people…” Wait, so God is judging his own people? This is the surprise twist. We may have assumed that God was gathering the nations to gaze upon his power and beauty (like in Psalm 48), but instead, God is calling witnesses to a courtroom trial. The accused? Israel, God’s chosen people. All rise for the honorable Judge, who opens the trial with these words in verse 5: “Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!” The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge!” It’s striking that Israel’s special calling isn’t downplayed but rather emphasized. They are the ones who have covenant partnership with God, sealed with the blood of sacrifices, so that they might display God’s glory to the watching world. But the tables have turned. The world is watching. The Judge is here. The ones who were meant to be faithful are called on trial for evidence of their guilt.

Verses 7-15 lay out the LORD’s first accusation against his people. The Judge speaks,  “Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God. Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me. I will not accept a bull from your house or goats from your folds.” Apparently, Israel at this time was extremely consistent at keeping up with the sacrifices required in the Mosaic law (the sin offering, the grain offering, and so forth). And yet these sacrifices are unacceptable to God. Why? The reason is unstated because it’s such a common biblical topic that it doesn’t need to be said. Nearly every time God rejects a sacrifice in the Bible, it’s because the worshiper is offering the sacrifice while disqualified by their own impure heart and wicked life. This is a repeated theme in the prophets: God wants a relationship, not merely a ritual. Mechanical, unthinking piety is not piety at all. God goes on to address one major misunderstanding of sacrifice in the ancient world, which is assuming that God needs our offerings to sustain him or give him power. Verse 10: “For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?” The God of the Bible is not like the little pagan deities of the ancient world. He owns all the animals (because, after all, he made them). He doesn’t need human beings to meet his needs (because, after all, he made us too). What, then, is the purpose of sacrifice? Verses 14-15: “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” The sacrifices of the Mosaic law (like every element of liturgical worship in the old and new covenants) are means to love God more deeply and obey him more faithfully. This is the connection to the psalms around it and perhaps why this psalm of Asaph was placed here: God wants our hearts, and whenever we unthinkingly or automatically perform religious rituals, we are missing the heart of true worship. Asaph is calling us to remember the instructions of the first commandment: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.”

If verses 1-5 echo the majesty of Mt. Sinai and verses 7-15 remember the first few of the Ten Commandments, the rest of the psalm alludes to the second half of the Ten. Before, God the Judge indicted the misuse of sacrifice, but now he comes after the misuse of our lives. Verse 16: “But to the wicked God says: ‘What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips? For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you. If you see a thief, you are pleased with him, and you keep company with adulterers. You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother’s son.’ Do you hear the commandments? You shall not steal, you shall not commit adultery, and so on. We get a snapshot of a wicked, religious hypocrite, someone who can recite the Torah accurately but have no regard whatsoever for the God who spoke the Torah. These sorts of people might, at first glance, look like they belong among God’s covenant people, but if we look a little closer, if we watch them carefully, if we see what they do when they think no one is watching, then the truth comes out. Interestingly, this wicked person does some wrong things themselves (like telling lies or spreading slander), but they also participate in sin vicariously (being pleased with thieves and keeping company with adulterers). Enjoying sinful behaviors second-hand is just as guilty as engaging in them yourself. We’re seeing a feature of Asaph’s psalms, that they often take a prophetical tone, like a covenantal lawsuit that is meant to correct and bring repentance. That tone continues in the final verses, where the Judge speaks his sentence on the guilty: “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. Mark this, then, you who forget God, lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver! The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!” First, God remains silent for a time. Like a parent giving their child some space to see how they will act, whether they will be responsible or reveal their disobedience, so God sometimes takes a step back to see what we will do. Will the fruit of our lives match what we say we believe? If not, God then rebukes us and steps in to remind us that he alone is the holy King. But for those who repent, who come back to the true purpose of sacrifice, who change both their ways and their worship, God delights to save and rescue us. The ending of Psalm 50, like Psalm 1, presents two roads and asks, “Which sentence will you choose? Will you stubbornly suffer forever under the just wrath of God, or will you suffer humility and repentance now to then be freed from all your guilt?”

When Jesus met with Nicodemus, a teacher of the law, Jesus said these famous words about his mission: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Yet the verse that follows is just as important: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” The purpose of the Father sending Jesus to become incarnate was to offer a way of escape from judgment. The Mighty One, Elohim Yahweh, the one who spoke the universe into being, became flesh and dwelt among us. He did not come as a devouring fire or a mighty tempest. He came as a child who grew in wisdom and stature. Jesus did not abolish the law of Moses but fulfilled it and showed how everything in the old covenant—the sacrifices, the temple, the ethics, and more—found their true meaning in him. He exposed the hypocrisy of those who used God and religion to hide their wicked souls. He spent time in the company of tax collectors and prostitutes, not to enjoy their sin but to show them the source of true joy in following him. He showed that worship involves a heart of utter dependance and a life of practical obedience. And ultimately, Jesus offered himself the final sacrifice that would permanently take away the stain and guilt of sin. Three days later, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world rose again, and one day he will return to judge the living and the dead. Right now, all who know and believe in him have seen the salvation of God in the person of our risen Lord. We do not worship with ritual or hypocrisy but in spirit and in truth. We long for Jesus to return and to hear these glorious words, “Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by the sacrifice of Jesus our Savior!”

What might prompt you to pray the words of Psalm 50? Here are some practical situations when you might incorporate this psalm into your life:

When the sun rises and sets, ordained to run its course by the command of the Mighty One, God the LORD.

When you long to see the light of God shine in your life.

When you read the story of Israel meeting God at Mt. Sinai and it fills you, like it did them, with fear and trembling.

When you read the laws of sacrifice in Leviticus and elsewhere to remind yourself of their meaning and purpose.

When you sense that you have been following God on autopilot, without much thought or heart.

When you have a misguided view of wealth and need to see everything you own as belonging to God and gifted to you as a steward.

When you eat meat, a small act that can remind you that God is not like us and does not need to be sustained by physical means.

When you want to offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, not to earn his favor but to celebrate his favor.

When you realize that you are a hypocrite and that some important parts of your life don’t align with what God wants from us.

When you are tempted to take pleasure in the wrongdoing of others or even to join into their wicked ways.

When you desire your religion to change your heart in a radical way, not just to give you an outward appearance of holiness. 

When you sit in silence before God in humble repentance.

When you read the book of Hebrews and understand that Jesus is the only means by which we can be in a right relationship with God.

When you rededicate yourself to thanksgiving and righteousness so that the salvation of God may shine in your life.

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!”

Thank you for listening to the Woven Psalms. This podcast is a ministry of Rock Hill Community Church in Duluth, MN.

I’m Mike Solis. I’m a pastor at Rock Hill and the writer of this podcast. Ethan Gibbs is our producer, editor, and composer of the theme music. Our logo was designed by Beau Walsh. This podcast uses the English Standard Version, published by Crossway.

We want to give a special thanks to Poor Bishop Hooper for allowing us to use the music from their EveryPsalm project.

If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, please share it with others. You can learn more about our work at wovenpsalms.com.