Sunday, January 4, 2009 pm
THE MIGHTY
ONE SPEAKS TO ALL THE EARTH
PSALM 50
Tonight we examine another psalm.
This is the first of 12 psalms ascribed to Asaph.
Exactly who this Asaph is we do not know.
There are at least 4 men with this name in the Old Testament.
The first was one of 3 chief musicians of David (1 Chron. 6:39), many
believe he is the author of this psalm OR it is a psalm dedicated to him.
Other Asaphs were an ancestor of the recorder for Hezekiah (2 Kings
18:18, 37), a gatekeeper of the 2nd temple (1 Chron. 26:1), and
keeper of the royal forest under Artaxerxes (Neh. 2:8).
But exactly which one it is, is not as important
as the message. This psalm is a call
to all the earth where God speaks to them rebuking their wickedness.
I.
Let all the earth heed (1-6)
a.
The Mighty
One, God the Lord. Three words to
describe God. One describing His
deity, another His power and sovereignty (Elohim – used often of the God of
Israel), and the third, Jehovah – His name.
b.
He has
spoken and called the earth. This
is God speaking – and when He speaks, ALL concerned NEED to listen!
c.
Out of
Zion. He speaks from His throne.
Recall that in times past we have noted that Zion, while physically a
reference to Jerusalem, quite frequently also has reference to heaven where the
throne of God is. Here God speaks or
shines forth from His place!
Another consideration is that this is HIS word presented.
It SHINES forth, meaning it reveals God’s
glory. Consider Rev. 1:16 where
Christ is described, “His countenance like the sun” and Rev. 21:23, which
describes the city of God being illuminated by God and the Lamb.
d.
He shall
come and not keep silent. (3)
In His time, His judgment will take
place.
Who can silence God?
I am reminded of the book of Job, where for days God puts up with the
nonsense of Job’s so-called friends, but when He speaks none can answer.
Our God may be long-suffering, but He will only put up with so much!
e.
A fire
shall devour before Him and winds blow.
(3) Fire is often associated with His appearance and so are powerful winds.
It demonstrates a power that none can resist.
At Mt. Sinai – Ex. 19:18, as He appeared to Moses at the burning bush – Ex. 3,
coming 2 Thess. 1:8-9 in judgment against the wicked.
This is summarized in Hebrews 12:29, “For our God is a consuming fire.”
f.
He calls to
the heavens and to the earth in judgment.
In this I am reminded of His omnipresence and
omnipotence. He is all powerful and
everywhere.
g.
He calls
together His saints in judgment and those who have made a covenant with Him.
This is clearly His people.
If this is dealing with a time when God is about to pour out His wrath against
an ungodly earth, we find Him gathering His own to Himself first – much like He
will do in the final judgment (cf. Matt. 25:31-33), OR this could be a call to
His saints to challenge them. What
we read in the next section is a rebuke against Israel
h.
The heavens
declare His righteousness (6).
His judgment will not be hidden, as sure as nature submits to Him, so His
will shall be done.
II.
A call to Israel (7-15)
a.
A testimony
AGAINST Israel – The condemnation
of God was not only against the ungodly of the world.
But when those who are SUPPOSED to be His followers fail to properly
serve Him, they too will face His judgment and rebuke.
A study of Israel’s history shows that they continually rebelled against
God and often incurred His wrath. – from the time of their wilderness wanderings
to their ultimate destruction as a nation by Rome in A.D. 70.
As Peter said in 1 Peter 4:17, “For the
time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with
us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?”
Why begin with His own people? Because they know better and have no
excuse (see John 15:22).
Furthermore, such will set an example for the rest of the world – whether they
repent or are punished.
b.
I will not
rebuke your sacrifices (8) – This
is an interesting statement as it notes that the way in which they sacrificed
was proper. At this time, they were
following the letter of the law – OUTWARDLY!
But as we shall see, there is a problem!
c.
I will not
take a bull or goat from your house - All things belong to Him
(9-13). The Lord here says He doesn’t NEED their bulls and goats – as if
He could not survive without them.
Before explaining the problem, Jehovah God declares a truth for all to consider.
He created all things and owns all things.
What we have, for lack of a better term, is on loan from Him.
God knows every domesticated beast, every wild beast, every bird, etc.
He knows and takes care of them at His discretion.
Jesus spoke more than once of these this- Matt. 6:26, 10:29-31, Luke
12:24, etc.
Speaking about consideration for others in our eating Paul said, “Eat
whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake;
for ‘the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.” (1 Cor. 10:25-26)
Vs. 12-13 are interesting in that they note that if God were hungry he
would not tell them (us) because He could feed Himself without man’s help.
Furthermore, is His delight in physical offerings?
Could physical flesh and blood fill Him up?
d.
Offer to
God thanksgiving and pay your vows
(14-15).
What was the problem with Israel? It
was their heart! What they were
doing outwardly was mere ritual. It
was not from within them.
God demands more than mere ritual.
He demands purity of heart.
He demands humility.
Acts 17:24-25 where Paul spoke to the Athenians noted that, “God
who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth,
does not dwell in temples made with hands.
Nor is He worshipped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything,
since he gives life, breath, and all things.”
Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore
brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”
1 Peter 2:5 says, “you also, as living
stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
Matthew 23:23 summarizes what we are saying here, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint
and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:
justice, mercy and faith. These you
ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.”
The last verse of our psalm (50:23) emphasizes this fact.
Further, God demands that we keep our vows to Him.
When we make a commitment to God, He expects us to keep it – with
diligence and sincerity. Eccl. 5:4-5,
Matt. 5:37, etc.
That means more to Him than going
through the outward motions.
e.
There is
another consideration before we move on.
Some believe that in these verses, because God minimizes their physical
sacrifice, He was actually looking forward to the sacrifice of Christ which
would abolish the Old Law and its animal sacrifices and replace them with
sacrifices of the heart (cf. Heb. 10:4, etc.).
That is a true point, but it is not necessarily implied in this text.
f.
They are
challenged to “call upon me in the day of trouble.”
Such are called upon to go to Him in faith!
Trust Him and put Him first.
Heb. 11:6, Jas. 5:13 – is anyone suffering? Pray to God!
They needed humility – 1 Peter 5:5-7
Also, in matters of sin - REPENT!
I am reminded of the sorcerer in Acts 8:22 who was told, “Repent
therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your
hearth may be forgiven you.”
That is a matter of the heart.
III.
A call to the wicked of the earth (16-23)
a.
God now
speaks to the wicked of the world.
(16) This is the other half who has
rejected God all together.
b.
What right
do they have to declare His statutes
–
How does God feel about those who quote His word while living corrupt lives?
How does He feel about those who twist His words to their own
destruction? Such is an insult to Him.
Matt. 7:22-23, Romans 2:23-24,
Romans 1:18 says, “For the wrath of God is
revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who
suppress the truth in unrighteousness.”
The rest of the chapter describes what they did in their depraved state
including vs. 21-23 which says, “because,
although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but
became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the
incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man – and birds and
four-footed animals and creeping things.”
Then consider the sins they engaged in.
And compare that to the rest of our psalm.
c.
They hated
instruction and His words
(17), 2 Thess. 2:10-11, 2 Tim. 4:3-4, etc.
Jesus summarized this in John 3:20, “For
everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest
his deeds should be exposed.”
d.
They
participated with and defended thieves and adulterers
(18). There are many ways men can be
guilty of this. We suffice it to
note Romans 1:32 which speaks not only of those who are practicing evil, but
also those who approve of their deeds as being worthy of death.
Remember what Paul said in Eph. 5:11-13, “And
have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather
expose them…”
e.
Their
mouths were corrupt (19-20).
Just like James describes in James 3:5-9.
How often do we warn of the dangers of the tongue?
The wicked abuse the tongue all the time.
f.
The Lord
tolerated these things and kept silent, but no more!
(21)
In reality, this is an example of the Lord’s longsuffering – 2 Peter 3:9,
Romans 9:22.
Some even boasted that God, because He held His peace approved of their
wickedness. That is untrue! 2 Peter
3:4 where some mocked asking, “Where is the promise of His coming?”
g.
A call to
repentance (22-23).
Just like the wayward of Israel
were rebuked and repentance was demanded, so it is with the ungodly of the
world. The ONLY way the worldly will
be saved is if they repent and obey God!
Acts 2:38, 17:30-31, 3:19.
And thus we see another psalm.
This one is different as it is a call to all mankind.
But it is my hope that those to whom this song was addressed does NOT
apply to us. But if it does, then
remember what they were told to do.
Repent! It STILL applies today as
much as it did then. When God
speaks, do you truly listen?