Psalm 50: A Psalm of Asaph.
1 The Mighty One, God the Lord, has spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun to its going down. 2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth. 3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him. 4 He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people: 5 “Gather My saints together to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.” 6 Let the heavens declare His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge. Selah
7 “Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God! 8 I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are continually before Me. 9 I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats out of your folds. 10 For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. 12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine, and all its fullness. 13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? 14 Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High. 15 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 declare My statutes, or take My covenant in your mouth, 17 seeing you hate instruction and cast My Words behind you? 18 When you saw a thief, you consented with him, and have been a partaker with adulterers. 19 You give your mouth to 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 kept silent; you thought that I was altogether like you; but I will rebuke you, and set them in order before your eyes. 22 Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver: 23 Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.”
“Asaph— Berechiah's son, an important tabernacle musician during King David's reign (1 Chr 6:31-32, 39). Along with Heman, the head singer, and Ethan, Asaph was appointed to sound bronze cymbals during the ceremony when the ark was brought to the new tabernacle (1 Chr 15:1-19). David appointed Asaph to serve ‘by giving constant praise and thanks to the Lord God of Israel’ (1 Chr 16:4-5, TLB) and to lead Israel in a special psalm of praise (1 Chr 16:7-36). Along with his relatives he ministered daily before the ark (1 Chr 16:37; 25:6, 9; 1 Esd 1:15; 5:27, 59). He was also described as David's private prophet (1 Chr 25:1-2). Asaph's name appears in the superscriptions of Psalms 50 and 73-83.” (Tyndale)
"The inscription of this psalm bears the name of Asaph; but whether he was the author of it, or merely received it as chief singer from the hand of David, cannot be known. This, however, is a matter of little consequence.” (John Calvin) It only matters how WE respond to its content— another Proverb, as in Psalm 49— a wise, moral, and divine maxim. (Sutcliffe)
”The Mighty One— Elohim, Jehovah; the God of gods; Jehovah— has spoken." Let us hear Him. “He is the supreme Lord of heaven and earth, the Lawgiver and Judge of men and angels; to whom the greatest kings and potentates are but subjects; the infinite, the eternal, who changes not; hath spoken and called the earth, etc.” (Joseph Benson) “The names of God are heaped up... in order to gain a thoroughly full-toned exordium for the description of God as the Judge of the world.” (Keil & Delitzsch) Our God and Savior has “’called the earth from the rising of the sun to its going down,’ from the beginning of time until the end of it. “The psalmist hears God calling the whole world from east to west.” (F. B. Meyer)
“’Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth.’ Here is evidently the gospel church. The law was given on mount Sinai: the gospel on mount Zion; Hebrews 12:18-22.” (Hawker's Poor Man's Commentary) “The meaning here is, that the great principles which are to determine the destiny of mankind in the final judgment are those which proceed from Zion; or, those which are taught in the religion of Zion; they are those which are inculcated through the church of God. God has there made known his law; he has stated the principles on which he governs, and on which he will judge the world” (Albert Barnes) — both the righteous and the wicked, according to our creed.
“‘Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: and fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him.’ As when God gave His law in mount Sinai He appeared terrible with thunder and tempest, so will he appear terrible to take account for the keeping of it.” (Geneva Study Bible) “…His people will be gathered in His presence, for He has a controversy with them; He declares unto them the righteousness which He as their God requires.” (Arno Gaebelein) “'I will not rebuke [rather Judgment] you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are continually before Me. I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats out of your folds. For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.’ He does not want their ritual services, sacrifices and offerings, but He requires that which is the fruit of true faith, the sacrifice of thanksgiving and practical righteousness of life.” (Arno Gaebelein) “Those sacrifices themselves mean nothing to God because he does not need them. He owns everything.” (Jefferson Vann)
Rather than ritual, in Spirit and in truth: “‘Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.’ God wanted His people to give Him what giving their animals and produce represented, namely, their gratitude. Thank offerings expressed gratitude for something God had done for the offerer. Votive offerings were also expressions of thanks. God wanted His people to look to Him for their needs, and when He provided, He wanted them to honor Him with gratitude.” (Constable)
But to the wicked God says in effect, you have no right to speak of the Ten Commandments, nor insist that they be posted in court houses or that prayer be allowed in schools. His words are for us all. "We have no right to declare God’s statutes, if our hearts hide wickedness in their secret chambers.” (F. B Meyer) He speaks “of the Israelites’ hypocrisy. They loved what God hated.” (Dr. Thomas B . Constable)
“God comes in fire and tempest to judge his people (vv. 3–6). ‘Call upon me in the day of trouble,’ he invites the godly; ‘I will deliver you, and you will honor me’ (v. 15). But to the wicked God says: ‘What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips?’ (v. 16). ‘Consider this,’ he says to those who forget God, ‘or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue’ (v. 22). The picture is the usual one. God comes in fire storm for judgment. It is symbolic, and its words are chosen for impact rather than literal description. But they teach something, and what they teach is conveyed to the emotions by the threat, ‘I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue.’” (The Fire That Consumes by Edward Fudge)
“‘Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.’ First, we must offer the sacrifice of praise, for we are priests and must not be slack in presenting the fruit of our lips. See Hebrews 13:15. —‘Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess His name.’ But in addition we must order our behavior, or way, aright. It is a solemn thing to be entrusted with the great opportunity of living. Every passing moment should have something committed to it to keep in store. We dare not live by haphazard or chance. We must order our ways with prayerful deliberation.” (F. B Meyer)