Thought to Guide Your Reading
God cares more for the why of obedience than the what of obedience.Psalm (P)Synopsis
Psalm 50
Asaph writes of God convening court. God tells Israel that He does not need their sacrifices because everything belongs to Him already. All He wanted was banquets of praise. To the wicked He complains that though they claim to follow His Law they do not love others. God is about to pass His Sentence and show His Salvation.Psalm 53
The fools have deluded Israel into thinking God is dead. When God looks out He sees a herd of sheep following one of their own instead of their Shepherd. They will be punished, so David cries for a savior to help Israel!Psalm 60
David is in battle and cannot see God's work. He is afraid God has left them high and dry. He cries out for God to use them because they are ready but need help with their hard tasks.Psalm 75
God calls His Meeting to order. Asaph warns the wicked not to fight against God because He will smash them to tiny bits. God can also save the righteous from any situation. The arms of the wicked are dry, dead branches. The arms of the righteous are strong, green branches.How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right
Although God wants our worship, He does not "need" our sacrifices.
God's message to Israel is that the sacrifices they give Him are not for His benefit but for theirs. If He needed blood He could go down to His creation and kill hundreds of animals. Instead He wanted Israel to praise Him. God wants our praise not our sacrifices.God's complaint against the wicked: study without application.
I don't like Psalm 50:16-21. I like quoting God's laws. I like talking about God as though we were good friends. I wish He had stopped there. But he doesn't, because I tend to stop with quoting. God requires application of His Law instead of quotation of His Law.When God's People leave God, they become sheep herding sheep.
Sheep herding sheep is silly. Sheep do not know how to be safe. They don't know where to sleep so that predators don't get to them. They only know how to be sheep—cute, wooly, and dumb. When God's People leave His flock they have no one to lead them. So they set up their own as guide. Don't let sheep guide you!David feels left behind but not abandoned.
David knows God left because of their lack of faith. Fortunately, He did not abandon them. David knows God will defeat their enemies because no one else could help them. Trust in God, even when you feel He has left. God will never abandon you.Are you telling the story of God Eternal?
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