Bible Study Psalms C50 V1-8

To Obey is better than Sacrifice (Psalm 50:1-8)
Psalm 50. A Psalm of Asaph (the first of his Psalms, also 73-83), a great singer & musician of David & Solomon’s era (1Chr 15:17-19, 16:5-7, 25:6), and a seer-prophet (1Chr 25:1, 2Chr 29:30). This is a Prophetic Psalm, a Sermon, where God speaks to His people (as with the Prophets). It starts with a description of a vision the future Day of Judgment, when God the Judge shall come from Heaven and appear in His glory to judge His People (v1-6). This is a warning to us of a coming public judgment, when all things will be brought to the light and dealt with. v1: “The Mighty One (El - the God of Might), God (Elohim, the Creator), the Lord (Jehovah - the I AM, self-existent eternal One, and God of covenant grace) has spoken and called the earth, from the rising of the sun to its going down (from east to west).” The Psalm begins by introducing God with a majestic heaping together of Divine Names, as if by a herald proclaiming the titles of a great Judge at the opening of a solemn court case. God then speaks and calls all the people of the earth to attend and witness the occasion, for all will see that justice has been done. Thus, it is a future public judgment, rather than His private inspection and judgment of our hearts and lives, which continually takes place at present. This vision of the future final judgment is a warning to His People to repent and live lives pleasing to Him, before it is too late (v22). v2: “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty (the heavenly Jerusalem, see v4, made beautiful by God’s Presence), God (Christ) will shine forth (from Heaven).” His light will bring all things into the light, even the motives of every heart and the things hidden in darkness (1Cor 4:5). Even now His light shines into every heart, revealing our true motives, calling us to repent (v7-22). v3a: “Our God shall come (into His Courtroom), and shall not (even ‘cannot’) keep silent.” His righteousness & justice demand that He must confront all sin & evil. At His 2nd Coming, Christ will come from Heaven to earth to Jerusalem to judge the world, and the whole earth will be gathered for that purpose. He will shine forth from His glorious throne in Jerusalem (Matt 25:31). v3b: “a FIRE shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous (storm, thunder, lightning, clouds) all around Him.” This powerful Psalm reveals a Theophany, with God appearing in fire and tempest to summon the entire world to His Judgment Seat. But if all eyes are on Him, His eyes are on His People (Israel). Fire is the emblem of justice in action, and the tempest a token of His overwhelming power. He is a consuming fire that destroys all evil (Ex 24:17, Deut 4:24, 9:3, Heb, 12:29). Our works will be judged by fire at His Judgment Seat (1Cor 3:13). Asaph built anticipation for this imminent Judgment, by using reminders of when God came down on Mount Sinai at Pentecost to give the Law, with thunderings, lightnings, a thick cloud, smoke and fire (Ex 19:16-20). The same God who personally came and appeared to give His People the Old Covenant (Law, especially the 10 Commandments in Ex 20) will also personally come and appear to judge them for her faithfulness to Him and His Covenant (in v7-23, He prepares them by confronting them about how they are failing to keep His Commandments. Likewise, the Church Age of the New Covenant began at Pentecost with God manifested in fire & rushing mighty wind (Acts 2:1-4), and will end with the Rapture and Judgment Seat of Christ, when He will judge us for our faithfulness to Him and His Covenant.
v4-5: “He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people: “Gather My saints (recipients of His chesed - covenant grace) together to Me, those who have made (ratified, lit: ‘cut’) a covenant with Me by (lit: ‘over’, on the basis of) sacrifice (blood sacrifice).” God is above the heavens, even when He is on earth in Christ. This is a public judgment, for He calls and assembles the whole heavens and earth to be witnesses. God gathers His saints for judgment before the witnessing world. The surprise is that He does not begin by judging the nations, but His people Israel, who cut a blood covenant with Him at Sinai (Ex 24), for judgment begins with the people of God. By extension this applies also to the Church, His people related to Him through the New Covenant cut (established) in the Blood of Christ (1Pet 4:17). Although true believers will not face a judgment of condemnation for sin, for they’ve trusted in Christ for their salvation, they will face the Judgment Seat of Christ (Rom 14:10, 2Cor 5:10), where their motives & works will be judged, for the sake of eternal rewards. God will certainly judge the unbelieving world, but has the right to begin His judgment among His own.....
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