Sunday Devotional 27th November 2022
We are continuing to explore the knowledge of God as expressed in the Psalms. This week we are continuing to work through Psalm 50, a Psalm of Asaph.
Psalm 50:6–10
Psalms 50:6 And the heavens declare His righteousness, For God Himself is judge. Selah.
Psalms 50:7 Hear, O My people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you; I am God, your God.
Psalms 50:8 I do not reprove you for your sacrifices, And your burnt offerings are continually before Me.
Psalms 50:9 I shall take no young bull out of your house Nor male goats out of your folds.
Psalms 50:10 For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills.
Verse 6 tells us that the day will come when the heavens will declare the righteousness of God, as He Himself is the Almighty judge of all things. At that time, who He really is will not be able to be denied and all will see Him and themselves openly before them. There will be no appeal about anyone’s actions because all will be laid bare, including the heart and motives behind them. Every person will be required to take full ownership for all their actions.
The cry of David makes this clear in Psalm 51:4 when he says,
Psalm 51:4
Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is evil in Your sight,
So that You are justified when You speak
And blameless when You judge.
Often those in authority, justice or places of responsibility can be deceived. Many people have been credited as speaking or acting with integrity when it has not been the case. But on this day is not possible for that to happen. It is God Himself who sits on the throne and weighs the evidence. God will truly discern on that day, who had reverence for Him and who did not.
As the Psalm continues, we are told that God does not need us, we need Him. Further He says He will not take or accept anything from us unless our heart is right in offering it.
In addressing His people Israel God was reminding them of this – that He knew clearly that their heart was not in the sacrifices they were offering – therefore He took no pleasure in them.
There was something need to see here. What the Lord wanted His people to understand is that He really approved of any worship offered to Him and anything else we bring to Him. But His acceptance of it is conditional upon our heart being sincere towards Him. What we often fail to understand is that anything we do or bring, God could do it better by Himself.
He grants us the pleasure or privilege of worshipping Him, serving Him, bringing offerings before Him etc. but what He wants is for these things to come from a sincere heart of love and faith for Him. As we covered last week, we cannot allow these actions to become rituals or obligations. He already possesses the earth and everything in it (v. 10; Ps. 24:1). Why should He take their bulls and goats when He owns the cattle upon a thousand hills? The lesson is clear: God does not command us to give to Him something because He needs it from us.
What He does do, as this Psalm reflects is, call His people back to the heart of worship, emphatically reminding them/us that He did not need their sacrifices (v. 9). God is totally self-sufficient. He is the Creator and sustainer of the whole world. He is not a human being who needs food to survive. The people of the day had never seen God eat the flesh of their sacrifices or drink their blood (v. 13)?
As we come before Him in any form of worship or action we should remind ourselves that He created us for a relationship with Him. He has showered His love and grace on us, redeeming us from our sin and giving us the glorious privilege of fellowship with Him (John 1:3). He cares for us daily and provides everything we need (Matthew 6:30–32). We should offer our sacrifices to Him because we love Him. God wants us to worship Him from thankful hearts that overflow with gratitude for all He has done for us (v. 14a).
True worship is keeping God’s commandments and honouring our commitment to Him. He does not desire our sacrifices; He wants our hearts to be fully devoted to Him, resulting in our obedience to His Word and our passion for His Kingdom.
God bless you.
Bruce Billington