Action of God

DEVOTION

PSALMS

ACTION OF GOD

Ps 50

50:1 A psalm of Asaph.

The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets. 2 From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth. 3 Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages. 4 He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that he may judge his people: 5 "Gather to me my consecrated ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice." 6 And the heavens proclaim 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 do not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me. 9 I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, 10 for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. 12 If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it. 13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? 14 Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, 15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."

16 But to the wicked, God says:

"What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips? 17 You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you. 18 When you see a thief, you join with him; you throw in your lot with adulterers. 19 You use your mouth for evil and harness your tongue to deceit. 20 You speak continually against your brother and slander your own mother's son. 21 These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face.

22 "Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue: 23 He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God."

NIV

This song has three main parts. There is the one about God and one about the righteous and the other about the wicked. We may need to take a couple of days to get through this. Let’s consider just the righteous for now. But first we should note what God says about himself. God can summon the earth. God simply needs to speak and the whole earth can be shaken and drawn up into his presence. There is no place on earth that is not his, or that he cannot call into judgement. Every nations upon the earth, all the people of the earth are going to be called before him for judgement. He is coming to judge the earth, the peoples of the earth. He is coming with a devouring fire. He will not be silent, a devouring fire comes with him. This might well speak of the flames of the lake of burning sulfur. It might be his rage, his anger or wrath that will be poured out on the wicked. However he is also going to gather his people to himself. He is going to gather his consecrated ones, those who made a covenant with him by sacrifice. This should give us a picture of Romans 12, 1-2. Although we no longer cut the flesh of animals and pass between them as the Hebrew word translated covenant means, we are to present our flesh as a living sacrifice. God cuts our flesh, he circumcises our heart, he word is liken to a double edge sword.

Heb 4:12-13

12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

NIV

This is the new covenant God has made with us, through his Son, Jesus. We are the righteous because we are in Christ. We will be, in fact already have been, gathered to him. But is also speaks of the gathering, the taking up of his saints, his people to himself. This may be what we call the rapture, of it could be the final Day of Judgement. It is most likely the second as this second part speaks of the finality of the wicked. Yet within the second portion of this song God speaks to the righteous. He speaks about not needed anything from us as far as sacrifice is concerned. He only needs us. It is not about how much we can do for him, how many sacrifices we can make. He can’t or doesn’t want that kind of relationship with us. He wants us to simply be thankful for what he has done for us, is doing in us, and what is will do through us. The vow or promise we made before him was to follow Jesus, to accept Jesus into our heart, to bow before him as our Lord and Savior. He wants us to hold to that promise to be a believer and to call upon him, not upon ourselves. He wants us to trust him, which is why we call upon him in times of trouble. He will deliver us. This is all about what God will do, and not about what we can do. This is all about the actions of God.