Psalm 50

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 50:15

Verse 15 In the fifteenth verse we have first an injunction to prayer, then a promise of its being answered, and afterwards a call to thanksgiving. We are enjoined to pray in the day of trouble, but not with the understanding that we are to pray only then, for prayer is a duty incumbent upon us every day, and every moment of our lives. Be our situation ever so comfortable and exempt from disquietude, we must never cease to engage in the exercise of supplication, remembering that, if God should... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 50:16

Verse 16 16But unto the wicked, etc. He now proceeds to direct his censures more openly against those whose whole religion lies in an observance of ceremonies, with which they attempt to blind the eyes of God. An exposure is made of the vanity of seeking to shelter impurity of heart and life under a veil of outward services, a lesson which ought to have been received by all with true consent, but which was peculiarly ungrateful to Jewish ears. It has been universally confessed, that the worship... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 50:17

Verse 17 17.Also thou hatest correction Here hypocrites are challenged with treacherous duplicity in denying, by their life and their works, that godliness which they have professed with the lip. Their contempt of God he proves from their want of reverential deference to his Word; subjection to the Word of God, and cordial submission to his precepts and instructions, being the surest test of religious principle. One way in which hypocrisy usually displays itself is, by the ingenious excuses it... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 50:21

Verse 21 21These things hast thou done Hypocrites, until they feel the hand of God against them, are ever ready to surrender themselves to a state of security, and nothing is more difficult than to awaken their apprehensions. By this alarming language the Psalmist aims at convincing them of the certainty of destruction should they longer presume upon the forbearance of God, and thus provoke his anger the more, by imagining that he can favor the practice of sin. The greatest dishonor which any... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 50:22

Verse 22 22Now consider this, ye that forget God Here we have more of that severe expostulation which is absolutely necessary in dealing with hardened hypocrites, who otherwise will only deride all instruction. While, however, the Psalmist threatens and intends to alarm them, he would, at the same time, hold out to them the hope of pardon, upon their hastening to avail themselves of it. But to prevent them from giving way to delay, he warns them of the severity, as well as the suddenness, of... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 50:23

Verse 23 23Whoso offereth praise will glorify me This is the third time that the Psalmist has inculcated the truth, that the most acceptable sacrifice in God’s sight is praise, by which we express to him the gratitude of our hearts for his blessings. The repetition is not a needless one, and that on two accounts. In the first place, there is nothing with which we are more frequently chargeable than forgetfulness of the benefits of the Lord. Scarcely one out of a thousand attracts our notice;... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 50:1

The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken . A combination of three names of God—viz. El, Elohim, and Jehovah—only found here and in Joshua 22:22 . There it is translated "the Lord God of gods," which is a possible rendering. Separately, the three names seem to mean, "The Mighty One," "The Many in One" (Cheyne) or "The Three in One," and '"The Self-Existent One." He who is all these, the psalmist announces, "has spoken," and called (or, summoned ) the earth from the rising of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 50:1-15

False to covenant. God comes to Zion, as he once came to Sinai, amidst fire and tempest, calling upon the heavens and the earth to be his witnesses, while he summons his people to judgment, in which he proclaims how they had been false to the covenant that was between them. I. THE ACCUSATION . ( Psalms 50:7-13 .) 1 . They had forgotten the spiritual relations between them. ( Psalms 50:5-7 .) They were "his saints," "his people; he was God, even their God." And he had to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 50:1-23

The psalm consists of four portions: 1. An introduction (divided off by the pause-mark, "Selah," from the rest of the psalm), announcing the "appearance," and calling on heaven and earth to witness it ( Psalms 50:1-6 ). 2. An address to the godly Israelites ( Psalms 50:7-15 ). 3. An address to the ungodly Israelites ( Psalms 50:16-21 ). 4. A conclusion, divided equally between threat and promise ( Psalms 50:22 , Psalms 50:23 ). The psalm is ascribed to Asaph,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 50:1-23

The Judge, the judged, and the eternal judgment. A psalm-writer whom we have not met before, appears to have penned this psalm—Asaph. But whether it was by him or for his choir is somewhat uncertain. " Asaph was the leader and superintendent of the Levitic choirs appointed by David ( 1 Chronicles 16:4 , 1 Chronicles 16:5 ; cf. 2 Chronicles 29:30 ). He and his sons presided over four out of the twenty-four groups, consisting each of twelve Levites, who conducted, in turn, the... read more

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 50:15

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 50:16

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 50:17

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 50:21

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 50:22

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 50:23

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 50:1

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 50:1-15

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 50:1-23

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 50:1-23

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