Psalms 50:1

PSALM 50

A PROPHETIC GLIMPSE OF THE ETERNAL JUDGMENT

The superscription entitles this psalm as "A Psalm of Asaph." This is the very first of the twelve Asaph Psalms, the other eleven being Psalms 72-82 at the beginning of Book Three of the Psalter.

"In 1 Chronicles 16:5, Asaph is described as the chief of sacred music, in the tent where the Ark was placed, who played the cymbals. He is often mentioned along with Heman and Ethan, but never first. Not only was Asaph a musician, but he was also a Psalm writer ... In 2 Chronicles 29:30, Hezekiah is said to have brought the words of David and of Asaph the seer into use again in the service of the house of the Lord (The Temple)."[1] These words fully establish the inspiration of Asaph; but as Leupold wrote, "We could wish that we knew more about Asaph."[2]

Several different titles have been suggested for this psalm, Leupold entitled it, "True Worship." Yates named it, "The Nature of True Worship." Addis has, "God Looks to Conduct Rather than Sacrifice." Delitzsch gave it this heading, "Concerning the True Sacrifice and Worship." "God Addresses His People" is the title used in Interpreter's Bible. Rhodes headed it, "Before the Judgment Bar of God"; McCaw named it, "Man Impeached in Heaven's Court"; Kidner labeled it, "The Judge breaks Silence"; and Baigent suggested, "God's Assessment of His People's Worship."

Just to read these titles gives a fair idea of what the psalm contains. However, our own title which we have assigned to this psalm is different from any cited above. We shall attempt to justify this.

Scholars have not generally named this psalm as a prophecy, although Rhodes did call it a "Prophetic Liturgy";[3] but there is one respect in which it surely is just that, a prophecy of the Eternal Judgment. The true Judge of All the Earth is not the Father but the Son (John 5:22); and the tremendous theophany of these first six verses, in which God is represented as convening Heaven's court, calling all the world to appear, and summonsing his people before his throne for judgment -all of this speaks eloquently of the Final Judgment.

Of course, when the psalm was written, Israel had no knowledge of the Son of God; and therefore the terminology of the entire psalm is that of the First Israel only; but when Christ came, he made it perfectly clear that the principles of judgment announced here would also be binding in that Great Assize before the Great White Throne.

There are a number of things that support a prophetic view here. (1) As a matter of history, God did not formally judge the Old Israel, as represented here. (2) In no sense did God "come" (Psalms 50:3) from heaven to earth for such a Court Scene as this during the days of the old Israel's history. Furthermore (3) "The grandeur and solemnity of the majestic appearance of God himself in these verses resembles that of his giving of the Law of Moses at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16; 20:18)." However, no such grand occasion as that ever took place in the subsequent history of Israel. Therefore, we are driven to the conclusion that we have here a prophetic glimpse of the Eternal Judgment that shall close this Dispensation of God's Grace. (4) There is the additional fact that a prophetic interpretation does no violence whatever to what is written here. This is true because every word spoken here certainly had its application to the Old Testament Israel. (5) Most convincing of all, however, is the simple truth stated in the Gospel of John, Neither doth the Father judge any man, but he hath given all judgment unto the Son (John 5:22).

Of course, this psalm speaks of "God's" judging his people, but the "God" here referred to is "God the Son," unto whom all judgment has been committed by the Father.

We shall follow the outline of the psalm that was proposed by the great Methodist scholar, Adam Clarke.

I. God Summons All Men Before His Throne of Judgment (Psalms 50:1-6).

II. God Expresses Disapproval of their Sacrifices (Psalms 50:7-13).

III. God Reveals What He Expects of Them (Psalms 50:14-15).

IV. God Speaks `To the Wicked' (Psalms 50:16-22).

V. Blessedness of the True Worshipper whose life Does not Negate it (Psalms 50:23).[4]

God's Summons of All Nations to Judgment

Psalms 50:1-6

"The Mighty One, God, Jehovah hath spoken,

And called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.

Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,

God hath shined forth.

Our God cometh, and doth not keep silence:

A fire devoureth before him,

And it is very tempestuous round about him.

He calleth to the heavens above,

And to the earth that he may judge his people:

Gather together my saints unto me,

Those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.

And the heavens shall declare his righteousness;

For God is judge himself. (Selah)"

"The first six verses here seem to contain a description of the Great Judgment. It seems impossible to assign them to any minor consideration."[5]

"The Mighty One, God, Jehovah" (Psalms 50:1). This impressive array of titles, includes two general names for God, and the special covenant name, Jehovah. "The three names are, `[~'El],' `[~'Elohiym]', and `Jehovah.'"[6]

"Mighty One, God, Jehovah" (Psalms 50:1), The Hebrews used many names for God, often using them synonymously as here. Of all the critical nonsense which this writer has read in a lifetime of study, nothing is any more ridiculous than the so-called documentary hypothesis regarding the writing of the Book of Moses (called the Pentateuch), in which different names of God are alleged to indicate different writers. Can anyone believe that "three different writers composed Psalms 50:1?" or that "five different authors" wrote Genesis 49:24-25? This combination of names for God is also found in Joshua 22:22. The evidence is overwhelming that the Jews customarily used multiple names for God, very frequently using them as synonyms, with no indication whatever that they indicated multiple authorships of passages where they were thus used.

"Out of Zion" (Psalms 50:2). Jewish pride no doubt considered that all the world would be summonsed to Jerusalem, in order to receive the sentence of their final destiny; but what is meant here was accurately discerned by Jones, "This means that the great principles that are to determine the destiny of mankind in the Final Judgement are, those very principles which have been taught in the word of God that went forth from Jerusalem."[7]

"Called the earth" (Psalms 50:1,4). In Psalms 50:3, the gathering of the `covenant people' are mentioned; but there is no such limitation here. All men, from the rising of the sun till the going down thereof, are here summoned to stand before the throne of God. Rhodes thought that the whole world was called "for witnesses" rather than as "subjects" of this judgment scene;[8] but our view is that the righteous and the wicked alike, the covenant people, and those who are not, will be judged simultaneously (See Matthew 25). As an apostle said, "We must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ."

As for the notion that the whole world of Gentile nations were here called "as witnesses" of the judgment, several things forbid such an interpretation. (1) The godless Gentiles of the whole earth can never, in any sense, be considered competent witnesses. (2) Besides that, Almighty God does not need any witnesses; he already knows all the facts. (3) They are certainly not so designated in this passage. (4) One scholar thought the Gentile nations might have been summonsed as "judges";[9] but this is just as unreasonable and impossible as the idea of their being "witnesses." As Leupold said of such persons, "They are not to do any `judging'; God does that"![10]

Those who cannot see the Final Judgment here are hard pressed to find anything else either in the history of Israel or of the whole world that fits what is here written.

Some try to explain it by calling it, "Poetic fancy, `teaching that if God came, thus he would speak and act'; but there is more to the matter than that."[11]

Still others can find nothing here except God's rejecting the very sacrifices that he commanded Israel to offer. God did no such thing. What is depicted here, prophetically, is the worship of the New Covenant and the total abolition of all animal and typical sacrifices.

"Actually, the kind of sacrifices condemned here were those which were not offered in spirit and in truth,"[12] but the language is also applicable to the more spiritual worship of the New Covenant.

"My saints that made a covenant with me by sacrifice" (Psalms 50:5). This verse nullifies the notion that God was here condemning the very sacrifices he had commanded Israel to offer. Taylor called this a "favorable attitude toward sacrifice,"[13] which it most certainly is. See more on this question under Psalms 50:8, below.