Psalm 50

1 The Lord, the Mighty One, is God, and he has spoken; he has summoned all humanity from where the sun rises to where it sets.
2 From Mount Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines in glorious radiance.
3 Our God approaches, and he is not silent. Fire devours everything in his way, and a great storm rages around him.
4 He calls on the heavens above and earth below to witness the judgment of his people.
5 “Bring my faithful people to me— those who made a covenant with me by giving sacrifices.”
6 Then let the heavens proclaim his justice, for God himself will be the judge.
Interlude

7 “O my people, listen as I speak. Here are my charges against you, O Israel: I am God, your God!
8 I have no complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt offerings you constantly offer.
9 But I do not need the bulls from your barns or the goats from your pens.
10 For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is mine and everything in it.
13 Do I eat the meat of bulls? Do I drink the blood of goats?
14 Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
15 Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”
16 But God says to the wicked: “Why bother reciting my decrees and pretending to obey my covenant?
17 For you refuse my discipline and treat my words like trash.
18 When you see thieves, you approve of them, and you spend your time with adulterers.
19 Your mouth is filled with wickedness, and your tongue is full of lies.
20 You sit around and slander your brother— your own mother’s son.
21 While you did all this, I remained silent, and you thought I didn’t care. But now I will rebuke you, listing all my charges against you.
22 Repent, all of you who forget me, or I will tear you apart, and no one will help you.
23 But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.”

(Asaph was a Levite; one of the leaders of David's choir (1 Chr. 6:39). Psalms 73-83 are also attributed to him. He is mentioned along with David as skilled in music)
You may recall that God is referred to primarily by two names in the Psalms. When He is the covenant God is Israel, we see him referred to as "Jehovah (Yahweh)". When He he is the "God over all gods", the God of creation, He is referred to as "Elohim".
Today God is both...and I'm sure that's because Psalm 50 is a psalm about God's judgment of the world...not just Israel. So we have an interesting phrase... "The Lord(אלהים 'elohiym), the Mighty One(אל 'el), is God(יהוה Yĕhovah), and he has spoken".

Plus, it doesn't appear that God is in a good mood. We're told "Our God approaches, and he is not silent. Fire devours everything in his way, and a great storm rages around him. He calls on the heavens above and earth below to witness the judgment of his people".

And He has "summoned all humanity from where the sun rises to where it sets". This is shaping up to look like serious business. My friend Dennis used to be fond of quoting his dad. When he would misbehave, his dad would say "you are right next to dead, son." Since Dennis is still with us, I guess that phrase was more of an "attention getter" than an actual threat. And, as an adult, Dennis would chuckle when he recalled it. As a youth...I'll bet it put the fear of God into him.
Which was the point...and is God's point today. So, what has God said?
He begins with His children...“Bring my faithful people to me— those who made a covenant with me by giving sacrifices. O my people, listen as I speak. Here are my charges against you, I have no complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt offerings you constantly offer. But I do not need the bulls from your barns or the goats from your pens. Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”

God tells his people that he doesn't need the sacrifices they are offering...even though God himself instituted them. God's complaint is that Israel has grown complacent in her relationship with God and allowed the offerings to become mere "ritual". The spirit of humility and gratitude is no longer present. When we approach God our spirits are supposed to be drenched with thankfulness...that is what the blood of the bull represents: The amazing grace that allows us to sacrifice an animal in place of ourselves.
Does any of that feel familiar? How about our weekly "responsibility" to attend worship? Do we anticipate the opportunity with a sense of thankfulness? or requirement? No need to elaborate. We should get the point. But, that's the sum of God's judgement upon His people. He wants us to correct our attitude.
The wicked don't fare nearly as well. God tells them to not even bother. “Why bother reciting my decrees and pretending to obey my covenant? For you refuse my discipline and treat my words like trash. While you did all this, I remained silent, and you thought I didn’t care. But now I will rebuke you, listing all my charges against you. Repent, all of you who forget me, or I will tear you apart, and no one will help you".
So, once again, God reveals the great privilege of being one of His children. "giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.”
I know I can be more thankful...how about you?
Live boldly out there today...