John Calvin Commentary Psalms 50:16

"But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, And that thou hast taken my covenant in thy mouth," — Psalms 50:16 (ASV)

But unto the wicked, etc. (Psalms 50:16). He now proceeds to direct his censures more openly against those whose whole religion consists in observing ceremonies, by which they attempt to blind the eyes of God. This exposes the vanity of seeking to shelter impurity of heart and life under a veil of outward services—a lesson that ought to have been received by all with genuine agreement, but which was particularly unwelcome to Jewish ears.

It has been universally acknowledged that the worship of God is pure and acceptable only when it proceeds from a sincere heart. This acknowledgment has been extorted even from pagan poets, and it is known that the profligate were customarily excluded from their temples and from participation in their sacrifices.

And yet, such is the influence of hypocrisy in choking and obliterating even a sentiment as universally felt as this, that people of the most abandoned character will obtrude themselves into God's presence, confident of deceiving Him with their vain inventions. This may explain the frequency of the warnings we find in the prophets on this subject, declaring to the ungodly again and again that they only aggravate their guilt by assuming the semblance of piety.

Loudly as the Spirit of God has asserted that a form of godliness, unaccompanied by the grace of faith and repentance, is merely a sacrilegious abuse of God's name, it is still impossible to drive the Papists from the devilish delusion that their most worthless services are sanctified by what they call their final intention. They grant that only those who are in a state of grace can possess meritum de condigno; but they maintain that mere outward acts of devotion, without any accompanying sincerity of heart, may at least prepare a person for the reception of grace.

And thus, if a monk rises from the bed of his adultery to chant a few psalms without one spark of godliness in his heart, or if a whoremonger, a thief, or any perjured villain seeks to make reparation for his crimes by mass or pilgrimage, they would be reluctant to consider this wasted effort.

God, on the other hand, brands such a separation of outward form from inner sincere devotion as sacrilege. In the passage we are considering, the Psalmist dismisses and refutes a very common objection that might be raised. It might be asked, "Must not those sacrifices offered in God's honor be in some way acceptable to Him?" He shows that, on the contrary, they bring guilt upon those who present them, because they lie to God and profane His holy name.

He rebukes their presumption with the words, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes? (Psalms 50:16). This means they pretend to be one of His people and to have a part in His covenant. Now, if God in this manner rejects the entire profession of godliness that is unaccompanied by purity of heart, how can we expect Him to treat the observance of mere ceremonies, which hold a far inferior place to declaring God's statutes?