John Calvin Commentary Psalms 50:23

"Whoso offereth the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifieth me; And to him that ordereth his way [aright] Will I show the salvation of God." — Psalms 50:23 (ASV)

Whoso offereth praise will glorify me. This is the third time that the Psalmist has emphasized 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 unnecessary, for two reasons:

1. First, there is nothing to which we are more frequently prone than forgetfulness of the benefits of the Lord. Scarcely one out of a thousand attracts our notice; and if it does, it is only slightly and, as it were, in passing.

2. Second, we do not assign the importance to the duty of praise that it deserves.

We tend to neglect it as something trivial and altogether commonplace, yet it is the primary exercise of godliness, in which God desires us to be engaged throughout our entire lives. In these words, the sacrifice of praise is declared to be the true and proper worship of God.

The words, will glorify me, imply that God is then truly and properly worshipped, and the glory which he requires is given to him, when his goodness is celebrated with a sincere and grateful heart; but also that all the other sacrifices to which hypocrites attach such importance are worthless in his estimation and no part whatsoever of his worship.

The word praise, however, as I have already noted, includes both faith and prayer. We must experience the Lord's goodness before our mouths can be opened to praise him for it, and this goodness can only be experienced by faith. Therefore, the entirety of spiritual worship is included in what is either presupposed by the exercise of praise or flows from it.

Accordingly, in the words that immediately follow, the Psalmist calls upon those who desired their services to be approved by God to order their way aright.

By the expression used here, ordering one’s way, some understand repentance or confession of sin is meant; others understand it as removing things that may cause offense or be obstacles to others.

It seems more probable that the Psalmist instructs them to walk in the right way, as opposed to the way in which hypocrites are found, and indicates that God is only to be approached by those who seek him with a sincere heart and in an upright manner.

Regarding the salvation of God, I do not, with some, understand this to mean a great or remarkable salvation.

God speaks of himself in the third person to assure them more clearly that he would eventually demonstrate to all his genuine worshippers how truly he was their Savior.