John Calvin Commentary Psalms 50:4

"He calleth to the heavens above, And to the earth, that he may judge his people:" — Psalms 50:4 (ASV)

He shall call to the heavens from above. It is plain from this verse for what purpose God, as he had already announced, would call upon the earth. This was to witness the settlement of his controversy with his own people, the Jews, against whom judgment was to be pronounced, not in the ordinary manner as by his prophets, but with great solemnity before the whole world.

The prophet warns the hypocritical that they must prepare to be driven from their hiding place, that their cause would be decided in the presence of men and angels, and that they would be dragged without excuse before that dreadful assembly. It may be asked why the prophet represents those who truly fear the Lord as cited to his bar, when it is evident that the remonstrance which follows in the psalm is addressed to the hypocritical and degenerate portion of the Jews.

To this I answer that God here speaks of the whole Church; for though a great part of the race of Abraham had departed from the piety of their ancestors, yet he has regard for the Jewish Church, as being his own institution. He speaks of them as his meek ones, to remind them of what they ought to be, consistent with their calling, and not as if they were all without exception patterns of godliness.

The form of the address conveys a rebuke to those among them whose real character was far from corresponding with their profession. Others have suggested a more refined interpretation, as if the meaning were: Separate the small number of my sincere worshippers from the mixed multitude by whom my name is profaned, lest they too should afterwards be seduced to a vain religion of outward form.

I do not deny that this agrees with the scope of the prophet. But I see no reason why a church, however universally corrupted, provided it contains a few godly members, should not be called, in honor of this remnant, the holy people of God.

Interpreters have differed on the last clause of the verse, Those who strike a covenant with me over sacrifices. Some think over is used for besides, or beyond, and that God commends his true servants because they acknowledged that something more was required in his covenant than an observance of outward ceremonies, and they were not guilty of resting in the carnal figures of the Law.

Others think that the spiritual and true worship of God is here directly opposed to sacrifices, as if it had been said: Those who, instead of sacrifices, keep my covenant in the right and appointed manner, by yielding to me the sincere homage of their heart. But in my opinion, the prophet is here to be viewed as pointing out with commendation the true and genuine use of the legal worship; for it was of the utmost importance that it should be known what was the real purpose for which God appointed sacrifices under the Law.

The prophet here declares that sacrifices were of no value whatever except as seals of God’s covenant, an interpretative handwriting of submission to it, or in general as means employed for ratifying it. There is an allusion to the custom then universally prevalent of interposing sacrifices, so that covenants might be made more solemn and be more faithfully observed.

In like manner, the purpose for which sacrifices were instituted by God was to bind his people more closely to himself, and to ratify and confirm his covenant. The passage is well worthy of our particular notice, as it defines those who are to be considered the true members of the Church.

They are, on the one hand, those characterised by the spirit of meekness, practising righteousness in their dealings with the world; and on the other hand, those who, in the exercise of genuine faith, embrace the covenant of adoption which God has proposed to them. This constitutes the true worship of God, as he himself has delivered it to us from heaven; and those who depart from it, whatever pretensions they may make to be considered a church of God, are excommunicated from it by the Holy Spirit.

As to sacrifices or other ceremonies, they are of no value, except insofar as they seal to us the pure truth of God. Consequently, all such rites that have no foundation in the word of God are unauthorised; and worship that does not have a distinct reference to the word is merely a corruption of sacred things.