Matthew Henry Commentary Psalms 50
Matthew Henry Commentary
Psalms 50
Matthew Henry Commentary
Psalms 50
"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 my saints together 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" — Psalms 50:1-6 (ASV)
This psalm is a psalm of instruction. It tells of the coming of Christ and the day of judgment, in which God will call people to account; and the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of judgment. It concerns all humankind to know the right way of worshipping the Lord, in spirit and in truth.
In the great day, our God will come, and make those who would not listen to his law hear his judgment. Happy are those who come into the covenant of grace, by faith in the Redeemer's atoning sacrifice, and show the sincerity of their love by fruits of righteousness. When God rejects the services of those who rest in external observances, he will graciously accept those who seek him rightly.
It is only by sacrifice, by Christ, the great Sacrifice, from whom the sacrifices of the law derived their value, that we can be accepted by God. True and righteous are his judgments; even sinners' own consciences will be forced to acknowledge the righteousness of God.
"Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify unto thee: I am God, [even] thy God. I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices; And thy burnt-offerings are continually before me. I will take no bullock out of thy house, Nor he-goats out of thy folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, And the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains; And the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee; For the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of goats? Offer unto God the sacrifice of thanksgiving; And pay thy vows unto the Most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." — Psalms 50:7-15 (ASV)
To obey is better than sacrifice, and to love God and our neighbor better than all burnt offerings. We are warned here not to rest in these outward acts. Let us also beware of resting in any form. God demands the heart, and how can human inventions please him when repentance, faith, and holiness are neglected?
In the day of distress, we must turn to the Lord in fervent prayer. Our troubles, even when we see them coming from God's hand, must drive us to him, not away from him. We must acknowledge him in all our ways, depend on his wisdom, power, and goodness, and commit ourselves wholly to him, and in this way give him glory.
In this way, we must maintain communion with God; meeting him with prayers during trials and with praises in times of deliverance. A believing supplicant will not only be graciously answered regarding his petition, and thus have cause for praising God, but will also receive grace to praise him.
"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, Seeing thou hatest instruction, And castest my words behind thee? When thou sawest a thief, thou consentedst with him, And hast been partaker with adulterers. Thou givest thy mouth to evil, And thy tongue frameth deceit. Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; Thou slanderest thine own mother`s son. These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thyself: [But] I will reprove thee, and set [them] in order before thine eyes. Now consider this, ye that forget God, Lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver: Whoso offereth the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifieth me; And to him that ordereth his way [aright] Will I show the salvation of God. " — Psalms 50:16-23 (ASV)
Hypocrisy is wickedness, which God will judge. And it is too common for those who declare the Lord's statutes to others to live in disobedience to them themselves. This delusion arises from the abuse of God's long-suffering and a willful misunderstanding of His character and the intention of His gospel. The sins of sinners will be fully proven against them in the judgment of the great day.
The day is coming when God will set their sins in order—sins of childhood and youth, of riper age and old age—to their everlasting shame and terror. Let those who until now have been forgetful of God, given up to wickedness, or in any way negligent of salvation, consider their urgent danger. The patience of the Lord is very great.
It is all the more wonderful because sinners make such ill use of it; but if they do not turn, they will be made to see their error when it is too late. Those who forget God forget themselves, and it will never be right with them until they consider. Man's chief end is to glorify God: whoever offers praise glorifies Him, and his spiritual sacrifices will be accepted.
We must praise God, sacrifice praise, and put it into the hands of the Priest, our Lord Jesus, who is also the altar; we must be fervent in spirit, praising the Lord. Let us thankfully accept God's mercy and endeavor to glorify Him in word and deed.
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