Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.

Psalm 50 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

God the Judge of the Righteous and the Wicked.

The Mighty One, God, the Lord, has spoken,
And summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
² Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God has shone forth.
³ May our God come and not keep silence;
Fire devours before Him,
And it is very tempestuous around Him.
⁴ He summons the heavens above,
And the earth, to judge His people:
⁵ “Gather My godly ones to Me,
Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”
⁶ And the heavens declare His righteousness,
For God Himself is judge. Selah.

⁷ “Hear, O My people, and I will speak;
O Israel, I will testify against you;
I am God, your God.
⁸ “I do not reprove you for your sacrifices,
And your burnt offerings are continually before Me.
⁹ “I shall take no young bull out of your house
Nor male goats out of your folds.
¹⁰ “For every beast of the forest is Mine,
The cattle on a thousand hills.
¹¹ “I know every bird of the mountains,
And everything that moves in the field is Mine.
¹² “If I were hungry I would not tell you,
For the world is Mine, and all it contains.
¹³ “Shall I eat the flesh of bulls
Or drink the blood of male goats?
¹⁴ “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving
And pay your vows to the Most High;
¹⁵ Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.”

¹⁶ But to the wicked God says,
“What right have you to tell of My statutes
And to take My covenant in your mouth?
¹⁷ “For you hate discipline,
And you cast My words behind you.
¹⁸ “When you see a thief, you are pleased with him,
And you associate with adulterers.
¹⁹ “You let your mouth loose in evil
And your tongue frames deceit.
²⁰ “You sit and speak against your brother;
You slander your own mother’s son.
²¹ “These things you have done and I kept silence;
You thought that I was just like you;
I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes.

²² “Now consider this, you who forget God,
Or I will tear you in pieces, and there will be none to deliver.
²³ “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me;
And to him who orders his way aright
I shall show the salvation of God.”

The psalmist says:  The Mighty One, God, the Lord, has spoken, And summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth. May our God come and not keep silence; Fire devours before Him, And it is very tempestuous around Him. He summons the heavens above, And the earth, to judge His people:  “Gather My godly ones to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.” And the heavens declare His righteousness, For God Himself is judge.   God speaks of His godly ones being those who have made a covenant with Him by sacrifice. Many would disregard what is said, saying that we are no longer under the covenant of the Law and so are not bound to the covenant of sacrifice. Look though at what He says later:  “Hear, O My people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you; I am God, your God. I do not reprove you for your sacrifices, And your burnt offerings are continually before Me. I shall take no young bull out of your house Nor male goats out of your folds. For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains…”   So the covenant we have with God by sacrifice is not the sacrifice of the covenant of the law. Rather as it says in Matthew 26:26-28:  While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins,” we have a covenant with God through the sacrifice of Jesus.   A covenant is an agreement between two parties. What is our part in the New Covenant we have through the sacrifice of Christ?  God says:  “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High.” Romans 12:1-2 says:  I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.    Additionally then, the covenant we have through Christ’s sacrifice should cause us to live in a way that is acceptable to God. We not only offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, but we also live a holy life. The way we live should demonstrate or prove what God’s will is.  Look then at what we get from God for fulfilling the covenant. He says:  “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.” 

With God there is always the promise or the blessing that comes through the covenant and conversely the penalty or curse to those who do not abide by or in the covenant.   The text says:   But to the wicked God says, “What right have you to tell of My statutes And to take My covenant in your mouth?  For you hate discipline, And you cast My words behind you. When you see a thief, you are pleased with him, And you associate with adulterers. You let your mouth loose in evil And your tongue frames deceit.”    How many are there who hate the discipline of God, yet want His covenant promises? How many cast the words of God behind them, yet tell others of, and try to hold them to His statutes? How true of our culture and society is what God says?  “When you see a thief, you are pleased with him, And you associate with adulterers. You let your mouth loose in evil And your tongue frames deceit.”  Honesty, integrity and morality are nearly nonexistant in our society and culture.   God says:  “These things you have done and I kept silence; You thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes.”   How often do people reason that because God does not judge sin with the same severity as He did in the Old Testament, because He is silent, they reason that God has changed; that He is just like them?  God has not changed His mind. His silence regarding sin does not constitute a wink of agreement with it. Rather as 2 Peter 3:9 says:  The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.   God’s silence toward sin is an indication of His patience and grace. His desire is that no one would perish, but rather that all would repent.  God says:   “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; And to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God.”

Thank You Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit for Your patience and grace. Thank You that You allow us to choose the way we will respond to Your statutes. Thank You for the promises and the blessings of the covenant that we have through the sacrifice of Christ.   Amen.