Now consider this, you who forget God

Psalm 50 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

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’s people are people who have a covenant with Him. All of the promises of God are contained in and obtained through the covenant we have with Him. What is our part, what must we do to uphold our part of the covenant?  God says it is a covenant of sacrifice, but look at what He says about that sacrifice:  “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. Shall I eat the flesh of bulls Or drink the blood of male goats? Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High; Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.”   It is not a sacrifice on our part to give God what is already His and all that we have is His. God’s desire, our part in the covenant is that we are thankful for His blessings and provision and that we are obedient to His will and His way.

Some will say, but we are not under the same covenant as Israel. We are not under the Law but rather under the covenant of grace through Christ. Of course that is true, but it is still a covenant of sacrifice. In Matthew 26:26-28 it says:  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.”  The covenant we are under is still a covenant of sacrifice. It is through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross that we receive the blessings and the promises of God. It is ours without cost. We still have a part to uphold though. We still are to give a sacrifice of thanksgiving. We are still to be obedient to His word. In John 14:15 Jesus says: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”    He says this right after saying:  “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”  Obedience is a key to our obtaining the covenant promises of God. Just as in the old covenant they could not give God what was already His, it is not a sacrifice on our part to give God what is His. Our lives were redeemed by the sacrifice of the cross. We live because Jesus died and was raised from the grave. Our lives are no longer our own, but have been purchased by the blood of Christ. Romans 12:1-2 says:  Therefore 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.  Our bodies and indeed our lives are already His. In obedience and thanksgiving, we give them back to God as holy and acceptable to Him.

The psalmist 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. You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother’s son. 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 accurately does that describe the society and culture of our day? Those who disregard the word of God still try to use it to their advantage. Our culture has glorified lawlessness and embraced immorality. Many say that if Jesus was here today, He would be just like them. The only reason that God has remained silent is because He has already spoken. The terms of His covenant are already established. He says:   “Now consider this, you who forget God, Or I will tear you in pieces, and there will be none to deliver. 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 the covenant of grace, given freely to all who believe. Yet not without cost, we are purchased with the price of Christ’s blood. I gladly give you what is already Yours. May my words and my life be a pleasing sacrifice perfected in the cross and the resurrection.   Amen.