Psalm 50:1-6

Psalm 50:1-6

The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets. From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth. 

Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages. He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that he may judge his people:

‘Gather to me this consecrated people, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.’

And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice.

When I was in university, I was driving into work one morning and I made the mistake of driving through a red light. I was running late for work and I thought I could make it. I did not. I saw the red-light camera flash and knew I would be getting a ticket.

Little while later the ticket arrived in the mail. At this time in my life, I couldn't afford just to pay the ticket and forget it. And so I made a plan to go to court an see if the judge would be lenient and reduce it. When my court date arrived, I put on the best suit that I had (the only suit I had), tied my tie tight (borrowed from a friend) and went to the courthouse.

As I sat waiting for my turn to be processed I witnessed a number of others before me coming to court for traffic violations. After what seemed like hours of waiting and listening, it was my turn. My name was called and I went up to the front. The judge said something to the effect of, “Mr. de Winter, you are being charged with a red light violation on the thus and such a date. Do you dispute these charges?” Looking at the judge, I humbly responded, “No, your honor, I do not dispute the fact that I ran the red light. Instead, I am here asking for the court's mercy. Sir, I am a university student and cannot afford the cost of this ticket. I can give you my remorse and I promise to try and do better. All I ask is that you lessen the amount of the fine.”

What happened next I will remember forever: The judge looked at me and said something like, “I want everyone here to look at this young man. This is how you are to approach the court. Come with humility. Come dressed appropriate for the situation. These are serious matters and require serious attention. Because of your remorse and your humility and the manner with which you are presenting yourself to the court today. I dismiss the fine altogether. Have a good day, young man, and may the rest of you learn something from his example.” A little bit in shock I bumbled out a response of “Thank you, sir.” Quickly leaving the courthouse before he could change his mind, but full of joy at the outcome.

In Psalm 50 all Israel is called before God as the judge. It is a courtroom setting in which his people are called to account. In some ways it is also a surprising act.

One of the ways we know that this is courtroom psalm is from the opening names of God: “The Mighty One, God, the Lord…” (vs. 1) In Hebrew it is El Elohim Yahweh, a three-fold repetition of different names for God that only appears in one other place in the Bible. In Joshua 22 we read, “Then Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel: ‘The Mighty One, God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows! And let Israel know! If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the Lord, do not spare us this day. If we have built our own altar to turn away from the Lord and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the Lord himself call us to account.” The leaders of the trans-Jordanian tribes of Israel are calling on the Lord to judge their actions and hearts after they built a memorial altar and Phineas the priest comes to accuse them of rebellion against the rest of the nation. Effectively, the leaders of the people on the east side of the Jordan are saying, “Let God be our judge, we are sure of ourselves.” Phineas and the rest of the Israelites accept the answer and even praise the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh for their devotion.

In Joshua, the people are charged with idolatry by others of Israel, and they call on the Lord to be their judge. In an obvious ironic allusion in Psalm 50 God comes and charges his people with idolatry.

The courtroom image continues as God summons the earth and summons the heavens (cf. vs. 1&4) as witness against his people. 

One of the surprises here is the creation is called as witnesses against God's own people. Remember, the psalter is a songbook for worship in Israel. One might more likely expect that the other nations are called to judgment by God. In the worshiping language of people, it would be more expected that God is shown as Savior, as ally, as the Almighty who fights on your side (and of course, in many, many places, he is revealed as exactly this). Instead, God says, “Gather to me this consecrated people, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” (vs. 5)

And unlike the judge from my story, who could only see my outward appearance and heard a small (but genuine) apology, the Mighty One, God, the Lord sees the heart (cf. Ps. 139:1&23). In Joshua 22 that seeing would be an advantage to the people. In Psalm 50 God seeing the heart is a strike against them.

Good worship will expose the truth of who we are to the fullness of who God is. I believe that's what's happening in Psalm 50. And it's necessary for God's people to stand under the judgment of God. This pattern continues in the New Testament. 1 Peter 4:17 says, “It is time for judgment to begin with the household of God.” In this context, Peter is talking about suffering for being a Christian. It is a theme similarly in the book of Hebrews, where we are encouraged to endure hardship as discipline because God loves us as children and is refining our faith in sanctification (Heb. 12:7). Paul also makes this point: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (1 Cor. 5:10)

Of course, because of Christ, we know there is no condemnation for those who believe (Rom. 8:1). And yet, “to whom much is given, much will be demanded.” (Lk. 12:48) As those who “live by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25) we are given incredible spiritual gifts and resources to become ever increasingly obedience to God’s call of holiness; and that also means God holds us more responsible for living as he has made us able to live.

Lastly, the blessing of the gospel is that even as I put on my best suit and borrowed tie to stand before an earthly judge, by grace through faith I have put on Christ (Rom. 13:14; Gal. 3:27) so that when The Mighty One, God, the Lord looks at me he sees his only begotten Son. The Canon’s of Dort beautifully summarize this assurance and comfort: “this assurance does not derive from some private revelation beyond or outside the Word, but from faith in the promises of God which are very plentifully revealed in the Word for our comfort, from the testimony of ‘the Holy Spirit testifying with our spirit that we are God’s children and heirs’ (Rom. 8:16-17), and finally from a serious and holy pursuit of a clear conscience and of good works. If God’s chosen ones in this world did not have this well-founded comfort that the victory will be theirs and this reliable guarantee of eternal glory, they would be of all people most miserable.” (5th MP, Art 10)

We are not a people of misery, but a people full of great and genuine joy because of Christ.

Prayer
Might One, God, the Lord, look at me and search me. May your grace be real to me so that when you do look, you see Jesus. Seeing Jesus, may I go into the every day moments of life and live like him, transformed for holiness and obedience. In Jesus’ name, Amen!