God the Righteous Judge
A Psalm of Asaph.
“The Mighty One, God the Lord, Has spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun to its going down. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people: “Gather My saints together to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.” Let the heavens declare His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge. Selah
“Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God! I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are continually before Me. I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats out of your folds. For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on 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 you; for the world is Mine, and all its fullness. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”
But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to declare My statutes, or take My covenant in your mouth, seeing you hate instruction and cast My words behind you? When you saw a thief, you consented with him, and have been a partaker with adulterers. You give your mouth to 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 silent; you thought that I was altogether like you; but I will rebuke you, and set them in order before your eyes.
“Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver: Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.”
““The Mighty One, God the Lord, Has spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun to its going down. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him.” If you are a city dweller, it is easy to ignore the weather until it interferes with your activities. But for those in the country and who work outdoors, most of their livelihood is weather-dependent and they watch the movement of clouds and wind closely to monitor the coming of storms. Such people may have to work amid storms and understand the tempestuous nature of tornados, hurricanes, blizzards, and dust storms.
“He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people: “Gather My saints together to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.” Let the heavens declare His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge. Selah” These days, we are so surrounded by filth, pornography, and corruption that it is difficult to even imagine a holy and righteous God.
“Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God! I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are continually before Me. I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats out of your folds. For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine.” We flatter ourselves on our possessions, forgetting that ultimately God owns everything. We do not make sacrifices because God needs our stuff; we give out of gratitude to God for His generosity in the first place.
“If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine, and all its fullness. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” God is eternal and has no need to eat or drink. But God commanded the ancient Israelites to make sacrifices because their animals were among their most prized possessions. When King David was bargaining for a piece of property on which to build a house of worship and the owner offered to donate it for free, David asked, “Shall I offer to the Lord that which costs me nothing?” Even if we are simply praising God, praises raised during times of trouble are far more meaningful than praises when everything is going smoothly. “It isn’t a sacrifice of praise until you push it out through clenched teeth.” (Harold Hill, former CEO of Learjet Corporation)
“But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to declare My statutes, or take My covenant in your mouth, seeing you hate instruction and cast My words behind you? When you saw a thief, you consented with him, and have been a partaker with adulterers. You give your mouth to 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 silent; you thought that I was altogether like you; but I will rebuke you, and set them in order before your eyes.” There is nothing so dangerous as creating a god in our own image and then imagining that the Eternal God is like this worthless figure we have contrived. But even worse is the possibility that we will set ourselves up as our own gods and worship ourselves. There have always been such people, and God knows exactly what they have been doing and the extent of their wickedness. When such people begin mouthing religious slogans, they only are demonstrating their hypocrisy. While such people might impress others, God knows their darkened hearts.
“Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver: Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.” It is not God’s will that anyone should perish, but that all should have eternal life. But we are all creatures of free will, not puppets. God does not force anyone to sin, but we must make right choices. While Satan may tempt us, we are still the ones choosing to do wrong.
APPLICATION: This psalm serves as both a warning and an assurance. God is warning the wicked that He sees everything and knows everything; if they fail to repent, they will be lost eternally. God is also assuring the righteous that they should continue to praise Him and that their right conduct also is a form of praise.
The opening phrases of this psalm describe God in all His glory, something we often fail to consider. For those of us who work depending on faith donations, the verse about the cattle on a thousand hills is particularly meaningful. We work with poor people, many of whom need financial help simply to feed themselves while they are in the hospital. We depend almost totally on donations for our daily needs as well. Times without number, we have reminded God of this verse and have asked Him if He can send the price of a cow or two!
The warning about “you who forget God” remains pertinent. Many of us are distracted by trivia, never realizing we are wasting our lives on things that do not matter. In an earlier age, there was a saying, “Only one life-twill soon be passed. Only what’s done for God will last.” Nothing has changed.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to praise You, no matter the circumstances. And help us to truly worship You and You alone. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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