PSALM 50:7-15

Let me remind us of our first study of Psalm 50. It is called a Psalm of Asaph. He was a singer, secretary, or seer. It was either written by him or dedicated to him. It is a declaration or summons from God to assemble the whole earth together.

            Today let us look verses 7-15 where I find ‘The Hearing Of The Declaration’. In verse 7 I see ‘The Hearing Of A Speaker’. It is not just any speaker but it is ‘the’ speaker. The cry from the speaker is to ‘hear’. The word means to listen with the intention of obedience. How can we do less in this hour than develop a sensitive ear to hear our God when He speaks? He is speaking here to Israel, my people, but there is a great application to the Church. He says, ‘I am God’. The phrase is Jehovah Elohim. He is The God who is self-sufficient and one who makes all things from nothing. When we think of the message He gives, this title that he gives beforehand, fits the message perfectly. May the Lord in this hour put within us a spirit that says, ‘Speak Lord thy servant is listening’.

            In verses 8-13 I find ‘The Hearing About A Sacrifice’. In verse 8 God says I will not reprove you for your continual sacrifice that you bring. The sacrifice of the Old Testament speaks of outward rituals of religion. It is that which deals with the outward man. He will begin here to lay the groundwork to the Church of the futility of external worship that has no heart in it. He had used the sacrifices as an instruction tool. They took that which He intended for instruction and made it their confidence. It is amazing what we find to be of great importance in the Christian life, God finds it to be of the least importance. Did they not remember Samuel’s admonition to Saul? He said, ‘To obey is better than sacrifice’. God looks on the heart and not on the outward man. I heard of a church recently that had a saying they chanted, ‘Clean up the outward man, clean up the outward man, and the inward man will soon follow.’ What a lie is being told to these dear people.

            In verses 9-13 our Lord speaks some great truths about the sacrifice. How could they imagine that our God had need of any beast to be given to Him? The Lord said ‘I will take no beast from you for all the beasts are mine.’ God said He owned all the cattle on a thousand hills. He says in verses 10-11 that He knows all the fowls and animals intimately. In verse 12 He says that if He were hungry He would not tell us. Do you think I would eat and drink what you eat and drink? I feel the concept God is telling us here is that He is a giver and not a receiver. We so want to take up the Old Testament principle of sacrifice so we can give God something. We say ‘I’ll give Him my heart’ but He says ‘I will give you a new heart’. Some say ‘I’ll give Him my life’ and He says ‘I’ll give you a new life.’ Well, what does God want from me? In verses 14-15 I find ‘The Hearing About A Servant’. From the servant verse 14 tells us He desires from us ‘a heart of gratitude’. Offer unto God the offering of thanksgiving. Oh, how God gets glory when our hearts are full of gratitude and our mouth erupts into thanksgiving. Hebrews 13 says, ‘By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.’  In verse 14 He desires from us ‘a giving heart’. Giving of our means to enable the work of God to go forward.

            In verse 15 He desires from us ‘a heart that acknowledges Him’. He says call unto me in the day of trouble. Oh, how our Lord loves for us to call upon Him. He says He will hear and deliver us. Lord, give us an ear that is very sensitive to the least of your summons even to your still small voice.

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