A PSALM OF Asaph.
1The Mighty One, God, the LORD,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets.
2From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines forth.
3Our God comes and will not be silent;
a fire devours before him,
and around him a tempest rages.
4He summons the heavens above,
and the earth, that he may judge his people:
5“Gather to me my consecrated ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
6And the heavens proclaim his righteousness,
for God himself is judge.
Selah
7“Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
O Israel, and I will testify against you:
I am God, your God.
8I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices
or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
9I have no need of a bull from your stall
or of goats from your pens,
10for every animal of the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.
11I know every bird in the mountains,
and the creatures of the field are mine.
12If I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
13Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
14Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High,
15and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
16But to the wicked, God says:
“What right have you to recite my laws
or take my covenant on your lips?
17You hate my instruction
and cast my words behind you.
18When you see a thief, you join with him;
you throw in your lot with adulterers.
19You use your mouth for evil
and harness your tongue to deceit.
20You speak continually against your brother
and slander your own mother’s son.
21These things you have done and I kept silent;
you thought I was altogether like you.
But I will rebuke you
and accuse you to your face.
22“Consider this, you who forget God,
or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue:
23He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me,
and he prepares the way
so that I may show him the salvation of God.”
Original Meaning
THE FIRST PSALM in the Psalter attributed to Asaph, Psalm 50 breaks the string of Korahite psalms that began with Psalm 42–43. Following Psalm 50, the second great collection of “Davidic” psalms is introduced in Psalm 51 and extends (with the exception of Pss. 66 and 67) to the single Solomonic Psalm 72 at the conclusion of Book 2. Although Psalm 50 is part of the so-called Elohistic Psalter (Pss. 42–83), the divine name Yahweh does appear once in 50:1.
Thematically Psalm 50 shares links with the group of psalms beginning with Psalm 46 and is concerned with the security of Zion/Jerusalem. Psalms 45–50 flow out of the rather jarring juxtapositioning of Psalm 44, with its plaintive acknowledgment of the collapse of the Davidic monarchy in the Exile (44:9–14, 20–21), and Psalm 45, with its festive celebration of the wedding ceremony of the king. Yet in the arrangement of these two psalms, it becomes clear that the older psalm of celebration has been subtly reinterpreted in light of the exilic experience to offer renewed hope that God’s throne “will last for ever and ever” (45:6). As a result, Psalm 45 takes on a messianic edge and Psalms 46–49 increasingly turn the reader’s eyes to God, who is the mighty fortress in whom the exilic community must place their trust.
Psalm 50, then, describes the theophanic approach of Yahweh into the Jerusalem temple in order to judge Israel according to their covenant obligations. This emphasis on the covenant (explicitly mentioned in 50:5, 16) may explain the inclusion of the name of the covenant God, Yahweh, in 50:1. The psalm is divided into three sections: (1) an introduction in which Yahweh appears to judge his people (50:1–6), an accusing speech to the people counseling more reliance on God than sacrifice (50:7–15), and a harsh condemnation of the “wicked,” who forget God but who are nevertheless called to return to covenant faithfulness (50:16–23).
The Heading (50:0)
THE PSALM IS the first to be attributed to Asaph (leʾasap). The remaining Asaphite psalms are grouped together in Psalms 73–83 at the beginning of Book 3 of the Psalter (Pss. 73–89) and at the conclusion of the so-called Elohistic Psalter (Pss. 42–83). Asaph is the chief of the Levitical singers (along with Heman and Jeduthun)1 mentioned in 1 Chronicles 6:39 as being put in charge of the “service of song” in the Jerusalem temple and in 16:1–4 as being appointed to “minister before the ark of the LORD, to make petition, to give thanks, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel” (16:4). Besides the mention of Asaph, the heading contains only the most general genre designation mizmor (“psalm”).2
God the Judge (50:1–6)
THE INTRODUCTORY PASSAGE sets the scene for the two divine speeches that occupy the body of the psalm. God (identified as Yahweh only in the opening verse) comes in theophanic glory (50:3) to sit as judge (50:4, 6) over his covenant people (50:5, 16). At the same time his appearance is linked with sun imagery (50:1–2), a not completely unexpected phenomenon since the sun is often linked with judgment in the ancient Near East.3
The Mighty One, God, the LORD. A rather awkward series of divine epithets opens the section. In actuality the Hebrew brings together the most common general terms for God in the ancient Near East (ʾel and ʾelohim) with the personal name of Israel’s God, Yahweh (yhwh). The effect is to identify Yahweh with these more general terms as a way of saying that the God whom you worship as ʾel or ʾelohim is in fact Yahweh. This is most interesting in light of the fact that Psalm 50 stands within the Elohistic Psalter, where the divine name Yahweh is thought to have been replaced by the more general terms/names for God: ʾelohim and ʾel.
Speaks and summons the earth. This introductory passage is surrounded by a split merism of “earth” (50:1) and “heavens” (50:6), both in the context of speaking. In 50:1, Yahweh “speaks” and “summons” the whole earth, using another merism: “from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets.”4 In the heart of the section (50:4), the two ends of the merism are brought together as the purpose of the divine summons—delayed since verse 1 by the theophanic appearance of Yahweh (50:2–3)—is resumed through the use of the identical verb “summons.” In 50:4, Yahweh summons both heavens and earth5 as witnesses in the case against his people. The testimony itself is given in the final verse of the section: in relation to his covenant people, Yahweh is without fault—“righteous,” as the heavens declare (50:6).
God shines forth. In the middle of issuing the divine subpoena, the psalmist pauses to make way for the theophanic appearance of God. God “shines forth” from Zion, a place that plays an important thematic role in Psalms 48–53.6 The Zion theme is also linked in Psalm 48 (48:2, 11, 12) with the “city of God” and “divine king” themes (48:2, 8) characteristic of Psalms 46–48, suggesting that the whole group extending at least from Psalms 46 through 53 share interlocking themes and interests.
Zion is described as “perfect in beauty” (miklal yopi),7 an indication of the high, even aesthetic regard held for the Temple Mount and the temple precincts located there. Great love and emotion are directed toward the spot, as a survey of the psalms mentioning Zion will affirm.
Our God comes. From the splendor of Zion and in the splendor of his glory, Yahweh “comes” into the sphere of human experience associated—as often in theophany—with fire and storm. “A fire devours before him”8 and “around him a tempest rages.” God will no longer remain silent—here God’s silence represents not a withdrawal of support but a delay of judgment (cf. 50:21)—but will speak his case.
He summons. God’s subpoena is for both witnesses (heavens and earth)9 and defendants (“my consecrated ones,” 50:5) to gather for the hearing of the case. Having served as witnesses to the original covenant agreement between Yahweh and Israel (Deut. 4:26), heavens and earth are now called to return as witnesses for the prosecution. That the matter is concerned with the covenant is made explicit in 50:5, where the accused are introduced as “my consecrated ones [ḥasiday is more accurately “my faithful ones”—those who practice ḥesed10], who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
Righteous judge. The testimony of the heavens is made explicit as the first section of the psalm concludes. God—who is accuser and judge in these proceedings—is declared by the primary witness (we are probably to assume the “heavens” speak for the “earth” as well) to be “righteous,” having fulfilled appropriately all the obligations taken on himself in the covenant agreement. Knowing this from the outset leaves no question but that covenant failure can only be the result of Israel’s faithless behavior.
The First Accusation (50:7–15)
THE FIRST ACCUSATION is a parody of the Shema, the essential call to acknowledge Yahweh as the one and only God to whom Israel gives allegiance and obedience (Deut. 6:4). The call begins with an imperative of the verb šmʿ (“Hear!”)11 and concludes with the pronouncement, “I am God, your God” (ʾelohim ʾeloheka ʾanoki), an Elohistic Psalter version of the more usual proclamation “I am the LORD [Yahweh], your God” (cf. Ex. 20:2; Deut. 5:6), associated with the promulgation of the law on Mount Sinai.12 By bringing together in this way both Shema and the giving of the law, the psalmist emphasizes the core of the covenant tradition as allegiance to Yahweh alone and obedience to his covenant demands.
It is the intersection of faithfulness to the covenant demands and sacrifice that are at issue in the remainder of the psalm. It is clear that sacrifices are being made in abundance (50:8). God does not “rebuke” (ykḥ [“reproach, reprove; give judgment”]) Israel for failing to sacrifice at all. Indeed, her sacrifices are “ever before me” (50:8). It is, however, Israel’s understanding of sacrifice that appears to be defective.
In this first section, the problem seems to be that those who sacrifice believe their sacrifices are essential to God—that in some sense their sacrifices meet a need that God has. It was common in the Mesopotamian context—from which the Israelite patriarchs came and drew their sacrificial experience—to consider sacrifice as dullu (“service”), through which humans fulfilled their obligation to provide the gods with three meals a day. For this reason, the great Sumerian scholar A. Leo Oppenheim titled an important section on the sacrificial system “The Care and Feeding of the Gods.”13
Such a view of sacrifice Israel ultimately rejected, although the number of times that this type of critique is offered in the Old Testament14 and the harshness with which it is expressed leave the impression that many in Israel must have agreed with the general Mesopotamian view that sacrifice met the needs of God and offered an opportunity for humans to manipulate him.
I have no need. God’s immediate and almost caustic response gives the lie to the idea that he has any need that a sacrifice can address. (1) The first reason is a matter of possession. Since the whole world is God’s domain and all the creatures—animal or human—within that domain are his as well (50:10–11), the idea that bulls and goats (50:9) sacrificed by humans can add anything to God is viewed as patently ridiculous.
(2) The second reason goes to the heart of the common view of sacrifice as feeding the deity: God derives no nourishment from the sacrifices Israel offers (50:12–13). They were never intended as meals presented to him but are a mechanism for human benefit—agreed-upon acts by which humans acknowledge and repent of sin, give thanks for divine deliverance, and celebrate communion with a God who is present with them. For this reason God is depicted as almost venomously castigating his people: “Do you really think that I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?” (50:13); “I am not hungry!” he cries (50:12).
The section concludes with an exhortation to right sacrifice. The point of offering “thank offerings” is that such sacrifices acknowledge the offerer’s absolute dependence on Yahweh’s grace and mercy. It is this humility and dependence that is at the core of a right understanding of sacrifice. Such humility will see sacrifice for what it really is: an outward indication of one’s inner allegiance to Yahweh and obedience to his covenant demands. Such people will “fulfill [their] vows” (50:14) to God and will experience the deliverance they seek (50:15).
The Second Accusation (50:16–23)
FROM EXHORTATION THE psalmist turns to confrontation. This time the accused are called the “wicked” (rašaʿ ). These are, however, still within the covenant people of Israel and give at least lip service to the covenant (50:16b–c). Their wickedness is that they lack the inner commitment to Yahweh that would give their ritual sacrifice meaning. In reality, their actions show that they “hate [God’s] instruction and cast [Yahweh’s] words behind [them]” (50:17).
The psalm offers six examples of covenant-breaking wickedness, presented in synonymous pairs. (1) They make friends with thieves and throw in their lot with adulterers; (2) they use their mouths for evil and hitch up their tongue to deceit; (3) they speak against their brother15 and slander their mother’s son. The first two are clear examples of covenant-breaking since they contravene two of the Ten Commandments (against theft and adultery). For the others, however, the case is less explicit. To “use the mouth for evil” is certainly negative and appears as an admonishment in many proverbs. But the phrase is too general to isolate a specific covenant command that is violated here. Similarly, the term used here for “deceit” (mirmah) is never employed in the legal collections in the Pentateuch. Deceit is, of course, roundly condemned in the Psalms, Proverbs, and the Prophets.
The final two statements lack sufficient clarity to determine what specific covenant command the poet had in mind, if any. “Slander” is prohibited in Leviticus 19:16, but the idiom used there (halak rakil [“go about as a slanderer”]) is not related to Psalm 50:20b (dopi). In a general sense, the psalmist envisions failure to maintain relationships of honesty and respect—even with one’s closest kin—as evidence of the erosion of covenant loyalty among those who offer sacrifice and speak of allegiance to Yahweh but “cast [his] words behind [them]” (50:17).
I kept silent. The wicked foolishly think they have God as confused about their true motives as their human contemporaries. Because God has done nothing to strike them down, they assume he is unconcerned, or even worse, that he is “altogether like” them (50:21).16 God’s reference to his “remaining silent” (heḥerašti) links back to 50:3, where Yahweh’s approach in the theophany puts an end to his silent restraint (ʾal yeḥeraš).17 The hope that the wicked have avoided divine notice is a false one. Despite any earlier delay, Yahweh intends to make his true nature clear to all. He “will rebuke” the wicked and “accuse”18 them to their face (50:21).
Consider this. The wicked are admonished to take careful stock of God’s warning—to let it seep down into their awareness and understanding until they really get it. The verb “consider” (from byn [“perceive, understand”]) implies clear, deep understanding. It is one of the favorite verbs the sages use in wisdom literature to describe understanding. It is a call beyond assumption and speculation to real knowledge of God.
The psalmist exhorts the people to adopt a renewed understanding of sacrifice and to offer evidence of one’s inner reliance on Yahweh alone. The very fact of exhortation suggests that the “wicked” are (1) part of the covenant community (not pagan nations) and (2) are not beyond redemption (since they are offered a chance to change). They are further identified as those “who forget God” (50:22). In Deuteronomy Israel is counseled repeatedly not to forget Yahweh and his covenant.19 Failure to remember Yahweh would lead to rejection and destruction (Deut. 8:19; 32:18–19). In Judges 3:7 it was Israel’s “forgetting” Yahweh by worshiping pagan deities that led God to surrender them into the power of the king of Aram Naharaim.20 The prophets also use the phrase to condemn Israel for following pagan gods21 and to justify God’s punishment through the Exile.
It is not entirely clear, however, that worship of pagan deities is behind the forgetting of God here. In a similar context in Psalm 78, we learn that Israel was to pass along the traditions of Yahweh’s deeds and commandments to subsequent generations so that “they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands” (78:7). Instead, Israel “did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by his law. They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them” (78:10–11). Again, five times in Psalm 119 it is God’s law, decrees, and precepts that the psalmist vows never to forget (119:61, 83, 93, 109, 141). While it is true that worshiping pagan deities was a serious breach of Israel’s covenant obligation to be loyal to Yahweh alone, the more general statement would remain an effective admonition far into the postexilic period, when Israel had at last learned the lesson of absolute monotheism.
I will tear you to pieces. Forgetting God has severe consequences. The image used for divine judgment is that of a ravening beast tearing its helpless prey. God will tear his forgetful people to pieces (ʾeṭrop), “with none to rescue.”22 The latter phrase is combined with forms of ṭrp on four occasions as an apparent idiom for impending judgment or disaster. In Micah 5:8, it is exilic Israel itself who will act like wolves turned loose on the pagan sheep among whom they are living. In Psalm 7:2, it is the enemies who threaten to tear the psalmist to pieces with no hope of rescue. In the two remaining occurrences, God is the one who threatens to tear his people to pieces as punishment for their sin (here and Hos. 5:14).23
He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me. What the wicked must understand and accept is that sacrifice is not a form of self-expression or self-power but a way of acknowledging thanks to God. Giving thanks requires admitting dependence on the one who delivers. It means knowing one cannot save oneself. Giving thanks acknowledges what God has already done in the past and, at the same time, “prepares the way” for future deliverance.
The phrases “who sacrifices thank offerings” and “honors me” link back to the end of the first accusation (50:14–15), where God has counseled the readers in similar language that thank offerings based on a clear understanding of one’s dependence on God would lead to deliverance. These two sections of admonition, then, have the same goal and purpose, namely, to turn those who have forgotten God back to him and to enliven their inner attitude of dependence on him, which gives true meaning to their otherwise empty sacrifices.
Bridging Contexts
THE COVENANT LAWSUIT. Psalm 50 constitutes a “covenant lawsuit” brought by Yahweh against his “consecrated ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice” (50:5). This sort of legal proceeding is well attested in the Old Testament—particularly in the Prophets—as a means by which God airs the failures of Israel and justifies his judgment on the nation. The verb ryb and related nouns (rib [“dispute, lawsuit”]; ribah [“legal case, speech in a case”]; meribah [“dispute”]) do not appear in Psalm 50, but the elements of a legal conflict are undeniably present.
Examples of such disputes are found in Genesis 13:7–8 in the conflict over water rights between the shepherds of Abraham and Lot, in the similar quarrel between the servants of Isaac and the herdsmen of Gerar (26:19–22), and in Jacob’s dispute with Laban over the theft of Laban’s teraphim (31:36). These examples suggest the public nature of the rib and its disputatious character, in which conflicting viewpoints are presented for resolution (Isa. 50:8).24
A rib includes several elements: Parties to the conflict are summoned in court (Ps. 50:1–5; Hos. 4:1); witnesses are called to observe the execution of justice in the case (Ps. 50:1; Mic. 6:1–2); a judge sits to hear the evidence and to render judgment (Deut. 19:17; 25:1; 1 Sam. 24:15; 2 Sam. 15:1–4; Isa. 3:13); the opposing parties present their cases (Isa. 41:21); after all testimony has been heard, the judge pronounces a mišpaṭ (“judgment”), in which the parties are declared “righteous” if they have fulfilled the demands of justice and “wicked” if they have not.
A special form of the rib is the divinely initiated lawsuit. In these cases, Yahweh participates as complaining party, prosecuting attorney, and deciding judge.
The LORD takes his place in court;
he rises to judge the people. (Isa. 3:13)
Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker,
to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter, “What are you making?”
Does your work say, “He has no hands”? (Isa. 45:9)
“Therefore I bring charges against you again,”
declares the LORD.
“And I will bring charges against your children’s children.” (Jer. 2:9)25
The prophets used this common form of legal proceeding to drive home the seriousness of Israel’s failure to keep the covenant. The rib allowed God to have his day in court when the people would rather ignore their responsibilities and take divine silence (cf. Ps. 50:21) as a sign of approval, lack of concern, or even divine weakness. The promulgation of the lawsuit ends Yahweh’s silence decisively with a public accusation of guilt (50:3–6, 21b).
An adaptation of the divine lawsuit against Israel forms the basis of Job’s demand to see God. Here the lawsuit is turned on its head as Job seeks to take Yahweh to court for breach of covenant.
Oh, that I had someone to hear me!
I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me;
let my accuser put his indictment in writing. (Job 31:35)
I will say to God: Do not condemn me,
but tell me what charges you have against me. (Job 10:2)
Hear now my argument;
listen to the plea of my lips. (Job 13:6)
Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
Let him who accuses God answer him! (Job 40:2)
Job even raises the issue of God’s multifaceted participation and the way it effectively undermines “due process.”
How then can I dispute with him?
How can I find words to argue with him?
Though I were innocent, I could not answer him;
I could only plead with my Judge for mercy. (Job 9:14–15)
He is not a man like me that I might answer him,
that we might confront each other in court.
If only there were someone to arbitrate between us,
to lay his hand upon us both,
someone to remove God’s rod from me,
so that his terror would frighten me no more.
Then I would speak up without fear of him,
but as it now stands with me, I cannot. (Job 9:32–35)
The divine lawsuit consistently accuses Israel of failure in her covenant responsibilities. Often this failure is described as a misuse or misunderstanding of the sacrificial system. Hosea’s rib begins with an extensive list of covenant wrongdoings (Hos. 4:1–6), but later the true nature of sacrifice is brought to the fore: “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings” (6:6). Amos is even more caustic in depicting Yahweh’s rejection of empty sacrifice: “I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. . . . Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:21–24).26
It is this failure of understanding regarding the true nature of sacrifice that dominates Psalm 50. Israel is condemned not because they fail to offer sacrifices and offerings (50:8), but because they seek to exploit in their abundant sacrifices a supposed need of God. Because she believes God needs her sacrifices, Israel believes he can be manipulated by abundant gifts with no regard for the spiritual condition or intent of the offerer. Not so, rejoins God. Sacrifice fills no lack in the creator of the world, to whom all belongs. Sacrifice is for the benefit of the offerer. It is a reflection of the attitude of the offerer and, rightly given, “honors” God (50:23a) while opening the door for God’s gift of salvation. Clearly it is not the sacrifice that accomplishes salvation but God, in response to the offerer’s attitude of thanksgiving and praise.
RIGHT WORSHIP AND RIGHT CONDUCT. Psalm 50 admonishes the covenant people “to consider” their failings in worship and in conduct—their relationship to God and to their fellow humans. This is, of course, the summary of “the Law and the Prophets,” according to Jesus (Matt. 22:35–40). Right worship, says the psalmist, consists in acknowledging that we have nothing to bring to the creator of the universe that is not already his. Added to this is the realization that God does not need our sacrifices, but that they are entirely for our own benefit.
As far as conduct goes, God through the psalmist takes the “wicked” to task for assuming their acceptance of the covenant makes no restrictions on their abuse of their neighbors. Theft, adultery, verbal abuse, deceit, and slander are unfortunately the common practice of those who claim to adhere to the covenant (50:16–20). God wants a different sort of activity from his people.
Honor me. Psalm 50:23 reads: “He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.” The first part is directed to the question of worship. Right sacrifice intends to honor God rather than manipulate or exploit him.
How is it that our own worship honors God? Is it enough to offer abundant words of thanksgiving and praise? It depends, I believe, on what motivates our words. Words are cheap and often deceptive. Do we praise God because it makes us feel good? Or do we praise him because we realize just how little we deserve the salvation God offers and how radically he has invaded and changed our lives? Is it enough to fill the air with waving hands and swirling choruses if we are not concerned with truth, equity, justice—and are unwilling to work for it? Does our praise honor God when our congregations forget whole segments of society?
Let’s not mistake praise and thanks for worship. They are vital parts of worship, but only part! True worship requires the fear of Yahweh, acknowledgment of sin, and petition of forgiveness. Then our thanksgiving and praise will be sincere. True worship involves opening our eyes to see the hurts of the world outside our gathering place. It means acting on what we see. Then our praise will have meaning beyond our own well-being and will sound with new sweetness in God’s ears.
Prepare the way. The second half of the concluding admonition is directed to the one who “prepares the way” (50:23b). The Hebrew behind this expression requires some explanation lest it be confused with the more familiar phrase regarding the one who “prepares the way” of the Lord (Isa. 40:3; Mal. 3:1). The passages in Isaiah and Malachi use the verb pnh (“turn aside, cause to turn”) and suggest a road-building effort in which the terrain is altered by bulldozing hills and filling valleys so that the “king’s highway” may go on without obstruction.
That, however, is not the idiom used in Psalm 50:23. Here the Hebrew verb is śym (“set, put, establish”). The picture is more of the athlete’s determined fixation on the goal or finish line. The focused concentration, no deviations to left or right, characterize the one who has “fixed his path” in the way 50:23 intends. The one who runs or walks with this kind of fixed determination will see “the salvation of God.” Such a one does not “forget God,” nor does he or she need to fear being torn to pieces with no one to rescue (50:22).
Paul talks of such disciplined focus in Philippians 3:8–14: “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. . . . Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”