Psalm 50 critically addresses the hypocrisy of worship, emphasizing that true worship is rooted in spiritual sincerity rather than mere ritual observance. The psalm opens with God summoning the whole earth to witness His judgment against those who uphold empty religious practices, calling for sincere acts of thanksgiving and acknowledgment of God's sovereignty. Ultimately, it serves as a reminder that genuine faithfulness in covenant relationships with God is paramount over mere outward compliance.

1. PSALM 50
VERSE BY VERSE COMMETARY EDITED BY GLE PEASE
I quote many authors both old and new, and if any I quote do not want their wisdom shared in
this way they can let me know and I will remove it. My e-mail is glenn_p86@yahoo.com
If a commentator is blank, their comments are in a previous verse, or they had none.
ITRODUCTIO
1. CALVI, “There have always been hypocrites in the Church, men who have placed religion in
a mere observance of outward ceremonies, and among the Jews there were many who turned
their attention entirely to the figures of the Law, without regarding the truth which was
represented under them. They conceived that nothing more was demanded of them but their
sacrifices and other rites. The following psalm is occupied with the reprehension of this gross
error, and the prophet exposes in severe terms the dishonor which is cast upon the name of God
by confounding ceremony with religion, showing that the worship of God is spiritual, and consists
of two parts, prayer and thanksgiving.
A Song of Asaph.
The prophet holds up the ingratitude of such persons to our reprobation, as proving themselves
unworthy of the honor which has been placed upon them, and debasing themselves by a
degenerate use of this world. From this let us learn, that if we are miserable here, it must be by
our own fault; for could we discern and properly improve the many mercies which God has
bestowed upon us, we would not want, even on earth, a foretaste of eternal blessedness. Of this,
however we fall short through our corruption. The wicked, even while on earth, have a pre-eminency
over the beasts of the field in reason and intelligence, which form a part of the image of
God; but in reference to the end which awaits them the prophet puts both upon a level, and
declares, that being divested of all their vain-glory, they will eventually perish like the beasts.
Their souls will indeed survive, but it is not the less true that death will consign them to
everlasting disgrace.
2. SPURGEO, “Title. A Psalm of Asaph. This is the first of the Psalms of Asaph, but whether
the production of that eminent musician, or merely dedicated to him, we cannot tell. The titles of
twelve Psalms bear his name, but it could not in all of them be meant to ascribe their authorship
to him, for several of these Psalms are of too late a date to have been composed by the same
writer as the others. There was an Asaph in David's time, who was one of David's chief
musicians, and his family appear to have continued long after in their hereditary office of temple
musicians. An Asaph is mentioned as a recorder or secretary in the days of Hezekiah 2 Kings
18:18, and another was keeper of the royal forests under Artaxerxes. That Asaph did most
certainly write some of the Psalms is clear from 2 Chronicles 29:30 , where it is recorded that the
Levites were commanded to sing praises unto the Lord with the words of David, and of Asaph
the seer, but that other Asaphic Psalms were not of his composition, but were only committed to
his care as a musician, is equally certain from 1 Chronicles 16:7 , where David is said to have
delivered a Psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren. It matters little to us whether he

2. wrote or sang, for poet and musician are near akin, and if one composes words and another sets
them to music, they rejoice together before the Lord.
Division. The Lord is represented as summoning the whole earth to hear his declaration, Psalms
50:1-6; he then declares the nature of the worship which he accepts, Psalms 50:7-15, accuses the
ungodly of breaches of the precepts of the second table, Psalms 50:16-21, and closes the court
with a word of threatening, Psalms 50:22, and a direction of grace, Psalms 50:23.
Whole Psalm. The exordium or beginning of this Psalm is the most grand and striking that can
possibly be imagined -- the speaker GOD, the audience an assembled world! We cannot compare
or assimilate the scene here presented to us with any human resemblance; nor do I imagine that
earth will ever behold such a day till that hour when the trumpet of the archangel shall sound
and shall gather all the nations of the earth from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the
other; when the dead, small and great, shall stand before God, and the sea shall give up the dead
which are in it, and death and hell shall deliver up the dead that are in them. Barton Bouchier.
3. F. B. MEYER, “Asaph is named as the author of this Psalm. Perhaps he who is mentioned in
1Chr 15:17, 18, 19, and in 2Chr 29:30. The Psalm contains a severe rebuke of the hypocrite who
contents himself with giving a mere outward obedience to the ritual of God's house, but
withholds the love and homage of his heart.
In the earlier part God is represented as coming again, as once at Sinai, to vindicate and explain
the spiritual requirements of his holy law (Psalm 50:1-6). Then the errors in observing the first
table are discovered (Psalm 50:8-15), after which the Psalmist indicates the violations of the
second table (Psalm 50:16-21). Finally there is an impressive conclusion (Psalm 50:22, 23). The
Psalm is interesting, because it shows how the devout Israelites viewed the Levitical ritual as
being only the vehicle and expression of the yearnings and worship of the spiritual life, but not of
any value apart from a recognition of God's claims on the devotion of his people.
4. MATTHEW STITH, “The arc of the sun, the fire of the divine presence, the radiant beauty of
Zion, and especially the image of God shining forth offer points of connection to the radiance
of Jesus, Moses, and Elijah in the Transfiguration story, and preachers whose interpretive focus
is primarily on that story may find these visual associations valuable to illustrate the frequency
with which God's presence is depicted in the Bible as being accompanied by bright light.
However, if the Psalm reading is to be engaged wholly or primarily on its own terms, there are
other aspects of the text that must be considered.
The visual imagery of the passage is not invoked for its own sake, nor as a mere testament to the
glory of the Lord. The blazing divine presence is the power behind an important and far-reaching
summons. God is calling the heavens above and the earth from the rising of the sun to its
setting to bear witness to God's actions as judge. God's radiance and power help to establish his
right to sit in judgment, and the calling of heaven and earth to bear witness establish the scope of
God's jurisdiction. This passage is more a subpoena than it is a hymn of praise.
The judge is present and qualified, and the witnesses are summoned. The missing piece of the
tableau is a defendant, and the identification of the charged party is soon offered, as the Psalmist
declares that the witnesses were summoned that [God] may judge his people. Furthermore,
this judgment will have to do with Israel's covenant obligations in some way, as is made clear in

3. the direct speech of the Lord, Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by
sacrifice!
If the interpreter engages only the selected verses, the particulars of the covenant violations with
which Israel will be charged are not present. That being the case, there is opportunity for
preaching the importance of covenant faithfulness on the part of God's people, and on the
consequences of covenant violations, in any number of areas. Such flexibility might aid the
preacher in bringing the text to bear on the life and context of a given community, but it also
leaves open the possibility of forced readings that do violence to the sense and aims of the Psalm.
To prevent such forcing of the text, it is highly advisable to consider the remaining verses of
Psalm 50, whether or not they are read in worship. The Psalm as a whole offers two general
indictments of Israel:
In verses 7-15, Israel's worship practices are called into question. The message here shares many
features with the common prophetic complaint that the offering of sacrifices has come to take the
place of true worship of the living God, in a triumph of form over substance. Psalm 50 explicitly
does not condemn sacrifice per se, but rather challenges a particular understanding of sacrificial
observance. The Psalmist declares that God will not accept sacrifices from your house or from
your folds, and then reminds the reader that all of creation, including those things brought for
sacrifice, already belongs to God. Imagining that one's offerings are a gift to God, or that they
fulfill some need of God's, is to claim ownership of what belongs only to the Lord. This attitude is
here condemned as being contrary to Israel's faith and to Israel's covenant commitments.
Instead, God's people are to treat their offerings as acts of thanksgiving for all that God has done
and given. Such sacrifices alone, says the Psalm, are acceptable to God.
In verses 16-21, a similar complaint is lodged against Israel. This time, though, instead of
sacrifice, it is the recitation and citation of the covenant that is held up for inspection. Again, the
practice itself is not condemned, but rather the empty and hypocritical speaking of devout words
while living a rapacious and predatory life. To pay only lip service to God's decrees while living in
a manner contrary to them is to act as if God is either powerless to enforce the divine will or, as
the Psalm puts it, one just like yourself, whose words are not backed by actions.
By following the lead of the whole of Psalm 50, the interpreter can offer specific direction to the
call to covenant faithfulness issued in the first six verses. God's people, whether in ancient Israel
or in the church today, are called to attend to the substance and meaning of their religious
activities and proclamation, and not merely the forms of them. They are called to give offerings
as an act of thanksgiving, rather than of grudging surrender of what they imagine to be their
own. They are called to be disciplined and led by the words of the covenant, not merely to recite
them. The message of Psalm 50 is that in seeking to follow these calls, the people give honor to
God and are shown the way of God's salvation.
5. Shauna Hannan, “How do you respond to the words, The boss would like to set up a meeting
with you?
Depending upon both your relationship with the boss and your recent performance at work, you
may be one who is encouraged by this imminent meeting. Finally, a raise! Or you may get that
proverbial pit in the stomach which screams, Oh oh!

4. The announcement that God is approaching as judge yields contrasting responses as well. ot
unlike the way we talk about law and gospel in preaching (that is, the very same word can be
heard as law to some and gospel to others), the effect of this announcement depends upon the
stance of the recipient of such news. For some, the announcement that the mighty one, God the
Lord, will appear is a longed-for event. Yet, for others, it is the impetus for trembling. Yes, it is
clear that judgment takes center stage in the beginning of this Psalm, but is this welcomed or
undesirable judgment? Of course, that depends upon what we know about who is doing the
judging and, secondly, who is being judged.
Before exploring these two areas (who is doing the judging and who is being judged), it is
important to be aware that the remaining seventeen verses of Psalm 50 contain a speech made by
God. Prior to God's actual speech, however, there is an introduction to the keynote speaker. The
pericope we have before us this week (verses 1-6) is the introduction. From this introduction
alone, what do we find out about the one who is doing the judging?
We discover right away that the one who is about to speak is mighty. Also, one cannot miss the
point that God is being introduced as one who is extremely verbal. In these few verses alone, we
discover that God speaks, summons, does not keep silent, and calls. This is not a God who wishes
to speak through others or remain distant. Rather, God brings news directly. God is God's own
herald.
In addition, there are two other characteristics of the forthcoming speaker worthy of the
preacher's exploration. First, God comes out of the perfection of beauty, and second, God comes
with some special effects; surrounded by devouring fire and encircled by a mighty tempest.
Because the reputation and character of the one who speaks makes a difference in how that one is
heard, it is worth exploring these characteristics. Even more, consider the extent to which these
characteristics of God are consistent with the characteristics you or others in your congregation
would highlight when introducing God. (That is assuming God is the planned keynote speaker for
this Transfiguration Sunday!)
ot only do these characteristics speak of who God is, but the heavens chime in to put in their
good word. One cannot find a more trustworthy witness. The one who is about to speak comes
with stellar recommendations. The forthcoming theophany is not to be missed; indeed, cannot be
missed.
Another way to discover whether or not the impending judgment is welcome or undesirable is by
examining who is being judged. First, we hear that God summons the whole earth. Interestingly,
the breadth of this summons is not described (as some translations would suggest) in spatial
terms, but temporal. God does not beckon people from the East and West, orth and South, but
instead, all people for all time, past, present, and future, from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Therefore, immediately in the Psalm, we in the twenty-first century are drawn into this text. The
stage is being set for a broadcast in its broadest sense, for no one is excluded or exempt from the
forthcoming judgment.
Eventually, however, we find that the intended audience is narrowed (verse 5). God appears to be
calling specifically to God's faithful ones, the ones who made a covenant with God by sacrifice.
We still do not know whether or not God's people have been faithful in their covenant with God.
(It is worth noting, however, that God did not call them unfaithful ones.) All we know is that

5. the hearers being summoned will have one role, and that role will be to listen.
If Psalm 50 were to be the focal point for the Sunday sermon, the Psalm would have to be treated
in its entirety. It seems, however, that Transfiguration Sunday calls for this pericope to serve the
sermon as it does the remainder of the Psalm. In other words, it acts as an introduction to a
forthcoming appearance by God. ot only is Psalm 50:1-6 a suitable precursor to the theophany
in Mark 9, the questions and concerns that arise out of this text might be appropriated in order
to explore the Transfiguration of Jesus.
6. Brenda Barrows, “The Larger Picture:
This six-verse pericope introduces a prophetic psalm of judgment (see Mays), whose later verses
lay out specific charges against God’s chosen people. Psalm 50 goes beyond rebuke and the threat
of punishment, directing the faithful to reject mechanical worship and corrupt behavior and to
offer sincere thanksgiving and praise for their creator. In this context, it has been pointed out that
Psalm 51’s prayer for cleansing and pardon serves as an appropriate confession of sin and
commitment to reform along the lines mapped out in Psalm 50 (see Schaefer).
Some Details:
Ecological setting: God calls the entire natural world to witness in the case. The scope of
creation’s witness extends from sunrise to sunset (v.1) and from the height of the heavens down to
the earth (v.4). Later in the psalm (vv. 10-12), it is pointed out that God owns all of creation, and
does not need human sacrifice.
God is not an outsider: It is from within this natural context that God’s glory shines forth in Zion
(v. 2) (see “God’s Grandeur,” Gerard Manley Hopkins, http://www.bartleby.com/122/7.html).
God uses the forces of nature (devouring fire, whirling tempest) not only to demonstrate power
but also to communicate (does not keep silent) (v.3). It even appears that God requires this
natural context “that he may judge” God’s people (v.4). It is the heavens that “declare [God’s]
righteousness” – witnessing to God’s appropriate role as judge (v.6)
God’s judgment is intimate: The verb translated as “summons” in v.1 of the RSV accurately
reflects the psalm’s legal setting, but that same verb is more commonly translated simply as “calls
to,” as in v.4. The God-that-summons calls out personally, “Gather to me my faithful ones, who
made a covenant with me…” (v. 5) Further, the verb translated “judge” in v. 4 may carry the
connotation of “pleading a case” in behalf of someone (see BDB). If a courtroom scene is depicted
by Psalm 50, it is a family council where the judge knows everyone and prefers reformed
behavior to vengeful punishment.
Food for Thought
Lectionary readings consistently snip out the hard words of the psalms, leaving only words of
praise. There is nothing wrong with praise! However, Psalm 50 demonstrates that God requires

6. worshipers to struggle with the significance of their worship and to move away from
mechanically tossed-off prayer, praise, and thanksgiving. By expurgating the hard facts laid out
in later verses of Psalm 50, could the lectionary actually contribute to the very type of behavior
against which we are being warned?
Sink Your Teeth Into This
Years ago, a new second-career student came to my office to discuss plans for life at seminary.
The student remarked that he had already completed a successful career, and was now able to
“give something back to God.” At the time, I thought of the parable of the rich young ruler, and
wondered if the student knew exactly how much he might need to give up. Today’s work with
Psalm 50 brings that past conversation to mind yet again. We have many high achievers at
Union-PSCE, and it is a delight to see their varied gifts being polished to serve the church. At the
same time, Psalm 50 offers a strong and helpful reminder that each of us owes everything –
property, family, personal attributes, the very ground we stand on – to God. We have nothing of
our own to give to God – except our gratitude. The astonishing good news is that gratitude is
exactly what God has always wanted.
7. Dr. Marshall C. St. John, Introduction: At one time or another in your life you will probably
become interested in your genealogy. You may attempt to trace your family tree as far back as
you can. But that's just the nuts and bolts of genealogy. A deeper question, and much more
difficult to answer: what were my ancestors LIKE? What sort of man or woman was my great
grandfather or great grandmother? It is hard enough to start with our own parents. What sort of
person was my mother? My father? As Christians, we believe in God. But we want to know more.
What sort of Person is my Heavenly Father? Theologians call this the study of THEOLOGY.
Psalm 50 tells us a lot of basic truth about God, so I call this Psalm, THEOLOGY 101. Today I
would like to highlight four facts about God that are brought out in this Psalm:
I. God is Omnipotent (verse 1).
Psa 50:1 The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the
sun to the place where it sets.
In this verse God is called The Mighty One. And an illustration of His power is given: His
power over all the earth, from ultimate East to ultimate West. His power is universal.
Theologians have three words to describe God that all begin with the word Omni, which is
Latin for all.
• God is omniscient = all knowing
• God is omnipresent = He is everywhere simultaneously
• God is omnipotent = He has ultimate power
How powerful is God? Job caught a glimpse of God's power:
Job 9:4 His wisdom is profound, his power is vast. Who has resisted him and come out
unscathed?
Job 9:5 He moves mountains without their knowing it and overturns them in his anger.
Job 9:6 He shakes the earth from its place and makes its pillars tremble.

7. Job 9:7 He speaks to the sun and it does not shine; he seals off the light of the stars.
Job 9:8 He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.
Job 9:9 He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.
Job 9:10 He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.
Job 9:11 When he passes me, I cannot see him; when he goes by, I cannot perceive him.
Job 9:12 If he snatches away, who can stop him? Who can say to him, 'What are you doing?'
Jeremiah said:
Jer 10:12 ...God made the earth by his power; He founded the world by His wisdom and
stretched out the heavens by His understanding.
God made all things, and He controls every human being, every animal, every act of history. It is
all in God's almighty hands. His power is infinite. He is the Almighty One!
II. God Speaks (Ps. 50:1, 3, 7)
The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to
the place where it sets...Our God comes and will not be silent...Hear, O my people, and I will
speak, O Israel...
Theologians use the word REVELATIO when they consider how God communicates with us.
They speak of General Revelation and Special Revelation.
General Revelation teaches us that God has spoken all over the world by means of creation, and
by means of conscience. Every human being everywhere has heard the voice of God through
General Revelation.
Psa 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Psa 19:2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
Psa 19:3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
Psa 19:4 Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
Rom 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and
wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
Rom 1:19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to
them.
Rom 1:20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and
divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men
are without excuse.
Rom 2:14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the
law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law,
Rom 2:15 since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their
consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)
God has spoken most fully to us in the person of His Son Jesus Christ, and in the written Word of
God, whereby we learn of the living Word of God. The Bible is inspired by God. 2 Tim 3:16 All
Scripture is God-breathed. It is the breath of God Himself, and when we read it the Holy Spirit
illuminates our hearts, and makes us understand.
1 Cor 2:9 However, as it is written: o eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him--
1 Cor 2:10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep
things of God.

8. III. God is Righteous (Psalm 50:6).
...the heavens proclaim his righteousness.
Psa 11:7 For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face.
Psa 119:137 Righteous are you, O LORD, and your laws are right.
Psa 119:138 The statutes you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy.
Psa 145:17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.
Rev 15:4 Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy.
All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.
God is utterly holy in all His thoughts, words and deeds. There is no sin in God whatsoever. He is
always just, always fair, always righteous, always holy, always good, in every possible way. He is
so good that even the holy angels in Heaven cannot bear to see God.
Isa 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted,
and the train of his robe filled the temple.
Isa 6:2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces,
with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
Isa 6:3 And they were calling to one another: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole
earth is full of his glory.
It is the holiness of God that accounts for the death of Jesus on the cross. God could not simply
decree I forgive your sins. God could not just sweep our sins under the rug and not think about
them. God was compelled by His own righteousness to DO SOMETHIG DRASTIC about our
sins, in order that He might love us, and receive us to Himself. So He sent His Son to make the
ultimate sacrifice, in order that our sins might be literally washed away and expunged by the
blood of Jesus.
IV. God invites us to worship Him (Psalm 50:5,8,14-15).
Psa 50:5 Gather to me my consecrated ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.
Psa 50:8 I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are ever before
me.
Psa 50:14 Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High,
Psa 50:15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.
This morning we have gathered here in this place to worship God. I hope you have been
worshipping Him. Worship isn't something that happens to you when you go to church. If you
have no ITETIO to worship, you won't worship. If you MAKE O EFFORT to worship,
you won't worship. When we enter this place, we must turn our thoughts toward God. When we
pray, we must pray from the heart. When we sing our hymns, we must concentrate, and offer our
singing to God. When we hear the special music, it is not just to be entertained. We must take
that music and in our hearts adore the Lord, and offer Him our praise and adoration. When we
hear the sermon, we must think hard about the meaning of God's Word, and offer our hearts,
minds and wills to God. That's what worship is all about. But it is UP TO YOU. Worship doesn't
happen to you. Worship is something you make up your mind to do, and you DO IT.
Conclusion: What have we learned about God today in Theology 101?
• 1. That God is Almighty.
• 2. That God has spoken, and continues to speak in creation, by conscience, and in His
written Word.

9. • 3. That God is utterly righteous and holy.
• 4. That God graciously invites us to worship Him.
8. BILL LOG, “I have given this exposition the colorful (I hope!) title of o Bull because of
the (unintended) humorous translation of v. 9 in the Revised Standard Version and other older
Bible translations. Perhaps that is why our reading stops at v. 8 after all. Verse 9 used to say, I
will accept no bull from your house. ow, the RSV, without comment of course, has cleaned
it up to say, I will not accept a bull from your house. I sort of preferred the old translation!
Psalm 50 is a fine illustration of the point I have frequently made about the Psalms--that they are,
in fact, orientation exhortations. That is, their primary purpose is not to tell a story or to
declare Thus says the Lord, or to give instruction in wise dealing in life. Their primary
purpose is to deal with a deep human emotion or spiritual need, and to exhort us to (re)orient
ourselves to God. In this Psalm the emotion dealt with is thanksgiving or gratitude. We should
offer sacrifices to God; but only those which are given with thanksgiving, with a heart directed
rightly to God, will be acceptable to God. This theme is reflected throughout the Scriptures, with
Paul being one of the best biblical writers on gratitude. So let each one give as he purposes in his
heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver (II Cor. 9:7). We are
exhorted to gratitude because our tendency is not to be grateful. We like to whine, complain, and
otherwise stress our victimization. But this Psalm won't let us go there.
One of the arresting things about this Psalm is its literary form. Rather than beginning with a
statement of gratitude, or distress, or a declaration of love, or a recital of God's deeds in the past,
the author begins with a theophany--a description of God's coming. This theophany is
wrapped in prophetic-type language. There is also the language of lawsuit. It is God the Lord,
who shines forth from Zion, who is coming to speak to us. God is coming, and will God be
pleased? Or, in the language of the reading from Luke for this week, will we be ready? Three
points help us focus on the Psalm's lesson for us: (1) The Coming of God; (2) The Basic Principle
of the Passage; and (3) a Warning. Each deserves brief mention.
Three points about the divine coming or theophany are the language of lawsuit, God as light or
fire, and natural world as witnesses to God's word. The opening words of the Psalm are
reminiscent of the great prophetic lawsuit passages, where God is portrayed as initiating a suit
with the people. One example will suffice. In Mic. 6, God is about to indict the people for
faithlessness. We have:
1 Hear what the Lord says:
Rise, plead your case before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice.
2 Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the Lord,
and you enduring foundations of the earth;
for the Lord has a controversy with his people,
and he will contend with Israel.
God can bring a lawsuit (reeb in Hebrew) because of the covenant between God and the people.
Disobedience to that covenant by either party allows the non-offending party to bring the other to
book. This is what is happening here.

10. God shines forth out of Zion. Many biblical passages stress the light-like character of God.
My favorite is from Ps. 104.
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
wrapped in light as with a garment (vv. 1-2).
Sometimes God can be said to dwell in darkness or deep darkness (Ps. 18:11), but more
frequently God's dwelling is in light. ote the biblical connection between light and fearlessness:
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid? (Ps. 27:1-2).
The Psalmist is more precise here about the type of light in mind. It is fire. God is not just some
5000 watt bulb shining from the heavens or coming to the earth. God appears in a fire. Perhaps
the author is thinking of God's original theophany to Moses in the fire of the burning bush or in
the smoke, clouds and fire of Sinai. He doesn't say. But the fire here is a devouring one. The
language is reminiscent of Deut. 4 and 9.
For the Lord your God is a devouring fire, a jealous God (4:24)....Has any people
ever heard the voice of a god speaking out of a fire, as you have heard, and lived?
(4:33)....Know then today that the Lord your God is the one who crosses over before
you as a devouring fire... (9:3).
Finally, when God comes, the divine will call creation to witness of the truth and seriousness of
the divine words.
He calls to the heavens above/ and to the earth, that he may judge his people (Ps.
50:4).
Calling upon inanimate nature to witness a covenant or a covenant lawsuit is also something that
is known in the Bible and in Ancient ear Eastern literature generally. When Joshua sealed the
covenant with the people of Israel before his death, he took a large stone, and set it up at the
covenanting spot under the oak in the sanctuary of the Lord. Then he said:
See, this stone shall be a witness against you, if you deal falsely with your God
(24:26f.)
God is coming, and is God serious!
II. The Simple Message
But God's message, upon arrival, is really quite simple. A child can understand it, but the most
mature individual still has to put all his/her effort into it to realize it. God speaks about sacrifices,
those little things we offer to God which say that we will do X for God or that we are fully
dedicated to God's service. God wants to talk to us. Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a
covenant with me by sacrifice (v. 5). This gathering is the accountability meeting. God will
have a beef to pick with us.
The central point of God's complaint is that our sacrifices are missing their chief ingredient--
gratitude. They might be made reluctantly or even bitterly, but they are given without the

11. requisite thanksgiving. Then, the passage (not in our reading) goes on to make God's complaint
more precise. ot only do the ones sacrificing continue to practice deceit and laziness, but they
seem to think that they are giving something to God from their possessions. It is as if the mind of
the sacrificer works like this: I can afford to give God this sheep or this goat. It is not exactly
the attitude which gives the damaged goods to God, the ones you can't eat anyway, but it is
similar to it. God forestalls that attitude immediately: For every wild animal of the forest is
mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the air, and all that moves in the field
is mine (50:10-11).
That is, it already is God's. It is not as if we are giving something to God which God doesn't
already have. Thus, what is really in view in sacrifice is the offering of the heart, the heart turned
in gratitude to God. But, and I stress this point, it would not be sufficient just to say, 'Well, God is
only interested in the heart. Therefore, I will dispense with sacrifices. I will keep the goats and
bulls, supping on them with friends, giving thanks to God the whole time.' ope, this won't work.
We aren't really thankful to God unless we freely give to God what already belongs to God. But
we need to part with things that are necessary to us in life. But give it with gratitute, with
thanksgiving that we have something to give and that God is our God and will receive it and bless
us.
III. A Warning
It would be nice if the Scriptures just ended with the exhortation or the good news. Just do X
and you will be blessed. But there is often a warning appended. I don't really like warnings, but
sometimes they are salutary. We need them because we are heedless of danger and we don't really
see the serious consequences of a lot of what we do. We tend to focus too much on ourselves and
the contours of our often-puny worlds. We ignore larger dimensions of the world in which we are
placed. We don't think that our actions will have repercussions.
But sometimes they do. And that is the purpose of v. 22 of the Psalm. otice the somberness of it:
Mark this, then, you who forget God,/ or I will tear you apart, and there will be no
one to deliver.
Oops. It looks like God takes things very seriously, that the coming of God was not just to sidle
up next to us to watch an HBO Special. The coming of God was filled with the fire that burns as
well as warms. But here the language of fire has disappeared and we have an image from the
animal kingdom. In view is the lion or wild beast that tears asunder. The image is also present in
the prophecy of Hosea. When Israel (Ephraim in the passage) was in trouble, it sought help from
foreign kings rather than from God. Here is what happened:
When Ephraim saw his sickness,
and Judah his wound,
then Ephraim went to Assyria,
and sent to the great king.
But he is not able to cure you
or heal your wound.
For I will be like a lion to Ephraim,
and like a young lion to the house of Judah.
I myself will tear and go away;
I will carry off, and no one shall rescue... (Hos. 5:13-14).
God can speak through the Psalmist about tearing them limb from limb because God has already

12. rehearsed the divine lines in this Hosea passage.
Conclusion
The Scriptures will not let us avoid the point, even in our permissive age and time, that there are
repercussions to our actions. There is a piper to pay, a toll that our actions take. Orienting
ourselves rightly to God through thanksgiving and gratitude will go a long way, however, to
making sure that the rhythms of our lives and the longings of our hearts will lead to good and not
to the fearsome fire or tearing limbs of the divine judgment.
A psalm of Asaph.
1 The Mighty One, God, the LORD,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to where it sets.
1. Barnes, “The mighty God, even the Lord - Even “Yahweh,” for this is the original word. The
Septuagint and Vulgate render this “The God of gods, the Lord.” DeWette renders it, “God, God
Jehovah, speaks.” Prof. Alexander, “The Almighty, God, Jehovah, speaks;” and remarks that the
word “mighty” is not an adjective agreeing with the next word (“the mighty God”), but a
substantive in apposition with it. The idea is, that he who speaks is the true God; the Supreme
Ruler of the universe. It is “that” God who has a right to call the world to judgment, and who has
power to execute his will.
Hath spoken - Or rather, “speaks.” That is, the psalmist represents him as now speaking, and
as calling the world to judgment.
And called the earth - Addressed all the inhabitants of the world; all dwellers on the earth.
From the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof - From the place where the sun seems to
rise, to the place where it seems to set; that is, all the world. Compare the notes at Isa_59:19. See
also Mal_1:11; Psa_113:3. The call is made to all the earth; to all the human race. The scene is
imaginary as represented by the psalmist, but it is founded on a true representation of what will
occur - of the universal judgment, when all nations shall be summoned to appear before the final
Judge. See Mat_25:32; Rev_20:11-14.
2. Clarke, “The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken - Here the essential names of God are
used: אל אלהים יהוה El, Elohim, Yehovah, hath spoken. The six first verses of this Psalm seem to
contain a description of the great judgment: to any minor consideration or fact it seems
impossible, with any propriety, to restrain them. In this light I shall consider this part of the

13. Psalm, and show: -
First, The preparatives to the coming of the great Judge. El Elohim Jehovah hath spoken, and
called the earth - all the children of men from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, ( מכלל יפי michlal yophi, the beauty where all perfection is
comprised), God hath shined, Psa_50:1, Psa_50:2.
1. He has sent his Spirit to convince men of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
2. He has sent his Word; has made a revelation of himself; and has declared both his law and
his Gospel to mankind: “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined,” Psa_50:2.
For out of Zion the law was to go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Isa_2:3.
Secondly, The accompaniments.
1. His approach is proclaimed, Psa_50:3 : “Our God shall come.”
2. The trumpet proclaims his approach: “He shall not keep silence.”
3. Universal nature shall be shaken, and the earth and its works be burnt up: “A fire shall
devour before him and it shall be very tempestuous round about him,” Psa_50:3.
Thirdly, The witnesses are summoned and collected, and collected from all quarters; some
from heaven, and some from earth.
1. Guardian angels.
2. Human associates: “He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may
judge his people,” Psa_50:4.
Fourthly, The procedure. As far as it respects the righteous, orders are issued: “Gather my
saints,” those who are saved from their sins and made holy, “together unto me.” And that the
word saints might not be misunderstood it is explained by “those that have made a covenant with
me by sacrifice;” those who have entered into union with God, through the sacrificial offering of
the Lord Jesus Christ. All the rest are passed over in silence. We are told who they are that shall
enter into the joy of their Lord, viz., only the saints, those who have made a covenant with God
by sacrifice. All, therefore, who do not answer this description are excluded from glory.
Fifthly, The final issue: all the angelic hosts and all the redeemed of the Lord, join in
applauding acclamation at the decision of the Supreme Judge. The heavens (for the earth is no
more, it is burnt up) shall declare his righteousness, the exact justice of the whole procedure,
where justice alone has been done without partiality, and without severity, nor could it be
otherwise, for God is Judge himself. Thus the assembly is dissolved; the righteous are received
into everlasting glory, and the wicked turned into hell, with all those who forget God. Some think
that the sentence against the wicked is that which is contained, Psa_50:16-22. See the analysis at
the end, and particularly on the six first verses, in which a somewhat different view of the subject
is taken.
3. Gill, “The mighty God,.... In the Hebrew text it is El, Elohim, which Jarchi renders the
God of gods; that is, of angels, who are so called, Psa_8:5; so Christ, who is God over all, is
over them; he is their Creator, and the object of their worship, Heb_1:6; or of kings, princes,
judges, and all civil magistrates, called gods, Psa_82:1; and so Kimchi interprets the phrase here

14. Judge of judges. Christ is King of kings, and Lord of lords, by whom they reign and judge, and
to whom they are accountable. The Targum renders it the mighty God; as we do; which is the
title and name of Christ in Isa_9:6; and well agrees with him, as appears by his works of creation,
providence, and redemption, and by his government of his church and people; by all the grace,
strength, assistance, and preservation they have from him now, and by all that glory and
happiness they will be brought unto by him hereafter, when raised from the dead, according to
his mighty power. It is added,
even the Lord, hath spoken: or Jehovah, Some have observed, that these three names, El,
Elohim, Jehovah, here mentioned, have three very distinctive accents set to them, and which
being joined to a verb singular, דבר , hath spoken, contains the mystery of the trinity of Persons
in the unity of the divine Essence; see Jos_22:22; though rather all the names belong to Christ the
Son of God, and who is Jehovah our righteousness, and to whom, he being the eternal Logos,
speech is very properly ascribed. He hath spoken for the elect in the council and covenant of
grace and peace, that they might be given to him; and on their behalf, that they might have grace
and glory, and he might be their Surety, Saviour, and Redeemer. He hath spoken all things out of
nothing in creation: he spoke with. Moses at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai: he, the Angel
of God's presence, spoke for the Old Testament saints, and spoke good and comfortable words
unto them: he hath spoken in his own person here on earth, and such words and with such
authority as never man did; and he has spoken in his judgments and providences against the
Jews; and he now speaks in his Gospel by his ministers: wherefore it follows,
and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof; which may be
considered as a preface, exciting attention to what is after spoken, as being of moment and
importance; see Deu_32:1; or as calling the earth, and so the heavens, Psa_50:4, to be witnesses
of the justness and equity of his dealings with the Jews, for their rejection of him and his Gospel;
see Deu_4:26; or rather as a call to the inhabitants of the earth to hear the Gospel; which had its
accomplishment in the times of the apostles; when Christ having a people, not in Judea only, but
in the several parts of the world from east to west, sent them into all the world with his Gospel,
and by it effectually called them through his grace; and churches were planted everywhere to the
honour of his name; compare with this Mal_1:11.
4. Henry, “It is probable that Asaph was not only the chief musician, who was to put a tune to this
psalm, but that he was himself the penman of it; for we read that in Hezekiah's time they praised
God in the words of David and of Asaph the seer, 2Ch_29:30.
5. Jamison, “Psa_50:1-23. In the grandeur and solemnity of a divine judgment, God is introduced
as instructing men in the nature of true worship, exposing hypocrisy, warning the wicked, and
encouraging the pious.
The description of this majestic appearance of God resembles that of His giving the law
(compare Exo_19:16; Exo_20:18; Deu_32:1).
6. KD, “The theophany. The names of God are heaped up in Psa_50:1 in order to gain a
thoroughly full-toned exordium for the description of God as the Judge of the world. Hupfeld
considers this heaping up cold and stiff; but it is exactly in accordance with the taste of the
Elohimic style. The three names are co-ordinate with one another; for הִים c אֵל אֱ does not mean

15. “God of gods,” which would rather be expressed by הִים c הֵי הָאֱ c אֱ or אֵל אֵלִים. אֵ ל is the name for
God as the Almighty; הִים c אֱ as the Revered One; יַהֲֽוֶה as the Being, absolute in His existence, and
who accordingly freely influences and moulds history after His own plan - this His peculiar
proper-name is the third in the triad. Perfects alternate in Psa_50:1 with futures, at one time the
idea of that which is actually taking place, and at another of that which is future, predominating.
Jahve summons the earth to be a witness of the divine judgment upon the people of the covenant.
The addition “from the rising of the sun to its going down,” shows that the poet means the earth
in respect of its inhabitants. He speaks, and because what He speaks is of universal significance
He makes the earth in all its compass His audience. This summons precedes His self-manifestation.
It is to be construed, with Aquila, the Syriac, Jerome, Tremellius, and Montanus,
“out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, Elohim shineth.” Zion, the perfect in beauty (cf. the
dependent passage Lam_2:15, and 1 Macc. 2:12, where the temple is called ἡ καλλονὴ ἡμῶν),
because the place of the presence of God the glorious One, is the bright spot whence the
brightness of the divine manifestation spreads forth like the rising sun. In itself certainly it is not
inappropriate, with the lxx, Vulgate, and Luther, to take מִכְלַל־יפִֹי as a designation of the
manifestation of Elohim in His glory, which is the non pius ultra of beauty, and consequently to be
explained according to Eze_28:12, cf. Exo_33:19, and not according to Lam_2:15 (more
particularly since Jeremiah so readily gives a new turn to the language of older writers). But,
taking the fact into consideration that nowhere in Scripture is beauty ( יֳפִי ) thus directly
predicated of God, to whom peculiarly belongs a glory that transcends all beauty, we must follow
the guidance of the accentuation, which marks מכלל־יפי by Mercha as in apposition with צִיּוֹן (cf.
Psychol. S. 49; tr. p. 60). The poet beholds the appearing of God, an appearing that resembles the
rising of the sun ( הוֹפִיעַ , as in the Asaph Psa_80:2, after Deu_33:2, from יָפַע , with a transition of
the primary notion of rising, Arab. yf‛, wf‛, to that of beaming forth and lighting up far and wide,
as in Arab. sṭ‛); for “our God will come and by no means keep silence.” It is not to be rendered:
Let our God come (Hupfeld) and not keep silence (Olshausen). The former wish comes too late
after the preceding הופיע (יָבֹ א is consequently veniet, and written as e.g., in Psa_37:13), and the
latter is superfluous. אַ ל , as in Psa_34:6; Psa_41:3, Isa_2:9, and frequently, implies in the negative
a lively interest on the part of the writer: He cannot, He dare not keep silence, His glory will not
allow it. He who gave the Law, will enter into judgment with those who have it and do not keep it;
He cannot long look on and keep silence. He must punish, and first of all by word in order to
warn them against the punishment by deeds. Fire and storm are the harbingers of the Lawgiver
of Sinai who now appears as Judge. The fire threatens to consume the sinners, and the storm
(viz., a tempest accompanied with lightning and thunder, as in Job_38:1) threatens to drive them
away like chaff. The expression in Psa_50:3 is like Psa_18:9. The fem. (iph. נִשְׂעֲרָה does not refer
to אֵשׁ , but is used as neuter: it is stormed, i.e., a storm rages (Apollinaris, ἐλαιλαπίσθη σφόδρα).
The fire is His wrath; and the storm the power or force of His wrath.
7. Spurgeon, The mighty God, even the Lord. El, Elohim, Jehovah, three glorious names for the
God of Israel. To render the address the more impressive, these august titles are mentioned, just
as in royal decrees the names and dignities of monarchs are placed in the forefront. Here the true
God is described as Almighty, as the only and perfect object of adoration and as the self existent
One. Hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun until the going down thereof.
The dominion of Jehovah extends over the whole earth, and therefore to all mankind is his decree
directed. The east and the west are bidden to hear the God who makes his sun to rise on every
quarter of the globe. Shall the summons of the great King be despised? Will we dare provoke him
to anger by slighting his call?

16. 8. TREASURY OF DAVID, “Verse 1. El, Elohim, Jehovah has spoken! So reads the Hebrew.
Andrew A. Bonar.
Verse 1. (first clause). Some have observed that these three names, El, Elohim, Jehovah, here
mentioned, have three very distinct accents set to them, and which being joined to a verb singular
(dbd), hath spoken, contains the mystery of the trinity of Persons in the unity of the divine
Essence. John Gill.
Verse 1. And called the earth, etc., i.e., all the inhabitants of the earth he has commanded to come
as witnesses and spectators of the judgment. Simon de Muis.
Verse 1-5. --
o more shall atheists mock his long delay;
His vengeance sleeps no more; behold the day!
Behold! -- the Judge descends; his guards are nigh,
Tempests and fire attend him down the sky.
When God appears, all nature shall adore him.
While sinners tremble, saints rejoice before him.
Heaven, earth and hell, draw near; let all things come,
To hear my justice, and the sinner's doom;
But gather first my saints (the Judge commands),
Bring them, ye angels, from their distant lands.
When Christ returns, wake every cheerful passion,
And shout, ye saints; he comes for your salvation.
Isaac Watts.
9. RAY STEDMA, We are now turning to another of these folksongs, Psalm 50. Its theme is a
familiar one among folksongs. Those of you who are acquainted with the ballads and folksongs of
America know that they frequently center around courtrooms, trials, juries (rigged or otherwise),
prisons, policemen and judges. You get a great deal of this in folksongs and it is the theme also of
this fiftieth Psalm. It is a courtroom scene and the Psalmist is recreating in his own experience
when God judges his people. If we were to put this in the street jargon of today we should entitle
it, When God Busted Me.
otice that it is inscribed as a psalm of Asaph. Asaph was the sweet singer who put these songs to
music and sang in David's court. This psalm is from his pen though it reflects the experience of
many believers. Like all courtroom scenes it begins with a summons.
The Mighty One, God the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth ... {Psa 50:1a RSV}
Some time ago my doorbell rang on a Saturday morning. When I went to the door, there stood a
man I had never seen before. He did not say a word but handed me a piece of paper, turned

17. around, and walked down the driveway. I stood there with the paper in my hands not knowing
quite what it was all about. When I went inside and opened the paper I saw that it was a
summons to appear in court. It affected me strangely. I was not quite sure what to do. I felt a
mingled sense of fear and awe. I wanted to hide, and wondered if it would not be better just to go
back to bed and start all over again.
Perhaps this was the reaction of the Psalmist when this great and impressive summons rang out.
It is a very impressive scene that is described here as the Psalmist pictures the courtroom as the
judge enters and the people are summoned to the bar.
10. Calvin, “The God of gods, even Jehovah, 241 hath spoken The inscription of this psalm bears
the name of Asaph; but whether he was the author of it, or merely received it as chief singer from
the hand of David, cannot be known. This, however, is a matter of little consequence. The opinion
has been very generally entertained, that the psalm points to the period of the Church’s re
novation, and that the design of the prophet is to apprise the Jews of the coming abrogation of
their figurative worship under the Law. That the Jews were subjected to the rudiments of the
world, which continued till the Church’s majority, and the arrival of what the apostle calls “the
fullness of times,” (Galatians 4:4,) admits of no doubt; the only question is, whether the prophet
must here be considered as addressing the men of his own age, and simply condemning the abuse
and corruption of the legal worship, or as predicting the future kingdom of Christ? From the
scope of the psalm, it is sufficiently apparent that the prophet does in fact interpret the Law to his
contemporaries, with a view of showing them that the ceremonies, while they existed, were of no
importance whatever by themselves, or otherwise than connected with a higher meaning. Is it
objected, that God never called the whole world except upon the promulgation of the Gospel, and
that the doctrine of the Law was addressed only to one peculiar people? the answer is obvious,
that the prophet in this place describes the whole world as convened not for the purpose of
receiving one common system of faith, but of hearing God plead his cause with the Jews in its
presence. The appeal is of a parallel nature with others which we find in Scripture:
“Give ear, O ye heavens! and I will speak; and hear, O earth! the words of my mouths”
(Deuteronomy 32:1;)
or as in another place,
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death,”
(Deuteronomy 30:19;)
and again Isaiah,
“Hear, O heaven! and give ear, O earth! for the Lord hath spoken,” (Isaiah 1:2.) 242
This vehement mode of address was required in speaking to hypocrites, that they might be roused
from their complacent security, and their serious attention engaged to the message of God. The
Jews had special need to be awakened upon the point to which reference is here made. Men are
naturally disposed to outward show in religion, and, measuring God by themselves, imagine that
an attention to ceremonies constitutes the sum of their duty. There was a strong disposition
among the Jews to rest in an observance of the figures of the Law, and it is well known with what
severity the prophets all along reprehended this superstition, by which the worst and most
abandoned characters were led to arrogate a claim to piety, and hide their abominations under
the specious garb of godliness. The prophet, therefore, required to do more than simply expose

18. the defective nature of that worship which withdraws the attention of men from faith and
holiness of heart to outward ceremonies; it was necessary that, in order to check false confidence
and banish insensibility, he should adopt the style of severe reproof. God is here represented as
citing all the nations of the earth to his tribunal, not with the view of prescribing the rule of piety
to an assembled world, or collecting a church for his service, but with the design of alarming the
hypocrite, and terrifying him out of his self-complacency. It would serve as a spur to conviction,
thus to be made aware that the whole world was summoned as a witness to their dissimulation,
and that they would be stripped of that pretended piety of which they were disposed to boast. It is
with a similar object that he addresses Jehovah as the God of gods, to possess their minds with a
salutary terror, and dissuade them from their vain attempts to elude his knowledge. That this is
his design will be made still more apparent from the remaining context, where we are presented
with a formidable description of the majesty of God, intended to convince the hypocrite of the
vanity of those childish trifles with which he would evade the scrutiny of so great and so strict a
judge.
To obviate an objection which might be raised against his doctrine in this psalm, that it was
subversive of the worship prescribed by Moses, the prophet intimates that this judgment which
he announced would be in harmony with the Law. When God speaks out of Zion he necessarily
sanctions the authority of the Law; and the Prophets, when at any time they make use of this
form of speech, declare themselves to be interpreters of the Law. That holy mountain was not
chosen of man’s caprice, and therefore stands identified with the Law. The prophet thus cuts off
any pretext which the Jews might allege to evade his doctrine, by announcing that such as
concealed their wickedness, under the specious covert of ceremonies, would not be condemned of
God by any new code of religion, but by that which was ministered originally by Moses. He gives
Zion the honorable name of the perfection of beauty, because God had chosen it for his sanctuary,
the place where his name should be invoked, and where his glory should be manifested in the
doctrine of the Law.
2 From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines forth.
1. Barnes, “Out of Zion - The place where God was worshipped, and where he dwelt. Compare
the notes at Isa_2:3.
The perfection of beauty - See the notes at Psa_48:2.
God hath shined - Has shined forth, or has caused light and splendor to appear. Compare
Deu_33:2; Psa_80:2; Psa_94:1 (see the margin) The meaning here is, that the great principles
which are to determine the destiny of mankind in the final judgment are those which proceed
from Zion; or, those which are taught in the religion of Zion; they are those which are inculcated
through the church of God. God has there made known his law; he has stated the principles on
which he governs, and on which he will judge the world.

19. 2. JOH PIPER, “I have two purposes in this message this morning. One is to begin a three part
series on this great psalm. The other purpose is to pick up on last week's text in Hebrews 13:14
which said, Here we have no lasting city, but we seek a city that is to come. We talked about
singing about Zion city of our God last week, but decided that Zion and the heavenly
Jerusalem and the city to come are foreign ideas to most Christians today.
Seeing the Beauty of Zion in Scripture
So we have decided to devote a message to this theme in Scripture, namely, the theme of Zion and
the city of God and the ew Jerusalem. We've sung the hymn
Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Zion city of our God;
He whose word cannot be broken
Formed thee for His own abode.
On the Rock of Ages founded,
What can shake Thy sure repose?
With salvation's walls surrounded,
Thou mayest smile at all Thy foes.
When I think about the man who wrote that hymn, I am encouraged that this biblical theme can
become relevant and meaningful for the most secular, unchurched, modern person in America. It
was written by John ewton, the same man who wrote Amazing Grace. He was, by his own
confession, a very corrupt young man. He ran from his father and ran from the law and sailed
the high seas. He ran a slave trading vessel in the 1750s from the coasts of Africa. Later on, he
called himself the old African blasphemer. In other words, he is not the kind of person you
would expect to use biblical words like Zion—or to make up a song like Glorious things of
thee are spoken, Zion, city of our God.
You'd think that ideas like Zion and the heavenly Jerusalem would be reserved for churchy
types who spend all their time reading the Bible and don't know much about the world. But
that's not true. It never has been true. It is not true today. The most irreligious, immoral person
you know is probably more religious and more moral than John ewton was. Can you imagine
that person falling in love with the language of Zion—unthinkable! Or is it?
John ewton died December 31, 1807. He wrote his own epitaph for his gravestone. It says,
John ewton, clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was, by the rich
mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to
preach the faith he had long labored to destroy.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me,
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.
And one of the things this African blasphemer saw when God saved him and opened his eyes was
the beauty Zion. And I want you to see it too, whoever you are this morning.

20. What Is Zion?
Verse 2 of our text says, Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. We will talk
more next week about the setting, the scene of judgment, and why God is calling the heavens and
the earth to listen to his judgment over Israel. But today I want us just to focus on this term Zion.
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. What is Zion? And why is it such a
rich and hope-filled word for Christians?
Let's begin back where the word is used for the first time in the Bible (2 Samuel 5:7). It says of
David, The king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites . . . [and] David took the
stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. So from the time of David, Zion was synonymous
with the city of David.
What begins to make this place so significant is that immediately (in 2 Samuel 6:12) David brings
the ark of the covenant into to this stronghold of Zion. The ark of the covenant was the sacred
seat of the holy of holies where God met his people in the tabernacle. So Zion becomes the center
of worship and of God's presence. And when Solomon moves the arc of the covenant into the
temple that he had built (1 Kings 8:1), the whole of Jerusalem came to be known as Zion.
So most of the time (in its 150+ uses in the Old Testament) Zion refers to the city of Jerusalem,
not just as another name, but because it is the city of God's presence and the city of great hope
for God's people.
The City of God's Presence and Salvation
Let me illustrate this significance with some texts.
• Psalm 51:18 , Do good to Zion in thy good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
(Zion is Jerusalem.)
• Psalm 9:11 , Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion! Tell among the peoples his
deeds. (So Zion is the place on earth where God has chosen to makes his presence
especially known. Psalm 78:67f.)
• Psalm 74:2 , Remember mount Zion, where thou hast dwelt. (It is called a mount
because David's stronghold and then the temple were on mountains or hills in Jerusalem.)
So Zion meant the place where God was present and near to his people. But that's not all. It
follows that Zion became the place from which the people expected help. Zion became the source
of deliverance and salvation. For example,
• Psalm 20:2 , May the Lord send you help from the sanctuary, and give you support from
Zion!
• Psalm 3:4 , I cry aloud to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy hill—that is,
Mount Zion.
So Zion was the place of God's special presence among his people and it was the place where they
could get help and deliverance.
But because sin became rampant among the people and because divine judgment was inevitable,
even on Zion (Lamentations 2:15), it became more and more obvious, especially to the prophets,
that Zion, the city of David, the earthly Jerusalem, was not the ideal city. They began to see more
clearly that this Zion pointed forward to a future Zion and upward to a heavenly Zion. Or to put
it another way, if imperfect Zion is the place of God's presence on the earth, then there must be a
perfect Zion where God dwells in heaven (cf. Acts 7:48f.). And if imperfect Zion is the place of
God's presence on the earth now, then all the promises of complete and perfect reign on the earth

21. must mean that there will some day be a new and ideal Zion on the earth where God rules over
all the nations. In other words the old Jerusalem points upward to a heavenly Zion, and forward
to a future Zion.
Pointers to a Future Zion
Let me show you this from some Scriptures. First some pointers to the future Zion.
• Isaiah 24:23 , The moon will be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for the Lord of hosts
will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem. The Lord will reign on Mount Zion!
• Micah 4:6f ., In that day, says the Lord, I will assemble the lame . . . and the Lord will
reign over them in Mount Zion from this time forth and for evermore.
• Isaiah 2:2f ., It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the
Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains . . . and all the nations shall flow
to it . . . For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat
their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.
So the Bible teaches that there is coming a day when the Lord will rule over the nations from his
seat in Zion. And there will be peace and righteousness. I believe this is what the Bible means by
the Millennium—a thousand year reign of God on the earth from Mount Zion. I have set my
king on Zion, my holy hill (Psalm 2:6). So the old Jerusalem points forward to a glorious future
Zion from which God will reign on earth.
Pointing to a Heavenly Zion
But the Old Testament points not only to a future, glorious Zion where God will reign on earth, it
also points to a heavenly Zion where God already reigns now. This is not so easy to see, but once
we see, it becomes really precious to us who live far from the earthly Jerusalem and are not even
Jews.
Psalm 87
There are a few key passages that show this. One is Psalm 87.
On the holy mount stands the city he founded; the Lord loves the gates of Zion more
than all the dwelling places of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God.
[This is where John ewton got his song. ow the Lord himself speaks concerning the
true citizens of Zion:] Among those who know me I mention Rahab [=Egypt] and
Babylon; behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia [So he foretells the day when these
pagan nations will turn and know God. And then he describes them as natural born
citizens of Zion]—This one was born there, they say. And of Zion it shall be said,
This one and that one were born in her; for the Most High himself will establish
her. The Lord records as he registers the peoples, This one was born there.
This is an amazing psalm! If Zion is the place of God's presence, if Zion is the place of God's
power and blessing and protection, if Zion is the hope of God's future rule over the earth, then
what is the hope of us Gentiles? What about us who pay our taxes in Minneapolis and St. Paul
and Roseville and Eagan and Bloomington and ew Brighton, and have never even seen
Jerusalem, let alone become a citizen of God's city? What about us whom Paul says are separated
from the commonwealth of Israel and have no citizenship in Zion the city of God (Ephesians
2:12)?

22. This One Was Born in Zion
The answer is that there is a Zion whose citizenship is not earthly. Psalm 87:5 says the Most High
himself is establishing this Zion by declaring with sovereign freedom and with saving effect:
This one was born there. This one in Minneapolis was born in Zion. This one in Moscow was
born in Zion. This one in Jakarta was born in Zion. This one in Kankan was born in Zion. God is
populating Zion with foreigners of every people and tribe and tongue and nation.
But how can this be? What does it mean? It means that there is a true Zion in heaven, there is a
heavenly Jerusalem. And the true people of God, whether Jew or Gentile, are citizens there. To
belong to the people of God your birth certificate has to say, This one was born in Zion.
In ew Testament Terms
But what does this mean in ew Testament terms? Galatians 4:26 says something amazingly
similar: The Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. We have been conceived and born
in the heavenly Jerusalem. In other words we have all been born once in some earthly city. And
that birth has simply made us flesh and blood and given us a citizenship in some country here on
earth. But if we want to know God and be with God in his city, if we want to be a part of that
future kingdom of peace and joy and love and righteousness where God rules from Zion, then we
have to be born from above. We have to have a second, spiritual birth. We have to have our
citizenship in heaven (Philippians 3:20) and in the Jerusalem above. Our second birth certificate
has to say, This one was born in Zion. Truly, truly I say to you, unless a person is born from
above he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3).
Hebrews 12:22 says to Christians, to those who trust Christ, You have come to Mount Zion and
to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal
gathering and to the assembly of the first born, who are enrolled in heaven.
otice the verse says, You have come to Mount Zion . . . ot: you will come. But you HAVE
COME. One of the great things about being a Christian is that when you are born again, you
don't have to wonder anymore if you are going to be a part of the city of God. Those who are
born from above have ALREADY COME to Mount Zion; they are ALREADY enrolled in the
heavenly Jerusalem; they are ALREADY citizens of the city of God. Paul said to those who had
surrendered to Jesus, You have died and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is
your life appears, then you will appear with him in glory (Colossians 3:3).
So it is with the Zion, the city of God. If you trust Christ, you are already a permanent citizen of
the heavenly Jerusalem. And when this new Jerusalem appears, you will be there too in glory.
A Closing Invitation
I want to close this message the way the Bible closes, with an invitation to any who have never
come to Mount Zion, the city of God, the new Jerusalem—perhaps a John ewton in our midst.
The last two chapters of the Bible describe the ew Jerusalem, coming down from heaven at the
end of the age.
• It is adorned like a bride for her husband.
• In it every tear is wiped away, there is no more death, or crying or pain.
• Its radiance is like a rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
• There is no temple in the city because the temple is the Lord God the Almighty and Jesus
Christ the Lamb.
• There is no sun or moon to shine, because the glory of God himself is its light and the lamp

23. is the Lamb.
• At the center of the city is the throne of God and flowing out from the throne is a river of
the water of life.
• And on either side of the river is the tree of life that bears fruit forever.
• And behold the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them and they shall be his
people and he will be their God and their light and their joy, and they shall reign forever
and ever.
The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come.' And let him who hears say, 'Come.' And let him who is
thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price (Revelation 22:17). To the
thirsty I will give from the fountain of the water of life without payment. (21:6). COME!
Further otes
• More on the idea of being born in Zion and the reach of Zion to all the nations: Isaiah
66:8; Zechariah 2:11f.
• More on the heavenly Zion in the Old Testament: Psalm 48:2; compare the phrase far
north (not in IV!) to the same phrase in Isaiah 14:13f. Zion seems to be pictured here as
in the very distant north, namely, in the heavenly realm.
• For the great future rejoicing in Zion see Isaiah 35:10; 51:3, 11.
• The hope of the city with foundations is a strong incentive to suffer and love here:
Hebrews 13:13f.; 10:10, 16; Revelation 3:12.
3. Gill, “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. Or shall shine (p); the past for
the future, as Kimchi observes; or the perfection of the beauty of God hath shined out of Zion
(q); that is, Christ; he is the perfection of beauty; he is fairer than the children of men; he is more
glorious than the angels in heaven: as Mediator, he is full of grace and truth, which makes him
very lovely and amiable to his people: he is the express image of his Father's person; and the
glory of all the divine perfections is conspicuous in his work of salvation, as well as in himself:
now as he was to come out of Zion, Psa_14:7; that is, not from the fort of Zion, or city of
Jerusalem; for he was to be born at Bethlehem; only he was to be of the Jews, and spring from
them; so he shone out, or his appearance and manifestation in Israel was like the rising sun; see
Mal_4:2; and the love and kindness of God in the mission and gift of him appeared and shone out
in like manner, Tit_3:4; or else the Gospel may be meant, which has a beauty in it: it is a glorious
Gospel, and holds forth the beauty and glory of Christ. All truth is lovely and amiable, especially
evangelical truth: it has a divine beauty on it; it comes from God, and bears his impress; yea, it is
a perfection of beauty: it contains a perfect plan of truth, and is able to make the man of God
perfect; and this was to come out of Zion, Isa_2:3; and which great light first arose in Judea, and
from thence shone out in the Gentile world, like the sun in all its lustre and glory, Tit_2:11; or,
according to our version, God hath shined out of Zion; which, as Ben Melech on the text
observes, is the perfection of beauty; see Lam_2:15; by which is meant the church under the
Gospel dispensation, Heb_12:22; which, as in Gospel order, is exceeding beautiful; and as its
members are adorned with the graces of the Spirit, by which they are all glorious within; and
especially as they are clothed with the righteousness of Christ, and so are perfectly comely
through the comeliness he hath put upon them and here it is that Christ, who is the great God,
and our Saviour, shines forth upon his people, grants his gracious presence, and manifests
himself in his ordinances, to their great joy and pleasure.

24. 4. Henry, “The court called, in the name of the King of kings (Psa_50:2): The mighty God, even
the Lord, hath spoken - El, Elohim, Jehovah, the God of infinite power justice and mercy, Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost. God is the Judge, the Son of God came for judgement into the world, and
the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of judgment. All the earth is called to attend, not only because the
controversy God had with his people Israel for their hypocrisy and ingratitude might safely be
referred to any man of reason (nay, let the house of Israel itself judge between God and his
vineyard, Isa_5:3), but because all the children of men are concerned to know the right way of
worshipping God, in spirit and in truth, because when the kingdom of the Messiah should be set
up all should be instructed in the evangelical worship, and invited to join in it (see Mal_1:11,
Act_10:34), and because in the day of final judgment all nations shall be gathered together to
receive their doom, and every man shall give an account of himself unto God.
II. The judgment set, and the Judge taking his seat. As, when God gave the law to Israel in the
wilderness, it is said, He came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir, and shone forth from Mount
Paran, and came with ten thousands of his saints, and then from his right hand went a fiery law
(Deu_33:2), so, with allusion to that, when God comes to reprove them for their hypocrisy, and to
send forth his gospel to supersede the legal institutions, it is said here, 1. That he shall shine out
of Zion, as then from the top of Sinai, Psa_50:2. Because in Zion his oracle was now fixed, thence
his judgments upon that provoking people denounced, and thence the orders issued for the
execution of them (Joe_2:1): Blow you the trumpet in Zion. Sometimes there are more than
ordinary appearances of God's presence and power working with and by his word and
ordinances, for the convincing of men's consciences and the reforming and refining of his church;
and then God, who always dwells in Zion, may be said to shine out of Zion. Moreover, he may be
said to shine out of Zion because the gospel, which set up spiritual worship, was to go forth from
Mount Zion (Isa_2:3, Mic_4:2), and the preachers of it were to begin at Jerusalem (Luk_24:47),
and Christians are said to come unto Mount Zion, to receive their instructions, Heb_12:22,
Heb_12:28. Zion is here called the perfection of beauty, because it was the holy hill; and holiness is
indeed the perfection of beauty. 2. That he shall come, and not keep silence, shall no longer seem
to wink at the sins of men, as he had done (Psa_50:21), but shall show his displeasure at them,
and shall also cause that mystery to be published to the world by his holy apostles which had long
lain hid, that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs (Eph_3:5, Eph_3:6) and that the partition-wall of
the ceremonial law should be taken down; this shall now no longer be concealed. In the great day
our God shall come and shall not keep silence, but shall make those to hear his judgment that
would not hearken to his law.
5. Jamison, “
6. STEDMA, “Sinai, of course, was where the Law was given. It was accompanied with
thunderous judgment, with lightnings and the voice of a trumpet which waxed louder and louder
until the people could not stand it. They cried out to Moses, You speak to us, ... but let not God
speak to us lest we die! {Exod 20:19 RSV}. But here it is no longer Sinai but Zion. Zion is
Jerusalem and stands for the mercy of God, the redemptive love of God, the grace of God. God is
judging, but he is judging in mercy. It is well to remember that as we go on into this psalm. The
judgment will be realistic but it will not be harsh.
Because Zion refers to Jerusalem there have been some commentators who have taken this psalm
to be a description of the second coming when the Lord Jesus Christ shall return to earth in
power and great glory, (as he himself described it in Matthew 25), and will sit on his throne and
gather the nations before him to judge them. That judgment is vividly detailed in Matthew 25.
ow, it is true that Jesus Christ is going to return to earth. When he came the first time he came
in weakness and humility, born in a cold and dirty cave on the side of a hill in Bethlehem. There

25. was no pomp, no circumstance, no power. But, when he comes again, he will come in great glory
to judge the peoples of earth as they are summoned before him. This psalm is, in my judgment, a
very beautiful description in the Old Testament of that event which is recorded in the ew
Testament. It will occur when Jesus Christ comes again. But it would be a great mistake to take
the psalm as limited only to that event. As often happens with many scriptural passages we have
here a dual application. It not only looks forward to the time when, literally and physically,
Christ will return to judge his people, but it is also describing a judgment that is going on right
now.
7. Spurgeon, Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. The Lord is represented
not only as speaking to the earth, but as coming forth to reveal the glory of his presence to an
assembled universe. God of old dwelt in Zion among his chosen people, but here the beams of his
splendour are described as shining forth upon all nations. The sun was spoken of in the first
verse, but here is a far brighter sun. The majesty of God is most conspicuous among his own
elect, but is not confined to them; the church is not a dark lantern, but a candlestick. God shines
not only in Zion, but out of her. She is made perfect in beauty by his indwelling, and that beauty
is seen by all observers when the Lord shines forth from her.
Observe how with trumpet voice and flaming ensign the infinite Jehovah summons the heavens
and the earth to hearken to his word.
8. TREASURY OF DAVID, “Verse 2. Out of Zion, the perfection of God's beauty hath shined; or,
God has caused the perfection of beauty to shine out of Zion. Martin Geier.
Verse 2. God hath shined. Like the sun in his strength, sometimes for the comfort of his people, as
Psalms 80:1; sometimes for the terror of evil doers, as Psalms 94:1, and here. But evermore God
is terrible out of his holy places. Psalms 68:35 89:7. John Trapp.
Verse 2. God hath shined. The proper meaning of ([py) is to scatter rays from afar, and from a
lofty place, and to glitter. It is a word of a grand sound, says Ch. Schultens, which is always used
of a magnificent and flashing light ... It is apparently used of the splendid symbol of God's
presence, as in Deuteronomy 34:2, where he is said to scatter beams from Mount Paran. From
which it is manifest that it may refer to the pillar of cloud and fire, the seat of the Divine Majesty
conspicuous on Mount Sinai, or on the tabernacle, or the loftiest part of the temple. Hermann
Venema.
3 Our God comes
and will not be silent;
a fire devours before him,
and around him a tempest rages.

26. 1. Barnes, “Our God shall come - That is, he will come to judgment. This language is derived
from the supposition that God “will” judge the world, and it shows that this doctrine was
understood and believed by the Hebrews. The ew Testament has stated the fact that this will be
done by the coming of his Son Jesus Christ to gather the nations before him, and to pronounce
tile final sentence on mankind: Mat_25:31; Act_17:31; Act_10:42; Joh_5:22.
And shall not keep silence - That is, the will come forth and “express” his judgment on the
conduct of mankind. See the notes at Psa_28:1. He “seems” now to be silent. o voice is heard.
o sentence is pronounced. But this will not always be the case. The time is coming when he will
manifest himself, and will no longer be silent as to the conduct and character of people, but will
pronounce a sentence, fixing their destiny according to their character.
A fire shall devour before him - Compare the notes at 2Th_1:8; notes at Heb_10:27. The
“language” here is undoubtedly taken from the representation of God as he manifested himself at
Mount Sinai. Thus, in Exo_19:16, Exo_19:18, it is said, “And it came to pass on the third day in
the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the
voice of a trumpet exceeding loud; and Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord
descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the
whole mount quaked greatly.
And it shall be very tempestuous round about him - The word used here - שׂער śa‛ar - means
properly to shudder; to shiver; and then it is employed to denote the commotion and raging of a
tempest. The allusion is doubtless to the descent on Mount Sinai Exo_19:16, and to the storm
accompanied by thunder and lightning which beat upon the mountain when God descended on it
to give his law. The whole is designed to represent God as clothed with appropriate majesty when
judgment is to be pronounced upon the world.
2. STEDMA, “You who know the ew Testament well know that these two symbols are often
used to describe God. Our God is a consuming fire, says the writer to the Hebrews {Heb
12:29}. And the Spirit of God is in Acts described as a mighty rushing wind. The wind blows
where it desires, said Jesus to icodemus, and you hear the sound thereof, but you cannot tell
where it has come from or where it is going. So is he who is born of the Spirit, {John 3:8 RSV}.
These are highly suggestive symbols. Fire is that which purifies. Purifying power is the concept
here. Fire destroys all waste and trash, the garbage of life. As fire God will burn the dross, waste
and trash of our lives, the garbage of the soul.
But he is also wind. Wind is in some ways the mightiest force in nature. Some time ago I saw a
picture taken after a tornado in the Southwest. It showed some straw that had been caught up in
the wind and driven entirely through a telephone pole. If I gave you a weak piece of straw and
told you to drive it through a telephone pole you would look at me in amazement. You do not
drive straw through a telephone pole. But this straw had been driven through by the force of a
mighty wind. Remember on the day of Pentecost when the disciples were gathered there was
suddenly the sound of a mighty rushing wind. Caught up in the power of that wind the disciples
did things they had never done before. Empowered by the wind of God they went out to do and
say things that upset the world of their day. They startled and astonished men by the power that

27. was evidenced among them.
What the Psalmist is telling us is that when God judges he will do two things: he will burn up the
trash and garbage of life, and then he will empower us. He will catch us up in the greatness of his
strength, and we will be able to do things we never could do before.
3. Gill, “Our God shall come,.... That is, Christ, who is truly and properly God, and who was
promised and expected as a divine Person; and which was necessary on account of the work he
came about; and believers claim an interest in him as their God; and he is their God, in whom
they trust, and whom they worship: and this coming of his is to be understood, not of his coming
in the flesh; for though that was promised, believed, and prayed for, as these words are by some
rendered, may our God come (r); yet at his first coming he was silent, his voice was not heard
in the streets, Mat_12:19; nor did any fire or tempest attend that: nor is it to be interpreted of his
second coming, or coming to judgment; for though that also is promised, believed, and prayed
for; and when he will not be silent, but by his voice will raise the dead, summon all before him,
and pronounce the sentence on all; and the world, and all that is therein, will be burnt with fire,
and a horrible tempest rained upon the wicked; yet it is better to understand it of his coming to
set up his kingdom in the world, and to punish his professing people for their disbelief and
rejection of him; see Mat_16:28;
and shall not keep silence; contain himself, bear with the Jews any longer, but come forth in his
wrath against them; see Psa_50:21; and it may also denote the great sound of the Gospel, and the
very public ministration of it in the Gentile world, at or before this time, for the enlargement of
Christ's kingdom in it;
a fire shall devour before him; meaning either the fire of the divine word making its way among
the Gentiles, consuming their idolatry, superstition, c. or rather the fire of divine wrath coming
upon the Jews to the uttermost and even it may be literally understood of the fire that consumed
their city and temple, as was predicted, Zec_11:1;
and it shall be very tempestuous round about him; the time of Jerusalem's destruction being such
a time of trouble as has not been since the world began, Mat_24:21.
4. Henry, “That his appearance should be very majestic and terrible: A fire shall devour before
him. The fire of his judgments shall make way for the rebukes of his word, in order to the
awakening of the hypocritical nation of the Jews, that the sinners in Zion, being afraid of that
devouring fire (Isa_33:14), might be startled out of their sins. When his gospel kingdom was to be
set up Christ came to send fire on the earth, Luk_12:49. The Spirit was given in cloven tongues as
of fire, introduced by a rushing mighty wind, which was very tempestuous, Act_2:2, Act_2:3. And
in the last judgment Christ shall come in flaming fire, 2Th_1:8. See Dan_7:9; Heb_10:27. 4. That
as on Mount Sinai he came with ten thousands of his saints, so he shall now call to the heavens
from above, to take notice of this solemn process (Psa_50:4), as Moses often called heaven and
earth to witness against Israel (Deu_4:26, Deu_31:28, Deu_32:1), and God by his prophets,
Isa_1:2; Mic_6:2. The equity of the judgment of the great day will be attested and applauded by
heaven and earth, by saints and angels, even all the holy myriads.
5. Jamison, “

28. 6. TREASURY OF DAVID, “Verse 3. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence. He kept
silence that he might be judged, he will not keep silence when he begins to judge. It would not
have been said, He shall come manifestly, unless at first he had come concealed; nor, He shall not
keep silence, had he not at first kept silence. How did he keep silence? Ask Isaiah: He was
brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not
his mouth. Isaiah 53:7. But he shall come manifestly, and shall not keep silence. How
manifestly? A fire shall go before him, and round about him a mighty tempest. That tempest is to
carry wholly away the chaff from the floor which is now in threshing; that fire, to consume what
the tempest carries off. ow, however, he is silent; silent in judgment, but not in precept. For if
Christ is silent, what mean these gospels? What the voices of the apostles? the canticles of the
Psalms? the lofty utterances of the prophets? Truly in all these Christ is not silent. Howbeit he is
silent for he present in not taking vengeance, not in not warning. But he will come in surpassing
brightness to take vengeance, and will be seen of all, even of those who believe not on him; but
now, forasmuch as although present he was not concealed, it behoved him to be despised: for
unless he had been despised he would not have been crucified; if not crucified he would not have
shed his blood, the price with which he redeemed us. But in order that he might give a price for
us, he was crucified; that he might be crucified he was despised; that he might be despised, he
appeared in humble guise. Augustine.
Verse 3. (first clause). The future in the first clause may be rendered he is coming, as if the sound
of his voice and the light of his glory had preceded his actual appearance. The imagery is
borrowed from the giving of the law a Sinai. J. A. Alexander.
Verse 3. (first clause). May our God come! (Version of Junius and Tremellius.) A prayer for the
hastening of his advent, as in the Apocalypse, 22:20. Poole's Synopsis.
Verse 3. A fire shall devour before him. As he gave his law in fire, so in fire shall he require it. John
Trapp.
7. Spurgeon, Our God shall come. The psalmist speaks of himself and his brethren as standing
in immediate anticipation of the appearing of the Lord upon the scene. He comes, they say,
our covenant God is coming; they can hear his voice from afar, and perceive the splendour of
his attending train. Even thus should we await the long promised appearing of the Lord from
heaven. And shall not keep silence. He comes to speak, to plead with his people, to accuse and
judge the ungodly. He has been silent long in patience, but soon he will speak with power. What a
moment of awe when the Omnipotent is expected to reveal himself! What will be the reverent joy
and solemn expectation when the poetic scene of this Psalm becomes in the last great day an
actual reality! A fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.
Flame and hurricane are frequently described as the attendants of the divine appearance. Our
God is a consuming fire. At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed,
hailstones and coals of fire. Psalms 18:12. He rode upon a cherub, and did fly; yea, he did fly
upon the wings of the wind. The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty
angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 . Fire
is the emblem of justice in action, and the tempest is a token of his overwhelming power. Who
will not listen in solemn silence when such is the tribunal from which the judge pleads with
heaven and earth?

29. 8. Calvin, “Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence 243 He repeats that God would come, in
order to confirm his doctrine, and more effectually arouse them. He would come, and should not
always keep silence, lest they should be encouraged to presume upon his forbearance. Two
reasons may be assigned why the prophet calls God our God He may be considered as setting
himself, and the comparatively small number of the true fearers of the Lord, in opposition to the
hypocrites whom he abhors, claiming God to be his God, and not theirs, as they were disposed to
boast; or rather, he speaks as one of the people, and declares that the God who was coming to
avenge the corruptions of his worship was the same God whom all the children of Abraham
professed to serve. He who shall come, as if he had said, is our God, the same in whom we glory,
who established his covenant with Abraham, and gave us his Law by the hand of Moses. He adds,
that God would come with fire and tempest, in order to awaken a salutary fear in the secure
hearts of the Jews, that they might learn to tremble at the judgments of God, which they had
hitherto regarded with indifference and despised, and in allusion to the awful manifestation
which God made of himself from Sinai, (Exodus 19:16; see also Hebrews 12:18.) The air upon
that occasion resounded with thunders and the noise of trumpets, the heavens were illuminated
with lightnings, and the mountain was in flames, it being the design of God to procure a
reverential submission to the Law which he announced. And it is here intimated, that God would
make a similarly terrific display of his power, in coming to avenge the gross abuses of his holy
religion.
4 He summons the heavens above,
and the earth, that he may judge his people:
1. Barnes, “He shall call to the heavens from above - He will call on all the universe; he will
summon all worlds. The meaning here is, not that he will gather those who are in heaven to be
judged, but that he will call on the inhabitants of all worlds to be his witnesses; to bear their
attestation to the justice of his sentence. See Psa_50:6. The phrase “from above” does not, of
course, refer to the heavens as being above God, but to the heavens as they appear to human
beings to be above themselves.
And to the earth - To all the dwellers upon the earth; “to the whole universe.” He makes this
universal appeal with the confident assurance that his final sentence will be approved; that the
universe will see and admit that it is just. See Rev_15:3; Rev_19:1-3. There can be no doubt that
the universe, as such, will approve the ultimate sentence that will be pronounced on mankind.
That he may judge his people - That is, all these arrangements - this coming with fire and
tempest, and this universal appeal - will be prepatory to the judging of his people, or in order
that the judgment may be conducted with due solemnity and propriety. The idea is, that an event
so momentous should be conducted in a way suited to produce an appropriate impression; so
conducted, that there would be a universal conviction of the justice and impartiality of the
sentence. The reference here is particularly to his professed “people,” that is, to determine

30. whether they were truly his, for that is the main subject of the psalm, though the “language” is
derived from the solemnities appropriate to the universal judgment.
2. TREASURY OF DAVID, “Verse 4. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth.
That these dumb creatures may be as so many speaking evidences against an unworthy people,
and witness of God's righteous dealings against them. See Deuteronomy 32:1 Isaiah 1:2 Micah
6:2. The Chaldee thus paraphrases: He will call the high angels from above; and the just of the
earth from beneath. John Trapp.
3. Gill, “He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth,.... To hear what he shall say,
when he will no longer keep silence; and to be witnesses of the justice of his proceedings; see
Isa_1:2. The Targum interprets this of the angels above on high, and of the righteous on the earth
below; and so Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and Ben Melech, explain it of the angels of heaven, and of the
inhabitants of the earth;
that he may judge his people; not that they, the heavens and the earth, the inhabitants of either,
may judge his people; but the Lord himself, as in Psa_50:6; and this designs not the judgment of
the whole world, nor that of his own covenant people, whom he judges when he corrects them in
love, that they might not be condemned with the world; when he vindicates them, and avenges
them on their enemies, and when he protects and saves them; but the judgment of the Jewish
nation, his professing people, the same that Peter speaks of, 1Pe_4:17.
4. STEDMA, “We are his people, are we not? Of old it was Israel. They are the ones who made
a covenant with God by sacrifice. Of course he is referring to the animal sacrifice which Israel
offered day by day. These were to reflect the relationship God had with his people. It was a
covenant made in blood, in other words a life had been poured out on their behalf. But all these
Old Testament sacrifices were but a picture of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Each one
was, in a sense, Christ being offered. But, in Christ, we are the people who have made a covenant
with God by sacrifice. We have entered into the benefit of the new arrangement for living made
through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This psalm then is really describing what is going on right in this meeting at this very moment. It
pictures God among his people and he has something to say to us. The God who comes from
Zion, the God who loves, and who sees things the way they are, desires to speak to us. That is why
this section ends with the little word, Selah. It means, pause, stop, look, listen, think! God the
judge is in our midst, God is judging his people. ow the judge speaks,
5. Jamison, “above — literally, “above” (Gen_1:7).
heavens ... earth — For all creatures are witnesses (Deu_4:26; Deu_30:19; Isa_1:2).
6. KD, “The judgment scene. To the heavens above ( מֵעָ ל , elsewhere a preposition, here, as in

31. Gen_27:39; Gen_49:25, an adverb, desuper, superne) and to the earth God calls ( קָרָא אֶ ל , as, e.g.,
Gen_28:1), to both לָדִין עַמּוֹ , in order to sit in judgment upon His people in their presence, and
with them as witnesses of His doings. Or is it not that they are summoned to attend, but that the
commission, Psa_50:5, is addressed to them (Olshausen, Hitzig)? Certainly not, for the act of
gathering is not one that properly belongs to the heavens and the earth, which, however, because
they exist from the beginning and will last for ever, are suited to be witnesses (Deu_4:26;
Deu_32:1; Isa_1:2, 1 Macc. 2:37). The summons אִסְפוּ is addressed, as in Mat_24:31, and
frequently in visions, to the celestial spirits, the servants of the God here appearing. The accused
who are to be brought before the divine tribunal are mentioned by names which, without their
state of mind and heart corresponding to them, express the relationship to Himself in which God
has placed them (cf. Deu_32:15; Isa_42:19). They are called חֲסִידִים , as in the Asaph Psa_79:2.
This contradiction between their relationship and their conduct makes an undesigned but bitter
irony. In a covenant relationship, consecrated and ratified by a covenant sacrifice ( עֲלֵי־זָבַֽח similar
to Psa_92:4; Psa_10:10), has God placed Himself towards them (Ex 24); and this covenant
relationship is also maintained on their part by offering sacrifices as an expression of their
obedience and of their fidelity. The participle כּֽרְֹתֵי here implies the constant continuance of that
primary covenant-making. ow, while the accused are gathered up, the poet hears the heavens
solemnly acknowledge the righteousness of the Judge beforehand. The participial construction
שׁפֵֹט הוּא , which always, according to the connection, expresses the present (ah_1:2), or the past
(Jdg_4:4), or the future (Jer_25:31), is in this instance an expression of that which is near at hand
(fut. instans). הוּא has not the sense of ipse (Ew. §314, a), for it corresponds to the “I” in אֲנִי שׁפֵֹט or
הִֽנְנִי שׁפֵֹ ט ; and כִּי is not to be translated by nam (Hitzig), for the fact that God intends to judge
requires no further announcement. On the contrary, because God is just now in the act of sitting
in judgment, the heavens, the witnesses most prominent and nearest to Him, bear witness to His
righteousness. The earthly music, as the סלה directs, is here to join in with the celestial praise.
othing further is now wanting to the completeness of the judgment scene; the action now begins.
7. Spurgeon, He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth. Angels and men, the
upper and the lower worlds, are called to witness the solemn scene. The whole creation shall
stand in court to testify to the solemnity and the truth of the divine pleading. Both earth beneath
and heaven above shall unite in condemning sin; the guilty shall have no appeal, though all are
summoned that they may appeal if they dare. Both angels and men have seen the guilt of
mankind and the goodness of the Lord, they shall therefore confess the justice of the divine
utterance, and say Amen to the sentence of the supreme Judge. Alas, ye despisers! What will ye
do and to whom will ye fly? That he may judge his people. Judgment begins at the house of God.
The trial of the visible people of God will be a most awful ceremonial. He will thoroughly purge
his floor. He will discern between his nominal and his real people, and that in open court, the
whole universe looking on. My soul, when this actually takes place, how will it fare with thee?
Canst thou endure the day of his coming?
8. Calvin, “He shall call to the heavens from above It is plain from this verse for what purpose
God, as he had already announced, would call upon the earth. This was to witness the settlement
of his controversy with his own people the Jews, against whom judgment was to be pronounced,
not in the ordinary manner as by his prophets, but with great solemnity before the whole world.
The prophet warns the hypocritical that they must prepare to be driven from their hiding-place,
that their cause would be decided in the presence of men and angels, and that they would he

32. dragged without excuse before that dreadful assembly. It may be asked, why the prophet
represents the true fearers of the Lord as cited to his bar, when it is evident that the
remonstrance which follows in the psalm is addressed to the hypocritical and degenerate portion
of the Jews? To this I answer, that God here speaks of the whole Church, for though a great part
of the race of Abraham had declined from the piety of their ancestors, yet he has a respect to the
Jewish Church, as being his own institution. He speaks of them as his meek ones, to remind them
of what they ought to be in consistency with their calling, and not as if they were all without
exception patterns of godliness. The form of the address conveys a rebuke to those amongst them
whose real character was far from corresponding with their profession. Others have suggested a
more refined interpretation, as if the meaning were, Separate the small number of my sincere
worshippers from the promiscuous multitude by whom my name is profaned, lest they too should
afterwards be seduced to a vain religion of outward form. I do not deny that this agrees with the
scope of the prophet. But I see no reason why a church, however universally corrupted, provided
it contain a few godly members, should not be denominated, in honor of this remnant, the holy
people of God. Interpreters have differed upon the last clause of the verse: Those who strike a
covenant with me over sacrifices, Some think over is put for besides, or beyond, and that God
commends his true servants for this, that they acknowledged something more to be required in
his covenant than an observance of outward ceremonies, and were not chargeable with resting in
the carnal figures of the Law. 244 Others think that the spiritual and true worship of God is here
directly opposed to sacrifices; as if it had been said, Those who, instead of sacrifices, keep my
covenant in the right and appointed manner, by yielding to me the sincere homage of their heart.
But in my opinion, the prophet is here to be viewed as pointing out with commendation the true
and genuine use of the legal worship; for it was of the utmost consequence that it should be
known what was the real end for which God appointed sacrifices under the Law. The prophet
here declares that sacrifices were of no value whatever except as seals of God’s covenant, an
interpretative handwriting of submission to it, or in general as means employed for ratifying it.
There is an allusion to the custom then universally prevalent of interposing sacrifices, that
covenants might be made more solemn, and be more religiously observed. 245 In like manner, the
design with which sacrifices were instituted by God was to bind his people more closely to
himself, and to ratify and confirm his covenant. The passage is well worthy of our particular
notice, as defining those who are to be considered the true members of the Church. They are
such, on the one hand, as are characterised by the spirit of meekness, practising righteousness in
their intercourse with the world; and such, on the other, as close in the exercise of a genuine faith
with the covenant of adoption which God has proposed to them. This forms the true worship of
God, as he has himself delivered it to us from heaven; and those who decline from it, whatever
pretensions they may make to be considered a church of God, are excommunicated from it by the
Holy Spirit. As to sacrifices or other ceremonies, they are of no value, except in so far as they seal
to us the pure truth of God. All such rites, consequently, as have no foundation in the word of
God, are unauthorised, and that worship which has not a distinct reference to the word is but a
corruption of things sacred.
5 “Gather to me this consecrated people,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”

33. 1. Barnes, “Gather my saints together unto me - This is an address to the messengers employed
for assembling those who are to be judged. Similar language is used by the Saviour Mat_24:31 :
“And he (the Son of Man) shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall
gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” The idea is,
that God will bring them, or assemble them together. All this is language derived froth the notion
of a universal judgment, “as if” the scattered people of God were thus gathered together by
special messengers sent out for this purpose. The word “saints” here refers to those who are truly
his people. The object - the purpose - of the judgment is to assemble in heaven those who are
sincerely his friends; or, as the Saviour expresses it Mat_24:31, his “elect.” Yet in order to this, or
in order to determine who “are” his true people, there will be a larger gathering - an assembling
of all the dwellers on the earth.
Those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice - Exo_24:6-7. Compare the notes at
Heb_9:19-22. The idea here is, that they are the professed people of God; that they have entered
into a solemn covenant-relation to him, or have bound themselves in the most solemn manner to
be his; that they have done this in connection with the sacrifices which accompany their worship;
that they have brought their sacrifices or bloody offerings as a pledge that they mean to be his,
and will be his. Over these solemn sacrifices made to him, they have bound themselves to be the
Lord’s; and the purpose of the judgment now is, to determine whether this was sincere, and
whether they have been faithful to their vows. As applied to professed believers under the
Christian system, the “idea” here presented would be, that the vow to be the Lord’s has been
made over the body and blood of the Redeemer once offered as a sacrifice, and that by partaking
of the memorials of that sacrifice they have entered into a solemn “covenant” to be his. othing
more solemn can be conceived than a “covenant” or pledge entered into in such a manner; and
yet nothing is more painfully certain than that the process of a judgment will be necessary to
determine in what cases it is genuine, for the mere outward act, no matter how solemn, does not
of necessity decide the question whether he who performs it will enter into heaven.
2. Clarke, “
3. Gill, “ Gather my saints together unto me,.... These words are spoken by Christ to the heavens
and the earth; that is, to the angels, the ministers of the Gospel, to gather in, by the ministry of
the word, his elect ones among the Gentiles; see Mat_24:30; called his saints, who had an
interest in his favour and lovingkindness, and were sanctified or set apart for his service and
glory;
those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice; or, who have made my covenant by, or on
sacrifice (s); the covenant of grace, which was made with Christ from everlasting, and which
was confirmed by his blood and sacrifice; this his people may be said to make with God in him,
he being their head, surety, and representative: now these covenant ones he will have gathered in
to himself by the effectual calling, which is usually done by the ministry of the word; for this is
not to be understood of the gathering of all nations to him, before him as a Judge; but of his
special people to him as a Saviour, the Shiloh, to whom the gathering of the people was to be,

34. Gen_49:10.
4. Henry, “Gather my saints together unto me. This may be understood either, 1. Of saints indeed:
“Let them be gathered to God through Christ; let the few pious Israelites be set by themselves;”
for to them the following denunciations of wrath do not belong; rebukes to hypocrites ought not
to be terrors to the upright. When God will reject the services of those that only offered sacrifice,
resting in the outside of the performance, he will graciously accept those who, in sacrificing,
make a covenant with him, and so attend to and answer the end of the institution of sacrifices. The
design of the preaching of the gospel, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom, was to gather
together in one the children of God, Joh_11:52. And at the second coming of Jesus Christ all his
saints shall be gathered together unto him (2Th_2:1) to be assessors with him in the judgment; for
the saints shall judge the world, 1Co_6:2. ow it is here given as a character of the saints that they
have made a covenant with God by sacrifice. ote, (1.) Those only shall be gathered to God as his
saints who have, in sincerity, covenanted with him, who have taken him to be their God and given
up themselves to him to be his people, and thus have joined themselves unto the Lord. (2.) It is
only by sacrifice, by Christ the great sacrifice (from whom all the legal sacrifices derived what
value they had), that we poor sinners can covenant with God so as to be accepted of him. There
must be an atonement made for the breach of the first covenant before we can be admitted again
into covenant. Or, 2. It may be understood of saints in profession, such as the people of Israel
were, who are called a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, Exo_19:6. They were, as a body
politic, taken into covenant with God, the covenant of peculiarity; and it was done with great
solemnity, by sacrifice, Exo_24:8. “Let them come and hear what God has to say to them; let them
receive the reproofs God sends them now by his prophets, and the gospel he will, in due time,
send them by his Son, which shall supersede the ceremonial law. If these be slighted, let them
expect to hear from God another way, and to be judged by that word which they will not be ruled
by.”
5. Jamison, “my saints — (Psa_4:3).
made — literally, “cut”
a covenant, etc. — alluding to the dividing of a victim of sacrifice, by which covenants were
ratified, the parties passing between the divided portions (compare Gen_15:10, Gen_15:18).
6. KD, “
7. Spurgeon, Gather my saints together unto me. Go, ye swift winged messengers, and separate
the precious from the vile. Gather out the wheat of the heavenly garner. Let the long scattered,
but elect people, known by my separating grace to be my sanctified ones, be now assembled in
one place. All are not saints who seem to be so -- a severance must be made; therefore let all who
profess to be saints be gathered before my throne of judgment, and let them hear the word which
will search and try the whole, that the false may be convicted and the true revealed. Those that
have made a covenant with me by sacrifice; this is the grand test, and yet some have dared to
imitate it. The covenant was ratified by the slaying of victims, the cutting and dividing of
offerings; this the righteous have done by accepting with true faith the great propitiatory
sacrifice, and this the pretenders have done in merely outward form. Let them be gathered before
the throne for trial and testing, and as many as have really ratified the covenant by faith in the

35. Lord Jesus shall be attested before all worlds as the objects of distinguishing grace, while
formalists shall learn that outward sacrifices are all in vain. Oh, solemn assize, how does my soul
bow in awe at the prospect thereof!
8. TREASURY OF DAVVID, “Verse 5. Gather, etc. To whom are these words addressed? Many
suppose to the angels, as the ministers of God's will; but it is unnecessary to make the expression
more definite than it is in the Psalm. J. J. Stewart Perowne.
Verse 5. My saints, the objects of my mercy, those whom I have called and specially distinguished.
The term is here descriptive of a relation, not of an intrinsic quality. J. A. Alexander.
Verse 5. Gather my saints together unto me. There is a double or twofold gathering to Christ.
There is a gathering unto Christ by faith, a gathering within the bond of the covenant, a
gathering into the family of God, a gathering unto the root of Jesse, standing up for an ensign of
the people. In that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the
people; to it shall the Gentiles seek; and his rest shall be glorious. Isaiah 11:10. This is the main
end of the gospel, the great work of ministers, the gathering of sinners unto Christ. But then
there is a gathering at the general judgment; and this is the fathering that is here spoken of. This
gathering is consequential to the other. Christ will gather none to him at the last day but those
that are gathered to him by faith here; he will give orders to gather together unto him all these,
and none but these, that have taken hold of his covenant ...
I would speak of Christ's owning and acknowledging the saints at his second coming. His owning
and acknowledging them is imported in his giving these orders: Gather my saints together unto
me. ... ow upon this head I mention the things following: --
1. Saintship will be the only mark of distinction in that day. There are many marks of
distinction now; but these will all cease, and this only will remain.
2. Saintship will then be Christ's badge of honour. Beware of mocking at saintship, or
sanctity, holiness and purity; for it is Christ's badge of honour, the garments with which
his followers are clothed, and will be the only badge of honour at the great day.
3. Christ will forget and mistake none of the saints. Many of the saints are forgotten here, it
is forgotten that such persons were in the world, but Christ will forget and mistake none
of them at the great day; he will give forth a list of all his saints, and give orders to gather
them all unto him.
4. He will confess, own, and acknowledge them before his Father, and his holy angels.
Matthew 10:32 Luke 12:8 Revelation 3:5. They are to go to my Father's house, and they
are to go thither in my name, in my right, and at my back; and so it is necessary I should
own and acknowledge them before my Father. But what need is there for his owning them
before the angels? Answer. They are to be the angel's companions, and so it is necessary he
should own them before the angels. This will be like a testimonial for them unto the angels.
Lastly. The evidences of his right to and propriety in them, will then be made to appear.
Malachi 3:17: And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make
up my jewels. It is too late for persons to become his then; so the meaning is, they shall
evidently appear to be mine. James Scot,
5.
Verse
a. Gather my saints together unto me. Our text may be considered as the commission given
by the great Judge to his angels -- those ministering spirits who do his will, hearkening to
the voice of his power. The language of the text is in accordance with that which was
uttered by our Lord when, alluding to the coming of the Son of Man, he says, And he

36. shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his
elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. But previous to this final,
this general gathering together of his saints to judgment, Jehovah gathers them together in
various ways, in various places, and by various means, both of providence and of grace.
Previous to his being seated on a throne of judgment, we behold him sitting on a throne of
mercy, and we hear him saying, Gather my saints together unto me. These words lead us
to notice --
1. The characters described, My saints.
2. The command issued, Gather my saints together unto me.
3. THE CHARACTERS HERE DESCRIBED -- my saints, we are to understand my
holy ones -- those who have been sanctified and set apart by God. one of us
possess this character by nature. We are born sinners, and there is no difference;
but by divine grace we experience a change of nature, and consequently a change of
name. The title of saint is frequently given to the people of God in derision. Such
an one, says a man of the world, is one of your saints. But, my brethren, no
higher honour can be conferred upon us than to be denominated saints, if we truly
deserve that character; but in what way do we become saints? We become saints --
4. By divine choice. The saints are the objects of everlasting love; their names are
written in the Lamb's book of life; and it is worthy of remark that wherever the
people of God are spoken of in sacred Scripture, as the objects of that everlasting
love, it is in connection with their personal sanctification. Observe, they are not
chosen because they are saints, nor because it is foreseen that they will be so, but
they are chosen to be saints; sanctification is the effect and the only evidence of
election. We become saints --
5. By a divine change which is the necessary consequence of this election. An inward,
spiritual, supernatural, universal change is effected in the saints by the power of
the Holy Ghost. Thus they are renewed in the spirit of their minds, and made
partakers of a divine nature ... Remember, then, this important truth, that
Christians are called by the gospel to be saints; that you are Christians, not so
much by your orthodoxy as by your holiness; that you are saints no further than as
you are holy in all manner of conversation.
6. The people of God furnish an evidence of being saints by their godly conduct. By
their fruits, not by their feelings; not by their lips, not by their general profession,
but, by their fruits shall ye know them.
7. The character of the saints is evidenced by divine consecration. The people of God
are called holy inasmuch as they are dedicated to God. It is the duty and the
privilege of saints to consecrate themselves to the service of God. Even a heathen
philosopher could say, I lend myself to the world, but I give myself to the gods.
But we possess more light and knowledge, and are therefore laid under greater
obligation than was Seneca.
1. THE COMMAD ISSUED. Gather my saints together unto me. Jehovah gathers his
saints to himself in various ways.
a. He gathers them to himself in their conversion. The commission given by Christ to
his ministers is, Go ye forth into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature, or in other words, Gather my saints together unto me. The gospel is to be
preached to sinners in order that they may become saints.
b. Saints are gathered together by God in public worship ...
c. He gathers his saints together to himself in times of danger. When storms appear to

37. be gathering around them, he is desirous to screen them from the blast. He say to
them, in the language of Isaiah, Come, my people, and enter into thy chamber --
the chamber of my perfections and my promises -- enter into thy chamber and shut
the doors about thee, and hide thyself until the calamity is overpast.
d. God gathers his saints together in the service of his church. Thus Christ collected
his apostles together to give them their apostolic commission to go and teach all
nations. At the period of the Reformation, the great Head of the church raised up
Luther and Calvin, together with other eminent reformers, in order that they might
light up a flame in Europe, yea, throughout the world, that the breath of popery
should never be able to blow out.
e. God gathers his saints together in death, and at the resurrection. Precious in the
sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. This is the commission which death is
habitually receiving -- Go, death, and gather such and such of my saints unto me.
As the gardener enters the garden, and plucks up the full blown flower and the
ripened fruit, so Jesus Christ enters the garden of his church and gathers his saints
to himself; for he says, Father, I will that all they whom thou hast given me may
be with me, where I am, and behold my glory. Condensed from J. Sibree's
Sermon preached at the reopening of Surrey Chapel, August 29th, 1830.
Verse 5. (second clause). Made, or ratifying a covenant; literally, cutting, striking, perhaps in
allusion to the practice of slaying and dividing victims as a religious rite, accompanying solemn
compacts. (See Genesis 15:10-18.) The same usage may be referred to in the following words, over
sacrifice, i.e., standing over it: or on sacrifice, i.e., founding the engagement on a previous appeal
to God. There is probably allusion to the great covenant transaction recorded in Exodus 24:4-8.
This reference to sacrifice shows clearly that what follows was not intended to discredit or
repudiate that essential symbol of the typical or ceremonial system. J. A. Alexander.
Verse 5. Made a covenant with me. Formerly soldiers used to take an oath not to flinch from their
colours, but faithfully to cleave to their leaders; thus they called sacramentum militaire, a
military oath; such an oath lies upon every Christian. It is so essential to the being of a saint, that
they are described by this, Gather together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me.
We are not Christians till we have subscribed this covenant, and that without any reservation.
When we take upon us the profession of Christ's name, we enlist ourselves in his muster roll, and
by it do promise that we will live and die with him in opposition to all his enemies ... He will not
entertain us till we resign up ourselves freely to his disposal, that there may be no disputing with
is commands afterwards, but, as one under his authority, go and come at his word. William
Gurnall.
9. SPURGEO, ““Gather my saints together unto me, those that have made a covenant with me
by sacrifice.” — Psalm 50:5.
JUST a few sentences must suffice concerning the first meaning of the text. I think there can be
little doubt that we have here a prophecy of our Lord’s second advent, and of the gathering
together in one assembly of all the chosen people of God, both those who shall then be in heaven
and those who shall then be alive and remaining upon the earth. Having made a covenant with
Christ by sacrifice, these shall all be gathered together unto him, to be partakers of his glory
when he reigns at the latter day in all the splendor of his millennial kingdom here below.

38. The text, however, seems to me to have two other meanings. I believe that it relates, first, to the
gathering together of all God’s chosen people by the preaching of the Word, and by other means;
and that, secondly, it has also a bearing upon the great gathering of all the chosen around the
throne of Christ in everlasting glory.
—————
I. So, first, I have to speak concerning The Gathering Together Of All God’s, Chosen People By
The Preaching Of The Word, And By Other Means.
The text appears to me to be a message to God’s people from the living lips of him who redeemed
us by his blood. He speaks to the heavens as though he would make all the providences of God to
be his servants for this great work, and to the earth as though the willing hearts of his people
there would gladly obey the summons,
“Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
My first question will be, who are to be gathered? I think we must understand the text as relating
to all the chosen people of God, including those who, as yet, have not been called and quickened,
and have not, in the strict, sense of the term, by faith made a personal covenant with God. Our
Lord Jesus Christ is the divinely-appointed Representative of all the elect; whatever he did, he
did as their covenant Head, their Sponsor, Surety, and Substitute. When he made a covenant with
God on behalf of his people, they virtually made that covenant too. As Adam’s covenant
concerned us all, and was practically our covenant, with God, so Christ’s covenant concerns all
who are in him, and is reckoned as the covenant that they also have made with his Father; and I
believe that the mission of the gospel is to gather out from among the rest of mankind all those
whose names are written on the roll of the everlasting covenant, those who were given to. Christ
by his Father before the foundation of the world.
I know, of course, that the gospel is to be proclaimed to all, and you know that I have not
shunned to declare, it in all its freeness and fullness. When we are giving the invitations of the
gospel that we find in the Scriptures, we never think of limiting them. Though we believe the
special purpose of Christ’s atonement was the redemption of his Church, yet we know that his
sacrifice was infinite in value, and therefore we set the wicket gate as wide, open as we can, and
we repeat Christ’s own invitation, “Whosoever will, let him take the wafer of life freely.” Yet we
do not flinch from the solemn truth that none will ever be saved but those whom God foreknew
and predestinated, whom in due time he calls, justifies, and glorifies; and the great object of the
gospel, whatever other ends it may have, is to gather together unto Christ these chosen ones who
are to be his in the day when he makes up his jewels. I come into this pulpit, and I trust that you,
dear friends, go forth to your various spheres of service, with the comforting thought that we are
not laboring in vain, or spending our strength for nought, because there are some who must be
saved, or, to use the expressive words of Paul concerning the rest which so many missed, “it
remaineth that some must enter therein.” We read concerning our Lord Jesus Christ, “He must
needs go through Samaria,” because there was one poor sinning woman there who was ordained

39. unto eternal life, as well as many others who, through her instrumentality, were to be brought to
Christ, and to believe on him. We also must needs preach, or teach, or serve the Lord in other
ways, because; it is written concerning Christ, “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be
satisfied.” The gospel is to be preached to every creature in order that Christ’s chosen ones may
be gathered unto him. We cast the net into the sea, for we do not know where the fish are; but
God knows, and he guides into the net those he means us to catch for him. You know that a
magnet will attract steel to itself, and the gospel attracts souls that have an affinity to itself, and
thus Christ draws his chosen ones unto himself with the cords of a man, and bands of love.
My next enquiry is, Who is to do this work of gathering Christ’s chosen ones unto himself?
Brothers and sisters in Christ, you know that every true child of God is to be employed in this
blessed service. Some seem to think that this work devolves upon ministers only, or upon them
and their brethren in office, their deacons and elders, but that it is to extend no further. We hear
much, about “lay agency” nowadays, but we know nothing of any distinction between “clergy”
and “laity” in this matter. All God’s people are God’s kleros God’s clergy or if there be any laity,
any common people, all God’s people are the laity, “a, peculiar people, zealous of good works.”
othing has been more disastrous to the cause of Christianity than the leaving of the service of
Christ to comparatively few of his professed followers. We shall never see the world turned
upside down as it was in apostolic times until we get back to the apostolic practice, and all the
saints are filled with the Holy Ghost, and speak for Christ as the Spirit gives them utterance. My
dear brother, surely you will not say, “I pray thee, have me excused from serving Christ.”
Remember your Lord’s own word, “The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth
say, Come.” Every one who has heard and heeded the gospel invitation is under a solemn
obligation to repeat that invitation to others. Every Christian, whatever his talents, or abilities, or
circumstances, or opportunities may be, should realize that he has a commission to help in
gathering together Christ’s saints unto him. All are not required to do the same work, but each
believer is bound to do some work for the Master who, has done so much for him, and every one
should enquire, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do.”
Some of you can distribute tracts, and there are some tracts that are worth distributing. I met
with two, this afternoon, which, will help me in my sermon presently; and if you get such tracts,
and give them away discreetly, they may be read, and may benefit the readers. Some tracts are
never likely to be read; but good, pithy, striking narratives, tracts with much of Christ and the
gospel in them, may be distributed with the prayerful confidence that a blessing will rest upon
their perusal. There are some people who have special qualifications for this kind of work for
Christ. While travelling, last week, I was delighted to see, at every station where the train
stopped, a gentleman moving from carriage to carriage, and offering a tract with the air of a man
who was a practiced hand at the business. At a junction where some of us had to change, there
were no less than four trains, and he was as busy as he could be giving his tracts to passengers in
each train. I watched an American gentleman get out on to the platform, and go up to the tract-distributor,
and begin to balk about the war, and other topics; but, very soon, the earnest servant
of Christ had brought the conversation round to the subject of personal godliness. By-and-by, he
came to me, he was glad to see, a minister of the gospel, and I was glad to see him, and I hoped
that I might be as faithful in my sphere of service as that good man was in his.
But some of you can go a little beyond tract-distributing; you can stand up at the corner of the
street, and preach the gospel in a simple but earnest style. I thank God every time I recollect the

40. scores of young men we have here whose mouths have been opened to speak for Christ. Go, on,
my brave sons, bearing your testimony for the Master. Even if the police should sometimes move
you off, be content to be moved, and go and blow the gospel trumpet somewhere else; but take
care still to proclaim the good tidings of salvation, for you have your Lord’s commission to do so.
When a man receives a commission from the Queen, he is not a little, proud of it; but you have a
commission from the King of kings, empowering you to gather together unto him all who are
included in the covenant of his grace.
Those of you who are not able to preach may find opportunities of talking to individuals one by
one. There is great power in “button-holing” people, and speaking to them personally about their
souls. Some of you can visit the sick, and read and pray with them; or you can look out, for those
in distress, the brokenhearted and hopeless ones, who need to be directed to him who alone can
deliver and heal them. Try to say something for your Master wherever you go, remembering that
he has sent even the humblest and feeblest of you to gather together unto himself those, who have
made a covenant with him by sacrifice.
My third question is, Where are they to be gathered? The Lord says, “Gather my saints together
unto me.” We are not told to gather them into the Baptist denomination, or into the Presbyterian
kirk, or into the Episcopal establishment, or into any particular church, our Lord’s command is,
“Gather my saints together unto me.” I have never been ashamed of being called a Baptist since I
became one; and if I did not believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ordained the immersion of
believers on profession of their faith, I would not preach and practice it; but, dear as Christ’s
own ordinances ought always to be to all Christians, our main business is not to bring men and
women to baptism, but to bring them to Christ. Our principal object is not even to bring people
into church-membership, and to communion at the Lord’s table, but to bring them, by faith, to
Calvary, where the one great sacrifice for sin was offered, where the precious blood of Jesus was
shed, where his perfect righteousness was for ever completed, where the tearful eye may see the
suffering Savior, and where the broken heart may find healing and salvation in his grievous
wounds. Labour, my beloved brethren and sisters in Christ, in all that, you do or say, in your
personal dealings with sinners, in your tracts, in your preaching, in your teaching, to set forth the
finished work Go the Lord Jesus Christ, for so will you best obey your Lord’s command, “Gather
my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
Perhaps someone asks, “Where are the chosen ones that are to be gathered unto Christ?” Where
are they? Why, some of them may be sitting in the same pew where you now are; if you really
want to gather Christ’s saints together unto him, begin with those who are close beside you now.
If you want to bring Christ’s chosen ones to him, you can find some of them, just outside this
Tabernacle, you can find some of them as you are walking to your homes, you can find some of
them in the streets, and courts, and alleys all around us, you can find some of them, in
Whitechapel and others of them in the West End. I verily believe that missionaries of the cross
are just as much needed in Belgravia as in Shoreditch, and perhaps some who live in the biggest
houses in the wealthiest parts of London are less likely to have the message of salvation carried to
them than are multitudes of the poorer citizens of this great city. Then there are the people in our
suburban towns and villages, where so many neglect the ordinances of God’s house, or have not
the religious privileges which abound in this metropolis; and beyond them are great, masses in
the country for whom few or none are caring, and the almost innumerable hosts of heathens,
Mohammedans, and others in distant lands who have never yet even heard the name of Jesus,
and know nothing of the glorious gospel which he commanded his servants to preach to them in
his name. So dear friends, wherever you may be, seek to gather some to Christ. Begin with those

41. who, are in this congregation now, or with those who are in your own household and then cease
not from this blessed work as long as you live. As long as there is another jewel to be found to
adorn Christ’s crown, as long as there is another wandering sheep to be brought back to the good
Shepherd who bought it, with his own blood, keep on at this blessed work in obedience to your
Lord’s command,
“Gather my saints together unto me, those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
—————
II. ow, secondly, I want to show you that the text has a bearing upon The Great Gathering Of
All The Chosen Around The Throne Of Christ In Glory.
In his intercessory prayer before he suffered, our Lord Jesus Christ prayed “Father, I will that
they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory,
which thou hast given me” and in the text Christ saith to his servants in the heavens above and
on the earth beneath, “Gather my saints together unto me, those that have made a covenant with
me by sacrifice.”
I ask again, as I asked in the previous part of my discourse Who are to be gathered? They are
these that have made a covenant with the Lord by sacrifice, and here I take the text to mean
those who have made a personal covenant, with God in Christ, Jesus, those who, by an act of
faith, have accepted the covenant which Christ made with his Father on their behalf. This
covenant, has been made by sacrifice, and through the mediation of the crucified Savior they
have joined hands with the reconciled God. By his one offering Christ has perfected for ever then
that are sanctified,” those who are set apart unto him, to be his sanctified ones, or as the text calls
them, his “saints.” All of us who have been thus sanctified may boldly “enter into the holiest by
the blood of Jesus by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil,
that is to say; his flesh.”
Dear friend, have you entered into this personal covenant, with God in Christ Jesus Have you, by
faith, made a personal appropriation of what Christ did upon the cross when he suffered and
died as the Substitute and Surety of all who trust in him? If you are one of Christ’s chosen ones,
you will accept him as your Savior. As long as you are content with your own doings, and trust in
them, you cannot be numbered amongst his saints. So, —
“Cast your deadly ’doing’ down,
Down at Jesu’s feet,
Stand in him, in him alone
Gloriously complete!”
“He that believeth on him is not condemned;” so do you believe on him? If you do, you are not
condemned, and therefore you are justified, and you shall in due time be glorified, and so you

42. shall be among those who shall be gathered together unto Christ at the last. But the Lord
expressly says, “Gather my saints together unto me,” those who have repented of their sin, and
turned from it those who have been constrained by his grace to live holy lives, and who have
entered into a covenant with him to hate the sin that cost him so much to redeem them from it.
ow I retreat another question that I asked before, Where are these chosen ones to be gathered?
Let me beg you again to look at that little, all-important word “me” in the text, “Gather my
saints together unto me.” The Lord does not say, “Gather my saints together unto heaven, to the
general assembly and church of the firstborn.” They are to be gathered there, but he does not say
so here; he says, “Gather my saints together unto me.” Is it not the very joy of heaven, the
quintessence of its bliss, that we are to be gathered unto Christ? It is very delightful to think of
heaven as the place of the perfect communion of saints, as the place of perfect worship, as the
place of perfect rest and at the same time of constant unwearied activity; but, after all, though it
may be a great comfort to us to think of heaven under any of these aspects, yet it is a far sweeter
thought to us to remember that heaven is the place where Jesus is, and where his saints are to be
gathered together unto him. So with delight we sing, —
“There shall we see his face,
And never, never sin;
There from the rivers of his grace,
Drink endless pleasures in.”
The very glory of heaven is that we shall see him, that same Christ who once died upon Calvary’s
cross, that we shall fall down, and worship at his feet, nay more, that he shall kiss us with the
kisses of his mouth, and welcome us to dwell with him for ever. There are ineffable delights in the
very name of Jesus, it is indeed like ointment poured forth; then what unspeakable delights must
there be in his presence in glory! If all his garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, what
must Christ himself be? For one glimpse of him, I would give a life of broken bones, fever, ague,
and every conceivable pang; nay more, I think I may even venture to say, with Rutherford, that if
there were seven hells between my soul and Christ, and he should bid me dash through them all,
I would count the distance all too short if I might but get to him at the last, to behold his face, and
to dwell with him, for ever. I do not know whether there are any degrees in glory, and I do not
trouble about whether there are or are not; but this I do know, that all the saints shall be
gathered together unto Christ, and that degree is high enough for any of them.
How are these chosen ones to be gathered? The verse before our text tells us that the Lord shall
call to the heavens from above, and to the earth beneath, so we may he sure that the work which
he commands shall be accomplished. We sometimes say of a man, when he is very determined to
do a certain thing, “He will move heaven and earth to do it;” and Christ will move heaven and
earth to accomplish his great purpose of gathering together unto himself all those that have made
a covenant with him by sacrifice. Heaven shall have a part in this great work. The angels are
intensely interested in the saints who, are to be their companions in glory for ever, for “are they
not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” God
gives the holy angels charge over his saints, to keep them in all their ways, and to bear them up in
their hands, lest they should dash their feet against the stones; and they act at last as a spiritual
convoy escorting them to heaven even as Lazarus “was carried by the angels into Abraham’s

43. bosom.” Even the devil himself and all his hosts are under the supreme control of Christ, and he
can use them as he pleases in the accomplishment of his purposes concerning his saints; at all
events, they shall not be able to frustrate those purposes, but they shall most certainly he fulfilled.
Earth too shall have its share in gathering Christ’s chosen ones unto him. Every wind that blows
will speed them to their goal. Every wave shall wash them towards their desired haven.
Everything that happens shall be over-ruled to the same end, the gathering of Christ’s saints
together unto him, in glory.
Sometimes you and lament when Christ’s saints are gathered unto him by death, but is not this
wrong? They must go home to Christ, at some time or other, so why not go when God pleases,
and as God pleases? I do not know that I would pray for sudden death, though sudden death is,
to a believer in Christ, sudden glory, but I certainly would not pray that I might not be called
home suddenly. So far as I am personally concerned, I would like to have a similar experience to
that of good Dr. Beaumont, who was preaching the Word on earth, and just as he finished
uttering a sentence of his sermon was singing the praises of God in heaven; or an experience like
that of another minister, Brother Flood, whom I knew. He had just give out that verse, —
“Father, I long, I faint to see
The place of thine abode;
I’d leave thy earthly courts and flee
Up to thy seat, my God;” —
when he fell back, for his desire was granted and he had gone from the earthly courts of the
Lord’s house up to the seat of God on high.
Still, it does not matter how or when the saints are gathered unto Christ, — whether by plague,
or fever, or long lingering affliction, whether by accident on land or on the sea, or in any other
way, — they shall all be gathered together unto him in due time, and when the muster-roll is
called at the last, not one will be missing of all those that have made a covenant with him by
sacrifice. The great question for all of us is, shall we be among them? In order to answer that
question, we must ask a few others. Have we entered into personal covenant relationship with
God through relying upon Christ’s sacrifice upon the cross I have we repented of sin, and trusted
in Christ as our own personal Savior? Does he count us among his saints, those who are seeking,
by his grace, to live in righteousness and holiness before him all our days? If so, then we may rest
assured that we too shall be gathered unto him with all those whom he has redeemed with his
most precious blood.
But what am I to say to those who cannot answer these questions satisfactorily? Possibly, the
tracts I mentioned in the earlier part of my discourse will help to give me a message to them.
There may be some people here who have no hope, no good hope, concerning the hereafter.
Perhaps you do not even believe in any hereafter; if so, just listen to this little narrative. Some
time ago, there lived in a certain market town a watchmaker, an honest, sober, and industrious
man, but he was an infidel. He did not believe in the Bible, he said that it was a book that was
only fit for old women. As for what some said concerning the terrors of hell, they never alarmed
him; and as for what they said concerning the glories of heaven, he reckoned they were only

44. fancies or dreams. Suddenly, in the midst of life, he was stricken down, and it was soon manifest
that he was dying, and dying rapidly. On the day of his death, early in the morning, he began to
say, “I’m going, I’m going, — I don’t know where;” and then, as rapidly as he could speak, he
continued, for the space of twelve or thirteen hours, to say the same words over and over and
over again, “I’m going, I’m going, — I don’t know where; I’m going, I’m going, — I don’t know
where.” As his strength failed him, his voice became more weak and tremulous, but still his
utterance was just the same, ’I’m going, I’m going, — I don’t know where;” and, at last, he died
with those words upon his lips, “I’m going, I’m going, — I don’t know where.” O my dear
hearers, I do pray that this may not be the dying cry of any one of you, for if it is, the dreadful
sequel is given in our Lord’s declaration concerning the rich man, “in hell he lift up his eyes,
being in torments.” I cannot imagine anything, in the whole work of the ministry that is more,
painful than trying to talk to those, who have neglected Christ until the last hours of their lives,
and who, even then, feel no sorrow for sin, but pass out of this world into the next without the
least ray of hope. There is, in my memory, a scene of this character which comes to me very
vividly at this moment. Many years ago, when the cholera was raging in London, I was
summoned, at three o’clock one morning, to go to a house near London Bridge, where a man was
very ill. He had been attacked by the cholera, and knew that he must die; but although he was a
godless, blasphemous man, he could think of no one but he whom he would like to see, so I had to
be sent for in hot haste. I went to him, but he could do little more than express his horror at what
was before him, and his utter despair of any hope of escape. He asked me to pray, and I did so;
but, before I had finished, he was unconscious, soon he was in the pangs of death, and I left him a
corpse. I remember that, for long afterwards, I felt sag and grieved concerning the state of that
man’s soul. Yet, by nature, we wore the children of wrath even as that man was; and but for
divine grace, we might have spent our last day on earth, as he did, in sabbath-breaking, and our
last hour of life in despair. God grant that we may ever feel devoutly thankful for the sovereign
grace that has made us to differ from others whom once we resembled, at least as far as; this, that
we were all alike the children of wrath!
In the other tract, I read about a working-man, who was passing by an infidel lecture hall. He
stepped in, although he was a Christian man, and as he entered, someone on the platform, who
had the appearance of a gentleman, was saying that it was all nonsense for anyone to say that
infidels died a miserable death. He had just been to see one of their number, and he could assure
them, on the word of a gentleman, that he had died very happily. When the speech was over, the
working-man asked whether he might be allowed to say something. “Yes,” said the chairman,
“certainly you may.” So he rose, and said, “I have just heard something that has greatly
surprised me, I have heard of an infidel who has died happily. I have never before heard of such
a thing as that happening, but as the speaker assured us, on the word of a gentleman, that it is
true, I must not question the statement. I am, therefore, under the necessity of admitting, that one
infidel has died happily; but I feel sure that he must have lived a very miserable life, or else he
could not have died so happily. ow I have a dear, loving wife, who makes my home right and
cheerful; and when I come back from work, she always receives me with a smiling face, and with
my meals tastefully prepared; so I am sure that, if I had to die and leave her, and to go I know not
where, I could not die happily. I have four children, as smiling and happy children as you ever
saw, and I love to hear their musical voices and their pretty prattle; but if I had to die and leave
them, and to go I know not where, I could not die happily. So the only supposition that I can
draw from the life of the man of whom this gentleman has told us is that he and his wife lived a
cat-and-do life, so that he was glad to be free from her at any cost; and that his children must
have been so wicked or tiresome that he was glad to get away from them even though he did not

45. know where he was going. My wife and children make me so happy that I do not want to leave
them, and the only thing which makes me look forward to death without sorrow is the thought
that I am going to a better world than this where there is One who loves me even more than my
wife and children do, and where I hope one day to meet my dear ones again, to be parted from
them no more for ever.”
When I read that tract, I thought that the working-man’s reasoning was perfectly sound; and I
wish that all of you, dear friends, had just as good cause as he had to live happily, and to die
happily. You will have that if you will only trust in the same Savior in whom he trusted; may God
the Holy Spirit enable you to do so now! This is the way of salvation. “All have sinned and come
short of the glory of God.” Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” He saves all who
put their trust, in him. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” All who
believe on him are his chosen ones, his saints, as our text calls them; and those who truly trust
him are known by the holiness and graciousness of their lives; they are gathered unto him here as
they are, by his grace, called out from the mass of mankind; and, in God’s good time, they shall
all be gathered unto him in that great general assembly and church of the firstborn which are
written in heaven. May God grant that every one of us may be there, for Jesus Christ’s sake!
Amen.
6 And the heavens proclaim his righteousness,
for he is a God of justice.[a][b]
1. Barnes, “And the heavens shall declare his righteousness - Shall make it known, or announce
it. That is, the heavens - the heavenly inhabitants - will bear witness to the justness of the
sentence, or will approve the sentence. See the notes at Psa_50:4. Compare Psa_97:6.
For God is judge himself - The judgment is not committed to mortal men, or even to angels.
Creatures, even the most exalted and pure, might err in such a work as that of judging the world.
That judgment, to be correct, must be founded on a perfect knowledge of the heart, and on a
clear and complete understanding of all the thoughts, the motives, the words, the deeds of all
people. It cannot be supposed that any created being, however exalted, could possess all this
knowledge, and it cannot be supposed that any created being, however pure, could be so endowed
as to be secure against error in pronouncing a judgment on the countless millions of people. But
God combines all these in himself; a perfect knowledge of all that has ever occurred on earth, and
of the motives and feelings of every creature - and, at the same time, absolute purity and
impartiality; therefore his judgment must be such that the universe will see that it is just. It may
be added here that as the ew Testament has stated (see the notes at Psa_50:3) that the judgment
of the world in the last day will be committed to the Lord Jesus Christ, the considerations just
suggested prove that he is Divine. The immediate point in the passage before us is, that the fact
that “God” will preside in the judgment, demonstrates that the acts of judgment will be “right,”

46. and will be such as the “heavens” - the universe - will approve; such, that all worlds will proclaim
them to be right. There is no higher evidence that a thing is right, and that it ought to be done,
than the fact that God has done it. Compare Gen_18:25; Psa_39:9.
2. STEDMA, “The most awesome thing about this description is the last words, God himself is
judge! This is a courtroom in which God sits to judge his people. In verse one he describes
himself in a three-fold way: the Mighty One, God, the Lord. In Hebrew they are three names: El,
Elohim, Jehovah. These three names are most impressive for they gather up the major
characteristics of God. He is first, El, the Mighty One, the All-powerful One, the One of authority
and strength. Then he is Elohim, the One of majesty, of greatness, the Supreme One, sovereign
over all else. But, as Jehovah, he is the God of mercy, the One who graciously enters into full
understanding of his people's needs. Thus in this scene we have God the Judge introducing
himself to us as God of Might, Majesty, and Mercy, holding all three characteristics in perfect
balance. He is the One of authority, of sovereignty and majesty, but also the One of grace, love,
and tender concern.
3. Gill, “And the heavens shall declare his righteousness,.... That is, either the heavens shall bear
witness to his justice and equity in judging his people; or the angels, the ministers of the Gospel,
shall declare his justifying righteousness, which is revealed in it, to the saints and covenant ones
they shall be a means of gathering in: or rather the justice of Christ in the destruction of the Jews
shall be attested and applauded by angels and men, just as the righteousness of God in the
destruction of the antichristian powers is celebrated by the angel of the waters, Rev_16:5;
for God is Judge himself. And not another, or by another; and therefore his judgments must be
just and righteous, seeing he is just and true, loves righteousness, and is righteous in all his ways
and works.
4. Henry, “ The issue of this solemn trial foretold (Psa_50:6): The heavens shall declare his
righteousness, those heavens that were called to be witnesses to the trial (Psa_50:4); the people in
heaven shall say, Hallelujah. True and righteous are his judgments, Rev_19:1, Rev_19:2. The
righteousness of God in all the rebukes of his word and providence, in the establishment of his
gospel (which brings in an everlasting righteousness, and in which the righteousness of God is
revealed), and especially in the judgment of the great day, is what the heavens will declare; that is,
1. It will be universally known, and proclaimed to all the world. As the heavens declare the glory,
the wisdom and power, of God the Creator (Psa_19:1), so they shall no less openly declare the
glory, the justice and righteousness, of God the Judge; and so loudly do they proclaim both that
there is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard, as it follows there, Psa_50:3. 2. It
will be incontestably owned and proved; who can deny what the heavens declare? Even sinners'
own consciences will subscribe to it, and hell as well as heaven will be forced to acknowledge the
righteousness of God. The reason given is, for God is Judge himself, and therefore, (1.) He will be
just; for it is impossible he should do any wrong to any of his creatures, he never did, nor ever
will. When men are employed to judge for him they may do unjustly; but, when he is Judge
himself, there can be no injustice done. Is God unrighteous, who takes vengeance? The apostle, for
this reason, startles at the thought of it; God forbid! for then how shall God judge the world?
Rom_3:5, Rom_3:6. These decisions will be perfectly just, for against them there will lie no
exception, and from them there will lie no appeal. (2.) He will be justified; God is Judge, and

47. therefore he will not only execute justice, but he will oblige all to own it; for he will be clear when
he judges, Psa_51:4.
5. Jamison, “The inhabitants of heaven, who well know God’s character, attest His righteousness
as a judge.
6. TREASURY OF DAVID, “Verse 6. The heavens shall declare his righteousness. It is the manner
of Scripture to commit the teaching of that which it desires should be most noticeable and
important to the heavens and the earth: for the heavens are seen by all, and their light discovers
all things. Here it speaks of the heavens, not the earth, because these are everlasting, but not the
earth. Geier and Muis, in Poole's Synopsis.
7. Spurgeon, And the heavens shall declare his righteousness. Celestial intelligences and the
spirits of just men made perfect, shall magnify the infallible judgment of the divine tribunal. ow
they doubtless wonder at the hypocrisy of men; then they shall equally marvel at the exactness of
the severance between the true and the false. For God is judge himself. This is the reason for the
correctness of the judgment. Priests of old, and churches of later times, were readily deceived, but
not so the all discerning Lord. o deputy judge sits on the great white throne; the injured Lord of
all himself weighs the evidence and allots the vengeance or reward. The scene in the Psalm is a
grand poetical conception, but it is also an inspired prophecy of that day which shall burn as an
oven, when the Lord shall discern between him that feareth and him that feareth him not. Selah.
Here we may well pause in reverent prostration, in deep searching of heart, in humble prayer,
and in awe struck expectation.
8. Maurice Roberts, Inverness, The Larger Picture:
“This six-verse pericope introduces a prophetic psalm of judgment (see Mays), whose later verses
lay out specific charges against God’s chosen people. Psalm 50 goes beyond rebuke and the threat
of punishment, directing the faithful to reject mechanical worship and corrupt behavior and to
offer sincere thanksgiving and praise for their creator. In this context, it has been pointed out that
Psalm 51’s prayer for cleansing and pardon serves as an appropriate confession of sin and
commitment to reform along the lines mapped out in Psalm 50 (see Schaefer).
Some Details:
Ecological setting: God calls the entire natural world to witness in the case. The scope of
creation’s witness extends from sunrise to sunset (v.1) and from the height of the heavens down to
the earth (v.4). Later in the psalm (vv. 10-12), it is pointed out that God owns all of creation, and
does not need human sacrifice.
God is not an outsider: It is from within this natural context that God’s glory shines forth in Zion
(v. 2) (see “God’s Grandeur,” Gerard Manley Hopkins, http://www.bartleby.com/122/7.html).
God uses the forces of nature (devouring fire, whirling tempest) not only to demonstrate power

48. but also to communicate (does not keep silent) (v.3). It even appears that God requires this
natural context “that he may judge” God’s people (v.4). It is the heavens that “declare [God’s]
righteousness” – witnessing to God’s appropriate role as judge (v.6)
God’s judgment is intimate: The verb translated as “summons” in v.1 of the RSV accurately
reflects the psalm’s legal setting, but that same verb is more commonly translated simply as “calls
to,” as in v.4. The God-that-summons calls out personally, “Gather to me my faithful ones, who
made a covenant with me…” (v. 5) Further, the verb translated “judge” in v. 4 may carry the
connotation of “pleading a case” in behalf of someone (see BDB). If a courtroom scene is depicted
by Psalm 50, it is a family council where the judge knows everyone and prefers reformed
behavior to vengeful punishment.
Food for Thought
Lectionary readings consistently snip out the hard words of the psalms, leaving only words of
praise. There is nothing wrong with praise! However, Psalm 50 demonstrates that God requires
worshipers to struggle with the significance of their worship and to move away from
mechanically tossed-off prayer, praise, and thanksgiving. By expurgating the hard facts laid out
in later verses of Psalm 50, could the lectionary actually contribute to the very type of behavior
against which we are being warned?
Sink Your Teeth Into This
Years ago, a new second-career student came to my office to discuss plans for life at seminary.
The student remarked that he had already completed a successful career, and was now able to
“give something back to God.” At the time, I thought of the parable of the rich young ruler, and
wondered if the student knew exactly how much he might need to give up. Today’s work with
Psalm 50 brings that past conversation to mind yet again. We have many high achievers at
Union-PSCE, and it is a delight to see their varied gifts being polished to serve the church. At the
same time, Psalm 50 offers a strong and helpful reminder that each of us owes everything –
property, family, personal attributes, the very ground we stand on – to God. We have nothing of
our own to give to God – except our gratitude. The astonishing good news is that gratitude is
exactly what God has always wanted.
9. Calvin, “And the heavens shall declare his righteousness. The Jews were vain enough to imagine
that their idle and fantastic service was the perfection of righteousness; but they are here warned
by the prophet, that God, who had seemed to connive at their folly, was about to reveal his own
righteousness from heaven, and expose their miserable devices. “Think you,” as if he had said,
“that God can take delight in the mockery of your deluded services? Though you send up the
smoke of them to heaven, God will make known his righteousness in due time from above, and
vindicate it from the dishonors done to it by your wicked inventions. The heavens themselves will
attest your perfidy in despising true holiness, and corrupting the pure worship of God. He will no
longer suffer your gratuitous aspersions of his character, as if he took no notice of the enmity
which lurks under your pretended friendship.” There is thus a cogency in the prophet’s manner

49. of treating his subject. Men are disposed to admit that God is judge, but, at the same time, to
fabricate excuses for evading his judgment, and it was therefore necessary that the sentence
which God was about to pronounce should be vindicated from the vain cavils which might be
brought against it.
7 “Listen, my people, and I will speak;
I will testify against you, Israel:
I am God, your God.
1. Barnes, “Hear, O my people, and I will speak - God himself is now introduced as speaking, and
as stating the principles on which the judgment will proceed. The previous verses are
introductory, or are designed to bring the scene of the judgment before the mind. The solemn
scene now opens, and God himself speaks, especially as rebuking the disposition to rely on the
mere forms of religion, while its spirituality and its power are denied. The purpose of the whole
is, by asking how these things will appear in the judgment, to imply the vanity of “mere” forms of
religion now. The particular address is made to the “people” of God, or to “Israel,” because the
purpose of the psalmist was to rebuke the prevailing tendency to rely on outward forms.
O Israel, and I will testify against thee - In the judgment. In view of those scenes, and as “at”
that time, I will “now” bear this solemn testimony against the views which you entertain on the
subject of religion, and the practices which prevail in your worship.
I am God, even thy God - I am the true God, and therefore I have a right to speak; I am “thy”
God - the God who has been the Protector of thy people - acknowledged as the God of the nation
- and therefore I claim the right to declare the great principles which pertain to true worship, and
which constitute true religion.
2. Clarke, “Hear, O my people - As they were now amply informed concerning the nature and
certainty of the general judgment, and were still in a state of probation, Asaph proceeds to show
them the danger to which they were exposed, and the necessity of repentance and amendment,
that when that great day should arrive, they might be found among those who had made a
covenant with God by sacrifice. And he shows them that the sacrifice with which God would be
well pleased was quite different from the bullocks, he-goats, etc., which they were in the habit of
offering. In short, he shows here that God has intended to abrogate those sacrifices, as being no
longer of any service: for when the people began to trust in them, without looking to the thing
signified, it was time to put them away. When the people began to pay Divine honors to the
brazen serpent, though it was originally an ordinance of God’s appointment for the healing of the
Israelites, it was ordered to be taken away; called nehushtan, a bit of brass; and broken to pieces.

50. The sacrifices under the Jewish law were of God’s appointment; but now that the people began to
put their trust in them, God despised them.
3. Gill, “Hear, O my people,.... This is an address to the people of the Jews, whom God had chosen
to be his people above all others, and who professed themselves to be his people; but now a
loammi, Hos_1:9, was about to be written upon them, being a people uncircumcised in heart
and ears, refusing to hear the great Prophet of the church, him that spake from heaven;
and I will speak: by way of accusation and charge, and in judgment against them for their sins
and transgressions;
O Israel, and I will testify against thee; or to thee (t); to thy face produce witnesses, and bring
sufficient evidence to prove the things laid to thy charge,
I am God, even thy God; which is an aggravation of their sin against him, and is the reason why
they should hearken to him; see Psa_81:10.
4. Henry, “God is here dealing with those that placed all their religion in the observances of the
ceremonial law, and thought those sufficient.
I. He lays down the original contract between him and Israel, in which they had avouched him
to be their God, and he them to be his people, and so both parties were agreed (Psa_50:7): Hear,
O my people! and I will speak. ote, It is justly expected that whatever others doe, when he
speaks, his people should give ear; who will, if they do not? And then we may comfortably expect
that God will speak to us when we are ready to hear what he says; even when he testifies against
us in the rebukes and threatenings of his word and providences we must be forward to hear what
he says, to hear even the rod and him that has appointed it.
II. He puts a slight upon the legal sacrifices, Psa_50:8, etc. ow,
1. This may be considered as looking back to the use of these under the law. God had a
controversy with the Jews; but what was the ground of the controversy? ot their neglect of the
ceremonial institutions; no, they had not been wanting in the observance of them, their burnt-offerings
had been continually before God, they took a pride in them, and hoped by their
offerings to procure a dispensation for their lusts, as the adulterous woman, Pro_7:14. Their
constant sacrifices, they thought, would both expiate and excuse their neglect of the weightier
matters of the law. ay, if they had, in some degree, neglected these institutions, yet that should
not have been the cause of God's quarrel with them, for it was but a small offence in comparison
with the immoralities of their conversation. They thought God was mightily beholden to them for
the many sacrifices they had brought to his altar, and that they had made him very much their
debtor by them, as if he could not h have maintained his numerous family of priests without their
contributions; but God here shows them the contrary, (1.) That he did not need their sacrifices.
What occasion had he for their bullocks and goats who has the command of all the beasts of the
forest, and the cattle upon a thousand hills (Psa_50:9, Psa_50:10), has an incontestable propriety
in them and dominion over them, has them all always under his eye and within his reach, and can
make what use he pleases of them; they all wait on him, and are all at his disposal? Psa_104:27-
29. Can we add any thing to his store whose all the wild fowl and wild beasts are, the world itself

51. and the fulness thereof? Psa_50:11, Psa_50:12. God's infinite self-sufficiency proves our utter
insufficiency to add any thing to him. (2.) That he could not be benefited by their sacrifices. Their
goodness, of this kind, could not possibly extend to him, nor, if they were in this matter righteous,
was he the better (Psa_50:13): Will I eat the flesh of bulls? It is as absurd to think that their
sacrifices could, of themselves, and by virtue of any innate excellency in them, add any pleasure
of praise to God, as it would be to imagine that an infinite Spirit could be supported by meat and
drink, as our bodies are. It is said indeed of the demons whom the Gentiles worshipped that they
did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drink the wine of their drink-offerings (Deu_32:38): they
regaled themselves in the homage they robbed the true God of; but will the great Jehovah be thus
entertained? o; to obey is better than sacrifice, and to love God and our neighbour better than all
burnt-offerings, so much better that God by his prophets often told them that their sacrifices were
not only not acceptable, but abominable, to him, while they lived in sin; instead of pleasing him,
he looked upon them as a mockery, and therefore an affront and provocation to him; see
Pro_15:8; Isa_1:11, etc.; Isa_66:3; Jer_6:20; Amo_5:21. They are therefore here warned not to
rest in these performances; but to conduct themselves, in all other instances, towards God as
their God.
5. Jamison, “I will testify — that is, for failure to worship aught.
thy God — and so, by covenant as well as creation, entitled to a pure worship.
6. KD, “Exposition of the sacrificial Tôra for the good of those whose holiness consists in
outward works. The forms strengthened by ah, in Psa_50:7, describe God's earnest desire to have
Israel for willing hearers as being quite as strong as His desire to speak and to bear witness. הֵעִיד
בְּ , obtestari aliquem, to come forward as witness, either solemnly assuring, or, as here and in the
Psalm of Asaph, Psa_81:9, earnestly warning and punishing (cf. Arab. šahida with b, to bear
witness against any one). On the Dagesh forte conjunctive in œ בָּ, vid., Ges. §20, 2, a. He who is
speaking has a right thus to stand face to face with Israel, for he is Elohim, the God of Israel - by
which designation reference is made to the words אנכי יהוה אלהיך (Exo_20:2), with which begins
the Law as given from Sinai, and which here take the Elohimic form (whereas in Psa_81:11 they
remain unaltered) and are inverted in accordance with the context. As Psa_50:8 states, it is not
the material sacrifices, which Israel continually, without cessation, offers, that are the object of
the censuring testimony. ž תֶי c וְעוֹ , even if it has Mugrash, as in Baer, is not on this account,
according to the interpretation given by the accentuation, equivalent to ועל־עולותיך (cf. on the
other hand Psa_38:18); it is a simple assertory substantival clause: thy burnt-offerings are,
without intermission, continually before Me. God will not dispute about sacrifices in their
outward characteristics; for - so Psa_50:9 go on to say-He does not need sacrifices for the sake of
receiving from Israel what He does not otherwise possess. His is every wild beast ( חַיְתוֹ , as in the
Asaph Psa_79:2) of the forest, His the cattle בְּהַֽרֲרֵי אָֽלֶ ף , upon the mountains of a thousand, i.e.,
upon the thousand (and myriad) mountains (similar to מְתֵי מִסְפָּר or מְתֵי מְעַט ), or: where they live
by thousands (a similar combination to נֶבֶל עָשׂוֹר ). Both explanations of the genitive are
unsupported by any perfectly analogous instance so far as language is concerned; the former,
however, is to be preferred on account of the singular, which is better suited to it. He knows every
bird that makes its home on the mountains; יָדַע , as usually, of a knowledge which masters a
subject, compasses it and makes it its own. Whatever moves about the fields if with Him, i.e., is
within the range of His knowledge (cf. Job_27:11; Psa_10:13), and therefore of His power; זִיז
(here and in the Asaph Psa_80:14) from זִאזְ א = זִעְזֵעַ , to move to and fro, like טִיט from טִיטֵ ע , to

52. swept out, cf. κινώπετον, κνώδαλον, from κινεῖν. But just as little as God requires sacrifices in
order thereby to enrich Himself, is there any need on His part that might be satisfied by
sacrifices, Psa_50:12. If God should hunger, He would not stand in need of man's help in order to
satisfy Himself; but He is never hungry, for He is the Being raised above all carnal wants. Just on
this account, what God requires is not by any means the outward worship of sacrifice, but a
spiritual offering, the worship of the heart, Psa_50:14. Instead of the שׁלמים , and more
particularly זֶבַח תּוֹדָה , Lev_7:11-15, and שַׁלְמֵי נֶדֶר , Lev_7:16 (under the generic idea of which are
also included, strictly speaking, vowed thank-offerings), God desires the thanksgiving of the
heart and the performance of that which has been vowed in respect of our moral relationship to
Himself and to men; and instead of the עוֹלָה in its manifold forms of devotion, the prayer of the
heart, which shall not remain unanswered, so that in the round of this λογικὴ λατρεία everything
proceeds from and ends in εὐχαριστία. It is not the sacrifices offered in a becoming spirit that are
contrasted with those offered without the heart (as, e.g., Sir. 32 [35]:1-9), but the outward
sacrifice appears on the whole to be rejected in comparison with the spiritual sacrifice. This
entire turning away from the outward form of the legal ceremonial is, in the Old Testament,
already a predictive turning towards that worship of God in spirit and in truth which the new
covenant makes alone of avail, after the forms of the Law have served as swaddling clothes to the
ew Testament life which was coming into being in the old covenant. This “becoming” begins
even in the Tôra itself, especially in Deuteronomy. Our Psalm, like the Chokma (Pro_21:3), and
prophecy in the succeeding age (cf. Hos_6:6; Mic_6:6-8; Isa_1:11-15, and other passages), stands
upon the standpoint of this concluding book of the Tôra, which traces back all the requirements
of the Law to the fundamental command of love.
7. Spurgeon, The address which follows is directed to the professed people of God. It is clearly,
in the first place, meant for Israel; but is equally applicable to the visible church of God in every
age. It declares the futility of external worship when spiritual faith is absent, and the mere
outward ceremonial is rested in.
Verse 7. Hear, O my people, and I will speak. Because Jehovah speaks and they are avowedly his
own people, they are bound to give earnest heed. Let me speak, saith the great I AM. The
heavens and earth are but listeners, the Lord is about both to testify and to judge. O Israel, and I
will testify against thee. Their covenant name is mentioned to give point to the address; it was a
double evil that the chosen nation should become so carnal, so unspiritual, so false, so heartless to
their God. God himself, whose eyes sleep not, who is not misled by rumour, but sees for himself,
enters on the scene as witness against his favoured nation. Alas! for us when God, even our
fathers' God, testifies to the hypocrisy of the visible church. I am God, even thy God. He had
taken them to be his peculiar people above all other nations, and they had in the most solemn
manner avowed that he was their God. Hence the special reason for calling them to account. The
law began with, I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and
now the session of their judgment opens with the same reminder of their singular position,
privilege, and responsibility. It is not only that Jehovah is God, but thy God, O Israel; this is that
makes thee so amenable to his searching reproofs.
8. STEDMA, “What a remarkable piece of irony that is! It has a sardonic twist to it. God is
saying, first, I do not reprove you for your sacrifices, i.e., there are certain things you are
doing which are right. Israel brought every day, punctiliously, the sacrifices which the Law
prescribed. God says that is perfectly right, it is proper to do that. I do not reprove you for
that, he says, there are certain things you are doing which are fundamentally right. But what

53. was wrong was that they thought the act of sacrificing was all God wanted, that for some reason
he needed bulls' flesh and goats' blood. It revealed the tremendously low concept of God they
held. God is saying to them, How absurd can you get? Do you really think I am that kind of a
God? Do you think I need flesh and blood? Why, I own the cattle on a thousand hills. I own the
wild beasts of the forests, the elk, the bison, and all the other animals. Also I know all the birds of
the air. They're all mine and I can do with them as I will. If hunger were my motive in asking you
to bring sacrifices then I could heap up mountains of flesh. What do you take me for, anyway? A
kind of cosmic Meat Grinder?
Do you see the parallel to this today? Many people come to church and think that God wants
them to sing hymns, bow in prayer, utter certain words and go through certain forms, and that is
what he is after. How absurd! It is all perfectly right, there is nothing wrong with it, but that is
not what he is after. It is not what God desires.
A young pastor came to me this very week to talk to me about his ministry. He said, Tell me,
what is wrong with the evangelical Church today, anyhow? I have been trying to answer that
question for quite a while but, being challenged to put it in a brief form, I had to think it through
and answer his question. I said, finally, that I thought two things were wrong with the evangelical
Church. There is a lot right about it. Our doctrine is right, it is scriptural. Our emphasis upon the
authority of Scripture is right, it is good, it is solid. Our concern lest we get away from the
authority of the Bible and the teaching of the Scripture is right. There is nothing wrong with that.
But what is wrong with the average evangelical church is first, it is dead! There is no real
demonstration of life in many evangelical Christians. Their words are wonderful but their lives
leave something greatly to be desired.
Some years ago when Averill Harriman was first appointed Ambassador to France someone said
to him, How's your French? He said, Oh, my French is excellent; all but the verbs! That is a
good description of evangelical Christianity. We have wonderful nouns: joy, peace, faith,
redemption, salvation, justification. Oh, these nouns! But the verbs -- loving, forgiving, healing,
restoring -- that is where we are weak, are we not? That is what God is finding fault with. He
says, your sacrifices are fine, but where are your hearts.
The second thing I see wrong with the evangelical Church is its remoteness. It is far removed
from life as it is. It tends to withdraw from the really gut issues of life and will not involve itself
where people are bleeding, struggling, fighting, and facing terrible problems. We tend to excuse
that by saying, Well, getting in and helping outwardly doesn't solve anything ultimately. Of
course, we are quite right about that. That is not how the real solution comes. But it is wrong for
us not to be involved. That remoteness is what is turning off so many young people today from
the evangelical Church. We do not want to touch anyone, like the Levite in the parable of the
Good Samaritan, who gathered his robe about him and crossed over to the other side leaving the
wounded man without help. So God is judging his people. He is saying, You observe the form
but there is something missing.
9. Calvin, “Hear, O my people! and I will speak. Hitherto the prophet has spoken as the herald of
God, throwing out several expressions designed to alarm the minds of those whom he addressed.
But from this to the end of the psalm God himself is introduced as the speaker; and to show the
importance of the subject, he uses additional terms to awaken attention, calling them his own
people, that he might challenge the higher authority to his words, and intimating, that the
following address is not of a mere ordinary description, but an expostulation with them for the

54. infraction of his covenant. Some read, I will testify against thee. But the reference, as we may
gather from the common usage of Scripture, seems rather to be to a discussion of mutual claims.
God would remind them of his covenant, and solemnly exact from them, as his chosen people,
what was due according to the terms of it. He announces himself to be the God of Israel, that he
may recall them to allegiance and subjection, and the repetition of his name is emphatical: as if
he had said, When you would have me to submit to your inventions, how far is this audacity from
that honor and reverence which belong to me? I am God, and therefore my majesty ought to
repress presumption, and make all flesh keep silence when I speak; and among you, to whom I
have made myself known as your God, I have still stronger claims to homage.
8 I bring no charges against you concerning your
sacrifices
or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever
before me.
1. Barnes, “I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt-offerings - On the words
“sacrifices” and “burnt-offerings” here used, see the notes at Isa_1:11. The meaning is, “I do not
reprove or rebuke you in respect to the withholding of sacrifices. I do not charge you with
neglecting the offering of such sacrifices. I do not accuse the nation of indifference in regard to
the external rites or duties of religion. It is not on this ground that you are to be blamed or
condemned, for that duty is outwardly and publicly performed. I do not say that such offerings
are wrong; I do not say that there has been any failure in the external duties of worship. The
charge - the reproof - relates to other matters; to the want of a proper spirit, to the withholding of
the heart, in connection with such offerings.”
To have been continually before me - The words “to have been” are inserted by the translators,
and weaken the sense. The simple idea is, that their offerings “were” continually before him; that
is, they were constantly made. He had no charge of neglect in this respect to bring against them.
The insertion of the words “to have been” would seem to imply that though they had neglected
this external rite, it was a matter of no consequence; whereas the simple meaning is, that they
were “not” chargeable with this neglect, or that there was “no” cause of complaint on this point.
It was on other grounds altogether that a charge was brought against them. It was, as the
following verses show, because they supposed there was special “merit” in such offerings; because
they supposed that they laid God under obligation by so constant and so expensive offerings, as if
they did not already belong to him, or as if he needed them; and because, while they did this, they
withheld the very offering which he required, and without which all other sacrifices would be
vain and worthless - a sincere, humble, thankful heart.

55. 2. Clarke, “I will not reprove thee - I do not mean to find fault with you for not offering
sacrifices; you have offered them, they have been continually before me: but you have not offered
them in the proper way.
3. Gill, “I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices,.... For the neglect of them; this they were not
chargeable with; and had they omitted them, a charge would not have been brought against them
on that account, since these were not what God commanded when he brought them out of Egypt,
Jer_7:22; and were now abrogated; and when they were in force, acts of mercy, kindness, and
beneficence, were preferred unto them, Hos_6:6;
or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me; or, for thy burnt offerings are
continually before me (u); so far were they from being reprovable for not bringing their
sacrifices, that they were continually offering up before the Lord even multitudes of them, though
to no purpose, being offered up without faith, and in hypocrisy; and could not take away sin, and
make atonement for it; and besides, ought now to have ceased to be offered, Christ the great
sacrifice being now offered up, as he was in the times to which this psalm belongs; see Isa_1:14;
wherefore it follows:
4. Henry, “This may be considered as looking forward to the abolishing of these by the gospel of
Christ. Thus Dr. Hammond understands it. When God shall set up the kingdom of the Messiah
he shall abolish the old way of worship by sacrifice and offerings; he will no more have those to
be continually before him (Psa_50:8); he will no more require of his worshippers to bring him
their bullocks and their goats, to be burnt upon his altar, Psa_50:9. For indeed he never
appointed this as that which he had any need of, or took any pleasure in, for, besides that all we
have is his already, he has far more beasts in the forest and upon the mountains, which we know
nothing of nor have any property in, than we have in our folds; but he instituted it to prefigure
the great sacrifice which his own Son should in the fulness of time offer upon the cross, to make
atonement for sin, and all the other spiritual sacrifices of acknowledgment with which God,
through Christ, will be well pleased.
5. Jamison, “However scrupulous in external worship, it was offered as if they conferred an
obligation in giving God His own, and with a degrading view of Him as needing it [Psa_50:9-13].
Reproving them for such foolish and blasphemous notions, He teaches them to offer, or literally,
“sacrifice,” thanksgiving, and pay, or perform, their vows - that is, to bring, with the external
symbolical service, the homage of the heart, and faith, penitence, and love. To this is added an
invitation to seek, and a promise to afford, all needed help in trouble.
6. TREASURY OF DAVID, “Verse 8. I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices; i.e., for thy neglect
of them, but for thy resting in them, sticking in the bark, bringing me the bare shell without the
kernel, not referring to the right end and use, but satisfying thyself in the work done. John
Trapp.
Verse 8. I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings continually before me. Those
words to have been, which our translators supply, may be left out, and the sense remain perfect:

56. or if those words be continued, then the negative particle not, is to be reassumed out of the first
part of the verse, and the whole read thus, I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices, or thy burnt
offerings not to have been continually before me. That is, I will not charge thee with a neglect of
outward duty or worship, the inward or spiritual (of which he speaks, Psalms 50:14), being that
which is most pleasing unto me. Joseph Caryl.
Verse 8-9. It is the very remonstrance which our Lord himself makes against the Pharisees of his
days, for laying so much stress on the outward observance of their own traditions, the washing of
pots and cups and other such like things; the paying of tithes of anise and mint and cummin; the
ostentatious fulfilment of all ceremonious observances in the eyes of men, the exalting the shadow
to the exclusion of the substance. And have we not seen the like in our own days, even to the very
vestment of the minister, the obeisance of the knee, and the posture of the body? as if the material
church were all in all, and God were not Spirit, that demanded of those that worshipped him that
they should worship him in spirit and in truth; as if the gold and ornaments of the temple were
far beyond the hidden man of the heart in that which is incorruptible, even the ornament of a
meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. Barton Bouchier.
7. Spurgeon, I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been ever
before me. Though they had not failed in maintaining his outward worship, or even if they had,
he was not about to call them to account for this: a more weighty matter was now under
consideration. They thought the daily sacrifices and the abounding burnt offerings to be
everything: he counted them nothing if the inner sacrifice of heart devotion had been neglected.
What was greatest with them was least with God. It is even so today. Sacraments (so called) and
sacred rites are them main concern with unconverted but religious men, but with the Most High
the spiritual worship which they forget is the sole matter. Let the external be maintained by all
means, according to the divine command, but if the secret and spiritual be not in them, they are a
vain oblation, a dead ritual, and even an abomination before the Lord.
8. Calvin, “I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices, etc. God now proceeds to state the charge
which he adduced against them. He declares, that he attached no value whatsoever to sacrifices in
themselves considered. ot that he asserts this rite of the Jews to have been vain and useless, for
in that case it never would have been instituted by God; but there is this difference betwixt
religious exercises and others, that they can only meet the approbation of God when performed
in their true spirit and meaning. On any other supposition they are deservedly rejected. Similar
language we will find employed again and again by the prophets, as I have remarked in other
places, and particularly in connection with the fortieth psalm. Mere outward ceremonies being
therefore possessed of no value, God repudiates the idea that he had ever insisted upon them as
the main thing in religion, or designed that they should be viewed in any other light than as helps
to spiritual worship. Thus in Jeremiah 7:22, he denies that he had issued any commandment
regarding sacrifices; and the prophet Micah says,
“Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? and
what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy?” — (Micah 6:7)
“I desire mercy,” he says in another place, (Hosea 6:6,) “and not sacrifice.” The same doctrine is
every where declared by the prophets. I might refer especially to the prophecies of Isaiah, chapter

57. 1:12; 58:1, 2; 66:3. The sacrifices of the ungodly are not only represented as worthless and
rejected by the Lord, but as peculiarly calculated to provoke his anger. Where a right use has
been made of the institution, and they have been observed merely as ceremonies for the
confirmation and increase of faith, then they are described as being essentially connected with
true religion; but when offered without faith, or, what is still worse, under the impression of their
meriting the favor of God for such as continue in their sins, they are reprobated as a mere
profanation of divine worship. It is evident, then, what God means when he says, I will not
reprove thee for thy sacrifices; he looked to something beyond these. The last clause of the verse
may be understood as asserting that their burnt-offerings were before the eyes of the Lord to the
producing even of satiety and disgust, as we find him saying, (Isaiah 1:13,) that they were “an
abomination unto him.” There are some, however, who consider the negative in the beginning of
the verse as applying to both clauses, and that God here declares that he did not design to reckon
with them for any want of regularity in the observance of their sacrifices. It has been well
suggested by some, that the relative may be understood, Thy burnt-offerings which are continually
before me; as if he had said, According to the Law these are imperative; but I will bring no
accusation against you at this time for omitting your sacrifices.
9 I have no need of a bull from your stall
or of goats from your pens,
1. Barnes, “I will take no bullock out of thy house - Bullocks were offered regularly in the
Hebrew service and sacrifice Exo_29:11, Exo_29:36; Lev_4:4; 1Ki_18:23, 1Ki_18:33; and it is
with reference to this that the language is used here. In obedience to the law it was right and
proper to offer such sacrifices; and the design here is not to express disapprobation of these
offerings in themselves considered. On this subject - on the external compliance with the law in
this respect - God says Psa_50:8 that he had no cause to complain against them. It was only with
respect to the design and the spirit with which they did this, that the language in this verse and
the following verses is used. The idea which it is the purpose of these verses to suggest is, that
God did not “need” such offerings; that they were not to be made “as if” he needed them; and
that if he needed such he was not “dependent” on them, for all the beasts of the earth and all the
fowls of the mountains were his, and could be taken for that purpose; and that if he took what
was claimed to be theirs - the bullocks and the goats - he did not wrong them, for all were his, and
he claimed only his own.
or he-goats out of thy folds - Goats were also offered in sacrifice. Lev_3:12; Lev_4:24;
Lev_10:16 : um_15:27.
2. Clarke, “

58. 3. Gill, “ I will take no bullock out of thy house,.... That is, will accept of none; such sacrifices
being no more agreeable to the will of God, Heb_10:5; the bullock is mentioned, that being a
principal creature used in sacrifice; as also the following,
nor he goats out of thy folds; the reasons follow.
4. Henry, “
5. Jamison, “
6. TREASURY OF DAVID, “Verse 8-9. It is the very remonstrance which our Lord himself makes
against the Pharisees of his days, for laying so much stress on the outward observance of their
own traditions, the washing of pots and cups and other such like things; the paying of tithes of
anise and mint and cummin; the ostentatious fulfilment of all ceremonious observances in the
eyes of men, the exalting the shadow to the exclusion of the substance. And have we not seen the
like in our own days, even to the very vestment of the minister, the obeisance of the knee, and the
posture of the body? as if the material church were all in all, and God were not Spirit, that
demanded of those that worshipped him that they should worship him in spirit and in truth; as if
the gold and ornaments of the temple were far beyond the hidden man of the heart in that which
is incorruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of
great price. Barton Bouchier.
7. Spurgeon, I will take no bullock out of thy house. Foolishly they dreamed that bullocks with
horns and hoofs could please the Lord, when indeed he sought for hearts and souls. Impiously
they fancied that Jehovah needed these supplies, and that if they fed his altar with their fat
beasts, he would be content. What he intended for their instruction, they made their confidence.
They remembered not that to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
or he goats out of thy folds. He mentions these lesser victims as if to rouse their common sense
to see that the great Creator could find not satisfaction in mere animal offerings. If he needed
these, he would not appeal to their scanty stalls and folds; in fact, he here refuses to take so much
as one, if they brought them under the false and dishonouring view, that they were in themselves
pleasing to him. This shows that the sacrifices of the law were symbolical of higher and spiritual
things, and were not pleasing to God except under their typical aspect. The believing worshipper
looking beyond the outward was accepted, the unspiritual who had no respect to their meaning
was wasting his substance, and blaspheming the God of heaven.
8. Calvin, “
I will take no calf out thy house Two reasons are given in this and the succeeding verses to prove
that he cannot set any value upon sacrifices. The first is, that supposing him to depend upon
these, he needs not to be indebted for them to man, having all the fullness of the earth at his
command; and the second, that he requires neither food nor drink as we do for the support of our
infirm natures. Upon the first of these he insists in the ninth and three following verses, where he
adverts to his own boundless possessions, that he may show his absolute independence of human
offerings. He then points at the wide distinction betwixt himself and man, the latter being

59. dependent for a frail subsistence upon meat and drink, while he is the self-existent One, and
communicates life to all beside. There may be nothing new in the truths here laid down by the
Psalmist; but, considering the strong propensity we have by nature to form our estimate of God
from ourselves, and to degenerate into a carnal worship, they convey a lesson by no means
unnecessary, and which contains profound wisdom, that man can never benefit God by any of his
services, as we have seen in Psalm 16:2, “My goodness extendeth not unto thee.” In the second
place, God says that he does not require any thing for his own us but that, as he is sufficient in his
own perfection, he has consulted the good of man in all that he has enjoined. We have a passage
in Isaiah to a similar effect,
“The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto
me, and where is the place of my rest? For all these things hath mine hand made.” — (Isaiah
66:1, 2,)
In these words
God asserts his absolute independence; for while the world had a beginning, he himself was from
eternity. From this it follows, that as he subsisted when there was nothing without him which
could contribute to his fullness, he must have in himself a glorious all-sufficiency.
10 for every animal of the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.
1. Barnes, “For every beast of the forest is mine - All the beasts that roam at large in the
wilderness; all that are untamed and unclaimed by man. The idea is, that even if God “needed”
such offerings, he was not dependent on them - for the numberless beasts that roamed at large as
his own would yield an ample supply.
And the cattle upon a thousand hills - This may mean either the cattle that roamed by
thousands on the hills, or the cattle on numberless hills. The Hebrew will bear either
construction. The former is most likely to be the meaning. The allusion is probably to the animals
that were pastured in great numbers on the hills, and that were claimed by men. The idea is, that
all - whether wild or tame - belonged to God, and he had a right to them, to dispose of them as he
pleased. He was not, therefore, in any way dependent on sacrifices. It is a beautiful and
impressive thought, that the “property” in all these animals - in all living things on the earth - is
in God, and that he has a right to dispose of them as he pleases. What man owns, he owns under
God, and has no right to complain when God comes and asserts his superior claim to dispose of it
at his pleasure. God has never given to man the absolute proprietorship in “any” thing; nor does
he invade our rights when he comes and claims what we possess, or when in any way he removes
what is most valuable to us. Compare Job_1:21.

60. 2. Clarke, “Every beast of the forest is mine - Can ye suppose that ye are laying me under
obligation to you, when ye present me with a part of my own property?
3. Gill, “For every beast of the forest is mine,.... By creation and preservation; and therefore he
stood in no need of their bullocks and he goats;
and the cattle upon a thousand hills; meaning all the cattle in the whole world.
4. Henry, “
5. Jamison, “
6. KD, “
7. Spurgeon, For every beast of the forest is mine. How could they imagine that the Most High
God, possessor of heaven and earth, had need of beasts, when all the countless hordes that find
shelter in a thousand forests and wildernesses belong to him? And the cattle upon a thousand
hills. ot alone the wild beasts, but also the tamer creatures are all his own. Even if God cared for
these things, he could supply himself. Their cattle were not, after all, their own, but were still the
great Creator's property, why then should he be beholden to them. From Dan to Beersheba, from
ebaioth to Lebanon, there fed not a beast which was not marked with the name of the great
Shepherd; why, then, should he crave oblations of Israel? What a slight is here put even upon
sacrifices of divine appointment when wrongly viewed as in themselves pleasing to God! And all
this to be so expressly stated under the law! How much more is this clear under the gospel, when
it is so much more plainly revealed, that God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must
worship him in spirit and in truth? Ye Ritualists, ye Sacramentarians, ye modern Pharisees,
what say ye to this?
8. TREASURY OF DAVID, “Verse 10. For to me (belongs) every beast of the forest, the cattle in
hills of a thousand. This last idiomatic phrase may either mean a thousand hills, or hills where
the cattle rove by thousands, with probable allusion to the hilly grounds of Bashan beyond
Jordan. According to etymology, the noun in the first clause means an animal, and that in the
second beasts or brutes in general. But when placed in antithesis, the first denotes a wild beast,
and the second domesticated animals or cattle. Both words were necessary to express God's
sovereign propriety in the whole animal creation. Thus understood, the verse assigns a reason for
the negative assertion in the one before it. Even if God could stand in need of animal oblations,
for his own sake, or for their sake, he would not be under the necessity of coming to man for
them, since the whole animal creation is his property and perfectly at his disposal. J. A.
Alexander.
11. know every bird in the mountains,

61. and the insects in the fields are mine.
1. Barnes, “I know all the fowls of the mountains - That is, I am fully acquainted with their
numbers; their nature; their habits; their residence. I have such a knowledge of them that I could
appropriate them to my own use if I were in need of them. I am not, therefore, dependent on
people to offer them, for I can use them as I please.
And the wild beasts of the field are mine - Margin, “with me.” That is, they are before me.
They are never out of my presence. At any time, therefore, I could use them as I might need them.
The word rendered “wild beasts” - זיז zı̂yz - means any moving thing; and the idea here is,
whatever moves in the field, or roams abroad. Everything is his - whether on the mountains, in
the forest, or in the cultivated field.
2. Clarke, “
3. Gill, “ I know all the fowls of the mountains,.... God not only knows them, but takes care of
them; not a sparrow fails to the ground without his knowledge, and all the fowls of the air are fed
by him, Mat_10:29; and therefore needed not their turtledoves and young pigeons, which were
the only fowls used in sacrifice;
and the wild beasts of the field are mine; which are mentioned in opposition to domestic ones,
such as they had in their houses or folds, Psa_50:9.
4. Henry, “
5. Jamison, “
6. TREASURY OF DAVID, “Verse 11-12. We show our scorn of God's sufficiency, by secret
thoughts of meriting from him by any religious act, as though God could be indebted to us, and
obliged by us. As though our devotions could bring a blessedness to God more than he essentially
hath; when indeed our goodness extends not to him. Psalms 16:2. Our services to God are
rather services to ourselves, and bring a happiness to us, not to God. This secret opinion of merit
(though disputed among the Papists, yet) is natural to man; and this secret self pleasing, when we
have performed any duty, and upon that account expect some fair compensation from God, as
having been profitable to him; God intimates this: The wild beasts of the field are mine. If I
were hungry, I would not tell thee; for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. He implies,
that they wronged his infinite fulness, by thinking that he stood in need of their sacrifices and
services, and that he was beholden to them for their adoration of him. All merit implies a moral
or natural insufficiency in the person of whom we merit, and our doing something for him, which
he could not, or at least so well do for himself. It is implied in our murmuring at God's dealing
with us as a course of cross providences, wherein men think they have deserved better at the
hands of God by their service, than to be cast aside and degraded by him. In our prosperity we
are apt to have secret thoughts that our enjoyments were the debts God owes us, rather than gifts
freely bestowed upon us. Hence it is that men are more unwilling to part with their righteousness

62. than with their sins, and are apt to challenge salvation as a due, rather than beg it as an act of
grace. Stephen Charnock.
7. Spurgeon, I know all the fowls of the mountain. All the winged creatures are under my
inspection and near my hand; what then can be the value of your pairs of turtledoves, and your
two young pigeons? The great Lord not only feeds all his creatures, but is well acquainted with
each one; how wondrous is this knowledge! And the wild beasts of the fields are mine. The whole
population moving over the plain belongs to me; why then should I seek you beeves and rams? In
me all things live and move; how mad are you to suppose that I desire your living things! A
spiritual God demands other life than that which is seen in animals; he looks for spiritual
sacrifice; for the love, the trust, the praise, the life of your hearts.
12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
1. Barnes, “If I were hungry, I would not tell thee - I should not have occasion to apply to you; I
should not be dependent on you.
For the world is mine - The earth; all that has been created.
And the fulness thereof - All that fills the world; all that exists upon it. The whole is at his
disposal; to all that the earth produces he has a right. This language is used to show the absurdity
of the supposition that he was in any way dependent on man, or that the offering of sacrifice
could be supposed in any way to lay him under obligation.
2. Clarke, “The world is mine, and the fullness thereof - Ye cannot, therefore, give me any thing
that is not my own.
3. Gill, “If I were hungry, I would not tell thee,.... Or say to thee (w); ask for anything
for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof; with which, was the former his case, he could
satisfy himself; see Psa_24:1.

63. 4. Henry, “
5. Jamison, “
6. TREASURY OF DAVID, “
7. Spurgeon, If I were hungry, I would not tell thee. Strange conception, a hungry God! Yet if
such an absurd ideal could be truth, and if the Lord hungered for meat, he would not ask it of
men. He could provide for himself out of his own possessions; he would not turn suppliant to his
own creatures. Even under the grossest ideal of God, faith in outward ceremonies is ridiculous.
Do men fancy that the Lord needs banners, and music, and incense, and fine linen? If he did, the
stars would emblazon his standard, the winds and the waves become his orchestra, ten thousand
times ten thousand flowers would breathe forth perfume, the snow should be his alb, the rainbow
his girdle, the clouds of light his mantle. O fools and slow of heart, ye worship ye know not what!
For the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. What can he need who is owner of all things and
able to create as he wills? Thus overwhelmingly does the Lord pour forth his arguments upon
formalists.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
1. Barnes, “Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? - This is said to show still
further the absurdity of the views which seem to have prevailed among those who offered
sacrifices. They offered them “as if” they were needed by God; “as if” they laid him under
obligation; “as if” in some way they contributed to his happiness, or were essential to his welfare.
The only supposition on which this could be true was, that he needed the flesh of the one for food,
and the blood of the other for drink; or that he was sustained as creatures are. Yet this was a
supposition, which, when it was stated in a formal manner, must be at once seen to be absurd;
and hence the emphatic question in this verse. It may serve to illustrate this, also, to remark, that,
among the pagan, the opinion did undoubtedly prevail that the gods ate and drank what was
offered to them in sacrifice; whereas the truth was, that these things were consumed by the
priests who attended on pagan altars, and conducted the devotions of pagan temples, and who
found that it contributed much to their own support, and did much to secure the liberality of the
people, to keep up the impression that what was thus offered was consumed by the gods. God
appeals here to his own people in this earnest manner because it was to be presumed that “they”
had higher conceptions of him than the pagan had; and that, enlightened as they were, they could
not for a moment suppose these offerings necessary for him. This is one of the passages in the Old
Testament which imply that God is a Spirit, and that, as such, he is to be worshipped in spirit and

64. in truth. Compare Joh_4:24.
2. Clarke, “Will I eat the flesh of bulls - Can ye be so simple as to suppose that I appointed such
sacrifices for my own gratification? All these were significative of a spiritual worship, and of the
sacrifice of that Lamb of God which, in the fullness of time, was to take away, in an atoning
manner, the sin of the world.
3. Gill, “Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? That is, express a pleasure, take
delight and satisfaction, in such kind of sacrifices, which can never take away sin: no, I will not;
wherefore other sacrifices, more agreeable to his nature, mind, and will, and to the Gospel
dispensation, are next mentioned.
4. Henry, “
5. Jamison, “
6. TREASURY OF DAVID, “Verse 13. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?
That is, did I want anything I would not tell thee; but hast thou indeed such gross notions of me,
as to imagine that I have appointed and required the blood and flesh of animals for their own
sake and not with some design? Dost thou think I am pleased with these, when they are offered
without faith, love, and gratitude? ay, offer the sacrifice of praise, etc. Render to me a spiritual
and reasonable service, performing thy engagements, and then thou wilt find me a very present
help in trouble. B. Boothroyd.
7. Spurgeon, Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? Are you so infatuated as to
think this? Is the great I AM subject to corporeal wants, and are they to be thus grossly satisfied?
Heathens thought thus of their idols, but dare ye think thus of the God who made the heavens
and the earth? Can ye have fallen so low as to think thus of me, O Israel? What vivid reasoning is
here! How the fire flashes dart into the idiot faces of trusters in outward forms! Ye dupes of
Rome, can ye read this and be unmoved? The expostulation is indignant; the questions utterly
confound; the conclusion is inevitable; heart worship only can be acceptable with the true God. It
is inconceivable that outward things can gratify him, except so far as through them our faith and
love express themselves.
14 “Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High,

65. 1. Barnes, “Offer unto God thanksgiving - The word rendered “offer” in this place - זבח zâbach -
means properly “sacrifice.” So it is rendered by the Septuagint, θῦσον thuson - and by the
Vulgate, “immola.” The word is used, doubtless, with design - to show what was the “kind” of
sacrifice with which God would be pleased, and which he would approve. It was not the mere
“sacrifice” of animals, as they commonly understood the term; it was not the mere presentation
of the bodies and the blood of slain beasts; it was an offering which proceeded from the heart,
and which was expressive of gratitude and praise. This is not to be understood as implying that
God did not require or approve of the offering of bloody sacrifices, but as implying that a higher
sacrifice was necessary; that these would be vain and worthless unless they were accompanied
with the offerings of the heart; and that his worship, even amidst outward forms, was to be a
spiritual worship.
And pay thy vows unto the Most High - To the true God, the most exalted Being in the
universe. The word “vows” here - נדר neder - means properly a vow or promise; and then, a thing
vowed; a votive offering, a sacrifice. The idea seems to be, that the true notion to be attached to
the sacrifices which were prescribed and required was, that they were to be regarded as
expressions of internal feelings and purposes; of penitence; of a deep sense of sin; of gratitude
and love; and that the design of such sacrifices was not fulfilled unless the “vows” or pious
purposes implied in the very nature of sacrifices and offerings were carried out in the life and
conduct. They were not, therefore, to come merely with these offerings, and then feel that all the
purpose of worship was accomplished. They were to carry out the true design of them by lives
corresponding with the idea intended by such sacrifices - lives full of penitence, gratitude, love,
obedience, submission, devotion. This only could be acceptable worship. Compare the notes at
Isa_1:11-17. See also Psa_76:11; Ecc_5:5.
2. Clarke, “Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the Most High - זבח zebach,
“sacrifice unto God, אלהים Elohim, the תודה todah, thank-offering,” which was the same as the
sin-offering, viz. a bullock, or a ram, without blemish; only there were, in addition, “unleavened
cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil; and cakes of fine flour mingled
with oil and fried,” Lev_7:12.
And pay thy vows - נדריך nedareycha, “thy vow-offering, to the Most High.” The neder or vow-offering
was a male without blemish, taken from among the beeves, the sheep, or the goats.
Compare Lev_22:19 with Psa_50:22. ow these were offerings, in their spiritual and proper
meaning, which God required of the people: and as the sacrificial system was established for an
especial end - to show the sinfulness of sin, and the purity of Jehovah, and to show how sin could
be atoned for, forgiven, and removed; this system was now to end in the thing that it signified, -
the grand sacrifice of Christ, which was to make atonement, feed, nourish, and save the souls of
believers unto eternal life; to excite their praise and thanksgiving; bind them to God Almighty by
the most solemn vows to live to him in the spirit of gratitude and obedience all the days of their
life. And, in order that they might be able to hold fast faith and a good conscience, they were to
make continual prayer to God, who promised to hear and deliver them, that they might glorify
him, Psa_50:15.
From the Psa_50:16 to the Psa_50:22 Asaph appears to refer to the final rejection of the Jews

66. from having any part in the true covenant sacrifice.
3. Gill, “ Offer unto God thanksgiving,.... Which is a sacrifice, Psa_50:23; and the Jews say (x),
that all sacrifices will cease in future time, the times of the Messiah, but the sacrifice of praise;
and this should be offered up for all mercies, temporal and spiritual; and unto God, because they
all come from him; and because such sacrifices are well pleasing to him, and are no other than
our reasonable service, and agreeably to his will; and then are they offered up aright when they
are offered up through Christ, the great High Priest, by whom they are acceptable unto God, and
upon him the altar, which sanctifies every gift, and by faith in him, without which it is impossible
to please God. Some render the word confession (y); and in all thanksgivings it is necessary
that men should confess their sins and unworthiness, and acknowledge the goodness of God, and
ascribe all the glory to him; for to him, and him only, is this sacrifice to be offered: not to man;
for that would be to sacrifice to his own net, and burn incense to his drag;
and pay thy vows unto the most High: meaning not ceremonial ones, as the vow of the azarite;
nor to offer such and such a sacrifice, since these are distinguished from and opposed unto the
sacrifices of the ceremonial law before mentioned; and much less monastic ones, as the vow of
celibacy, and abstinence from certain meats at certain times; but moral, or spiritual and
evangelical ones; such as devoting one's self to the Lord and to his service and worship, under the
influence and in the strength of grace; signified by saying, I am the Lord's, and the giving up
ourselves to him and to his churches, to walk with them in all his commands and ordinances, to
which his love and grace constrain and oblige; see Isa_44:5; and particularly by them may be
meant giving God the glory and praise of every mercy and deliverance, as was promised previous
to it; hence those are put together, Psa_65:1. This Scripture does not oblige to the making of
vows, but to the payment of them when made; see Ecc_5:4; and may refer to everything a man
lays himself in a solemn manner under obligation to perform, especially in religious affairs.
4. Henry, “He directs to the best sacrifices of prayer and praise as those which, under the law,
were preferred before all burnt-offerings and sacrifices, and on which then the greatest stress was
laid, and which now, under the gospel, come in the room of those carnal ordinances which were
imposed until the times of reformation. He shows us here (Psa_50:14, Psa_50:15) what is good,
and what the Lord our God requires of us, and will accept, when sacrifices are slighted and
superseded. 1. We must make a penitent acknowledgment of our sins: Offer to God confession, so
some read it, and understand it of the confession of sin, in order to our giving glory to God and
taking shame to ourselves, that we may never return to it. A broken and contrite heart is the
sacrifice which God will not despise, Psa_51:17. If the sin was not abandoned the sin-offering was
not accepted. 2. We must give God thanks for his mercies to us: Offer to God thanksgiving, every
day, often every day (seven times a day will I praise thee), and upon special occasions; and this
shall please the Lord, if it come from a humble thankful heart, full of love to him and joy in him,
better than an ox or bullock that has horns and hoofs, Psa_69:30, Psa_69:31. 3. We must make
conscience of performing our covenants with him: Pay thy vows to the Most High, forsake thy sins,
and do thy duty better, pursuant to the solemn promises thou has made him to that purport.
When we give God thanks for any mercy we have received we must be sure to pay the vows we
made to him when we were in the pursuit of the mercy, else our thanksgivings will not be
accepted. Dr. Hammond applies this to the great gospel ordinance of the eucharist, in which we
are to give thanks to God for his great love in sending his Son to save us, and to pay our vows of

67. love and duty to him, and to give alms. Instead of all the Old Testament types of a Christ to come,
we have that blessed memorial of a Christ already come. 4. In the day of distress we must address
ourselves to God by faithful and fervent prayer (Psa_50:15): Call upon me in the day of trouble,
and not upon any other god. Our troubles, though we see them coming from God's hand, must
drive us to him, and not drive us from him. We must thus acknowledge him in all our ways,
depend upon his wisdom, power, and goodness, and refer ourselves entirely to him, and so give
him glory. This is a cheaper, easier, readier way of seeking his favour than by a peace-offering,
and yet more acceptable. 5. When he, in answer to our prayers, delivers us, as he has promised to
do in such way and time as he shall think fit, we must glorify him, not only by a grateful mention
of his favour, but by living to his praise. Thus must we keep up our communion with God,
meeting him with our prayers when he afflicts us and with our praises when he delivers us.
5. RAY STEDMA, “What does God want from us? He does not want mere hymn singing,
although that is fine. or does He want only prayer, although that too is fine. He does not simply
want our attendance, although that is fine. What He wants, first, is a thankful heart. That is what
He seeks, a thankful heart. Each one of us is to offer to Him the sacrifice of thanksgiving. A
sacrifice is something into which we put effort; it costs us. Have you ever asked yourself why the
Scriptures stress thanksgiving so much? Both the Old and ew Testaments emphasize that above
everything else, God wants thankfulness. Give thanks in all circumstances, says the apostle Paul,
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Why is this? It is because
thanksgiving only comes as a result of having received something. You do not give thanks until
you have received something that comes from someone else. Therefore thanksgiving is the proper
expression of Christianity, because Christianity is receiving something constantly from God.
Of course if you have not received anything from God, then you have nothing to thank Him for.
Though you come to the service, you really have nothing to say. God is a realist. He does not want
fake thanksgiving. I know there are certain people (and they are awfully hard to live with) who
think that Christianity consists of pretending to be thankful. They think it means screwing a
smile on your face and going around pretending that troubles do not bother you. That is a most
painful form of Christianity. God does not want you to go around shouting, Hallelujah! I've got
cancer! But there is something about having cancer to be thankful for. That is what He wants you
to see. There are aspects of it that no one can possibly enjoy, but there are other aspects that
reveal purpose, meaning, and reason. God wants you to see this--what He can do with that
situation and how you can be thankful. Thanksgiving is the first thing He wants in worship.
The second thing is an obedient will. Fulfill your vows to the Most High. otice the kind of
obedience it is. It is not something forced upon you; it is something you have chosen for yourself.
A vow is something you decide to give, a promise you make because of truth you have seen. You
say, I never saw it like that before. I really ought to do something about it. God helping me, I'm
going to do such and such. That is a vow. God says, I'm not asking you to do things you have not
yet learned are important. But when you have vowed something, then do it. Act on it. Obey it.
6. TREASURY OF DAVID, “
7. Spurgeon, Offer unto God thanksgiving. o longer look at your sacrifices as in themselves
gifts pleasing to me, but present them as the tributes of your gratitude; it is then that I will accept
them, but not while your poor souls have no love and no thankfulness to offer me. The sacrifices,

68. as considered in themselves, are contemned, but the internal emotions of love consequent upon a
remembrance of divine goodness, are commended as the substance, meaning, and soul of
sacrifice. Even when the legal ceremonials were not abolished, this was true, and when they came
to an end, this truth was more than ever made manifest. ot for want of bullocks on the altar was
Israel blamed, but for want of thankful adoration before the Lord. She excelled in the visible, but
in the inward grace, which is the one thing needful, she sadly failed. Too many in these days are
in the same condemnation. And pay thy vows unto the most High. Let the sacrifice be really
presented to the God who seeth the heart, pay to him the love you promised, the service you
covenanted to render, the loyalty of heart you have vowed to maintain. O for grace to do this! O
that we may be graciously enabled to love God, and live up to our profession! To be, indeed, the
servants of the Lord, the lovers of Jesus, this is our main concern. What avails our baptism, to
what end our gatherings at the Lord's table, to what purpose our solemn assemblies, if we have
not the fear of the Lord, and vital godliness reigning within our bosoms?
8. STEDMA, “What does God want from us this morning? Well, he does not want mere hymn
singing, although that is fine. or does he want only prayer, although that too is fine. He does not
simply want our attendance here, although that is fine. What he wants is, first, a thankful heart.
That is what he seeks, a thankful heart. Each one of us is to offer to him the sacrifice of
thanksgiving. A sacrifice is something we put effort into, it costs us. Have you ever asked yourself,
why do the Scriptures stress thanksgiving so much? Both in the Old and ew Testaments you
find the emphasis that above everything else God wants thankfulness. In everything, says the
Apostle Paul, give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you, {1 Th 5:18
KJV}. Why is this? Well, it is because thanksgiving only comes as a result of having received
something. You do not give thanks until you have received something. You only say Thank you
when somebody has given you something that you did not have yourself. It all comes from
another. Therefore thanksgiving is the proper expression of Christianity because Christianity is
receiving something constantly from God.
Of course if you have not received anything from God then you have nothing to thank him for.
Though you come to the service you really have nothing to say. It is better that you do not come,
really, because worship is for those who have received something. God is a realist. He does not
want fake thanksgiving. I know there are certain people (and they are awfully hard to live with)
who think that Christianity consists of pretending to be thankful. They think it means screwing a
smile on your face and going around pretending that troubles do not bother you. That is a most
painful form of Christianity. God does not want you to go around shouting, Hallelujah! I've got
cancer! But there is something about having cancer to be thankful for. That is what he wants
you to see. There are aspects of it that no one can possibly enjoy, but there are other aspects
which reveal purpose, meaning, and reason. God wants you to see this -- what he can do with that
situation, and be thankful. Thanksgiving is the first thing he wants in worship. A thankful heart.
The second thing is, an obedient will. Pay your vows to the Most High. otice the kind of
obedience it is. It is not something forced upon you; it is something you have chosen for yourself.
A vow is something you decide to give, a promise you make because of truth you have seen. You
say, I never saw it like that before. I really ought to do something about it. God helping me, I'm
going to do such and such. That is a vow. God says, I'm not asking you to do things you have
not yet learned are important. But when you have vowed something, then do it. Act on it. Obey
it. That's the name of the game of Christianity: obeying the truth.

69. 9. Calvin, “These verses cast light upon the preceding context. Had it been stated in unqualified
terms that sacrifices were of no value, we might have been perplexed to know why in that case
they were instituted by God; but the difficulty disappears when we perceive that they are spoken
of only in comparison with the true worship of God. From this we infer, that when properly
observed, they were far from incurring divine condemnation. There is in all men by nature a
strong and ineffaceable conviction that they ought to worship God. Indisposed to worship him in
a pure and spiritual manner, it becomes necessary that they should invent some specious
appearance as a substitute; and however clearly they may be persuaded of the vanity of such
conduct, they persist in it to the last, because they shrink from a total renunciation of the service
of God. Men have always, accordingly, been found addicted to ceremonies until they have been
brought to the knowledge of that which constitutes true and acceptable religion. Praise and
prayer are here to be considered as representing the whole of the worship of God, according to
the figure synecdoche. The Psalmist specifies only one part of divine worship, when he enjoins us
to acknowledge God as the Author of all our mercies, and to ascribe to him the praise which is
justly due unto his name: and adds, that we should betake ourselves to his goodness, cast all our
cares into his bosom, and seek by prayer that deliverance which he alone can give, and thanks for
which must afterwards be rendered to him. Faith, self-denial, a holy life, and patient endurance
of the cross, are all sacrifices which please God. But as prayer is the offspring of faith, and
uniformly accompanied with patience and mortification of sin, while praise, where it is genuine,
indicates holiness of heart, we need not wonder that these two points of worship should here be
employed to represent the whole. Praise and prayer are set in opposition to ceremonies and mere
external observances of religion, to teach us, that the worship of God is spiritual. Praise is first
mentioned, and this might seem an inversion of natural order. But in reality it may be ranked
first without any violation of propriety. An ascription to God of the honor due unto his name lies
at the foundation of all prayer, and application to him as the fountain of goodness is the most
elementary exercise of faith. Testimonies of his goodness await us ere yet we are born into the
world, and we may therefore be said to owe the debt of gratitude before we are called to the
necessity of supplication. Could we suppose men to come into the world in the full exercise of
reason and judgment, their first act of spiritual sacrifice should be that of thanksgiving. There is
no necessity, however, for exercising our ingenuity in defense of the order here adopted by the
Psalmist, it being quite sufficient to hold that he here, in a general and popular manner, describes
the spiritual worship of God as consisting in praise, prayer, and thanksgiving. In the injunction
here given, to pay our vows, there is an allusion to what was in use under the ancient dispensation,
“What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me? I will take the cup of
salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.” Psalm 116:12, 13
What the words inculcate upon the Lord’s people is, in short, gratitude, which they were then in
the habit of testifying by solemn sacrifices. But we shall now direct our attention more
particularly to the important point of the doctrine which is set before us in this passage. And the
first thing deserving our notice is, that the Jews, as well as ourselves, were enjoined to yield a
spiritual worship to God. Our Lord, when he taught that this was the only acceptable species of
worship, rested his proof upon the one argument, that “God is a spirit,” (John 4:24.) He was no
less a spirit, however, under the period of the legal ceremonies than after they were abolished;
and must, therefore, have demanded then the same mode of worship which he now enjoins. It is
true that he subjected the Jews to the ceremonial yoke, but in this he had a respect to the age of
the Church; as afterwards, in the abrogation of it, he had an eye to our advantage. In every

70. essential respect the worship was the same. The distinction was one entirely of outward form,
God accommodating himself to their weaker and unripe apprehensions by the rudiments of
ceremony, while he has extended a simple form of worship to us who have attained a maturer age
since the coming of Christ. In himself there is no alteration. The idea entertained by the
Manicheans, that the change of dispensation necessarily inferred a change in God himself, was as
absurd as it would be to arrive at a similar conclusion from the periodical alterations of the
seasons. These outward rites are, therefore, in themselves of no importance, and acquire it only in
so far as they are useful in confirming our faith, so that we may call upon the name of the Lord
with a pure heart. The Psalmist, therefore, justly denounces the hypocrites who gloried in their
ostentatious services, and declares that they observed them in vain. It may occur to some, that as
sacrifices sustained a necessary place under the Law, they could not be warrantably neglected by
the Jewish worshipper; but by attending to the scope of the Psalmist, we may easily discover that
he does not propose to abrogate them so far as they were helps to piety, but to correct that
erroneous view of them, which was fraught with the deepest injury to religion.
In the fifteenth verse we have first an injunction to prayer, then a promise of its being answered,
and afterwards a call to thanksgiving. We are enjoined to pray in the day of trouble, but not with
the understanding that we are to pray only then, for prayer is a duty incumbent upon us every
day, and every moment of our lives. Be our situation ever so comfortable and exempt from
disquietude, we must never cease to engage in the exercise of supplication, remembering that, if
God should withdraw his favor for a moment, we would be undone. In affliction, however our
faith is more severely tried, and there is a propriety in specifying it as the season of prayer; the
prophet pointing us to God as the only resort and means of safety in the day of our urgent
necessity. A promise is subjoined to animate us in the duty, disposed as we are to be overwhelmed
by a sense of the majesty of God, or of our own unworthiness. Gratitude is next enjoined, in
consideration of God’s answer to our prayers. Invocation of the name of God being represented
in this passage as constituting a principal part of divine worship, all who make pretensions to
piety will feel how necessary it is to preserve the pure and uncorrupted form of it. We are forcibly
taught the detestable nature of the error upon this point entertained by the Papists, who transfer
to angels and to men an honor which belongs exclusively to God. They may pretend to view these
in no other light than as patrons, who pray for them to God. But it is evident that these patrons
are impiously substituted by them in the room of Christ, whose mediation they reject. It is
apparent, besides, from the form of their prayers, that they recognize no distinction between God
and the very least of their saints. They ask the same things from Saint Claudius which they ask
from the Almighty, and offer the prayer of our Lord to the image of Catherine. I am aware that
the Papists justify their invocation of the dead, by denying that their prayers to them amount to
divine worship. They talk so much about the kind of worship which they call latria, that is, the
worship which they give to God alone, as to make it appear, that in the invocation of angels and
saints they give none of it to them. 250 But it is impossible to read the words of the Psalmist, now
under our consideration, without perceiving that all true religion is gone unless God alone is
called upon. Were the Papists asked whether it were lawful to offer sacrifices to the dead, they
would immediately reply in the negative. They grant to this day that sacrifice could not lawfully
be offered to Peter or to Paul, for the common sense of mankind would dictate the profanity of
such an act. And when we here see God preferring the invocation of his name to all sacrifices, is it
not plain to demonstration, that those who call upon the dead are chargeable with the grossest
impiety? From this it follows, that the Papists, let them abound as they may in their genuflections
before God, rob him of the chief part of his glory when they direct their supplications to the
saints. 251 The express mention which is made in these verses of affliction is fitted to comfort the
weak and the fearful believer. When God has withdrawn the outward marks of his favor, a doubt

71. is apt to steal into our minds whether he really cares for our salvation. So far is this from being
well founded, that adversity is sent to us by God, just to stir us up to seek him and to call upon his
name. or should we overlook the fact, that our prayers are only acceptable when we offer them
in compliance with the commandment of God, and are animated to them by a consideration of
the promise which he has extended. The argument which the Papists have drawn from the
passage, in support of their multiplied vows, is idle and unwarrantable. The Psalmist, as we have
already hinted, when he enjoins the payment of their vows, refers only to solemn thanksgiving,
whereas they trust in their vows as meriting salvation. They contract vows, beside, which have no
divine warrant, but, on the contrary, are explicitly condemned by the word of God.
10. SPURGEO, ““Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the Most High: and call
upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” — Psalm 50:14, 15.
EVE in the Christian Church we have great diversities of opinion as to what is the true form of
worship. One stoutly cries, “Lo here,” and another as earnestly says, “Lo there!” There are some
who think that the more simple and plain the outward worship can be, the better; others think
the more gorgeous and resplendent it can be, the better. Some are for the quietude of the Friends’
meeting-house, some are for the stormy music of the cathedral. Some will have it that God is best
praised in silence; others that he is best honored with flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and I know
not what kinds of music. Is it so difficult, then, to know what kind of worship God will accept? It
is very difficult if it be left to the guesses of men; it is not at all difficult if we turn to the Word of
God. There we shall find, I think, great room for diversities of mode, but we shall find ourselves
shut up by a consecrated intolerance to a few netters of spirit. We shall there be bold what is not
essential, but we shall be certainly assured of what is essential to the two worship of God. And I
suppose it will be enough for any one of us who are sincerely anxious to worship God, ourselves,
if we find out for ourselves by the teaching of God’s Spirit the way to do it, and we shall be
content to let others find out the way also for themselves, satisfied if we be approved of God
ourselves — for we have very little to do with sitting on the throne of judgment, and either
condemning or approving others. ow on turning to this Psalm we shall find out what worship is
not acceptable with God, and we shall find out what is; and these will make the main of our
sermon this evening. In reading this Psalm to you, you must all have noticed: —
I. What Sort Of Offerings Are ot Acceptable To God.
You noticed with me, I dare say, that, first, those are not accepted in which men place the reliance
upon the form itself; and are contented when they have gone through the form, though their
hearts have had no communion with God, and they have brought to the Most High no spiritual
sacrifice whatever. Lay it down, then, beyond all question, that formal worship which is not
attended with the heart, which is not the worship of the spirit, can never be ,acceptable with the
Most High.
And here we will remind ourselves, too, that even when the form is actually prescribed of God,
yet without the heart it is not a worship of God at all in the two sense of language. With what
indignation of eloquence doth God here speak to the Israelitish people, who imagined that when
they had brought their bulls and their goats — when they had kept their holy days, consecrated
their priests, presented their offerings, been obedient to the ritual, then that all this was enough.

72. He puts it to them: he Inquires of them whether they can be so foolish as to think that there is
anything in sacrifices of bulls and rams that could content the mind of the Most High. If he
wanted bullocks and rams, he says, he has enough of them: all living creatures are his, and he has
infinite power to make as many more as he would. Do they fancy that if he wanted bulls and
goats he would come to them for them that the Creator would crave and turn beggar to his own
creatures, and ask for bullocks out of their houses and goats out of their field? He puts it to them,
do they really think that he, the Infinite God, who made the heavens and the earth, the great I
AM, actually eats the flesh of bulls and drinks the blood of goats? And yet their idea was that the
mere outward sacrifice contented him. Was God as gross as that, and what was involved in that?
ow I All put it to you, you who profess to be Christians, and yet in your worship, whatever it
may be rest in it. Do you really believe that Gad is honored by your eating a piece of bread and
drinking few drops of wine? The thousand of creatures that he has in the world eat more bread
and drink more wine. Do you really believe that your sitting at a table brings any satisfaction to
him who is in the company of angels, and who has choicer spirits than you are to enter into
fellowship with him? o, sirs; if you rest in the outward form, what you do can bring no mount
of entertainment to him. He might say to those priests who think that they offer unto God a
sacrifice in the Mass, “Do I eat bread that is noble by the baker, leavened or unleavened? Do you
think that I drink wine, expressed from the grape?” Fancy you, you that find satisfaction in these
things — oh! fools, and slow of heart — that the infinite Jehovah taketh any delight in these
matters? And if you come to baptism as God himself commands it — if you trust in that, might
he not say to you, “Do you think that I am pleased with water, when the rivers, and the lakes, and
the seas, deeps that lie beneath are all my own? Does that immersion in water bring any
satisfaction to me, in itself considered? What can there be in it that can delight my infinite mind
or satisfy my soul? If we rest in any outward form, though God prescribes it, we must have a very
gross and carnal idea of God indeed if we conceive that he is served or glorified thereby. It cannot
be so. If men were not idiotic, they would shake off from themselves all idea of sacramental
efficacy and everything that is akin to it. They would see that what God wants is the heart, the
soul, the love, the trust, the confidence of rational, intelligent beings — not the going through of
certain forms. The forms are useful enough when they teach us the truth of which they are the
emblems. The forms are precious, and, as ordains of God, to be reverently used by those who can
see what they mean, and who are helped by the emblem to see the inner meaning, but by none
besides. The mere outward thing is but the shell, the husk — useless, unless there be within it the
living kernel, the embryo which the shell protects. The mere form of outward worship is just
nothing: it is not ,acceptable with God.
ow if this be true — and we know it is — of even ordinances ordained of God, how much more
must it be true of ceremonies that are not of God’s ordaining? I am not about to jute, but I will
say of all ceremonies and absence of ceremony, if there be no divine prescription, we feel certain
that there cannot be a divine acceptance, and even if that could be supposed, yet if the heart were
not there, and there, were reliance in these outward things of man’s devising, it were utter folly to
suppose that God accepts them. For instance, there are certain people who think that God is
glorified by banners, by processions, by acolytes, by persons in white, in blue, in scarlet — (I
know not what colors) — by golden crucifixes, or brass, or ivory — by very sweet music, by
painting, by incense. ow what an idea they must have of God! What a thought they must have of
him! I remember standing on the Monte Cenis one afternoon on a very broiling summer’s day, in
a cool place where I could look all over the wide plains of Italy and see the blue sky — such a blue
as we never see, and the innumerable flowers, and all the land fair as a dream; and then I Looked
to my right hand and there stood: a shrine — a shrine to which there came a worshipper. There

73. was a doll: they called it “the Blessed Virgin.” It was adorned with all sorts of trinkets — just
such things as I have seen sold at a country fair for children. It had little sprigs of faded artificial
flowers — little bits of paint; and I said to myself, “The God that made this glorious landscape in
which everything is true and real — do they fancy that he is honored by this kind of thing —
these baubles? What an idea they must have of God.” Sirs, if he wanted banners, he would deck
his escutcheon with the stars. If he wanted incense, ten thousand thousand flowers would shed
their sweet perfume, upon the air. If he wants music, the wind shall sound it, and the woods shall
clap their hands, and every forest tree shall give out its note, and angelic harpers standing on the
glassy sea shall give such music as your ears and mine have never conceived. If he wants an alb,
behold the snow! If he wants your many-coloured raiments, see how he decks the meads with
flowers, and strews with both his hands, rainbow hues on every side. If he wanted garments, he
would bind the sky’s azure round him with a belt of rainbows, and come forth in his glory; but
your dolls, and your boys and men, and all their millinery! Sirs, do you know what you are at? I
Have you got souls? If you worshipped a calf, calves, like you, might well worship him in such in
style, but the great I AM, that builded heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with
hands, that is to say, in these buildings; and he is not worshipped by such trumpery as this. All
this, of men’s inventing, never can be acceptable to the Most High. Common-sense tells us so —
much more the revelation of God.
But, mark you, my censure does not tell alone against them. Suppose a man should say, “Well, I
am for enough from that. On the morning of the first day of tile week I resort to a meeting-house
— whitewashed, a few forms, a raised desk at the end of it; and I sit down there. I have not any
minister — nobody to speak, unless he believes the Spirit moves him. We all sit still many times
sit still the whole morning. We worship God.” Do you believe you have. If your heart was there —
if your soul was there am the last man to complain of the absence of form. I love your simplicity, I
admire it; but if you trust it, I believe your simplicity will as certainly ruin you as the
gorgeousness that goes to the opposite extreme; for if there be any reliance in that sitting still — if
there be any reliance in that waiting — (take our own case) if there be any reliance in your
coming up to these pews, and listening to me, do you think you have served God merely by
coming here to sing those hymns, and cover your faces during prayer, and so on? I tell you, you
have not worshipped God. You are mistaken if you suppose the mere act tells for anything. You
know not what you think: you know not what your mind is drifting to. It is the heart that gets to
God — it is the eye that pours out penitential tears — it is the soul that loves and blesses, and
praises — this is the sacrifice. But all the outward, whether God himself ordained it, or man
devised it — or whether it be a matter of mere convenience, it cannot be received by the Most
High.
So let me add, beloved friends, a matter which may touch some of you. The mare repetition of
holy words can never be acceptable sacrifices to God. There are some who from their childhood
have been taught to say a form of prayer. I shall neither commend nor censure, but I will say this:
you may repeat that form of prayer for twenty, forty, fifty years, and yet never have prayed a
single word in all your life. I am not judging the words: they may be the best you could possibly
put together: they may be the words of inspiration; but the mere saying of words is not prayer,
neither does God receive it as such. You might just as well say the Lord’s Prayer backwards as
forwards for the matter of its acceptance with God, except you say it with your heart. I believe
some people fancy that the reading of prayers in the family, and especially that the reading of
prayers at the bedside of this sick, has a kind of charm — that it somehow or other has a
mysterious influence, helps to prepare men for life or for death. Believe me, no grosser error

74. could exist. When the soul talks with God, it matters not what language it uses. If it finds a form
convenient, and it uses it with its heart, let it use it if so it will; but if, on the other hand, the
words come bubbling up, and come never so strangely and irregularly, yet if the heart speaks,
God accepts the prayer, and that is worship. So, too, in singing. If we have the sweetest hymn that
ever was written — yea, though it were an inspired hymn, and if we sang it to the noblest tune
that ever composer wrote, yet we do not praise God by the mere repetition of the words and the
production of those sounds. Ah! no; the whole of it lies in the soul after all. “God is a Spirit, and
they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to
worship him.” Let there be good music by all means, and noble words, for these are congruous to
noble thoughts; but Oh! let the thoughts be there; let the song be there; let the flames of love
burn on the altar of the heart. Be the outward expression what it may, let the praise be winged by
the ardent affections of the soul; otherwise far from you be the thought that you have worshipped
God when you have used solemn words with thoughtless hearts. Does not this touch some of you?
You have never prayed in all your lives. You have said a prayer, but never talked with God. You
have been to the house of God, perhaps, from your infancy, but never worshipped God. Though
oftentimes the preacher said, “Let us worship God,” yet have you never done so. O sirs, what! —
all these formalities, all these routines, all these outward forms and yet no heart, no soul? —
nothing acceptable with God? Alas! for you! and will you go on so far ever? You will, so long as
you rest contented with the outward. I do pray that God may put in you a sacred discontent with
the merely outward worship, and make you long and cry that you may offer unto him the
sacrifice of a broken and a contrite heart through Jesus Christ the Savior, by the power of the
eternal Spirit, for that will the Lord accept.
Thus I have mentioned one forms of sacrifice that God does not accept, namely, that of
formalists. ow this Psalm shows us that: —
II. There Are Other Sacrifices Which God Rejects, namely, those offered by persons who
continue their wicked lives.
ow some will preach and yet live in an ungodly manner. Some can lead prayers in the prayer-meeting,
and yet can lie and thieve. There be those that, for a pretense, make long prayers. Their
minds me occupied upon the widow’s house, and how they shall devour it, while their lips are
uttering consecrated words. ow observe no man’s praying Is accepted with God who is a hater
of instruction. Turn to the seventeenth verse of the Psalm: “Seeing thou hatest instruction, and
casteth my wow behind thy back.” Let me look a man in the face who never reads the Bible —
who does not want to know what is in it — who has no care about what God s Word is: I see there
a man that cannot worship God. If he says, “Oh! I am sincere in my own way” — sir, your “own
way” — but that way is sure to be the way of rebellion. A servant does not have his own way, but
his master’s way. You are not a servant of God while you think that your will and your fancy are
to settle what God would have you do. “To the law and to the testimony.” Every devout mind
should say, “I will search and see what God would have me to do.” What does he say to me? Does
he tell me that I am by nature lost and ruined? Lord, help me to feel it! Does he tell me that only
by faith in a crucified Savior own I be saved? Lord, work that faith in me! Does he tell me that
they who are justified must also be sanctified and made pure in life? Lord, sanctify me by thy
Spirit, and work in me purity of life! The really accepted, man desires to know the divine will,
and to that man there is not one part of Scripture that he would wish not to know, nor one part of
God’s teaching that he would wish to be ignorant of. The Lord does not expect you, beloved while

75. you are in this world at, any rate, to know everything, but he does expect that you who call
yourselves his people should also be as little children, who are quite willing to learn. Oh! it is an
ill-sign with us when there are some chapters that we would like to see pasted over — when there
are some passages of Scripture that grate on our ears — when we do not want to be too wise in
what is written — do not want to know too well what the Lord’s will is. If thou shuttest thine ear
to God’s instruction willfully, and wilt not listen to his will, neither will he listen to thy prayer,
nor canst thou expect that thy sacrifice will be received by the Most High. Such things are not
acceptable, and yet, how large a proportion of Christendom has never recognised the duty of
learning the will of God from God’s own Spirit! They take it from their party leaders: one
borrows from this body of divinity, another from his Prayer Book; one borrows from his parents,
and must needs be what his father was; and another borrows from his friend, or thinks that the
ational Church must necessarily be the right one. But the genuine spirit says, “Lord, I would
have that which is thy mind — not mine, nor man’s. Oh! teach thou me.” And though he Judgeth
not others, he desireth ever to be judged of God himself — to stand before the Most High, and
say, “Search me, O God, and try me, and know my way, and see if there be any wicked way in
me, and lead me in the right way everlasting.”
The Psalm goes on to say that God does not accept the sacrifices of dishonest men. “When thou
sawest the thief, thou consentedst with him.” When a man’s common trade is dishonesty — when
frequently he excuses himself, as some servants do, in little pilferings — as some masters do in
false markings of their goods — when the man knows he is not walking uprightly before his
fellow-men, he comes to the altar of God and brings a sacrifice which he pollutes with every
touch of his hand. o, sir! no; say not that thou hast fellowship with God when thy fellowship is
with a thief. Thinkest thou to have God on one side, and the thief on the other? Surely thou
knowest not who he is. If we be not perfect, yet at least let us be sincere; and if there be sins into
which we fall through inadvertence and surprise, yet at least uprightness before our fellow-men is
one thing that must not be lacking — cannot be lacking in a gracious soul — in a true child of
God whom God accepts.
So next, the sin of unchastity prevents our worshipping God. You come and say, “Lord, have
mercy upon us! Christ have mercy upon us!”; or you say, “We praise thee, O God: we
acknowledge thee to be the Lord”; or you stand up here and sing, “All hail the power of Jesu’s
name,” and you have come from lascivious talking — perhaps from worse than talking. You have
even now upon your mind some scheme of what is called “pleasure,” and you think that “life”
means what in this assembly and in the assembly of God’s people it were best not to mention, for
you count it no shame to do what believers count it shame, even to think of. Polluted hands!
polluted hands! how can you be lifted up before God? Use what forms you may, your praises are
an abomination; your prays, while you continue as you are, are a loathing ,and a stench in the
nostrils of God. Turn ye; repent ye; seek washing in the Savior’s blood, and then may ye offer
acceptable praises, but not till then.
The Psalmist goes on to say that so it is with slanderers. Slanderers cannot be accepted with God
— those (and oh! how many these are) who count it sport to ruin other people’s characters —
who seem to take a joy and a delight in finding fault with the people of God. How canst thou
expect that God will bless thee when thou art, cursing thy fellow-men; and while thy mouth is full
of bitterness, how can it also be full of praise? ow these are not things that will cheer and
comfort the people of God. I trust in my own ministry it is a main point with me to comfort God’s

76. people, but the axe Also must be laid to the root of the tree; and let it be known to all who come
into these courts, that if they come here with defilement in their spirits and with lust or
unrighteousness in their daily practice, and love to have it so, from this pulpit they shall find no
apologies and gather no comfort, and from God’s Word, too, they shall have denunciation, but
not consolation; they shall have threatening and judgment, but not the promised blessing. ow
we must have a few minutes on the next part of our subject, on which I hope to enlarge on
another occasion, which is: —
III. What Sacrifices Abe Acceptable With God?
The text tells us, first, thanksgiving. “Offer unto God thanksgiving.” Let us come and worship
then, brethren: let us come and worship. We were lost, but Jesus came to seek the lost. Blessed he
his name. We were foul and filthy, but his mercy brought us to the fountain filled with blood.
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive honor, and glory, and majesty, and power, and
dominion, and might.” Since that very day in which he washed us he has given us all things richly
in his. covenant. “He maketh us to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth us beside the still
waters.” “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name.” ow if that
be your spirit if you can even keep up that spirit when the husband sickens, when the child dies,
when the property melts away, and you can say, “The Lord gave, and the Lord bath taken away:
blessed be the name of the Lord” — what if there be no hymn from your lips, if there be no bull
on the altar, yet these are the calves of your lips — the offering of your heart; and they are a
sacrifice of a sweet smell if they are presented through Jesus Christ, the great atoning High
Priest. This is a sacrifice that God accepts, and I dare say it is often offered to him in a garret —
often presented to him in a cellar — often, I hope, by you when your hands are grimy at your
work, and, perhaps, even when your cheeks are scalding with tears you yet can say, “I am his
child: I have innumerable mercies. When he smites me, yet it is in tenderness. Glory be to his
name! Blessed be his name!” That is the sacrifice for a spiritual God: that is spiritual worship.
Have you ever offered it, dear hearer, or have you been living on God’s favor and yet never
thanked him? Have you had your life preserved, and your daily food constantly given, and yet
have you never blessed God for it? Oh! then you have never worshipped him. I do not mind
though you are a good singer — although you put on a chasuble, or whatever you have done; if
you have not thanked him from your soul, devoutly and intensely, you know not what the
worship of Jehovah is.
ext the text tells us that performance of our vows is worship. “Pay thy vows unto the Most
High.” ow I shell interpret that not after the Jewish form, but adapt it to our own. You, beloved,
profess to be a Christian. Live as a Christian. Say, “The vows of the Lord are upon me. How can
I do this great wickedness and sin against God? I am a servant of Jesus: I am not my own: I am
bought with a price. What can I do to praise him to-day? How can I win another soul far him
who bought me with his precious blood? I declared myself, when I joined his Church, to be one of
his, and, therefore, a cross bearer. Let me take up my cross today, whatever it is, though I may be
ridiculed, separated, and laughed at. Let me do it — bear it cheerfully for his truth, and let me
say: —
“If on my face, for thy dear name,
Shame and reproach shall be;

77. I’ll hail reproach, and welcome shame,
If thou’lt remember me.”
Let me do everything as in his sight. I was in outward form buried in baptism: I profess then to
be dead to the world. Oh! let me try to be so! Let not its pleasures cheat me: let not its gains
enchant me. I profess to be even risen with Christ. Oh! God, help me to lead a risen life — the life
of one who is risen from the dead with Jesus Christ, and quickened with his spirit. “ow if that
be your thought, that is true worship, that is real sacrifice to the Most High — when a soul
desires to walk before the Lord in conformity with its vows and gracious obligations, not with a
view of merit; for it lays all its hope upon Jesus, and finds all its merit there, but simply cries, “I
am his, and I wish to live as one that bears a blood-bought ame.”
We are told, too, in the text — and that is a very sweet part of it — (I wish I had an hour or two
to talk of it.) — that prayer in time of trouble is also a very sweet form of worship. Men are
looking for rubrics, and they are contending whether the rubric is “so-and-so according to the
use of Serum.” ow here is a rubric according to the use of the whole Church of God bought with
Jesu’s blood,” Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”
You are in great distress of mind: now you have an opportunity of worshipping God. Trust him
with your distress: call to him as a child calls to its mother. Show how you honor him — how you
love him — how you trust him. You shall honor him even in that; but when you get; the answer to
your prayer, which will be a sure proof that God has accepted your offering, then you will honor
him again a second time by devoutly thanking him that he has heard your prayer. O sinner, this is
a way in which you can worship God. Does your sin lie heavy upon your conscience? Call upon
God in the day off trouble, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” That is true worship. Have you
brought yourself to poverty for your sin? Say, “Lord, help me.” That is prayer. Worship, then,
can never go up from all the pealing organs in the world if men’s hearts go not therewith. Are you
a Christian just now under a cloud? Have you lost the light of Jesu’s face? Call upon him now in
the day of trouble. Believe that he will appear for you. Say, “I shall praise him. His countenance
is my aid”; and you will be bringing better sacrifice than if you brought he-goats, and bullocks,
and rams. This is what the Lord loves — the trust, the child-like confidence, the loving seeking
after sympathy which is in his children’s hearts. Oh! bring him this!
Then he adds — if you will turn to the last part of the Psalm, which I must incorporate in the text
— “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth him.” True praise glorifieth God. I must confess that I do
not particularly like to hear voices that jar in the singing, but I should not like to stop one voice,
certainly not if it stopped one heart. I think it is said of Mr. Rowland Hill, that an old lady once
sat upon his pulpit-stairs who sang so very bad a voice that the good gentleman really could not
feel that he could worship while he had her voice in his ear, and he said, “Do be quiet, my good
soul.” She answered, “I sing from my heart, Mr. Hill.” “Sing away!” said he, “and I beg your
pardon. I will not stop you.” And I think I could beg the pardon of the most cracked voice I ever
heard if it is really accompanied with a real loving, grateful heart. God gets same of his richest
praise amidst dying groans, and he gets delightful music from his people’s triumphant ones.
“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy
victory?” To praise God — to sing an excelsis in extremis — to give him the highest praise when
we are in the deepest waters! this is acceptable with him! The best worship comes from the
Christian that is most tried at least in this case. When the soul is most bowed down with trouble,
if he can say, “I will praise him: I will praise him in the fire: I will praise him in the jaws of death

78. itself “ — ah! these are sacrifices better than hecatombs of bulls, and better than the blood of fed
beasts. ot your architecture, not your musics not your array, not your ordinations or your
forms, but your hearts prostrate, your souls with veiled faces, worshipping the mysterious, the
unseen, but everywhere present great I AM — this is worship. Through Jesus Christ, it is
accepted: it is of the Spirit’s own creation: it only comes from truly spiritual, regenerate men,
and wherever it comes it reaches the Majesty on high, and God smiles and accepts it.
ow, brethren, I send you home with this reflection. Some of you have never worshipped God.
Then think of that, and God help you to begin! Others of us who have worshipped him ought to
consider how large a proportion of our worship is good for nothing. Oh! how often you come and
hear now on Thursday night! Why, have not you built a ship in the pew sometimes — mended a
plough — darned your husband’s stockings — seen to the sick child — done all sorts of things,
when you should be worshipping God? ow these distracting thoughts mar worship, and I do
pray God that you as a people never may get to think that coming here is of any use if you do not
bring your hearts with you. Thomas Manton says that if we sent on the Sabbath day a man
stuffed with straw to sit in our pews for us, and thought that was worshipping God, it would be
very absurd, but not one whit more than when we bring ourselves stuffed with evil thoughts or
dead, cold thoughts that cannot rise to God. I cannot always got to God, I know, but I at least
hope I may groan until I do. Oh! it does seem an awful thought that come of us may have no
more feeling than the pews we sit on — no more worship God than those iron columns and those
lamp-glasses. Oh! may you never be that sort of slumbering congregation, with whom it is all
form! We have read a strange pa em of one who has pictured a ship manned all by dead men.
Dead men pulled the sails, a dead man steered, and a skeleton eye kept a look-out. I am afraid
there are congregations like that, where all is dead and all is form. Oh! may it not be so with you
or me, but may we all realize, through Jesus Christ, who stands at the throne, and through the
power of the Holy Spirit, “have fellowship with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ,” and
that evermore to God’s glory! Amen. I speak on this theme but very feebly, but I do feel it from
my very heart. I do pray that we may all be accepted worshippers because the heart is found in
us. It was always a bad sign — by the Roman augurs it was pretended to be the worst sign —
when they found no heart in the victim. It is a dreadful sign when in all our worship there is no
heart. God forbid that it may be so! Amen
15 and call on me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
1. Barnes, “And call upon me in the day of trouble - This is a part of real religion as truly as
praise is, Psa_50:14. This is also the duty and the privilege of all the true worshippers of God. To
do this shows where the heart is, as really as direct acts of praise and thanksgiving. The purpose
of all that is said here is to show that true religion - the proper service of God - does not consist in

79. the mere offering of sacrifice, but that it is of a spiritual nature, and that the offering of sacrifice
is of no value unless it is accompanied by corresponding acts of spiritual religion, showing that
the heart has a proper appreciation of the mercies of God, and that it truly confides in him. Such
spirituality in religion is expressed by acts of praise Psa_50:14; but it is also as clearly expressed
Psa_50:15 by going to God in times of trouble, and rolling the burdens of life on his arm, and
seeking consolation in him.
I will deliver thee - I will deliver thee from trouble. This will occur
(a) either in this life, in accordance with the frequent promises of his word (compare the notes
at Psa_46:1); or
(b) wholly in the future world, where all who love God will be completely and forever delivered
from all forms of sorrow.
And thou shalt glorify me - That is, Thou wilt honor me, or do me honor, by thus coming to me
with confidence in the day of calamity. There is no way in which we can honor God more, or
show more clearly that we truly confide in him, than by going to him when everything seems to
be dark; when his own ways and dealings are wholly incomprehensible to us, and committing all
into his hands.
2. Clarke, “
3. Gill, “And call upon me in the day of trouble,.... This is another part of spiritual sacrifice or
worship, which is much more acceptable to God than legal sacrifices. Invocation of God includes
all parts of religious worship, and particularly designs prayer, as it does here, of which God, and
he only, is the object; and which should be performed in faith, in sincerity, and with fervency;
and though it should be made at all times, in private and in public, yet more especially should be
attended to in a time of affliction, whether of soul or body, whether of a personal, family, or
public kind, Jam_5:13; and the encouragement to it is,
I will deliver thee: that is, out of trouble: as he is able, so faithful is he that hath promised, and
will do it. The obligation follows,
and thou shall glorify me; by offering praise, Psa_50:23; ascribing the glory of the deliverance to
God, and serving him in righteousness and true holiness continually.
4. Henry, “
5. Jamison, “
6. TREASURY OF DAVID, “Verse 15. Call upon me, etc. Prayer is like the ring which Queen
Elizabeth gave to the Earl of Essex, bidding him if he were in any distress send that ring to her,
and she would help him. God commandeth his people if they be in any perplexity to send this ring
to him: Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. George
Swinnock.
Verse 15. Call upon me in the day of trouble, etc. Who will scrape to a keeper for a piece of venison
who may have free access to the master of the game to ask and have? Hanker not after other
helpers, rely on him only, fully trusting him in the use of such means as he prescribes and affords.
God is jealous, will have no co-rival, nor allow thee (in this case) two strings to thy bow. He who

80. worketh all in all must be unto thee all in all; of, through, and to whom are all things, to him be
all praise for ever. Romans 11:36. George Gipps, in A Sermon preached (before God, and from
him) to the Honourable House of Commons, 1645.
Verse 15. Call upon me in the day of trouble, etc. The Lord hath promised his children supply of
all good things, yet they must use the means of impetration; by prayer. He feed the young ravens
when they call upon him. Psalms 147:9. He feeds the young ravens, but first they call upon him.
God withholds from them that ask not, lest he should give to them that desire not. (Augustine.)
David was confident that by God's power he should spring over a wall; yet not without putting
his own strength and agility to it. Those things we pray for, we must work for. (Augustine.) The
carter in Isidore, when his cart was overthrown, would needs have his god Hercules come down
from heaven, to help him up with it; but whilst he forbore to set his own shoulder to it, his cart
lay still. Abraham was as rich as any of our aldermen, David as valiant as any of our gentlemen,
Solomon as wise as any of our deepest naturians, Susanna as fair as any of our painted pieces. Yet
none of them thought that their riches, valour, policy, beauty, or excellent parts could save them;
but they stirred the sparks of grace, and bestirred themselves in pious work. And this is our
means, if our meaning be to be saved. Thomas Adams.
Verse 15. I will deliver thee: properly, I will draw forth with my own mighty hand, and plant thee
in liberty and prosperity. Hermann Venema.
7. Spurgeon, And call upon me in the day of trouble. Oh blessed verse! Is this then true
sacrifice? Is it an offering to ask an alms of heaven? It is even so. The King himself so regards it.
For herein is faith manifested, herein is love proved, for in the hour of peril we fly to those we
love. It seems a small think to pray to God when we are distressed, yet is it a more acceptable
worship than the mere heartless presentation of bullocks and he goats. This is a voice from the
throne, and how full of mercy it is! It is very tempestuous round about Jehovah, and yet what soft
drops of mercy's rain drop from the bosom of the storm! Who would not offer such sacrifices?
Troubled one, haste to present it now! Who shall say that Old Testament saints did not know the
gospel? Its very spirit and essence breathes like frankincense all around this holy Psalm. I will
deliver thee. The reality of thy sacrifice of prayer shall be seen in its answer. Whether the smoke
of burning bulls be sweet to me or no, certainly thy humble prayer shall be, and I will prove it so
by my gracious reply to thy supplication. This promise is very large, and may refer both to
temporal and eternal deliverances; faith can turn it every way, like the sword of the cherubim.
And thou shalt glorify me. Thy prayer will honour me, and thy grateful perception of my
answering mercy will also glorify me. The goats and bullocks would prove a failure, but the true
sacrifice never could. The calves of the stall might be a vain oblation, but not the calves of sincere
lips.
Thus we see what is true ritual. Here we read inspired rubrics. Spiritual worship is the great, the
essential matter; all else without it is rather provoking than pleasing to God. As helps to the soul,
outward offerings were precious, but when men went not beyond them, even their hallowed
things were profaned in the view of heaven.
8. SPURGEO, “Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify
me.—Psalm 50:15.

81. E book charmed us all in the days of our youth. Is there a boy alive who has not read
it? Robinson Crusoe was a wealth of wonders to me: I could have read it over a
score times, and never have wearied. I am not ashamed to confess that I can read it
even now with ever fresh delight. Robinson and his man Friday, though mere inventions of
fiction, are wonderfully real to the most of us. But why am I running on in this way on a Sabbath
evening? Is not this talk altogether out of order? I hope not. A passage in that book comes vividly
before my recollection to-night as I read my text; and in it I find something more than an excuse.
Robinson Crusoe has been wrecked. He is left in the desert island all alone. His case is a very
pitiable one. He goes to his bed, and he is smitten with fever. This fever lasts upon him long, and
he has no one to wait upon him—none even to bring him a drink of cold water. He is ready to
perish. He had been accustomed to sin, and had all the vices of a sailor; but his hard case brought
him to think. He opens a Bible which he finds in his chest, and he lights upon this passage, Call
upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. That night he prayed
for the first time in his life, and ever after there was in him a hope in God, which marked the
birth of the heavenly life.
De Foe, who composed the story, was, as you know, a Presbyterian minister; and
though not overdone with spirituality, he knew enough of religion to be able to describe very
vividly the experience of a man who is in despair, and who finds peace by casting himself upon
his God. As a novelist, he had a keen eye for the probable, and he could think of no passage more
likely to impress a poor broken spirit than this. Instinctively he perceived the mine of comfort
which lies within these words.
ow I have everybody's attention, and this is one reason why I thus commenced my
discourse. But I have a further purpose; for although Robinson Crusoe is not here, nor his man
Friday either, yet there may be somebody here very like him, a person who has suffered
shipwreck in life, and who has now become a drifting, solitary creature. He remembers better
days, but by his sins he has become a castaway, whom no man seeks after. He is here to-night,
washed up on shore without a friend, suffering in body, broken in estate, and crushed in spirit. In
the midst of a city full of people, he has not a friend, nor one who would wish to own that he has
ever known him. He has come to the bare bone of existence now. othing lies before him but
poverty, misery, and death.
Thus saith the Lord unto thee, my friend, this night, Call upon me in the day of
trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. You have come here half hoping that there
might be a word from God to your soul; half-hoping, I said; for you are as much under the
influence of dread as of hope. You are filled with despair. To you it seems that God has forgotten
to be gracious, and that he has in anger shut up the bowels of his compassion. The lying fiend has
persuaded thee that there is no hope, on purpose that he may bind thee with the fetters of
despair, and hold thee as a captive to work in the mill of ungodliness as thou livest. Thou writest
bitter things against thyself, but they are as false as they are bitter. The Lord's mercies fail not.
His mercy endureth for ever; and thus in mercy does he speak to thee, poor troubled spirit, even
to thee—Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
I have the feeling upon me that I shall at this time speak home, God helping me, to
some poor burdened spirit. In such a congregation as this, it is not everybody that can receive a
blessing by the word that is spoken, but certain minds are prepared for it of the Lord. He
prepares the seed to be sown, and the ground to receive it. He gives a sense of need, and this is the

82. best preparation for the promise. Of what use is comfort to those who are not in distress? The
word tonight will be of no avail, and have but little interest in it, to those who have no distress of
heart. But, however badly I may speak, those hearts will dance for joy which need the cheering
assurance of a gracious God, and are enabled to receive it as it shines forth in this golden text.
Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify me. It is a text which
I would have written in stars across the sky, or sounded forth with trumpet at noon from the top
of every tower, or printed on every sheet of paper which passes through the post. It should be
known and read of all mankind.
Four things suggest themselves to me. May the Holy Ghost bless what I am able to say
upon them!
I. The first observation is not so much in my text alone as in this text and the context.
REALISM IS PREFERRED TO RITUALISM. If you will carefully read the rest of the Psalm
you will see that the Lord is speaking of the rites and ceremonies of Israel, and he is showing that
he has little care about formalities of worship when the heart is absent from them. I think we
must read the whole passage: I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to
have been continually before me. I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy
folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the
fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not
tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fullness thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the
blood of goats? Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the Most High: and call
upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. Thus praise and
prayer are accepted in preference to every form of offering which it was possible for the Jew to
present before the Lord. Why is this?
First of all I would answer, real prayer is far better than mere ritual, because there is
meaning in it, and when grace is absent, there is no meaning in ritual; it is as senseless as an
idiot's game.
Did you ever stand in some Romish cathedral and see the daily service, especially if it
happened to be upon a high day? What with the boys in white, and the men in violet, or pink, or
red, or black, there were performers enough to stock a decent village. What with those who
carried candlesticks, and those who carried crosses, and those who carried pots and pans, and
cushions and books, and those who rang bells, and those who made a smoke, and those who
sprinkled water, and those who bobbed their heads, and those who bowed their knees, the whole
concern was very wonderful to look at, very amazing, very amusing, very childish. One wonders,
when he sees it, whatever it is all about, and what kind of people those must be who are really
made better by it. One marvels also what an idea pious Romanists must have of God if they
imagine that he is pleased with such performances. Do you not wonder how the good Lord
endures it? What must his glorious mind think of it all?
Albeit that the incense is sweet, and the flowers are pretty, and the ornaments are fine,
and everything is according to ancient rubric; what is there in it? To what purpose that
procession? To what end that decorated priest?—that gorgeous altar? Do these things mean
anything? Are they not a senseless show?

83. The glorious God cares nothing for pomp and show; but when you call upon him in
the day of trouble, and ask him to deliver you, there is meaning in your groan of anguish. This is
no empty form; there is heart in it, is there not? There is meaning in the appeal of sorrow, and
therefore God prefers the prayer of a broken heart to the finest service that ever was performed
by priests and choirs. There is meaning in the soul's bitter cry, and there is no meaning in the
pompous ceremony. In the poor man's prayer there are mind, heart, and soul; and hence it is real
unto the Lord. Here is a living soul seeking contact with the living God in reality and in truth
Here is a breaking heart crying out to the compassionate Spirit. Ah! you may bid the organ peal
forth its sweetest and its loudest notes, but what is the meaning of mere wind passing through
pipes? A child cries, and there is meaning in that. A man standing up in yonder corner groans out,
O God, my heart will break! There is more force in his moan than in a thousand of the biggest
trumpets, drums, cymbals, tambourines, or any other instruments of music wherewith men seek
to please God nowadays. What madness to think that God cares for musical sounds, or ordered
marchings, or variegated garments! In a tear, or a sob, or a cry, there is meaning, but in mere
sound there is no sense, and God cares not for the meaningless. He cares for that which hath
thought and feeling in it.
Why does God prefer realism to Ritualism? It is for this reason also that there is
something spiritual in the cry of a troubled heart; and God is a Spirit: and they that worship him
must worship him in spirit and in truth. Suppose I were to repeat to-night the finest creed for
accuracy that was ever composed by learned and orthodox men; yet, if I had no faith in it, and
you had none, what were the use of the repetition of the words? There is nothing spiritual in mere
orthodox statement if we have no real belief therein: we might as well repeat the alphabet, and
call it devotion. And if we were to burst forth to-night in the grandest hallelujah that ever pealed
from mortal lips, and we did not mean it, there would be nothing spiritual in it, and it would be
nothing to God. But when a poor soul gets away into its chamber, and bows its knee and cries,
God, be merciful to me! God save me! God help me in this day of trouble! there is spiritual life
in such a cry and therefore God approves it and answers it! Spiritual worship is that what he
wants, and he will have it, or he will have nothing. They that worship him must worship him in
spirit and in truth. He has abolished the ceremonial law, destroyed the one altar at Jerusalem,
burned the Temple, abolished the Aaronic priesthood, and ended for ever all ritualistic
performance; for he seeketh only true worshippers, who worship him in spirit and in truth.
Further, the Lord loves the cry of the broken heart because it distinctly recognizes
himself as this living God, in very deed sought after in prayer. From much of outward devotion
God is absent. But how we mock God when we do not discern him as present, and do not come
nigh unto his very self! When the heart, the mind, the soul, breaks through itself to get to its God,
then it is that God is glorified, but not by any bodily exercises in which he is forgotten. Oh, how
real God is to a man who is perishing, and feels that only God can save him! He believes that God
is, or else he would not make so piteous a prayer to him. He said his prayers before, and little
cared whether God heard or not; but he prays now, and God's hearing is his chief anxiety.
Besides, dear friends, God takes great delight in our crying to him in the day of
trouble because there is sincerity in it. I am afraid that in the hour of our mirth and the day of our
prosperity many of our prayers and our thanksgivings are hypocrisy. Too many of us are like
boys' tops, that cease to spin except they are whipped. Certainly we pray with a deep intensity
when we get into great trouble. A man is very poor: he is out of a situation; he has worn his shoes

84. out in trying to find work; he does not know where the next meal is coming from for his children;
and if he prays now it is likely to be very sincere prayer, for he is in real earnest on account of
real trouble. I have sometimes wished for some very gentlemanly Christian people, who seem to
treat religion as if it were all kid gloves, that they could have just a little time of the roughing
of it, and really come into actual difficulties. A life of ease breeds hosts of falsehoods and
pretences, which would soon vanish in the presence of matter-of fact trials. Many a man has been
converted to God in the bush of Australia by hunger, and weariness, and loneliness, who, when he
was a wealthy man, surrounded by gay flatterers, never thought of God at all. Many a man on
board ship on yon Atlantic has learned to pray in the cold chill of an iceberg, or in the horrors of
the trough of the wave out of which the vessel could not rise. When the mast has gone by the
board, and every timber has been strained, and the ship has seemed doomed, then have hearts
begun to pray in sincerity; and God loves sincerity. When we mean it; when the soul melts in
prayer; when it is I must have it, or be lost; when it is no sham, no vain performance, but a
real heart-breaking, agonizing cry, then God accepts it. Hence he says, Call upon me in the day
of trouble. Such a cry is the kind of worship that he cares for, because there is sincerity in it, and
this is acceptable with the God of truth.
Again, in the cry of the troubled one there is humility. We may go through a highly
brilliant performance of religion, after the rites of some gaudy church; or we may go through our
own rites, which are as simple as they can be; and we may be all the while saying to ourselves,
This is very nicely done. The preacher may be thinking, Am I not preaching well? The
brother at the prayer-meeting may feel within himself, How delightfully fluent I am! Whenever
there is that spirit in us, God cannot accept our worship. Worship is not acceptable if it be devoid
of humility. ow, when in the day of trouble a man goes to God, and says, Lord, help me! I
cannot help myself, but do thou interpose for me, there is humility in that confession and cry,
and hence the Lord takes delight in them. You, poor woman over here, deserted by your husband,
and ready to wish that you could die, I exhort you to call upon God in the day of trouble, for I
know that you will pray a humble prayer. You, poor trembler over yonder; you have done very
wrong, and are likely to be found out and disgraced for it, but I charge you to cry to God in
prayer, for I am sure there will be no pride about your petition. You will be broken in spirit, and
humble before God, and a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Once more, the Lord loves such pleadings because there is a measure of faith in them.
When the man in trouble cries, Lord deliver me! he is looking away from himself. You see, he
is driven out of himself because of the famine that is in the land. He cannot find hope or help on
earth, and therefore he looks towards heaven. Perhaps he has been to friends, and they have
failed him, and therefore, in sheer despair, he seeks his truest Friend. At last he comes to God;
and though he cannot say that he believes in God's goodness as he ought, yet he has some dim
and shadowy faith in it, or else he would not be coming to God in this his time of extremity. God
loves to discover even the shadow of faith in his unbelieving creature. When faith does as it were,
only cross over the field of the camera, so that across the photograph there is a dim trace of its
having been there, God can spy it out, and he can and will accept prayer for the sake of that little
faith. Oh, dear heart, where art thou? Art thou torn with anguish? Art thou sore distressed? Art
thou lonely? Art thou cast away? Then cry to God. one else can help thee; now art thou shut up
to him. Blessed shutting up! Cry to him, for he can help thee; and I tell thee, in that cry of thine
there will be a pure and true worship, such as God desires, far more than the slaughter of ten
thousand bullocks, or the pouring out of rivers of oil. It is true, assuredly, from Scripture, that
the groan of a burdened spirit is among the sweetest sounds that are ever heard by the ear of the

85. Most High. Plaintive cries are anthems with him, to whom all mere arrangements of sound must
be as child's-play.
See then, poor, weeping, and distracted ones, that it is not Ritualism; it is not the
performance of pompous ceremonies, it is not bowing and scraping, it is not using sacred words;
but it is crying to God in the hour of your trouble; which is the most acceptable sacrifice your
spirit can bring before the throne of God.
II. Come we now to our second observation. May God impress it upon us all! In our
text we have ADVERSITY TURED TO ADVATAGE. Call upon me in the day of trouble: I
will deliver thee.
We say it with all reverence, but God himself cannot deliver a man who is not in
trouble, and therefore it is some advantage to be in distress, because God can then deliver you.
Even Jesus Christ, the Healer of men, cannot heal a man who is not sick; so that it turns to our
advantage to be sick, in order that Christ may heal us. Thus, my hearer, your adversity may
prove your advantage by offering occasion and opportunity for the display of divine grace. It is
great wisdom to learn the art of making honey out of gall, and the text teaches us how to do that;
it shows how trouble can become gain. When you are in adversity, then call upon God, and you
shall experience a deliverance which will be a richer and sweeter experience for your soul than if
you had never known trouble. Here is the art and science of making gains out of losses, and
advantages out of adversities.
ow let me suppose that there is some person here in trouble. Perhaps another
deserted Robinson Crusoe is among us. I am not idly supposing that a tried individual is here; he
is so. Well now, when you pray—and oh! I wish you would pray now—do you not see what a plea
you have? You have first a plea from the time: Call upon me in the day of trouble. You can
plead, Lord, this is a day of trouble! I am in great affliction, and my case is urgent at this hour.
Then state what your trouble is—that sick wife, that dying child, that sinking business, that
failing health, that situation which you have lost—that poverty which stares you in the face. Say
unto the Lord of mercy, My Lord, if ever a man was in a day of trouble, I am that man; and
therefore I take leave and license to pray to thee now, because thou hast said, 'Call upon me in
the day of trouble.' This is the hour which thou hast appointed for appealing to thee: this dark,
this stormy day. If ever there was a man that had a right given him to pray by thy own word, I
am that man, for I am in trouble, and therefore I will make use of the very time as a plea with
thee. Do, I beseech thee, hear thy servant's cry in this midnight hour.
ext, you can not only make use of the time as a plea; but you may urge the trouble
itself. You may argue thus, Thou hast said, 'Call upon me in the day of trouble.' O Lord, thou
seest how great my trouble is. It is a very heavy one. I cannot bear it, or get rid of it. It follows me
to my bed; it will not let me sleep. When I rise up it is still with me, I cannot shake it off. Lord,
my trouble is an unusual one: few are afflicted as I am; therefore give me extraordinary succor!
Lord, my trouble is a crushing one; if thou do not help me, I shall soon be broken up by it! That
is good reasoning and prevalent pleading.
Further, turn your adversity to advantage by pleading this command. You can go to
the Lord now, at this precise instant, and say, Lord, do hear me, for thou hast commanded me to

86. pray! I, though I am evil, would not tell a man to ask a thing of me, if I intended to deny him; I
would not urge him to ask help, if I meant to refuse it. Do you not know, brethren, that we often
impute to the good Lord conduct which we should be ashamed of in ourselves? This must not be.
If you said to a poor man, You are in very sad circumstances; write to me to-morrow, and I will
see to your affairs for you; and if he did write to you, you would not treat his letter with
contempt. You would be bound to consider his case. When you told him to write, you meant that
you would help him if you could. And when God tells you to call upon him, he does not mock you:
he means that he will deal kindly with you. You are not urged to pray in the hour of trouble, that
you may experience all the deeper disappointment. God knows that you have trouble enough
without the new one of unanswered prayer. The Lord will not unnecessarily add even a quarter of
an ounce to your burden; and if he bids you call upon him, you may call upon him without fear of
failure. I do not know who you are. You may be Robinson Crusoe, for aught I know, but you may
call on the Lord, for he bids you call; and, if you do call upon him, you can put this argument into
your prayer:
Lord, thou hast bid me seek thy face,
And shall I seek in vain?
And shall the ear of sovereign grace
Be deaf when I complain?
So plead the time, and plead the trouble, and plead the command; and then plead with
God his own character. Speak with him reverently, but believingly, in this fashion, Lord, it is
thou thyself to whom I appeal. Thou hast said, 'Call upon me.' If my neighbor had bidden me do
so, I might have feared that perhaps he would not hear me, but would change his mind; but thou
art too great and good to change. Lord, by thy truth and by thy faithfulness, by thy immutability
and by thy love, I, a poor sinner, heart-broken and crushed, call upon thee in the day of trouble!
Oh, help thou me, and help me soon; or else I die! Surely you that are in trouble have many and
mighty pleas. You are on firm ground with the angel of the covenant, and may bravely seize the
blessing. I do not feel to-night as if the text encouraged me one-half so much as it must encourage
others of you, for I am not in trouble just now, and you are. I thank God I am full of joy and rest;
but I am half inclined to see if I cannot patch up a little bit of trouble for myself: surely if I were
in trouble, and sitting in those pews, I would open my mouth, and drink in this text, and pray like
David, or Elias, or Daniel, in the power of this promise, Call upon me in the day of trouble: I
will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
O, you troubled ones, leap up at the sound of this word! Believe it. Let it go down into
your souls. The Lord looseth the prisoners. He has come to loose you. I can see my Master
arrayed in his silken garments, his countenance is joyous as heaven, his face is bright as morning
without clouds, and in his hand he bears a silver key. Whither away, my Master, with that silver
key of thine? I go, saith he, to open the door to the captive, and to loosen every one that is
bound. Blessed Master, fulfill thy errand; but pass not these prisoners of hope! We will not
hinder thee for a moment; but do not forget these mourners! Go up these galleries, and down
these aisles, and set free the prisoners of Giant Despair, and make their hearts to sing for joy
because they have called upon thee in the day of trouble, and thou hast delivered them, and they
shall glorify thee!
III. My third head is clearly in the text. Here we have FREE GRACE LAID UDER
BODS.

87. othing in heaven or earth can be freer than grace, but here is grace putting itself
under bonds of promise and covenant. Listen. Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver
thee. If a person has once said to you, I will, you hold him; he has placed himself at the
command of his own declaration. If he is a true man, and has plainly said, I will, you have him
in your hand. He is not free after giving a promise as he was before it; he has set himself a certain
way, and he must keep to it. Is it not so? I say so with the deepest reverence towards my Lord and
Master, he has bound himself in the text with cords that he cannot break. He must now hear and
help those who call upon him in the day of trouble. He has solemnly promised, and he will fully
perform.
otice that this text is unconditional as to the persons. It contains the gist of that other
promise—Whosoever calleth upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. The people who are
specially addressed in the text had mocked God; they had presented their sacrifices without a
true heart; but yet the Lord said to each of them, Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will
deliver thee. Hence I gather that he excludes none from the promise. Thou atheist, thou
blasphemer, thou unchaste and impure one, if thou callest upon the Lord now, in this the day of
thy trouble, he will deliver thee! Come and try him. If there be a God, sayest thou; But there is
a God, say I; come, put him to the test, and see. He saith, Call upon me in the day of trouble: I
will deliver thee. Will you not prove him now? Come hither, ye bondaged ones, and see if he
doth not free you! Come ye to Christ, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and he will give you
rest! In temporals and in spirituals, but specially in spiritual things, call upon him in the day of
trouble, and he will deliver you. He is bound by this great unrestricted word of his, about which
he has put neither ditch nor hedge; whosoever will call upon him in the day of trouble, shall be
delivered.
Moreover, notice that this I will includes all needful power which may be required
for deliverance. Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee. But how can this be?
cries one. Ah! that I cannot tell you, and I do not feel bound to tell you: it rests with the Lord to
find suitable ways and means. God says, I will. Let him do it in his own way. If he says, I
will, depend upon it he will keep his word. If it be needful to shake heaven and earth, he will do
it; for he cannot lack power, and he certainly does not lack honesty; and an honest man will keep
his word at all costs, and so will a faithful God. Hear him say, I will deliver thee, and ask no
more questions. I do not suppose that Daniel knew how God would deliver him out of the den of
lions. I do not suppose that Joseph knew how he would be delivered out of the prison when his
mistress had slandered his character so shamefully. I do not suppose that these ancient believers
dreamed of the way of the Lord's deliverance; but they left themselves in God's hands. They
rested upon God, and he delivered them in the best possible manner. He will do the like for you;
only call upon him, and then stand still, and see the salvation of God.
otice, the text does not say exactly when. I will deliver thee is plain enough; but
whether it shall be to-morrow, or next week, or next year, is not so clear. You are in a great hurry;
but the Lord is not. Your trial may not yet have wrought all the good to you that it was sent to do,
and therefore it most last longer. When the gold is cast into the fining-pot, it might cry to the
goldsmith, Let me out. o, saith he, you have not yet lost your dross. You must tarry in the
fire till I have purified you. God may therefore subject us to many trials; and yet if he says, I
will deliver thee, depend upon it he will keep his word. The Lord's promise is like a good bill
from a substantial firm. A bill may be dated for three months ahead; but anybody will discount it

88. if it bears a trusted-name. When you get God's I will, you may always cash it by faith; and no
discount need be taken from it, for it is current money of the merchant even when it is only I
will. God's promise for the future is good bona fide stuff for the present, if thou hast but faith to
use it, Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, is tantamount to deliverance
already received. It means, If I do not deliver thee now, I will deliver thee at a time that is better
than now, when, if thou wert as wise as I am, thou wouldst prefer to be delivered rather than
now.
But promptitude is implied, for else deliverance would not be wrought. Ah! says one,
I am in such a trouble that if I do not get deliverance soon I shall die. Rest assured that you
shall not die. You shall be delivered, and therefore you shall be delivered before you quite die of
despair. He will deliver you in the best possible time. The Lord is always punctual. You never
were kept waiting by him. You have kept him waiting long enough; but he is prompt to the
instant. He never keeps his servants waiting one single tick of the clock beyond his own
appointed, fitting, wise, and proper moment. I will deliver thee, implies that his delays will not
be too protracted, lest the spirit of man should fail because of hope deferred. The Lord rideth on
the wings of the wind when he comes to the rescue of those who seek him. Wherefore, be of good
courage!
Oh, this is a blessed text! and yet what can I do with it? I cannot carry it home to
those of you who want it most. Spirit of the living God, come thou, and apply these rich
consolations to those hearts which are bleeding and ready to die!
Do notice this text once again. Let me repeat it, putting the emphasis in a different
way: Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee. Pick up the threads of those
two words. I will deliver thee; men would not; angels could not; but I will. God himself will set
about the rescue of the man that calls upon him. It is yours to call: and it is God's to answer. Poor
trembler, you begin to try to answer your own prayers! Why did you pray to God then? When
you have prayed, leave it to God to fulfill his own promise. He says, Do thou call upon me, and I
will deliver thee.
ow take up that other word: I will deliver thee. I know what you are thinking, Mr.
John. You murmur, God will deliver everybody, I believe, but not me. But the text saith, I will
deliver the thee. It is the man that calls that shall get the answer. Mary, where art thou? If thou
callest upon God he will answer thee. He will give thee the blessing even to thy own heart and
spirit, in thy own personal experience. Call upon me, says he, in the day of trouble: I will
deliver thee. Oh, for grace to take that personal pronoun home to one's soul, and to make sure
of it as though you could see it with your own eyes! The apostle tells us, Through faith we
understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God. Assuredly I know that the worlds
were made by God. I am sure of it; and yet I did not see him making them. I did not see him
when the light came because he said, Let there be light. I did not see him divide the light from
the darkness, and the waters that are beneath the firmament from the waters that are above the
firmament, but I am quite sure that he did all this. All the evolution gentlemen in the world
cannot shake my conviction that creation was wrought by God, though I was not there to see him
make even a bird, or a flower. Why should I not have just the same kind of faith to-night about
God's answer to my prayer if I am in trouble? If I cannot see how he will deliver me, why should
I wish to see? He created the world well enough without my knowing how he was to do it, and he
will deliver me without my having a finger in it. It is no business of mine to see how he works. My

89. business is to trust in my God, and glorify him by believing that what he has promised he is able
to perform.
IV. Thus we have had three sweet things to remember; and we close with a fourth,
which is this: here are GOD AD THE PRAYIG MA TAKE SHARES.
That is an odd word to close with, but I want you to notice it. Here are the shares.
First, here is your share: Call upon me in the day of trouble. Secondly, here is God's share: I
will deliver thee. Again, you take a share —for you shall be delivered. And then again it is the
Lord's turn—Thou shalt glorify me. Here is a compact, a covenant that God enters into with
you who pray to him, and whom he helps. He says, You shall have the deliverance, but I must
have the glory. You shall pray; I will bless, and then you shall honor my holy name. Here is a
delightful partnership: we obtain that which we so greatly need, and all that God getteth is the
glory which is due unto his name.
Poor troubled heart! I am sure you do not demur to these terms, Sinners, saith the
Lord, I will give you pardon, but you must give me the honor of it. Our only answer is, Ay,
Lord, that we will, for ever and ever.
Who is a pardoning God like thee?
Or who has grace so rich and free?
Come, souls, says he, I will justify you, but I must have the glory of it. And our answer is,
Where is boasting, then? It is excluded. By the law of works? ay, but by the law of faith. God
must have the glory if we are justified by Christ.
Come, says he, I will put you into my family, but my grace must have the glory of
it; and we say, Ay, that it shall, good Lord! Behold, what manner of love the Father hath
bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God.
ow, says he, I will sanctify you, and make you holy, but I must have the glory of
it; and our answer is, Yes, we will sing for ever—'We have washed our robes, and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore will we serve him day and night in his temple, giving
him all praise.'
I will take you home to heaven, says God: I will deliver you from sin and death
and hell; but I must have the glory of it. Truly, say we, Thou shalt be magnified. For ever
and for ever we will sing 'Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power be unto him that sitteth upon
the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever.'
Stop, you thief, there! What are you at? Running away with a portion of God's glory?
What a villain he must be! Here is a man that was lately a drunkard, and God has loved him and
made him sober, and he is wonderfully proud because he is sober. What folly! Have done, sir!
Have done! Give God the glory of your deliverance from the degrading vice, or else you are still
degraded by ingratitude. Here is another man. He used to swear once; but he has been praying
now; he even delivered a sermon the other night, or at least an open-air address. He has been as
proud about this as any peacock. O bird of pride, when you look at your fine feathers, remember
your black feet, and your hideous voice! O reclaimed sinner, remember your former character,

90. and be ashamed! Give God the glory if you have ceased to be profane. Give God the glory for
every part of your salvation.
Alas! even some divines will give man a little of the glory. He has a free will, has he
not? Oh, that Dagon of free will! How men will worship it! The man did something towards his
salvation, by virtue of which he ought to receive some measure of honor! Do you really think so?
Then say as you think. But we will have it from this pulpit, and we will declare it to the whole
world, that when a man reached heaven there shall not a particle of the glory be due to himself;
he shall in no wise ascribe honor to his own feeble efforts; but unto God alone shall be the glory.
Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the
glory due unto his name.
Call upon me in the day of trouble. I will deliver thee—that is your part. But Thou
shalt glorify me—that is God's part. He must have all the honor from first to last.
Go out henceforth, you saved ones, and tell out what the Lord has done for you. An
aged woman once said that if the Lord Jesus Christ really did save her, he should never hear the
last of it. Join with her in that resolve. Truly my soul vows that my delivering Lord shall never
hear the last of my salvation.
I'll praise him in life, and praise him in death,
And praise him as long as he lendeth me breath;
And say when the death-dew lies cold on my brow,
If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.'
Come, poor soul, you that came in here to-night in the deepest of trouble, God means to
glorify himself by you! The day shall yet come when you shall comfort other mourners by the
rehearsal of your happy experience. The day may yet come when you that were a castaway shall
preach the gospel to castaways. The day shall yet come, poor fallen woman, when you shall lead
other sinners to the Savior's feet, where now you stand weeping! Thou abandoned of the devil,
whom even Satan is tired of, whom the world rejects because thou art worn out and stale—the
day shall yet come when, renewed in heart, and washed in the blood of the Lamb, thou shalt
shine like a star in the firmament, to the praise of the glory of his grace who hath made thee to be
accepted in the Beloved! O desponding sinner, come to Jesus! Do call upon him, I entreat you! Be
persuaded to call upon Your God and Father. If you can do no more than groan, groan unto God.
Drop a tear, heave a sigh, and let your heart say to the Lord, O God, deliver me, for Christ's
sake! Save me from my sin and the consequences of it. As surely as you thus pray, he will hear
you, and say, Thy sins be forgiven thee. Go in peace. So may it be. Amen.
9. SPURGEO, “THE Lord God in this Psalm is described as having a controversy with His
people. He summons Heaven and earth to
hear Him while He utters His reproof. This indictment will show us what it is that the Lord sets
the greatest store by, for
His complaint will evidently touch upon that point. We are informed most plainly that the Lord
had no controversy with
His people concerning the

91. externals of His worship. He does not reprove them for their sacrifices and burnt offerings. He
even speaks of these symbolic sacrifices and says—“I will take no bullock out of your house, nor
he goats out of your
folds.” His complaint was not concerning visible ceremony and outward ritual and this shows
that He does not attach so
much importance to outward things as most men suppose Him to do.
His complaint was concerning inner worship, soul worship, spiritual worship! His reproof was
that His people did
not offer thanksgiving and prayer and that their conduct was so inconsistent with their
professions that, clearly, their
hearts went not with their outward formalities. This was the essence of the charge against them.
They were faulty, not in
visible religiousness, but in the
internal and vital part of godliness—they had no true communion with God though they
kept up the appearance of it. We see, then, that heart worship is the most precious thing in the
sight of the Lord. We
learn what is that priceless jewel which must be set in the gold ring of religion if the Lord is to
accept it.
or is it hard to see why it is so, for it is plain that if a man had kept the ritual of the old Law to
the very fullest, he
still might not be, in sincerity, a worshipper of God at all. He might drive whole flocks of his
sheep to the Temple door
for sacrifice and yet he might feel no spiritual reverence for the Most High. It has been proven
times without number that
the most careful and zealous attention to external ceremonies is quite consistent with the absolute
absence of any true
apprehension of God and hearty love for Him. Habit may keep a man outwardly religious long
after his mind has
forgotten the Lord! Yes, the conscious lack of inward and vital Grace may drive a man to a more
intense zeal in
formalities in order to conceal his defect.
It is written, “Israel has forsaken his Maker and builds temples.” You would think if he built
temples he must
recognize his God, but it was not so. Within those buildings he hid himself from Him who dwells
not in temples made
with hands. Beneath the folds of vestments, men smother up their hearts so that they come not to
God. Fine music
drowns the cry of the contrite soul and the smoke of incense becomes a cloud which conceals the
face of the Most High!
Great sacrifices might often be an offering made to a rich man’s personal pride. o doubt certain
kings that gave great
contributions to the house of God did it to show their wealth or to display their generosity,
somewhat in the spirit of
Jehu, who said to Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.”
A great sacrifice might be nothing more than a bid for popularity and so an offering to
selfishness and vanity. With
such sacrifices God would not be well pleased. Alas, how easy it is to defile the worship of God
and nullify its quality till,
like milk which is soured, it may be utterly rejected. I am sure you know right well that it may be

92. so in the simplest form
of public worship such as our own. Bare as is our mode of service, there is room for self. Singers
may lift up their sweet
voices that others may hear how charmingly they sing. Ministers may preach with graceful
eloquence that they may be
admired as men who are models of exquisite speech. Believers may even pray devoutly that their
fellow Christians may see
how gracious they are.
Alas, this blight of self may come into any and every part of outward service and turn the
worship of God into an
occasion for self-glorification! Thus does Belshazzar drink out of the vessels of the sanctuary
while the buyers and sellers
turn the temple into a den of thieves. Wonder not, therefore, that God looks with but scant
complacency—I was about
to say with bare tolerance—upon the abundance of outward worship because He sees how easy it
is for it not to be His
Volume 25 www.spurgeongems.org 1
2
Prayer to God in Trouble an Acceptable Sacrifice Sermon #1505
worship at all, but a mere exhibition of man’s carnal glorying. Many, too, have performed
outward worship with a view
to merit somewhat of the Lord—they have supposed that God would be their
debtor if they were zealous in furnishing
His altars and frequenting His courts. If they have not put it in that coarse form, it has certainly
come to that, that they
hoped to be held worthy of particular regard if they were zealous above others.
Some have superstitiously dreamed of obtaining prosperity in this world by observing holy days
and seasons. And
many more have hoped to have it set to their account at the Last Great Day that they have
heaped up the offertory, or
given a painted window, or built an almshouse, or attended daily service year by year! ow, what
is this but an offering
to selfishness? The man performs pious and charitable deeds for his own good and this motive
flavors the whole of his life
so that the taint of self is in every particle of it! The Jew might offer bullocks or sheep for his own
salvation and what
would this be but the manifest worship of
self? It brought no glory to God and did not mean His praise. Wonder not,
therefore, if the Lord speaks thus slightingly of it all.
What the Lord missed in His people was not temple rites and offerings, for in those they
abounded. He missed the
fruit of the lips giving glory to His name! He missed, first, their thankfulness, for He says unto
them, “Offer unto God
thanksgiving; and pay your vows unto the Most High.” And next He missed in them that holy,
trustful confidence which
would lead them to resort to Him in the hour of their need—therefore He says, “Call upon Me in
the day of trouble; I
will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” Brothers and Sisters, have you failed in these two
precious things? Do you

93. fail in thankfulness? The Lord multiplies His favors to many of us—do we multiply our thanks?
The earth gives back a
flower for every dewdrop—are we, alike, responsive to plenteous mercy? Do the bounties of His
Providence and the
favors of His Grace teach us how to sing Psalms unto the Ever-Merciful?
Do we not too often permit Divine mercies to come and go in silence as if they were not worthy of
a thankful word?
Have we a time and season for God’s praise? Is it not too often huddled into a corner? We have a
closet for our prayers,
but no chamber for our praises! Do we make it a point in life that whatever is neglected, the
praises of God shall have full
expression? Do you, my Brothers and Sisters, give thanks in everything? Do you carry out to the
fullest this sentence—
“From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised”?
May I also venture to ask
whether you pay your vows to Him? In times of sickness and sorrow you say, “Gracious Lord, if I
am recovered, or if I
am brought out of this condition, I will be more believing, I will be more consecrated. I will
devote myself only to You, O
my Savior, if You will now restore me.”
Are you mindful of these vows? It is a delicate question, but I put it pointedly because a vow
unredeemed is a wound
in the heart. If you have failed in your grateful acknowledgments, remember that these are the
things which God looks
for more than for any ceremonial observance or religious service. He would have you bring your
daily thankfulness and
your faithful vows to Him, for He is worthy to be praised and it is meet that unto Him should the
vow be performed. It is
not to thankfulness, however, that I am going to ask attention, this morning, as much as to the
other sacrifice—namely,
prayer in the day of trouble.
Let me say at the outset that I am struck with wonder that God should regard it as being one of
the most acceptable
forms of worship—that we should call upon Him in the day of trouble! Such prayers seem to be
all for ourselves and are
forced from us by our necessities—and yet such is His condescending love that He puts them
down as being choice
sacrifices and places them side by side with the thankful paying of our vows. He tells us that our
call for His help in the
hour of distress will be more acceptable to Him than the oblations which His own Law ordained
—more pleasing than all
the bullocks and rams which liberal princes could present at His altars! Be not backward then,
Beloved, to cry to Him in
your hour of need! If it pleases Him and profits you, you ought not to need a single word from me
to excite you to do
what seems so natural, so comforting, so beneficial!
Are our cries of anguish and our appeals of hope acceptable to God? Then let us cry mightily to
Him! Are any of you
in the black waters? Call upon Him! Are you in the hungry desert? Call upon Him! Are you in

94. the lions’ dens and among
the mountains of the leopards? Call upon Him! Whether you are in peril as to your souls or your
bodies, do not hesitate
to pray at once, but say to yourself, “Why should I linger? Let me tell the Lord of my grief right
speedily, for if He
counts my call a worthy sacrifice, assuredly I will present it with my whole heart!” Let us look to
this matter and see the
value of this form of adoration.
www.spurgeongems.org Volume 25
2
Sermon #1505 Prayer to God in Trouble an Acceptable Sacrifice
Our first head shall be that calling upon God in the day of trouble brings honor to God in the
very act. Secondly, it
brings honor to God
in His answer, for there is coupled with such a prayer the blessed assurance, “I will deliver you.”
And thirdly, it brings honor to God in our later conduct, for it is written, “You shall glorify Me.”
I. May the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, enable us to see that CALLIG UPO GOD I THE
DAY OF TROUBLE
BRIGS GLORY TO HIM I ITSELF. I beg you to notice the time that is specially mentioned.
Calling upon God at
any time honors Him, but calling upon Him in the
day of trouble has a special mark set against it as peculiarly pleasing
to the Lord because it yields peculiar Glory to His name. ote then, first, that when a man calls
upon God, sincerely, in
the day of trouble,
it is a truthful recognition of God.
Outward devotions suppose a God, but prayer in the day of trouble proves that God is a
fact to the supplicant. The
tried pleader has no doubt that there is a God, for he is calling upon Him when mere form can
yield no comfort. He
wants practical matter-of-fact help and he so realizes God that he treats Him as real and appeals
to Him to be his Helper.
God is not a mere name or a superstition to him—he is sure that there is a God, for he is calling
upon Him in an hour
when a farce would be a tragedy and an imposture would be a bitter mockery. The afflicted
supplicant perceives that God
is near him, for he would not call upon one who was not within hearing. He has a perception of
God’s Omnipotence by
which He
can help and of God’s goodness which will lead Him to help.
You can see that he believes in God’s hearing prayer, for a man does not call upon one whom he
judges to be a deaf
Deity, or upon one whose palsied hand is never outstretched to help. The man who calls upon
God in the day of trouble
evidently possesses a real and sincere belief in the existence of God, in His personality, in His
power, in His condescension
and in His continual active interposition in the affairs of men. Otherwise he would not call upon
Him! Many of your
beliefs in God are a sort of religious parade and not the actual walk of faith. Many have a holiday

95. faith which enables
them to repeat the creed and say with the congregation, “I believe in God the Father Almighty,”
but in very deed they
have no such belief.
Do you, my Hearer, believe in God, the Father Almighty, when you are in trouble? Do you go to
the great Father at
such times and expect help from Him? This is real work and not hypocritical play! There is solid
metal about the faith
which follows the Lord in the dark, cries to Him when the rod is in His hand and looks to Him,
not for sentimental
comforts in prosperity, but for substantial help in bitter adversities! What we need are facts—and
trial is the test of fact.
Sharp furnace work does away with mere pretense and this is one of its great uses, for that Grace
which, like the
salamander, lives in the fire, is Grace, indeed. I say again, that very many publicly declared creed
faiths are mere shams
which, like the leaves of autumn’s trees, would wither and fall if one sharp winter’s frost should
pass over them.
It is not so when a man, in the dire hour of his distress, casts himself upon God and believes He is
able to succor and
to help him. Then there is
evidence of true reliance and real confidence in a real God, whom the mind’s eye sees and
rejoices in. It is this actuality, this making God real to the soul which makes our calling upon God
in the day of trouble
so acceptable to Him. There is more here, however, than this first good thing. When a man calls
upon God in the day of
trouble it is because he seeks and, in some measure, enjoys
a spiritual communion with God.
“Call upon Me in the day of trouble.” That call is heart language addressed to God! It is the soul
really speaking to
the great Father beyond all question! How easy it is to say a prayer without coming into any
contact with God! Year
after year the tongue repeats pious language, just as a barrel organ grinds out the old tunes—but
there may be no more
converse with the Lord than if the man had muttered to the ghosts of the slain! Many prayers
might as well be said
backwards as forwards, for there would be as much in them one way as the other. The
abracadabra of the magician has
quite as much virtue in it as any other set of mere words. The Lord’s Prayer, if it is merely
rehearsed as a form, may be a
solemn mockery. But prayer in the day of trouble is honest speech with God, or at least a sincere
desire in that direction.
Many are the words which pass between the Lord and the afflicted saint. He cries, “Make haste
to help me, O Lord,
my Salvation. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me. Hide not Your face from me, for I am in trouble.
Hear my cry, O God,
attend unto my prayer!” With multiplied entreaties does the heart thus hold converse with the
Lord and the Lord takes
pleasure in it. He loves to have His people draw near to Him in spirit and in truth. And, because

96. calling upon Him in the
day of trouble is an undoubted form of fellowship, therefore He regards it with complacency.
ow, as I have already said,
in the sacrifice of bullocks there was no communion with God in the case of a great many—and
in external devotion,
whether it is performed in a cathedral or in a humble barn—there is frequently no coming near
to God.
Volume 25 www.spurgeongems.org
3
3
4
Prayer to God in Trouble an Acceptable Sacrifice Sermon #1505
But when we believingly call upon God in the day of trouble, then there is no mistake in the
matter—we are holding
converse with God—“the righteous cry and the Lord hears.” Union with the unseen, spiritual
Father, is genuine,
indeed, when it is carried on against wind and tide, under pressure of sorrow and weight of
distress. May the Lord give us
Divine Grace to carry it on whatever may happen to us! Yet is there more than this, for the soul
not only comes into
God’s Presence, but in calling upon God in the day of trouble it is
filled with a manifest hope in God. It hopes in God for
His goodness, for it is a belief in that goodness which is the reason why it feels able to pray at all.
The soul hopes in His
mercy, or it would dwell in silence and never lift up another cry to Heaven.
Amid a sense of deserved wrath, the heart has a trust in infinite Grace and therefore its call. A
soul calling upon God
honors His condescension. The troubled one says within himself, “I am less than the least of all
His creatures, yet He will
regard
me. When I consider the heavens, the work of His fingers, I am amazed that He should visit man,
but I believe that
He will do so and that He will condescend to look upon the contrite and humble and deliver them
out of their distresses.”
There is a hope, then, in such a prayer which honors God’s goodness and condescension and
equally pays tribute to His
faithfulness and His all-sufficiency. He has promised to help those that call upon Him, therefore
do we call upon Him!
And He has all power to keep His promise, therefore do we come to Him and spread our case
before Him.
Little as the act of calling upon God in the day of trouble seems to be, it puts crowns upon all the
attributes of God
in proportion to the spiritual knowledge of the supplicant. I venture to say that if the greatest
king of Israel had
presented before God, on some solemn day, 10,000 of the fattest of fed beasts and poured out
rivers of oil, it might be
highly possible that God would not be so well pleased with all that royal zeal as with the cry of a
poor humble woman
whose husband was dead and whose two sons were about to be taken for slaves—who had

97. nothing in the house except a
little oil and then in her extremity cried—“O God, the Father of the fatherless and the Judge of
the widow, out of the
depths deliver me!”
There may be more honoring of the Lord in a plowboy’s tears than in a princely endowment!
More homage to the
Lord in the humble hope of a dying pauper than in the pealing anthems of the cathedral or the
great shout of our own
mighty congregation! The publican’s confession and his hope in the mercy of God had more
worship in it than the blast
of the silver trumpets and the ringing out of the golden harps! And the songs of the white-robed
choristers who stood in
the courts of the Lord’s house and led the far-sounding hallelujahs of Israel could not match the
publican’s prayer! This
calling upon God in the day of trouble, again, pleases the Lord because it exhibits a clinging
affection to Him. When an
ungodly man professes religion, as such men often do, he is all very well with God as long as God
pleases him.
Sunshiny weather makes such a man bless the sun. If God smiles upon him, he says that God is
good. Yes, but a true
child of God loves a
chastening God. He does not turn his back when the Lord seems angry with him—it is then that
he
falls prostrate in humble supplication and cries, “Show me why You contend with me! I will not
believe You to have any
real spite against me. If You smite me there must be some wise and good cause for it, therefore
show me, I beseech You.”
It is very sweet, Brothers and Sisters, when God sends you a great deal of trouble, to love Him all
the more for it. This is
a sure way of proving that ours is not a hireling love which abides while it gets its price and
disappears when wages fail.
God forbid that we should have Balaam’s love of reward and Judas’s treacherous greed! A dog
will follow a man as
long as he throws him a bone, but that is a man’s own dog which will follow him when he strikes
him with the whip and
will even wag its tail when he speaks roughly to him! Such Christians ought we to be who will
keep close to God when He
is robed in thunder. It is ours to will that God shall do what He wills and ours to call upon Him in
the day of trouble and
not to call out against Him when times are hard.
I would trust my God as unreservedly as Alexander trusted his friend who was also his
physician. The physician had
mixed a medicine for Alexander, who was sick, and the potion stood by Alexander’s bed for him
to drink. Just before he
was to drink, a letter was delivered to him in which he was warned that his physician had been
bribed to poison him and
had mingled poison with the medicine. Alexander read the letter and summoned the physician
into his presence. When he
came in, Alexander at once drank up the cup of medicine and then handed his friend the letter.

98. What grand confidence
was this! To risk his life upon his friend’s fidelity! Such a man might well have friends! He would
not let the accused know
of the libel till he had proved beyond all disputes that he did not believe a word of it!
Is not our heavenly Father in Christ Jesus worthy of even a grander faith? Shall I always
mistrust Him? The devil
tells me, O Master, that this affliction which I am suffering will work me ill. I do not believe it!
ot for a moment do I
www.spurgeongems.org Volume 25
4
Sermon #1505 Prayer to God in Trouble an Acceptable Sacrifice
believe it and to prove that I have no suspicion, I accept it joyfully at Your hands. I joy and
rejoice in it because You have
ordained it and I call upon You to make it work to my lasting good. I will take bitter at Your hand
as well as sweet and
the gall shall be honey to me! If we act thus we shall be imitating the patience of Job. When his
wife told him to curse
God and die, what did he say? “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. What? Shall we
receive good at the hand
of God and shall we not receive evil?” It seems to me we cannot glorify God better than by thus
calling upon Him in the
day of trouble and thus showing that we do not believe ill of Him, or suspect Him of error or
unkindness. We go further
and are assured that Infallible Wisdom and Infinite Love are at the bottom of every trial which
afflicts our spirit—thus
we glorify the Lord.
There is in connection with this clinging affection a most
steadfast confidence. They who call upon God in the day of
trouble become quiet, unshaken and abide in full assurance as to the Lord on whom they rely. O
troubled one, do not be
agitated! Do not run away to others, but call upon God in calm faith! Do not sit down in silent
despair and fretfulness,
but call upon God! Do not be soured into a morose state of mind, nor go into the sulks, but call
upon the Lord as one
who cannot be driven to curse or to be in a passion, but gives himself to prayer. It is a blessed
thing when we can say,
“Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him” and can feel that whatever happens to us, we never
will start aside from our
firm conviction that the Lord is good and His mercy endures forever.
It was a brave speech of Zwingli when, amid furious persecutions, he said, “Had I not perceived
that the Lord was
preserving the vessel, I should long ago have abandoned the helm. I behold Him through the
tempest strengthening the
cordage, adjusting the yards, spreading the sails and commanding the very winds. Should I not,
then, be a coward and
unworthy the name of a man, were I to abandon my post? I commit myself wholly to His
sovereign goodness. Let Him
govern. Let Him hasten or delay. Let Him plunge us into the bottom of the abyss—we will fear
nothing.” Those are the

99. words which I admire—“Let Him plunge us into the bottom of the abyss—we will fear nothing.”
This is the bravery of
a child who knows no dread because he is in his father’s hands and his trust in his father cannot
admit a fear.
Calling upon God enables men to face trouble and play the man since they doubt not of a blessed
outcome from all
things, however contrary they may seem to be. Our business is to be as confident in God at one
time as at another since
He is the same evermore and mere changes in circumstances are matters unworthy to be taken
into the estimate. What are
circumstances while Almighty God has the rule of them? In fine, this it is which God accepts as
honoring Him, that in the
day of trouble we should take all our troubles to Him, pour out our hearts before Him and then
leave the whole case in
His hands! The childlike uncovering of the heart to God, alone, is very precious to Him.
There are times when it is wise to advise a troubled heart to be quiet before men—
“Bear and forbear and silent be,
Tell no man your misery.”
But it is always wise to bare the bosom to the Lord’s eyes. Is the slander too vile to be
communicated even to a single
friend? Then follow the example of Hezekiah and spread Rabshakeh’s letter before the Lord! Is
the trial too severe,
inasmuch as others are obliged to suffer with you and are, therefore, turned to speak bitterly
against you? Then imitate
David at Ziklag and encourage yourself in the Lord your God! Hide nothing! Reserve nothing!
Tell it all and then trust
about it all. When you have once put the burden before the Lord, leave it with Him. Do all that
lies in you, that prudence
can dictate, or common sense suggest, or industry effect—but still make the Lord your mainstay,
your buckler, your
shield, your fortress and high tower. Say to yourself, “My Soul, wait only upon God, for my
expectation is from Him.”
If you can do this, not once and again, but throughout your whole life, you will glorify the Lord
greatly and in your
holy confidence and childlike faith the Lord will take as much delight as in the golden harps
which ring out His perfect
praises before His eternal Throne! If we could reproduce Job and Enoch in one person, the
patient saint continually
walking with God, we should, indeed, show forth the Glory of our heavenly Father. And why not?
Blessed Spirit of God,
You can work us to this thing! A critic may sneeringly say, “It is a very natural thing for a man to
cry out to God in the
day of trouble. And certainly a selfish thing to run to the Lord because you need His help.”
“Besides,” says another, “it
must be a very distracted prayer that such a person offers. And anyway, faith under troublous
circumstances is a very
elementary virtue.”
But, my good Sirs, listen! Surely the Lord knows best what pleases Him and if He declares His
delight in our calling

100. upon Him in the day of trouble, why should we dispute Him? It is so, for He has said it! As for us
who dare not raise such
Volume 25 www.spurgeongems.org
5
5
6
Prayer to God in Trouble an Acceptable Sacrifice Sermon #1505
quibbles, let us not be moved by them, but continue to call upon Him in the day of trouble and we
shall certainly glorify
His name.
II. When we call upon God in the day of trouble IT BRIGS HOOR TO GOD THROUGH
THE ASWER which
the prayer obtains. “I will deliver you.” I ask you, troubled saints, to follow me while I repeat the
text with variations,
for that is about all I shall attempt. “Call upon Me in the day of trouble”—there is the prayer
commanded. “I will
deliver you”—there is the answer promised. In these words we have
a practical answer. It is not merely, “I will think
about you, I will hear you, I will propose plans for you and somewhat aid you in working them
out.” o, it is, “I will
deliver you. You shall have solid, substantial aid. Either I will keep you out of the trouble of
which you are afraid—you
shall be delivered by never having to endure it—the Egyptians that you see today you shall see no
more forever. You
dread the stone at the mouth of the sepulcher, but you shall find it rolled away.
“Or else, if you must come into the trouble, I will deliver you while you are in it. Like oah, you
shall be surrounded
by the deluge, but the floods shall not overflow you. Like the three holy children, you shall be in
the furnace, but the fire
shall not burn you. You shall go through the trouble triumphantly, as Israel went through the
Red Sea on foot. You
shall have such sustaining Grace that you shall glory in tribulation and rejoice in affliction. I will
also bring you out of it
altogether—for these things have an appointed end. Like Joseph, you shall come forth out of
prison to sit upon the
throne. Like David, you shall leave the caves and the rocks of the wild goats and I will set your
feet in a large room. Like
Daniel, you shall be taken from among lions and set among princes.” The promise may be kept in
several forms, but in
one shape or another it must be carried out, for He who cannot lie has said, “I will deliver you.”
Dear Friend, grips those words and never let them go! You troubled ones, the Lord says, “Call
upon Me.” Have you
already been in much supplication? ow, then, take to yourselves what the Lord Himself gives
you—“I will deliver
you.” Somehow or other a way of escape must be made, for God’s Word never fails and He has
said, “I will deliver you.”
otice, next, that it is
a positive answer. It is not, “I may, perhaps, deliver you,” but, “I will.” It is not, “I will endeavor
to do it,” but, “I will deliver you.” Did unbelief say, “But how?” Friend, leave the “how” with

101. God! Ways and means
are with Him! He says, “I will deliver you.” To turn round and ask, “How?” is to forget that He is
God All Sufficient!—
www.spurgeongems.org Volume 25
6
“Remember that Omnipotence
Has servants everywhere.”
Unbelief is very ready with its questions and too often it enquires, “When?” Friend, leave the
“when” with God! He
does not tell us when, but the deliverance must come at the right time because if He were not to
deliver us till after we had
perished, it would be no deliverance at all! If deliverance came too late, it would be a mere
mockery. The promise
comprehends within itself the implied condition that it shall be a timely deliverance, for otherwise
how should the
delivered one live to glorify the name of the Lord? Again I would say to you, dear Friend, get a
grip of this promise, “I
will deliver you.” Do not let my Master’s promise be blown away like the sere leaves from the
trees, but hold it fast as for
life! Wave this before you and your foes will flee as from a two-edged sword! Quote the Divine
words, “I will deliver
you,” and legions of devils will flee before you! Remember how Paul put it—“Who delivered us
from so great a death
and does deliver: in whom we trust; that He will yet deliver us.”
otice next, that the promise
is personal. “I will deliver you.” It is not said, “My angels shall do it,” but, “I will
deliver you.” The Lord God Himself undertakes to rescue His people. “I will be a wall of fire
round about them.” “I the
Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.” Then,
too, it is personal to
its object—it is the same man who calls upon God in trouble who shall be a partaker of the
blessing! “Call upon Me in
the day of trouble, I will deliver
you.” It is personal, personal to you! Therefore, dear Friend, personally believe in this
personal promise of your God!
Remember, also, that it is permanent. You pleaded this promise, some of you, 50 years ago—it is
as sure today as it
was then. If you have a banknote and take it to the bank and get the cash, it is done with. But my
Master’s banknotes are
self-renewing. You can plead His promise hundreds of times over, for His Word abides forever. It
is fulfilled only to be
fulfilled again! Like a springing well, which is always full and flowing, so my Lord’s Grace-words
abide and continue in
all their wealth of blessing. God’s promise made 2,000 years ago is as valid as if it had been
uttered this morning and
never yet expended upon a single soul. “Call upon Me in the day of trouble and I will deliver
you” is a word for this very
hour.
Sermon #1505 Prayer to God in Trouble an Acceptable Sacrifice

102. Where are you at this moment, you troubled, downcast one? You said just now, “I shall never be
happy any more.”
Recall those words. Eat them with bitter herbs of repentance—“Trust in the Lord forever, for in
the Lord Jehovah is
everlasting strength.” You said, “That blow has crushed me. I could have borne anything else, but
this trial I cannot
bear.” Tush! Do you know what you can bear? What did the Apostle say? “I can do all things
through Christ which
strengthens me.” Only have faith in God and obey and believe the text—“Call upon Me in the
day of trouble; I will
deliver you.”
Can you not take God at His Word? If you can, you shall find His promise true and God will be
glorified in
delivering you. What praise will come to His name if He lifts you up out of the low dungeon! If
He snaps your fetters! If
He tears away your entanglements! If He makes plain your intricate path! If He brings you
through difficulties which
now seem to be impossibilities and gives you to rejoice in Him through them all! Why, then, His
name will be glorified
far more than by the offering of 10,000 bullocks and rivers of oil!
III. Lastly, if you trust your God in your distress and are, therefore, delivered, THE LORD
WILL BE GLORIFIED
I YOUR CODUCT AFTERWARDS. When a man prays to God in the hour of trouble and
gets deliverance, as he is
sure to get it, then he honors his great Helper by admiring the way in which the promise has been
kept and by
adoring
and blessing the loving Lord for such a gracious interposition
. I know some of you have seen enough of the hand of the
Lord in your own cases to make you wonder and admire forever and ever.
ext, you will honor Him by the gratitude of your heart in which the memory of His goodness
will forever be
recorded. This devout gratitude of yours will lead you, in due season, to bear testimony to His
faithfulness. You will be
indignant at unbelief and will war against it by personal witnessing. You will be very tender
towards those who are now
in trouble, as you once were, and you will long to tell them of the blessed rescue which God is
prepared to perform for
them as He did for you. Your mouth will be open; your witness will be enlarged; you will speak as
a man who has tasted
and handled these things for himself. Others will be impressed as you tell the story of what the
Lord has done for your
soul.
At the same time, you will
personally grow in faith by the experience of your heavenly Father’s love and power. And
in days to come you will glorify Him by increased patience and confidence. You will say, “He has
been with me in six
troubles and He will be with me in the seventh. I have tried and proven my God and I dare not
doubt Him.” Your

103. serenity of mind will be more deep and lasting and you will be able to defy the power of Satan to
drive you out of your
joy in God. I know, also, that you will try to
live more to His praise. As you see Him bring you out of one difficulty and
then another you will feel bound to His service by fresh bonds. You will become a more
consecrated man than you ever
have been. You will jealously protect your remaining days from being wasted by sloth or
desecrated by sin.
And let me tell you that even when you die and come up the banks of Jordan on the other side,
you will long to
glorify your God! When the angels meet you, I should not wonder but what one of the first things
you will do will be to
say, “Bright spirits, I long to tell you what the Lord has done for me!” Even as you are going up
towards the celestial
gates, as Bunyan pictures, I should not wonder if you began to say to your guide, “Help me to
sing! I cannot be silent. I
feel I must—
“Sing with rapture and surprise
His loving kindness in the skies.”
Should the bright spirit remind you that you are climbing to the choirs where all the singers
meet, you may answer,
“Yes, but I am a special case! I came through such deep waters! I was greatly afflicted. If one in
Heaven can praise Him
more than another, I am just that one.” The angel will smile and say, “I have escorted many a
score up to Glory who said
just the same thing.”
We each one owe most to God’s Grace and hope to praise Him best. Some of you may think that
you are love’s
deepest debtors, but I know better. I am not going to quarrel with you, but I know one who is so
undeserving and yet
receives such mercy that he claims to take the lowest place and most humbly to reverence
boundless Grace. Yes, I myself,
less than the least of all saints, claim to have received most at His hands! I would gladly love Him
most, for towards me
He has shown the utmost love in treating me as He has done.
Am I not saying for myself that which you each would say for yourself? I know it is so and,
therefore, it is that God is
glorified by the reverence and love of those whom He delivers in answer to prayer. I want you to
notice with care the
Volume 25 www.spurgeongems.org
7
7
8
Prayer to God in Trouble an Acceptable Sacrifice Sermon #1505
persons mentioned in the first clause of the text. You do not see yourself—you only hear of
yourself. It is “Call upon
Me.” God is there. There is no direct mention of you—you are hidden. You are such a poor,
broken, dispirited creature
that all you can do is to utter a cry and lie in the dust! There stands the mighty God and you call

104. upon Him! ow, look at
the next clause, “
I will deliver you.”
Here are two persons! The Lord stands first, the Ever Glorious and Blessed “I.” And way down
there are you. “I will
deliver
you,” poor, humble, but grateful “you.” Thus we see the Lord unites with His poor servant and
the link is
deliverance. When you come to the third clause, do you see where you are? You are placed first,
for the Lord now calls
you into action—“
You shall glorify Me.” What a wonderful thing it is! For God to put glory upon us is easy enough,
but for
us to put glory upon Him? This is a miracle of condescension on the part of our God! “You shall
glorify Me.”
“But,” says one in this place, “I love the Lord, but I cannot glorify Him. I wish I could preach, I
wish I could write sweet
hymns, I wish I had a clear voice with which to sing out the Redeemer’s praises—but I have no
gifts or talents and,
therefore,
I shall never be able to glorify Him.”
Listen! You will be cast into trouble one of these days and when you are in trouble you will find
out how to glorify
Him! Your extremity will be your opportunity! Like a lamp which shines not by day, you will
blaze up in the dark! When
the day of trouble is come you will cry, “Lord, I could not do anything for You, but You can do
everything for me. I am
nothing, but Lord, in my nothingness, I, poor I, do trust You and fling myself upon You.”
Then you shall find that you
have glorified Him by your faith! I think you might almost be content to have the trouble, might
you not? It seems as if
you could not glorify Him any other way and to glorify Him is the main object of your existence.
Some Christians would scarcely have brought any glory to God if they had not been led by paths
of sorrow and made
to wade through seas of grief. God gets very little glory out of many professors and He would
have still less if they had
been allowed to rust their souls away in comfort. The brightest of the saints owe much of their
clearness to the fire and
the file. It is by the sharp needle of sorrow that we are embroidered with the praises of the Lord.
We must be tried that
the Lord may be glorified! We cannot call upon Him in the day of trouble if we have no such day
—and He cannot deliver
us if we have no trouble to be delivered from! And we cannot glorify Him if we are not made to
see the danger and the
need in which He displays His love.
I leave the blessed subject of the text with you, as a souvenir, till we meet again. The Lord be
with you till the day
breaks and the shadows flee away. Pray, also, that He may abide with me and with all my
Brothers in the ministry. And

105. may we all, in yonder world of rest, glorify Him who will then have delivered us completely from
all evil, to whom be
glory forever! Amen.
16 But to the wicked person, God says:
“What right have you to recite my laws
or take my covenant on your lips?
1. Barnes, “But unto the wicked God saith - This commences a second part of the subject. See the
introduction. Thus far the psalm had reference to those who were merely external worshippers,
or mere formalists, as showing that such could not be approved and accepted in the day of
judgment; that spiritual religion - the offering of the “heart” - was necessary in order to
acceptance with God. In this part of the psalm the same principles are applied to those who
actually “violate” the law which they profess to receive as prescribing the rules of true religion,
and which they profess to teach to others. The design of the psalm is not merely to reprove the
mass of the people as mere formalists in religion, but especially to reprove the leaders and
teachers of the people, who, under the form of religion, gave themselves up to a course of life
wholly inconsistent with the true service of God. The address here, therefore, is to those who,
while they professed to be teachers of religion, and to lead the devotions of others, gave
themselves up to abandoned lives.
What hast thou to do - What right hast thou to do this? How can people, who lead such lives,
consistently and properly do this? The idea is, that they who profess to declare the law of a holy
God should be themselves holy; that they who profess to teach the principles and doctrines of
true religion should themselves be examples of purity and holiness.
To declare my statutes - My laws. This evidently refers rather to the teaching of others than to
the profession of their own faith. The language would be applicable to the priests under the
Jewish system, who were expected not only to conduct the outward services of religion, but also
to instruct the people; to explain the principles of religion; to be the guides and teachers of
others. Compare Mal_2:7. There is a striking resemblance between the language used in this part
of the psalm Psa_50:16-20 and the language of the apostle Paul in Rom_2:17-23; and it would
seem probable that the apostle in that passage had this portion of the psalm in his eye. See the
notes at that passage.
Or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth - Either as professing faith in it, and a
purpose to be governed by it - or, more probably, as explaining it to others. The ““covenant””

106. here is equivalent to the “law” of God, or the principles of his religion; and the idea is, that he
who undertakes to explain that to others, should himself be a holy man. He can have no “right”
to attempt to explain it, if he is otherwise; he cannot hope to be “able” to explain it, unless he
himself sees and appreciates its truth and beauty. This is as true now of the Gospel as it was of
the law. A wicked man can have no right to undertake the work of the Christian ministry, nor can
he be able to explain to others what he himself does not understand.
2. Clarke, “But unto the wicked - The bloodthirsty priests, proud Pharisees, and ignorant scribes
of the Jewish people.
3. Gill, “ But unto the wicked God saith,.... By whom are meant, not openly profane sinners; but
men under a profession of religion, and indeed who were teachers of others, as appears from the
following expostulation with them: the Scribes, Pharisees, and doctors among the Jews, are
designed; and so Kimchi interprets it of their wise men, who learnt and taught the law, but did
not act according to it. It seems as if the preceding verses respected the truly godly among the
Jews, who believed in Christ, and yet were zealous of the law; and retained legal sacrifices; as
such there were, Act_21:20; and that these words, and what follow, are spoken to hypocrites
among them, who sat in Moses's chair, and said, and did not; were outwardly righteous before
men, but inwardly full of wickedness, destitute of the grace of God and righteousness of Christ;
what hast thou to do to declare my statutes; the laws of God, which were given to the people of
Israel; some of which were of a moral, others of a ceremonial, and others of a judicial nature;
and there were persons appointed to teach and explain these to the people, as the priests and
Levites: now some of these were abrogated, and not to be declared at all in the times this psalm
refers to; and as for others, those persons were very improper to teach and urge the observance
of them, when they themselves did not keep them; and especially it was wrong in them to declare
them to the people, for such purposes as they did, namely, to obtain life and righteousness by
them;
or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? which is to be understood, not of the
covenant of works made with Adam, and now broke; nor of the pure covenant of grace, as
administered under the Gospel dispensation, of which Christ is the Mediator, and the Gospel a
transcript, since both were rejected by these persons; but the covenant at Mount Sinai, which was
a typical one; and being in some sense faulty, was now antiquated, and ought to have ceased; and
therefore these men are blamed for taking it in their mouths, and urging it on the people: and
besides, they had no true sight of and faith in the thing exhibited by it; and moreover were not
steadfast, nor did they continue in it, like their fathers before them, Psa_78:37, Heb_8:7.
4. Henry, “God, by the psalmist, having instructed his people in the right way of worshipping him
and keeping up their communion with him, here directs his speech to the wicked, to hypocrites,
whether they were such as professed the Jewish or the Christian religion: hypocrisy is wickedness
for which God will judge. Observe here,
I. The charge drawn up against them. 1. They are charged with invading and usurping the

107. honours and privileges of religion (Psa_50:16): What has thou to do, O wicked man! to declare my
statutes? This is a challenge to those that rare really profane, but seemingly godly, to show what
title they have to the cloak of religion, and by what authority they wear it, when they use it only
to cover and conceal the abominable impieties of their hearts and lives. Let them make out their
claim to it if they can. Some think it points prophetically at the scribes and Pharisees that were
the teachers and leaders of the Jewish church at the time when the kingdom of the Messiah, and
that evangelical way of worship spoken of in the foregoing verses, were to be set up. They
violently opposed that great revolution, and used all the power and interest which they had by
siting in Moses's seat to hinder it; but the account which our blessed Saviour gives of them (Mt.
23), and St. Paul (Rom_2:21, Rom_2:22), makes this expostulation here agree very well to them.
They took on them to declare God's statues, but they hated Christ's instruction; and therefore
what had they to do to expound the law, when they rejected the gospel? But it is applicable to all
those that are practicers of iniquity, and yet professors of piety, especially if withal they be
preachers of it. ote, It is very absurd in itself, and a great affront to the God of heaven, for those
that are wicked and ungodly to declare his statutes and to take his covenant in their mouths. It is
very possible, and too common, for those that declare God's statutes to others to live in
disobedience to them themselves, and for those that take God's covenant in their mouths yet in
their hearts to continue their covenant with sin and death; but they are guilty of a usurpation,
they take to themselves an honour which they have no title to, and there is a day coming when
they will be thrust out as intruders. Friend, how camest thou in hither? 2. They are charged with
transgressing and violating the laws and precepts of religion. (1.) They are charged with a daring
contempt of the word of God (Psa_50:17): Thou hatest instruction. They loved to give instruction,
and to tell others what they should do, for this fed their pride and made them look great, and by
this craft they got their living; but they hated to receive instruction from God himself, for that
would be a check upon them and a mortification to them. “Thou hatest discipline, the reproofs of
the word and the rebukes of Providence.” o wonder that those who hate to be reformed hate the
means of reformation. Thou castest my words behind thee. They seemed to set God's words before
them, when they sat in Moses's seat, and undertook to teach others out of the law (Rom_2:19);
but in their conversations they cast God's word behind them, and did not care for seeing that rule
which they were resolved not to be ruled by. This is despising the commandment of the Lord.
5. Jamison, “the wicked — that is, the formalists, as now exposed, and who lead vicious lives
(compare Rom_2:21, Rom_2:23). They are unworthy to use even the words of God’s law. Their
hypocrisy and vice are exposed by illustrations from sins against the seventh, eighth, and ninth
commandments.
6. KD, “The accusation of the manifest sinners. It is not those who are addressed in Psa_50:7,
as Hengstenberg thinks, who are here addressed. Even the position of the words וְלָרָשָׁע אָמַר clearly
shows that the divine discourse is now turned to another class, viz., to the evil-doers, who, in
connection with open and manifest sins and vices, take the word of God upon their lips, a distinct
class from those who base their sanctity upon outward works of piety, who outwardly fulfil the
commands of God, but satisfy and deceive themselves with this outward observance. ל œ ,מַה־לָּ
what hast thou, that thou = it belongs not to thee, it does not behove thee. With וְעָתָּה , in
Psa_50:17, an adversative subordinate clause beings: since thou dost not care to know anything
of the moral ennobling which it is the design of the Law to give, and my words, instead of having
them as a constant test-line before thine eyes, thou castest behind thee and so turnest thy back

108. upon them (cf. Isa_38:17). וַתִּרֶץ is not from רוּץ (lxx, Targum, and Saadia), in which case it would
have to be pointed וַתָּרָץ , but from רָצָה , and is construed here, as in Job_34:9, with עִם : to have
pleasure in intercourse with any one. In Psa_50:18 the transgression of the eighth commandment
is condemned, in Psa_50:18 that of the seventh, in Psa_50:19. that of the ninth (concerning the
truthfulness of testimony). שָׁלַח פֶּה בְרָעָה , to give up one's mouth unrestrainedly to evil, i.e., so that
evil issues from it. תֵּשֵׁ ב , Psa_50:20, has reference to gossiping company (cf. Psa_1:1). דֳּפִי signifies
a thrust, a push (cf. הָדַף ), after which the lxx renders it ἐτίθεις σκάνδαλον (cf. Lev_19:14), but it
also signifies vexation and mockery (cf. גָּדַף ); it is therefore to be rendered: to bring reproach
(Jerome, opprobrium) upon any one, to cover him with dishonour. The preposition בְּ with דִּבֶּר has,
just as in um_12:1, and frequently, a hostile signification. “Thy mother's son” is he who is born
of the same mother with thyself, and not merely of the same father, consequently thy brother
after the flesh in the fullest sense. What Jahve says in this passage is exactly the same as that
which the apostle of Jesus Christ says in Rom_2:17-24. This contradiction between the knowledge
and the life of men God must, for His holiness' sake, unmask and punish, Psa_50:20. The sinner
thinks otherwise: God is like himself, i.e., that is also not accounted by God as sin, which he
allows himself to do under the cloak of his dead knowledge. For just as a man is in himself, such
is his conception also of his God (vid., Psa_18:26.). But God will not encourage this foolish idea:
“I will therefore reprove thee and set (it) in order before thine eyes” ( וְאֶֽעֶרְכָ ה , not ואערכֶהָ , in order
to give expression, the second time at least, to the mood, the form of which has been obliterated
by the suffix); He will set before the eyes of the sinner, who practically and also in theory denies
the divine holiness, the real state of his heart and life, so that he shall be terrified at it. Instead of
הָיהֹ , the infin. intensit. here, under the influence of the close connection of the clauses (Ew. §240,
c), is הֱיוֹת ; the oratio obliqua begins with it, without כִּי (quod). ž כָמוֹ exactly corresponds to the
German deines Gleichen, thine equal.
7. Spurgeon, Verse 16-21. Here the Lord turns to the manifestly wicked among his people; and
such there were even in the highest places of his sanctuary. If moral formalists had been rebuked,
how much more these immoral pretenders to fellowship with heaven? If the lack of heart spoiled
the worship of the more decent and virtuous, how much more would violations of the law,
committed with a high hand, corrupt the sacrifices of the wicked?
Verse 16. But unto the wicked God saith. To the breakers of the second table he now addresses
himself; he had previously spoken to the neglectors of the first. What hast thou to do to declare
my statutes? You violate openly my moral law, and yet are great sticklers for my ceremonial
commands! What have you to do with them? What interest can you have in them? Do you dare to
teach my law to others, and profane it yourselves? What impudence, what blasphemy is this!
Even if you claim to be sons of Levi, what of that? Your wickedness disqualifies you, disinherits
you, puts you out of the succession. It should silence you, and would if my people were as
spiritual as I would have them, for they would refuse to hear you, and to pay you the portion of
temporal things which is due to my true servants. You count up your holy days, you contend for
rituals, you fight for externals, and yet the weightier matters of the law ye despise! Ye blind
guides, ye strain out gnats and swallow camels; your hypocrisy is written on your foreheads and
manifest to all. Or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth. Ye talk of being in
covenant with me, and yet trample my holiness beneath you feet as swine trample upon pearls;
think ye that I can brook this? Your mouths are full of lying and slander, and yet ye mouth my
words as if they were fit morsels for such as you! How horrible and evil it is, that to this day we
see men explaining doctrines who despise precepts! They make grace a coverlet for sin, and even

109. judge themselves to be sound in the faith, while they are rotten in life. We need the grace of the
doctrines as much as the doctrines of grace, and without it an apostle is but a Judas, and a fair
spoken professor is an arrant enemy of the cross of Christ.
8. TREASURY OF DAVID, “Verse 16. Unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to
declare my statutes? etc. As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honour is not seemly for
a fool. Is it not? o wonder then that divine wisdom requires us ourselves to put off the old man
(as snakes put off their skins) before we take on us the most honourable office of reproving sin; a
duty which above any other brings praise to God, and profit to men; insomuch that God hath not
a more honourable work that I know of to set us about. And what think you? Are greasy scullions
fit to stand before kings? Are dirty kennel rakers fit to be plenipotentiaries or ambassadors? Are
unclean beasts fit to be made lord almoners, and sent to bestow the king's favours? Are swine fit
to cast pearl, and the very richest pearl of God's royal word? o man dreams it; consequently
none can believe himself qualified or commissioned to be a reprover of sin till he is washed, till
he is sanctified, till he is justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the Spirit of our
God. A lunatick beggar in Athens would not believe but that all the ships in the harbour were
his. His mistake exceeded not theirs, who persuade themselves that this richer office is theirs,
before they are alive from the dead, and born of the Spirit, before they are returned to God
or to themselves. The Duke of Alva is said to have complained that `his king sent him in fetters to
fight for him;' because without his pardon given him, and while he was a prisoner, he employed
him in war. But the Supreme King is a more merciful one, and orders our charity to begin at
home; making it our first duty to break off our sins; and then when we have put off these our
shackles, go to fight his battles. Daniel Burgess (1645--1712-13) in The Golden Sufferers.
Verse 16. The wicked. By whom are meant, not openly profane sinners; but men under a
profession of religion, and indeed who were teachers of others, as appears from the following
expostulations with them: the Scribes, Pharisees, and doctors among the Jews, are designed, and
so Kimchi interprets it of their wise men, who learnt and taught the law, but did not act
according to it. John Gill.
Verse 16. What hast thou to do to declare my statutes? etc. All the medieval writers teach us, even
from the Mosaic law, concerning the leper, how the writer of this Psalm only put in words what
those statutes expressed in fact. For so it is written: The leper in whom the plague is, ... he shall
put a covering upon his upper lip. As they all, following Origen, say: Let them who are
themselves of polluted lips, take good heed not to teach others. Or, to take it in the opposite way,
see how Isaiah would not speak to his people, because he was a man of polluted lips, and he dwelt
among a people of polluted lips, till they had been touched with the living coal from the altar; and
by that, as by a sacrament of the Old Testament, a sentence of absolution had been pronounced
upon them. J. M. eale.
Verse 16. (second clause). Emphasis is laid on the phrase, to declare God's statutes, which both
denotes such an accurate knowledge of them as one may obtain by numbering them, and a
diligent and public review of them. Properly speaking the word is derived from the Arabic, and
signifies to reckon in dust, for the ancients were accustomed to calculate in dust finely sprinkled
over tablets of the Abacus. Hermann Venema.
Verse 16. But unto the wicked God saith, What has thou to do ... to take my covenant into thy
mouth? For whom is the covenant made but for the wicked? If men were not wicked or sinful
what needed there a covenant of grace? The covenant is for the wicked, and the covenant brings
grace enough to pardon those who are most wicked; why, then, doth the Lord say to the wicked,

110. What hast thou to do to take my covenant unto thy mouth? Observe what follows, and his
meaning is expounded: Seeing thou hatest to be reformed. As if God had said, You wicked man,
who protects you sin, and holds it close, refusing to return and hating to reform; what hast thou
to do to meddle with my covenant? Lay off thy defiled hands. He that is resolved to hold his sin
takes hold of the covenant in vain, or rather he lets it go, while he seems to hold it. Woe unto
them who sue for mercy while they neglect duty. Joseph Caryl.
Verse 16. When a minister does not do what he teaches, this makes him a vile person; nay, this
makes him ridiculous, like Lucian's apothecary, who had medicines in his shop to cure the cough,
and told others that he had them, and yet was troubled with it himself. With what a forehead
canst thou stand in a pulpit and publish the laws of God, and undertake the charge of souls, that
when thine own nakedness appears, when thy tongue is of a larger size than thy hands, thy
ministry is divided against itself, thy courses give thy doctrine the lie; thou sayest that men must
be holy, and thy deeds do declare thy mouth's hypocrisy; thou doest more mischief than a
hundred others. William Fenner.
9. STEDMA, “In every congregation there are not only the superficial, who need to be rebuked
and challenged to be real; there are also some who are essentially false, hypocrites, who use all
the right words and frame their lives in Christian form, but are basically ungodly, or to use the
term here, wicked. That is what wickedness is. It is forgetting that God lives and exists. It is to
rule him out of your life, to be ungodly and so, wicked. The judge sees these also. He is here and
he sees such who are here this morning. He knows the heart.
They are identified as being wicked by three marks.
First, they hate discipline. They want only their own way. They hate discipline and therefore
reject truth. They do not want to hear what is true. They do not recognize any absolutes in life.
They want to believe that everything is relative, that you can do whatever you like. They want,
basically, their own way at all costs, and they resent any form of restraint or criticism. They hate
discipline.
Second, they admire evil and they enjoy the friendship of those who do evil. This is exactly the
charge, you remember, which Paul levels against some in Romans 1. They not only admire evil
themselves but they approve those who practice {Rom 1:28 RSV} evil things. This is what God
describes here. If you see a thief, he says, you think he is clever. You admire a man who can cheat
someone and get away with it. To you he is a clever man, you admire him for it. You want to be
with him and to imitate him. You see an adulterer, someone who lives in open, flagrant, sexual
immorality, and you say he's free, and seek him out. You think he is better off than you are who
must live under certain restraints. You admire this person who seems to be so free, who has
kicked over all the traces, and you want to be like him.
Then, third, the wicked possesses an ungoverned tongue; he says whatever he feels like saying. He
has a tongue that lies, which frames deceit, one that cuts down others, slicing away, jabbing at
another's reputation. You do this even, says God, to your own brother or sister, or anyone in the
family. That, God says, reveals that you are wicked, that you do not own God in your life. You are
essentially ungodly, there has been no redemptive change in you, but it is all covered by a
religious glaze. Today we have not only Christians, but there are what we might call
Christianeers: those who subscribe to the outward forms of Christianity much as they would
adopt a political slogan. In every congregation there are Christians and there are Christianeers.

111. Sometimes it is hard to tell them apart, but God knows. God is judging. He is in our midst and he
sees. He says, You, you're a Christianeer, you're not real. You may believe you even have God
fooled
10. Calvin, “But unto the wicked, etc. He now proceeds to direct his censures more openly against
those whose whole religion lies in an observance of ceremonies, with which they attempt to blind
the eyes of God. An exposure is made of the vanity of seeking to shelter impurity of heart and life
under a veil of outward services, a lesson which ought to have been received by all with true
consent, but which was peculiarly ungrateful to Jewish ears. It has been universally confessed,
that the worship of God is pure and acceptable only when it proceeds from a sincere heart. The
acknowledgement has been extorted from the poets of the heathen, and it is known that the
profligate were wont to be excluded from their temples and from participation in their sacrifices.
And yet such is the influence of hypocrisy in choking and obliterating even a sentiment so
universally felt as this, that men of the most abandoned character will obtrude themselves into
the presence of God, in the confidence of deceiving him with their vain inventions. This may
explain the frequency of the warnings which we find in the prophets upon this subject, declaring
to the ungodly again and again, that they only aggravate their guilt by assuming the semblance of
piety. Loudly as the Spirit of God has asserted, that a form of godliness, unaccompanied by the
grace of faith and repentance, is but a sacrilegious abuse of the name of God; it is yet impossible
to drive the Papists out of the devilish delusion, that their idlest services are sanctified by what
they call their final intention. They grant that none but such as are in a state of grace can possess
the meritum de condigno; 252 but they maintain that the mere outward acts of devotion, without
any accompanying sentiments of the heart, may prepare a person at least for the reception of
grace. And thus, if a monk rise from the bed of his adultery to chant a few psalms without one
spark of godliness in his breast, or if a whore-monger, a thief, or any foresworn villain, seeks to
make reparation for his crimes by mass or pilgrimage, they would be loath to consider this lost
labor. By God, on the other hand, such a disjunction of the form from the inward sentiment of
devotion is branded as sacrilege. In the passage before us, the Psalmist sets aside and refutes a
very common objection which might be urged. Must not, it might be said, those sacrifices be in
some respect acceptable to God which are offered up in his honor? He shows that, on the
contrary, they entail guilt upon the parties who present them, inasmuch as they lie to God, and
profane his holy name. He checks their presumption with the words, What hast thou to do to
declare my statutes? that is, to pretend that you are one of my people, and that you have a part in
my covenant. ow, if God in this manner rejects the whole of that profession of godliness, which
is unaccompanied by purity of heart, how shall we expect him to treat the observance of mere
ceremonies, which hold quite an inferior place to the declaration of the statutes of God?
17 You hate my instruction
and cast my words behind you.

112. 1. Barnes, “Seeing thou hatest instruction - That is, He is unwilling himself to be taught. He will
not learn the true nature of religion, and yet he presumes to instruct others. Compare the notes at
Rom_2:21.
And castest my words behind thee - He treated them with contempt, or as unworthy of
attention. He did not regard them as worthy of being “retained,” but threw them contemptuously
away.
2. Clarke, “Seeing thou hatest instruction - All these rejected the counsel of God against
themselves; and refused to receive the instructions of Christ.
3. Gill, “Seeing thou hatest instruction,.... Or correction (z); to be reproved or reformed by the
statutes and covenant they declared to others; they taught others, but not themselves, Rom_2:21;
or evangelical instruction, the doctrines of grace, and of Christ; for, as concerning the Gospel,
they were enemies, Rom_11:28; and since they were haters of that, they ought not to have been
teachers of others;
and castest my words behind thee; the doctrines of the Gospel, which they despised and rejected
with the utmost abhorrence, as loathsome, and not fit to be looked upon and into; and also the
ordinances of it, the counsel of God, which they rejected against themselves, Act_13:45.
4. Henry, “
5. Jamison, “
6. TREASURY OF DAVID, “Verse 17. And castest my words behind thee. Thou castest away
contemptuously, with disgust and detestation, as idols are cast out of a city; or as Moses
indignantly dashed to the earth the tables of the law. Martin Geier.
Verse 17. My words: apparently the ten commandments, accustomed to be called the ten words, by
which God is often said to have made his covenant with Israel. Hermann Venema.
7. Spurgeon, Seeing thou hatest instruction. Profane professors are often too wise to learn, too
besotted with conceit to be taught of God. What a monstrosity that men should declare those
statutes which with their hearts they do not know, and which in their lives they openly disavow!
Woe unto the men who hate the instruction which they take upon themselves to give. And castest
my words behind thee. Despising them, throwing them away as worthless, putting them out of
sight as obnoxious. Many boasters of the law did this practically; and in these last days there are
pickers and choosers of God's words who cannot endure the practical part of Scripture; they are
disgusted at duty, they abhor responsibility, they disembowel texts of their plain meanings, they
wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction. It is an ill sign when a man dares not look a
Scripture in the face, and an evidence of brazen impudence when he tries to make it mean

113. something less condemnatory of his sins, and endeavours to prove it to be less sweeping in its
demands. How powerful is the argument that such men have no right to take the covenant of God
into their mouths, seeing that its spirit does not regulate their lives!
8. Calvin, “Also thou hatest correction Here hypocrites are challenged with treacherous duplicity
in denying, by their life and their works, that godliness which they have professed with the lip.
Their contempt of God he proves from their want of reverential deference to his Word;
subjection to the Word of God, and cordial submission to his precepts and instructions, being the
surest test of religious principle. One way in which hypocrisy usually displays itself is, by the
ingenious excuses it invents for evading the duty of obedience. The Psalmist points to this as the
mainspring of their ungodliness, that they had cast the Word of God behind their back, while he
insinuates that the principle from which all true worship flows is the obedience of faith. He
adverts also to the cause of their perversity, which lies in the unwillingness of their corrupt heart
to suffer the yoke of God. They have no hesitation in granting that whatever proceeds from the
mouth of God is both true and right; this honor they are willing to concede to his Word; but in so
far as it proposes to regulate their conduct, and restrain their sinful affections, they dislike and
detest it. Our corruption, indisposing us to receive correction, exasperates us against the Word of
God; nor is it possible that we can ever listen to it with true docility and meekness of mind, till we
have been brought to give ourselves up to be ruled and disciplined by its precepts. The Psalmist
next proceeds to specify some of those works of ungodliness, informing us that hypocrites, who
were addicted to theft and adultery, mixed up and polluted the holy name of God with their
wickedness. By adverting only to some species of vices, he would intimate, in general, that those
who have despised correction, and hardened themselves against instruction, are prepared to
launch into every excess which corrupt desire or evil example may suggests. He makes mention,
first, of thefts; then of adulteries; and, thirdly, of calumnies or false reproaches. Most interpreters
render תרף , tirets, to run, although others derive it from רצה , ratsah, rendering it to consent. Either
translation agrees sufficiently with the scope of the Psalmist, and the preference may be left to the
reader’s own choice. The charge here brought against hypocrites, that they put forth their mouth
to evil, may include not merely slander, but all the different kinds of speaking which injure their
neighbors, for it immediately follows, my tongue frameth deceit It is well known in what a variety
of ways the lying and deceitful tongue may inflict injury and pain. When it is added, Thou sittest,
etc., the allusion may be to one who sits for the passing of a formal judgment; as if it had been
said, Thou defamest thy brethren under pretext of issuing a just sentence. 253 Or there may be a
reference to petty calumny; such as men maliciously indulge in, and in which they pass their time
as they sit at ease in their houses. 254 It seems more probable, however, that he refers to the
higher crime of accusing the innocent and righteous in open court, and bringing false charges
against them. Brethren, and the children of their mother, 255 are mentioned, the more
emphatically to express the cruelty of their calumnies, when they are represented as violating the
ties of nature, and not even sparing the nearest relations.
18 When you see a thief, you join with him;
you throw in your lot with adulterers.

114. 1. Barnes, “When thou sawest a thief - When you have seen or found one who was intending to
commit theft, then (instead of rebuking or exposing him) you have been willing to act with him,
and to divide the profits. The words “when thou sawest” would seem to imply readiness and
willingness to engage with them, as “at first sight.” Whenever there was an opportunity to share
in the results of theft, they were ready to engage in it. The main “point” in this is, that they were
willing to do so even when observing the outward duties of religion, and when professing to be
the true worshippers of God. A similar sentiment occurs in Rom_2:21. See the notes at that
passage.
Then thou consentedst with him - literally, Thou didst delight in him, or hadst pleasure in him.
He was a man after thine own heart. Thou wast at once on good terms with him.
And hast been partaker with adulterers - Margin, as in Hebrew, “thy portion was with
adulterers.” This was a common vice among the Jewish people. See the notes at Rom_2:22. The
idea here is, that they were associated in practice with adulterers; they were guilty of that crime
as others were. The point of the remark here is, that they did this under the cloak of piety, and
when they were scrupulous and faithful in offering sacrifices, and in performing all the external
rites of religion.
2. Clarke, “When thou sawest a thief - Rapine, adulteries, and adulterous divines, were common
among the Jews in our Lord’s time. The Gospels give full proof of this.
3. Gill, “When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him,.... Or didst run with him
(a); joined and agreed with him in the commission of the same things; which was literally true of
the Scribes and Pharisees: they devoured widows' houses, and robbed them of their substance,
under a pretence of long prayers; they consented to the deeds of Barabbas, a robber, when they
preferred him to Jesus Christ; and they joined with the thieves on the cross in reviling him: and,
in a spiritual sense, they stole away the word of the Lord, every man from his neighbour; took
away the key of knowledge from the people, and put false glosses upon the sacred writings;
and hast been a partaker with adulterers; these teachers of the law were guilty both of theft and
adultery, Rom_2:21; they are called by our Lord an adulterous generation, Mat_12:39; and they
were so in a literal sense; see Joh_8:4; and in a figurative one, adulterating the word of God, and
handling it deceitfully.
4. Henry, “A close confederacy with the worst of sinners (Psa_50:18): “When thou sawest a thief,
instead of reproving him and witnessing against him, as those should do that declare God's
statutes, thou consentedst with him, didst approve of his practices, and desire to be a partner with
him and to share in the profits of his cursed trade; and thou hast been partaker with adulterers,
hast done as they did, and encouraged them to go on in their wicked courses, hast done these
things and hast had pleasure in those that do them,” Rom_1:32. (3.) A constant persisting in the

115. worst of tongue-sins (Psa_50:19): “Thou givest thy mouth to evil, not only allowest thyself in, but
addictest thyself wholly to, all manner of evil-speaking.” [1.] Lying: Thy tongue frames deceit,
which denotes contrivance and deliberation in lying. It knits or links deceit, so some. One lie
begets another, and one fraud requires another to cover it. [2.] Slandering (Psa_50:20): “Thou
sittest, and speakest against thy brother, dost basely abuse and misrepresent him, magisterially
judge and censure him, and pass sentence upon him, as if you wert his master to whom he must
stand or fall, whereas he is thy brother, as good as thou art, and upon the level with thee, for he is
thy own mother's son. He is thy near relation, whom thou oughtest to love, to vindicate, and stand
up for, if others abused him; yet thou dost thyself abuse him, whose faults thou oughtest to cover
and make the best of; if really he had done amiss, yet thou dost most falsely and unjustly charge
him with that which he is innocent of; thou sittest and doest this, as a judge upon the bench, with
authority; thou sittest in the seat of the scornful, to deride and backbite those whom thou
oughtest to respect and be kind to.” Those that do ill themselves commonly delight in speaking ill
of others.
5. Jamison, “
6. TREASURY OF DAVID, “Verse 18. When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him;
or didst run with him. This was literally true of the Scribes and Pharisees; they devoured widow's
houses, and robbed them of their substance, under a pretext of long prayers; they consented to
the deeds of Barabbas, a robber, when they preferred him to Jesus Christ; and they joined with
the thieves on the cross in reviling him; and, in a spiritual sense, they stole away the word of the
Lord, every man from his neighbour; took away the key of knowledge from the people, and put
false glosses upon the sacred writings. John Gill.
Verse 18. Thou consentedst with him; became his accomplice. Sunetreces. LXX, i.e., you helped
him to carry off his booty and to make his escape. Samuel Horsley.
Verse 18. Thou consentedst with him. Or, thou runnest along with him. Hast been partaker with;
namely, thou art his companion; a term taken from commerce of merchants, or from banquets
made after the ancient manner, to which divers did contribute, and had their shares therein. John
Diodati.
Verse 18. (last clause). To give entertainment to them we know to be dissolute, is to communicate
with their sins. Thomas Adams.
7. Spurgeon, When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him. Moral honesty cannot
be absent where true grace is present. Those who excuse others in trickery are guilty themselves;
those who use others to do unjust actions for them are doubly so. If a man be ever so religious, if
his own actions do not rebuke dishonesty, he is an accomplice with thieves. If we can acquiesce in
anything which is not upright, we are not upright ourselves, and our religion is a lie. And hast
been partaker with adulterers. One by one the moral precepts are thus broken by the sinners in
Zion. Under the cloak of piety, unclean livers conceal themselves. We may do this by smiling at
unchaste jests, listening to indelicate expressions, and conniving at licentious behaviour in our
presence; and if we thus act, how dare we preach, or lead public prayer, or wear the Christian
name? See how the Lord lays righteousness to the plummet. How plainly all this declares that
without holiness no man shall see the Lord! o amount of ceremonial or theological accuracy can
cover dishonesty and fornication: these filthy things must be either purged from us by the blood
of Jesus, or they will kindle a fire in God's anger which will burn even to the lowest hell.

116. 19 You use your mouth for evil
and harness your tongue to deceit.
1. Barnes, “Thou givest thy mouth to evil - Margin, as in Hebrew, “thou sendest.” That is, they
gave it up to evil; they employed it in evil: in falsehood, malice, deceit, slander, deception,
detraction.
And thy tongue frameth deceit - The word rendered “frameth” means properly to bind, to
fasten; and then, to contrive, to frame. The meaning is, that it was employed in the work of
deceit; that is, it was employed in devising and executing purposes of fraud and falsehood.
2. Clarke, “
3. Gill, “Thou givest thy mouth to evil,.... To speak evil things against Christ, his doctrines,
ordinances, ministers and people; and to deliver out evil doctrines, pernicious to the souls of men;
and thy tongue frameth deceit; puts and joins together deceitful words in a very artful manner,
by which simple and unstable minds are beguiled.
4. Henry, “
5. Jamison, “
6. TREASURY OF DAVID, “Verse 19. Thou givest thy mouth to evil, etc. Thou givest. Hebrew,
thou sendest forth; to wit, free; for the word is used of men dismissing their wives or their
servants, whom they left to their freedom. Thou hast an unbridled tongue, and castest off all
restraints of God's law, and of thine own conscience, and givest thy tongue liberty to speak what
you please, though it be offensive and dishonourable to God, and injurious to thy neighbour, or to
thy own soul; which is justly produced as an evidence of their hypocrisy. To evil, either to sinful
or mischievous speeches. Frameth deceit, i.e., uttereth lies or fair words, wherewith to circumvent
those who deal with them. Matthew Poole.
Verse 19. The ninth commandment is now added to the other two, as being habitually violated by
the person here addressed. J. A. Alexander.
7. Spurgeon, Thou givest thy mouth to evil. Sins against the ninth commandment are here

117. mentioned. The man who surrenders himself to the habit of slander is a vile hypocrite if he
associates himself with the people of God. A man's health is readily judged by his tongue. A foul
mouth, a foul heart. Some slander almost as often as they breathe, and yet are great upholders of
the church, and great sticklers for holiness. To what depths will not they go in evil, who delight in
spreading it with their tongues? And thy tongue frameth deceit. This is a more deliberate sort of
slander, where the man dexterously elaborates false witness, and concocts methods of defamation.
There is an ingenuity of calumny in some men, and, alas! even in some who are thought to be
followers of the Lord Jesus. They manufacture falsehoods, weave them in their loom, hammer
them on their anvil, and then retail their wares in every company. Are these accepted with God?
Though they bring their wealth to the altar, and speak eloquently of truth and of salvation, have
they any favour with God? We should blaspheme the holy God if we were to think so. They are
corrupt in his sight, a stench in his nostrils. He will cast all liars into hell. Let them preach, and
pray, and sacrifice as they will; till they become truthful, the God of truth loathes them utterly.
20 You sit and testify against your brother
and slander your own mother’s son.
1. Barnes, “Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother - To the general character of falsehood
and slander there is now added the fact that they were guilty of this in the most aggravated
manner conceivable - against their nearest relations, the members of their own families. They
were not only guilty of the crime against neighbors - against strangers - against persons to whom
they sustained no near relationship; but against those of their own households - those whose
characters, on that account, ought to have been especially dear to them. The words ““thou
sittest”” probably refer to the fact that they would do this when enjoying social contact with
them; in confidential conversation; when words of peace, and not of slander, might be properly
expected. The word “brother” “might” be used as denoting any other man, or any one of the
same nation; but the phrase which is added, “thine own mother’s son,” shows that it is here to be
taken in the strictest sense.
Thou slanderest - literally, “Thou givest to ruin.” Prof. Alexander renders it, “Thou wilt aim a
blow.” The Septuagint, the Vulgate, Luther, and DeWette understand it of slander.
Thine own mother’s son - It is to be remembered that where polygamy prevailed there would
be many children in the same family who had the same father, but not the same mother. The
nearest relationship, therefore, was where there was the same mother as well as the same father.
To speak of a brother, in the strictest sense, and as implying the nearest relationship, it would be
natural to speak of one as having the same mother. The idea here is, that while professing
religion, and performing its external rites with the most scrupulous care, they were guilty of the
basest crimes, and showed an entire want of moral principle and of natural affection. External
worship, however zealously performed, could not be acceptable in such circumstances to a holy

118. God.
2. Clarke, “
3. Gill, “Thou sittest,.... Either in the chair of Moses, or on the seat of judgment, in the great
sanhedrim of the nation; or, as Aben Ezra paraphrases it, in the seat of the scornful;
and speakest against thy brother; even to pass sentence upon him, to put him to death for
professing faith in Christ, Mat_10:21;
thou slanderest thine own mother's son; the apostles and disciples of Christ, who were their
brethren and kinsmen according to the flesh; and even our Lord Jesus Christ himself, who was
bone of their bone, and flesh of their flesh.
4. Henry, “
5. Jamison, “
6. TREASURY OF DAVID, “Verse 20. Thou sittest and speakest, etc. A man may both speak and
do evil while he sits still and doth nothing; an idle posture may serve the turn for such work as
that. Joseph Caryl.
Verse 20. Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother, etc. When you are sitting still, and have
nothing else to do, you are ever injuring your neighbour with your slanderous speech. Your table
talk is abuse of your nearest friends. Samuel Horsley.
Verse 20. Thine own mother's son. To understand the force of this expression, it is necessary to
bear in mind that polygamy was allowed amongst the Israelites. Those who were born to the
same father were all brethren, but a yet more intimate relationship subsisted between those who
had the same mother, as well as the same father. French and Skinner.
7. Spurgeon, Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother. He sits down to it, makes it his meat,
studies it, resolves upon it, becomes a master of defamation, occupies the chair of calumny. His
nearest friend is not safe, his dearest relative escapes not. Thou slanderest thine own mother's
son. He ought to love him best, but he has an ill word for him. The son of one's own mother was
to the Oriental a very tender relation; but the wretched slanderer knows no claims of kindred. He
stabs his brother in the dark, and aims a blow at him who came forth of the same womb; yet he
wraps himself in the robe of hypocrisy, and dreams that he is a favourite of heaven, an accepted
worshipper of the Lord. Are such monsters to be met with nowadays? Alas! they pollute our
churches still, and are roots of bitterness, spots on our solemn feasts, wandering stars for whom is
reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. Perhaps some such may read these lines, but they
will probably read them in vain; their eyes are too dim to see their own condition, their hearts are
waxen gross, their ears are dull of hearing; they are given up to a strong delusion to believe a lie,
that they may be damned.

119. 21 When you did these things and I kept silent,
you thought I was exactly[c] like you.
But I now arraign you
and set my accusations before you.
1. Barnes, “These things hast thou done, and I kept silence - Compare the notes at Isa_18:4. The
meaning is, that while they did these things - while they committed these abominations - he did
not interfere. He did not come forth in his anger to destroy them. He had borne all this with
patience. He had borne this until it was now time that he should interpose Isa_18:3, and state the
true principles of his government, and warn then of the consequences of such a course of sin and
hypocrisy. Compare the notes at Act_17:30.
Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself - The idea here is, that they
thought or imagined that God was just like themselves in the matter under consideration, and
they acted under this impression; or, in other words, the fair interpretation of their conduct was
that they thus regarded God. That is, they supposed that “God” would be satisfied with the
“forms” of religion, as “they” were; that all he required was the proper offering of sacrifice,
according to “their” views of the nature of religion; that he did not regard principle, justice, pure
morality, sincerity, even as they themselves did not; and that he would not be strict to punish sin,
or to reprove them for it, if these forms were kept up, even as “they” were not disposed to be
rigid on the subject of sin.
But I will reprove thee - I will rebuke thee alike for thy sins, and for this view of the nature of
religion.
And set them in order - literally, I will “array” them; that is, I will draw them out to view in
their appropriate ranks and orders, as soldiers are drawn up in martial array. They shall be so
arranged and classified that they may be seen distinctly.
Before thine eyes - So that they may be plainly seen. The meaning is, that they would have a
clear and impressive view of them: they would be made to see them as they were. This might be
done then, as it is done now, either
(a) by their being set before their minds and hearts, so that they would see and feel the
enormity of sin, to wit, by conviction for it; or
(b) by sending such punishment on them for their sins that they might “measure” the guilt and
the number of their transgressions by the penalties which would be inflicted.
In some way all sinners will yet be made to see the nature and the extent of their guilt before
God.

120. 2. Clarke, “These things hast thou done - My eye has been continually upon you, though my
judgments have not been poured out: and because I was silent, thou didst suppose I was such as
thyself; but I will reprove thee, etc. I will visit for these things.
3. Gill, “These things hast thou done,.... These evil works, as the Targum; which they had done
over and over again without remorse, with the greatest pleasure, and with promises of impunity
to themselves. This is a confirmation of the charge made by the omniscient God, who saw and
knew all their actions;
and I kept silence; spoke not by terrible things in righteousness, deferred the execution of
judgment, exercised forbearance and patience, and gave space to repent; which being despised,
they were hardened yet more and more in sin; see Ecc_8:11. This refers to the space of time
between the crucifixion of Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem;
thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself; either that he did not see the things
committed by them in secret, as the things before mentioned, theft, adultery, slander, and
detraction, commonly are; because they could not see such actions done by others: or that he took
pleasure in them, as they did, and that he approved of their crucifixion of Jesus of azareth, and
of their contempt of his Gospel, and of the persecution of his followers;
but I will reprove thee: not verbally by the ministry of the word, much less effectually and
savingly by his Spirit; nor in a way of fatherly correction and chastisement; but by sore
judgments; by sending the Roman armies to burn their city and temple, and carry them captive;
and set them in order before thine eyes; that is, their sins, and thereby fully confute their vain
imagination, that either he did not take notice of them, or else approved of them. This signifies a
formal process against them, as in a court of judicature; bringing in a regular charge and
accusation against them, and an orderly disposition of their sins, as to time, place, and
circumstances, committed by them, and a strong evidence or thorough conviction of them, so as
not to be denied and gainsaid by them: or a setting them in battle array, as in Job_6:4; in rank
and file; sins being what war against men, and bring upon them utter ruin and destruction; as
the sins of the Jews fought against them, and destroyed them; see Jer_2:19.
4. Henry, “he proof of this charge (Psa_50:21): “These things thou hast done; the fact is too plain
to be denied, the fault too bad to be excused; these things God knows, and thy own heart knows,
thou hast done.” The sins of sinners will be proved upon them, beyond contradiction, in the
judgment of the great day: “I will reprove thee, or convince thee, so that thou shalt have not one
word to say for thyself.” The day is coming when impenitent sinners will have their mouths for
ever stopped and be struck speechless. What confusion will they be filled with when God shall set
their sins in order before their eyes! They would not see their sins to their humiliation, but cast
them behind their backs, covered them, and endeavoured to forget them, nor would they suffer
their own consciences to put them in mind of them; but the day is coming when God will make
them see their sins to their everlasting shame and terror; he will set them in order, original sin,
actual sins, sins against the law, sins against the gospel, against the first table, against the second
table, sins of childhood and youth, of riper age, and old age. He will set them in order, as the
witnesses are set in order, and called in order, against the criminal, and asked what they have to

121. say against him.
The Judge's patience, and the sinner's abuse of that patience: “I kept silence, did not give thee
any disturbance in thy sinful way, but let thee alone to take thy course; sentence against thy evil
works was respited, and not executed speedily.” ote, The patience of God is very great towards
provoking sinners. He sees their sins and hates them; it would be neither difficulty nor damage to
him to punish them, and yet he waits to be gracious and gives them space to repent, that he may
render them inexcusable if they repent not. His patience is the more wonderful because the sinner
makes such an ill use of it: “Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thyself, as weak
and forgetful as thyself, as false to my word as thyself, nay, as much a friend to sin as thyself.”
Sinners take God's silence for consent and his patience for connivance; and therefore the longer
they are reprieved the more are their hearts hardened; but, if they turn not, they shall be made to
see their error when it is too late, and that the God they provoke is just, and holy, and terrible,
and not such a one as themselves.
5. Jamison, “God, no longer (even in appearance) disregarding such, exposes their sins and
threatens a terrible punishment.
6. TREASURY OF DAVID, “Verse 21. These things hast thou done, and I kept silence. either
sleep nor slumber, nor connivance, nor neglect of anything can be incident to God. Because he
doth not execute present judgment and visible destruction upon sinners, therefore blasphemy
presumptuously infers -- will God trouble himself about such petty matters? So they imagined of
their imaginary Jupiter. on vacat exiguis rebus adesse Jovem. What a narrow and finite
apprehension this is of God! He that causes and produces every action -- shall he not be present
at every action? What can we do without him, that cannot move but in him? He that taketh
notice of sparrows, and numbers the seeds which the very ploughman thrusts in the ground, can
any action of man escape his knowledge, or slip from his contemplation? He may seem to wink at
things, but never shuts his eyes. He doth not always manifest a reprehensive knowledge, yet he
always retains an apprehensive knowledge. Though David smote not Shimei cursing, yet he heard
Shimei cursing. As judges often determine to hear, but do not hear to determine; so though God
does not see to like, ye he likes to see. Thomas Adams.
Verse 21. Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself. Such is the blindness and
corruption of our nature, that we have very deformed and misshapen thoughts of him, till with
the eye of faith we see his face in the glass of the word; and therefore Mr. Perkins affirms, that all
men who ever came of Adam (Christ alone excepted) are by nature atheists; because at the same
time that they acknowledge God, they deny his power, presence, and justice, and allow him to be
only what pleaseth themselves. Indeed, it is natural for every man to desire to accommodate his
lusts with a conception of God as may be most favourable to and suit best with them. God
charges some for this: Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself. Sinners do
with God as the Ethiopians do with angels, whom they picture with black faces that they may be
like themselves. William Gurnall.
Verse 21. Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself. This men do when they
plead for sins as little, as venial, as that which is below God to take notice of; because they
themselves think it so, therefore God must think it so too. Man, with a giant like pride, would

122. climb into the throne of the Almighty, and establish a contradiction to the will of God by making
his own will, and not God's, the square and rule of his actions. This principle commenced and
took date in Paradise, where Adam would not depend upon the will of God revealed to him, but
upon himself and his own will, and thereby makes himself as God. Stephen Charnock.
Verse 21. I will set them in order before thine eyes. This is to be understood more militari, when
sins shall be set in rank and file, in bloody array against thy soul; or more forensi, when they
shall be set in order as so many indictments for thy rebellion and treason. Stephen Charnock.
Verse 21. And set them in order before thine eyes: as if he should say, Thou thoughtest all thy sins
were scattered and dispersed; that there was not a sin to be found; that they should never be
rallied and brought together; but I assure thee I will make an army of those sins, a complete
army of them, I will set them in rank and file before thine eyes; and see how thou canst behold,
much less contend with, such an host as they. Take heed therefore you do not levy war against
your own souls; that's the worst of all civil or interstine wars. If an army of divine terrors be so
fearful, what will an army of black, hellish sins be? when God shall bring whole regiments of sins
against you -- here a regiment of oaths, there a regiment of lies, there a third of false dealings,
here a troop of filthy actions, and there a legion of unclean or profane thoughts, all at once
fighting against thy life and everlasting peace. Joseph Caryl.
Verse 21. Atheists do mock at those Scriptures which tell us that we shall give account of all our
deeds; but God shall make them find the truth of it in that day of their reckoning. It is as easy for
him to make their forgetful minds remember as to create the minds in them. When he applies his
register to their forgetful spirits they shall see all their forgotten sins. When the printer presseth
clean paper upon his oiled irons, it receiveth the print of every letter: so when God shall stamp
their minds with his register, they shall see all their former sins in a view. The hand was ever
writing against Belshazzar, as he was ever sinning, though he saw it not till the cup was filled: so
is it to the wicked; their sins are numbered, and themselves weighed, and see not till they be
divided by a fearful wakening. William Struther.
Verse 21. (last clause). God setteth his sins in order before his eyes. Imprimis, the sin of his
conception. Item, the sins of his childhood. Item, of his youth. Item, of his man's estate, etc. Or,
Imprimis, sins against the first table. Item, sins against the second; so many of ignorance, so
many of knowledge, so many of presumption, severally sorted by themselves. He committed sins
confusedly, huddling them up in heaps; but God sets them in order, and methodizes them to his
hands. Thomas Fuller.
7. Spurgeon, These things hast thou done, and I kept silence. o swift judgment overthrew the
sinner -- longsuffering reigned; no thunder was heard in threatening, and no bolt of fire was
hurled in execution. Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself. The inference
drawn from the Lord's patience was infamous; the respited culprit thought his judge to be one of
the same order as himself. He offered sacrifice, and deemed it accepted; he continued in sin, and
remained unpunished, and therefore he rudely said, Why need believe these crazy prophets?
God cares not how we live so long as we pay our tithes. Little does he consider how we get the
plunder, so long as we bring a bullock to his altar. What will not men imagine of the Lord? At
one time they liken the glory of Israel to a calf, and anon unto their brutish selves. But I will
reprove thee. At last I will break silence and let them know my mind. And set them in order
before thine eyes. I will marshall thy sins in battle array. I will make thee see them, I will put
them down item by item, classified and arranged. Thou shalt know that if silent awhile, I was

123. never blind or deaf. I will make thee perceive what thou hast tried to deny. I will leave the seat of
mercy for the throne of judgment, and there I will let thee see how great the difference between
thee and me.
8. STEDMA, “God is saying, ow don't fool yourself. I am patient. I do not always act
immediately. I do not always strike people with judgment the minute they do anything wrong.
Surely it is well for us to remember that. Sometimes we hear people say, Why doesn't God kill
Mao Tse-tung and get rid of him? But what we need to ask is, Why didn't God cause my hand
to shrivel when I took something that didn't belong to me yesterday? Why didn't he cut off my
tongue when I said that sharp and caustic word to my friend this morning? Why didn't he blind
my eyes when I let them dwell on something I shouldn't have, and played with my lust in my
mind? You see, if God is going to judge he must judge all.
But God says, I am patient. Remember, friend, that I have let you go on because I want to reach
you. I don't want you to be this way. I want to change you, I want to redeem you, I want to call
you back from this. But do not misread my patience as indifference. You thought I was like you;
that I didn't give a fig for these things. But friend, there comes a time when I must lay the charge
clearly before you, put the cards right on the table. You can't go on this way. I offer you
redemption, salvation. And remember, if you refuse it there will come a time when I must become
your enemy. And if I, God, who wants to be your friend, ultimately is made your enemy by the
way you act toward me, then tell me, who will be your friend in that day?
God has a thousand ways of leveling accounts, of settling up issues, and who can defend against
him? Who can take on God? Who can outwit his purposes? God is an utter realist. I wish we
could get that into our minds. He is not fooled by anything or anyone. He sees us exactly as we
are. And he is no mere pimple-squeezer, either. He is not dealing with superficial things; he goes
right for the jugular, right to the issues of life.
9. Calvin, “These things hast thou done Hypocrites, until they feel the hand of God against them,
are ever ready to surrender themselves to a state of security, and nothing is more difficult than to
awaken their apprehensions. By this alarming language the Psalmist aims at convincing them of
the certainty of destruction should they longer presume upon the forbearance of God, and thus
provoke his anger the more, by imagining that he can favor the practice of sin. The greatest
dishonor which any can cast upon his name is that of impeaching his justice. This hypocrites may
not venture to do in an open manner, but in their secret and corrupt imagination they figure God
to be different from what he is, that they may take occasion from his conceived forbearance to
indulge a false peace of mind, and escape the disquietude which they could not fail to feel were
they seriously persuaded that God was the avenger of sin. We have a sufficient proof in the
supine security which hypocrites display, that they must have formed such false conceptions of
God. They not only exclude from their thoughts his judicial character, but think of him as the
patron and approver of their sins. The Psalmist reprehends them for abusing the goodness and
clemency of God, in the way of cherishing a vain hope that they may transgress with impunity.
He warns them, that ere long they will be dragged into the light, and that those sins which they
would have hidden from the eyes of God would be set in all their enormity before their view. He
will set the whole list of their sins in distinct order, for so I understand the expression, to set in

124. order, before their view, and force them upon their observation.
10`. SPURGEO, ““Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself.” — Psalm
50:21
GOD is here speaking to a bad man, who had been committing all sorts of evil deeds. Even while
professing to declare God’s statutes he had been casting God’s words behind him, he had been
the accomplice of thieves, and had been uttering falsehood and slander; yet, all the while, God
did not interfere with him, but suffered him to run on in his wicked way, and the man gathered
from that noninterference that God did not mind what he was doing, and that, in fact, he was
such an one as himself. But if we begin to think, in a right manner, about God and ourselves, it
will strike us at once that there must always have been an infinite disparity between the eternal
God and the very noblest of his creatures. It is true that man was made in the image of God, and
that, when he was in his perfect state, he could have learned more from what he then was as to
what God might be than he could learn from all the rest of creation. His moral qualities, before
sin had tainted his nature, rendered him akin to the Most High. Yet, even then, although man was
in the image of God, it must have been a very tiny miniature of the Infinite One. Manhood is not
a mirror broad enough or long enough to reflect the majesty of the Eternal. We are like him as a
spark of fire is like the sun, or as a tiny raindrop may be like the sea, but the resemblance cannot
go any farther than that, and perhaps not so far. We are but creatures of a day, and he is the
Everlasting. Even if we had still remained as pure as the holy angels that adore the thrice-holy
One, we must have felt ourselves to be less than nothing in his eyes. But now that man has fallen
from his first estate, how unlike God he is! Man fallen is only the image of God so far as a
miniature dashed to pieces could be said to be a likeness at all. There are touches of the divine
about man even in his lost estate. Manhood is a palace, but it is like a palace after a siege, or a
conflagration, or long decay, a ruin, like some ancient palace or temple that is now the haunt of
dragons and owls, with just enough to show us what it once was, but much more to show us how
changed it has become. And if man fallen is unlike God, man further debased by gross sin
becomes, not merely unlike God, but the very opposite of God, so that you may sooner learn,
from a man who has degraded himself by vice, what God is not than what God is; and it becomes
a monstrous mistake, and far worse than a mistake, when such a man as that looks at himself,
and says, “God is like me.” “Thou thoughtest” — and it was a most blasphemous thought —
“thou thoughtest that, I was altogether such an one as thyself.”
It is my sorrowful task to have to show you that this great sin is very common among three
classes of persons. First, it is very common for the ungodly to fall into this error, secondly,
returning sinners often make the same mistake; and, thirdly, even the children of God are not
always free from this error.
—————
I. First, then, It Is A Common Thing For The Ungodly To Fall Into This Error: “Thou thoughtest
that I was altogether such an one as thyself.”
God is very long-suffering to men; this is not the place of judgment. Sinners are not, as a general

125. rule, punished here; their sentence is reserved until the day of judgment. Some people regard
every accident as a judgment, but we do not agree with them at all, else should we have very
frequently to condemn the innocent. Our Lord has very expressly told us that those upon whom
the tower in Siloam fell were not greater sinners than the rest of those who dwelt in Jerusalem at
that time, and that the Galileans whom Pilate slew, and whose blood he mingled with their
sacrifices, were no worse than the other Galileans who went up to the temple, and came away
unharmed. God does sometimes startle the world with his judgments, but not often. This is not
the time of judgment; judgment is yet to come. The object of God in thus keeping his sword
sheathed when, oftentimes, we are inclined to think that it might fairly be drawn, and used, is to
lead those who are thus spared to repentance and salvation. “I will spare them yet a little while
longer,” says the long-suffering Lord, and so the trees that only cumber the ground are not hewn
down; and the inference that wicked men draw is, not that God wishes them to repent, and turn
to him, but that he is like themselves.
Wicked men imagine that God is like themselves in the following ways. First, in an insensibility to
moral emotion. They do not care whether a thing is right or wrong; to have done right gives them
no joy; to have done wrong gives their hardened hearts no pain. Some of them can curse and
blaspheme; the words that make a child of God shudder with horror seem to be their usual
language. In fact, you cannot now stand in our streets, where there are two or three working-men;
without hearing such filthy language, much of is utterly unmeaning, that you wonder how
their companions can endure it; yet none of them seem to mind it; and they will commit deeds
which it would be wrong for me to mention, but when they have committed them, they seem to
forget all about them; and they suppose, because God does not strike them dead, or punish them
immediately for their transgressions, that he is just as impervious to moral emotion as they are,-
that he never grows angry at sin, and that he bakes no delight whatsoever in excellence. How
grossly do they mistake God in this supposition! He feels sin most sensitively. To him, it is
“exceeding sinful.” Is touches the very apple of his eye: it grieves him at the heart; it vexes his
Holy Spirit; yet the ungodly think not so.
They also are utterly careless about how they perform their own duties in relation to God, and
they suppose that God is equally careless as to the discharge of the office which he sustains. If
these ungodly men were made judges, they would neither fear God nor regard man; and they
suppose that God, the Judge of all, has no respect for his own moral government, no care for the
vindication of his law, that he lets things go just as they please, and will not interfere with men,
but will let them act as they like. If they are servants, they are only eye servants, and are not
careful to do that which is right. If they are masters, they seek only to do the best they can for
themselves. The mass of mankind seldom look round to see the general bearings of a question;
they only enquire, “How will this affect me?” Each man joins that party in politics, or that
particular club, or goes in for the defense of that particular Act of Parliament which he regards
as most likely to advance his own interests. As to the general equity of the whole concern, only a
few eclectic spirits will be found who will consider that; and that God should ever be a God of
equity, that he should look into the motives of men’s actions, and especially that he should punish
every sinful action, and word, and thought, and act with the utmost scrupulousness as a Judge,-
all this ungodly men do not understand. They think that God is as loose and lax as they are, that
he plays battledore and shuttlecock with moralities, and will let men do just as they like, never
calling them to account. At least, they seem to think that, if there should be any account to be
rendered to God at the last, it will be a very small matter, which will soon be over, and that there
is for them no everlasting punishment no dreadful terrors of the wrath to come.

126. They think that God is altogether such an one as they are, and they themselves are indifferent to
the condition of others. If they hear that a man has become a drunkard, it does not greatly
concern them. If they hear that a man has been committing an act of uncleanness, very likely
they make fun of it, but it never troubles them. If they were informed that hundreds had passed
into hell within the last few days, they would regard it as no matter of concern to them; and they
suppose that God is just as indifferent as they are. O sirs, why will ye so defame your Maker as to
think is possible that he can be like yourselves? God is concerned about the character of the
poorest man and woman living on the face of the earth. The honesty of that poor work-girl, or the
chastity of that young man whose name will never be published before the world, is a matter of
intense interest to him. The right that is done, or the wrong that is perpetrated, in every place
beneath the sun, is a matter of the deepest concern to him; he knows it all, writes is all down in
his book of remembrance, and feels glad or sad concerning it all. He is not a God of stone or of
wood; he is a God-I know not how to speak of him with due honor, for he is altogether beyond the
range of human imagination or description; but I know that he is a God of wondrous
sensitiveness with regard to sin. He cannot bear even to look upon iniquity, his whole being
loathes it. We know that he is not indifferent to sin because the inspired psalmist tells us that
“God is angry with the wicked every day. If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his
bow, and made is ready.”
Ungodly men also seem to imagine that God, like themselves, is easily deceived by appearances.
They go to church or to chapel, and they seem so think that, by doing so, they have wiped off all
their old scores. What if they have broken God’s law, in different ways, for many years? Have
they not been to hear a sermon? Have they not even been to a prayer-meeting? Have they not
repeated, night and morning, a prayer that their mother taught them when they were children?
As for sin, they regard that as a small matter. When they are about so die, they can send for some
good man to pray with them, and so everything can easily be made all right. That is their notion.
Ah, but God is not deceived by outward appearances; he looks to the heart, and requires that
there should be in the heart purity, a love to the right, and a hatred to the wrong, and these
beings never are in the heart apart from the new birth which is always accompanied by faith in
Jesus.
We have known some go to the length of thinking, or pretending to think, that God was an
accomplice in their sins. Because he sat still, and did not at once interfere, and smite them, they
have said, after the commission of a certain sinful action, that providence seemed to have put
them in circumstances where it was necessary for them to do wrong. We have constantly heard
men try to make excuse for their sins by reason of the peculiar position or the very remarkable
circumstances in which they were placed. Even a murderer has pleaded his necessities as a reason
why he felt that he might burgle, and steal, and even kill to supply his needs. Men will actually
say that God has put them where they cannot help doing wrong, and that “fate” decreed it, and
God ordained it, and so they seek to shift the blame from themselves. This is indeed thinking and
saying that God is such an one as themselves, and it is the height of impudent blasphemy when a
man reaches that point. O thou pure and holy God, who utterly abhorrest everything that is evil,
how far has the sinner gone in sin when, instead of confessing his iniquity with shamefacedness
and humiliation, he dares to speak as if thou wert as sinful as he is himself!
This condition of heart in which men think that God is like themselves, prevents their feeling any

127. reverence for him. Hence, many of them render to him no kind of worship, set apart no day
specially as his, and even ridicule the idea of there being any Lord’s day in the week, and have a
League of their own for the special purpose of desecrating the day that most of his people regard
as his beyond all the other days of the week. This takes away from them all desire to pray to God.
They say, “If we pray unto him what profit shall it be to us?” His inspired Word is to them no
more than any other book; indeed, they even venture to criticize it with a severity which they do
not show towards the works of their own poets or historians. They utterly reject both God and his
salvation.
This mistaken notion concerning God also keeps sinners from repentance. As long as a man
thinks that God is as bad as he himself is, he will never repent of his sin. It is often the holiness of
God that breaks men down under a sense of their own guilt. This mistaken idea of the character
of God also prevents the exercise of faith, for a man cannot have faith in one whose character he
does not respect; and if I am wicked enough to drag God down to my level in my estimation of
him, of course I cannot trust him, because I have enough sense left to enable me to feel that I
could not trust him if he is like myself. If he is indeed such as my depraved imagination pictures
him, faith in him becomes an absurdity, and well may the man who thinks this of God say that it
is not possible for him to believe in him. Of course, he could not believe in such a god as he sets
up in his own imagination; but, O thou ever-blessed Jehovah, when we know how holy, and pure,
and good, and true, and perfect thou art, and see how opposite to thee we are in every respect, we
do, like Job, abhor ourselves, and repent in dust and ashes, but we find it easy to put our trust in
thee. When thy blessed Spirit has opened our eyes to see thee, how can we keep from trusting
thee? When we know thee, we must rely upon thee. When we see the beauties of everlasting love
gleaming in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ, every power of our being siseems to say, “I must
trust in him, and rest in him alone.” May God bless these words to any ungodly ones who have
been thinking that he is such an one as themselves!
—————
II. ow, secondly, I am going to speak of the same sin from another point of view, and to show
you that Returning Sinners Often Make The Same Mistake Concerning God.
umbers of persons are kept from peace of mind through mistaken ideas of God. They think that
he is like themselves, and so they do not receive the gospel. For instance, it is not the easiest thing
in the world to forgive those who have trespassed against us. There are some people who find this
duty to be one of the hardest that they have to perform. Consequently, when a man with such a
disposition as that is conscious of having offended God, he thinks it is quite as hard for God to
forgive him as it is for him to forgive his fellow-man; and judging God by himself, he says,
“Surely he cannot forgive me.” Looking at his innumerable provocations, thinking of the twenty,
or perhaps forty, fifty, or sixty years or more in which he has hardened his heart against God, he
says to himself, “I could not forgive a man who had held out so long against me, so how is it
possible for God to forgive me?” Well might the Lord answer him out of the excellent glory,
“Thou thinkest that I am such an one as thyself, but as high as the heavens are above the earth so
high are my ways above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts.” I have never found a
text which says, “Who is a man like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by
transgression?” for that is not characteristic of man; but I do find this text, “Who is a God like
unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his

128. heritage?” Yes, the Lord loves to forgive, he delights to pardon. His justice has been fully
vindicated by the death of his Son, the Substitute for sinners. That was necessary, for he could
not tarnish his justice even for the sake of his mercy; but now that the righteous Judge sees that
the foundations of his moral government will not be shaken by his forgiveness of repenting
sinners, he can freely dispense the mercy in which he delights. His mercy endureth for ever, and
whomever confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall find mercy. It is not difficult for God to forgive
though it may be difficult for us to do so.
The awakened sinner often imagines that, since he would not bestow favors upon the
undeserving, therefore God will not. He hears of the great blessings that are promised in the
Word of God to those who believe in Jesus, and he says, “This news is too good to be true.”
Contrasting his own deservings with the fullness of this divine promise, he says, “How can I
believe this promise? That one surpasses all credence. How can I accept that other one as true?”
The best reply is that given by God in our text, “Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an
one as thyself.” What if the gift seems so be too great for thee to receive? Is it also too great for
God to give? What if it seems to be too lavish to be given by one man so another? It is not too
lavish to be given by him who is King of kings, and Lord of lords. Like as a king giveth,-nay, like
as a God giveth, doth he give unto thee. The greatness of the divine promises, instead of
staggering our faith, ought to be the evidence of their truthfulness. Is it reasonable to suppose
that God would promise to do only little things for those who trust him? Oh, judge not so! He
“doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number.” His mercies are high as
heaven, and wide as the East is from the West.
The convinced sinner is also often troubled with the thought that God cannot mean what he says.
“What!” he asks, “can I be pardoned in a moment, be justified in a moment, be saved from hell
and made an heir of heaven all in a moment?” He thinks it cannot really be so, and he thinks so
because he often says what he does not mean, and he therefore thinks that God speaks in the
same style. But, sir, I pray you not to measure God’s corn by your bushel. If you play with words,
Jehovah never does. Hath he spoken, and will he not do as he hath said? Hath he promised, and
shall it not come to pass?
The sinner next thinks that surely God cannot mean to give him all this mercy freely. He says to
himself, “If a man had offended me, I should expect him to make some reparation before I
forgave him. I should look for something at his hands; and is God’s mercy to be given to the
undeserving, and nothing to be asked of him before it is given? How can that be?” He thinks that
God cannot mean it, and that the Scriptural declaration concerning the freeness of salvation
cannot be meant to be taken literally as it stands. When this invitation sounds in a man’s ears,
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall
be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool;” he says, “They are
beautiful words, but they cannot apply to me, just as I am, without anything to recommend me.”
So he practically thinks that God talks as he does himself, without meaning what he says. But,
verily it is not so, for every promise of God is true, and shall be fulfilled to the letter.
This poor convinced sinner next says, “But, surely, you do not mean to say that God will give me
all this mercy now.” Yes I do, for he saith, “I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of
salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of
salvation.” Yet, because this sinner has himself been dilly-dallying, and procrastinating, and

129. postponing, he thinks that God will act in the same manner, and will say to him, “You must wait
now; you have waited for your own pleasure, now you may wait for mine.” But there is nothing in
Scripture to warrant such an idea as this. It is only our trying to drag God down to the level of
our narrowness and littleness that makes us think so. It is immediate salvation, instantaneous
pardon that God delights to give. He asks, and it is done; he commands, and it stands fast. There
stands the sinner in his rags, filthy from head to foot, degraded and debased; but the command
comes from the excellent glory, “Take away his filthy garments from him,” and they are gone in a
moment. “Wash him from his defilement,” and he is at once clean. “Aray him in white
garments,” and he is so arrayed. “Set a fair mitre upon his brow,” and the mitre is there. What
the Lord does, requires no time. We need weeks, months, years, to do what we have so do; but
when Christ had even to raise the dead, he did it in a moment. He simply said, “Lazarus, come
forth,” and there was Lazarus. He touched the bier on which the dead young man lay, and the
young man at once sat up, and began to speak. He said to the little maiden, “Talitha cumi;” and
she opened her eyes at once, and rose from her bed ready to eat the refreshment which the Savior
commanded her parents to bring her. O poor sinners, I pray you do not doubt that the great
mercy, the free mercy of Jesus Christ is to be given even now, if your hand is but stretched out to
receive it!
I have known some get into their heads the notion that simply to trust in Christ cannot be the
right thing for them to do. They say, “Surely, there is a great deal more to do besides that.” Yes,
there is much more to do after you have believed, but the gospel command says, “Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” One says, “I will go home and pray;” another says,
“I will read the Scriptures;” and there are some who, in their despair of finding peace, resolve to
do nothing at all. Some time ago, a young man, who had been greatly concerned about his soul,
came to the conclusion that he must be lost, and he determined not to read the Bible, nor to
attend a place of worship, for twelve months. But this very resolve made him still more wretched;
and, one day, a Christian woman, to whom he told his feelings, was much grieved at his decision,
and she said to him, “What a pity it is that you cannot take Jesus Christ!” As he walked home,
that remark stuck in his mind, “What a pity it is that you cannot take Jesus Christ!” Is that all
we have to do,-to take Jesus Christ? Yes, that is all. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved,” comprehends the whole case; and where faith is exercised by us, we are saved.
But we think that there must be something behind the promise because we ourselves often keep
something behind in our promises, so again the test is true, “Thou thoughtest that I was
altogether such an one as thyself,” but it is not so. If you come just as you are, with all your sin
and hardness of heart and just rest your guilty soul upon the person and the work of the Lord
Jesus Christ, resolved that, if you perish, you will perish trusting alone in him, your heavenly
Father will give you a kiss of acceptance, lift the burden from your weary shoulders, and send
you home in peace. “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth,” is no lie, no
exaggeration, no straining of the truth; put it to the test, sinner. God help you so so do, and he
shall have all the praise.
—————
III. Before I close, I must have a few words with you who love the Lord, for There Are Children
Of God Who Make This Same Mistake.
They begin thinking that God is such an one as themselves. ow I am going to find some of you

130. out; I know where you are for I have been that way myself, I am sorry to say.
Sometimes, we are afraid that God will overlook us, because we are so insignificant. If we walk
through a wood, possibly we say, “What a lonely place this is; there is nobody here!” Yet, just at
our feet perhaps, there are fifty thousand little ants. “Oh, but we do not reckon them!” Why not?
They are living creatures, and God reckons them, and he takes care to supply their needs as well
as the needs of the people in that great city over there. And those birds in the trees, ay, and the
tiny insects that hide away under the bark, that those woodpeckers are seeking after, or those
little midges that dance up and down in the air around you, God takes notice of them all, and
provides for them all, even as he provides for you. You think, because you the insects, that God
also ignores them, but he does not. If the Queen were to come down ewington Butts, it would
soon be reported in all the papers; but if there is a poor beggar going past our gates just now,
with no shoes or stockings on, that will not be noted in “The Times” to-morrow morning; but
God takes notice of beggars as well as of queens. You do not know that poor man who is just
going into the casyal ward a the workhouse; he is of no consequence to you, is he? But he is of
consequence to God, for there is not a human being who is beneath God’s notice, nor yet an
animal nor an insect. If you take the tiniest insect in the world, and put it under a microscope,
and examine is carefully, you will see that there are upon is marks of divine skill and forethought,
and if you are able to learn all about that little creature which will only live a single day, you will
find that the arrangements concerning it are truly wonderful. Yes, God thinks of little things; so
you little one, believe that God thinks of you; and whenever you harbour the notion that you are
too poor and to obscure for God to care about you, say to yourself, “Ah, that is because I am
thinking that God is like myself. I tread on a beetle, and think nothing of it; yet, though I might
be far more insignificant in comparison with the great God than a beetle can be in comparison
with me, God will not crush-me. o, he loves me, and he is continually thinking of me.”
We also are apt to grow weary of the sad and the sorrowful. “Oh!” says one, “I cannot bear to
talk to Mr. So-and-so; he has such a gloomy countenance and he speaks in such dolorous tones.”
Another says, “Really, my poor sister quite wears me out. I used to nurse her with a great deal
more pleasure than I do now, for I think she has less patience than see used to have.” We get
weary of those who cannot cheer us, those whose lives are full of sadness and then we think that
God gets as weary of us, but he never does. o, O sad ones; the Lord comforteth the mourners,
and cheereth those that are cast down. You especially who are sad on account of sin may rest
assured that your sadness and dependency will never weary your God; your friends may get tired
of you but your God never will.
We also sometimes forget our promises. In the multiplicity of things that some of us have to do, it
is possible that we occasionally fail to keep our promise, and we are very grieved when, quite
unintentionally, it so happens. But God never forgets any one of his promises, so let no one of us
ever say, “My God has forgotten me.” It cannot be; there never was such a thing as a slip of
memory with God. Every promise of his will be kept to the second when it comes due.
We also sometimes find ourselves loth to give to those who ask of us. After we have given to
several, we feel that we really cannot give to everybody who asks us for help; but it is never so
with God. If we have gone to him a hundred times, let us be all the bolder to go to him again; and
if we know that he has been helping a thousand other poor saints like ourselves, or poor sinners
either, let us go to him again, and go right boldly, for his bounty of mercy is not exhausted, nor

131. his store of grace diminished.
We know, too, dear friends, that we are often unwise. What man is there on the face of the earth
who does not make mistakes? The pope, who is called infallible, makes more mistakes than
anyone else ever does. We all make mistakes; and, therefore, we imagine that God does the same.
When we get into a little trouble, we begin to suspect that there is some mistake in the
arrangements of divine providence. We do not say so much as that; we should be ashamed to say
it, especially if anybody heard it, but that is what we think. It seems to us that God has brought
us into a difficulty out of which it will not be possible for him to extricate us. We do not say as
much as that, except in our hearts; but, beloved, when we even think anything like that, we are
really imagining that God is such an one as ourselves.
We know also that we are sometimes harsh in our judgments, and that we expect more of people
than we ought to, and do not make allowances for their infirmities; and we fancy that God is like
we are. But to his dear children he is ever generous and kind, even as Jesus made allowance for
his sleeping disciples when he said, “The spirit truly is willing, but the flesh is weak.” I think that
we sometimes represent God as being even worse than we ourselves are. When I was ill, some
little time ago, I found that I could not keep my thoughts fixed upon any subject as I wanted to
do; when I tried to meditate upon holy themes, my mind rambled because the pain I was
suffering quite distracted me. I said to a friend who came to visit me that I wished I could
concentrate my thoughts, and that I felt as a Christian, I ought to do so. He said, “Well now, if
your boy was as ill as you are, and he, said to you, ’Father, I cannot think as much about you as I
would like to do, my pain is so great,’ you would say, ’My dear son, I do not expect you to do
anything of the kind;’ you would sit down by his bedside, and try to comfort him; and you would
tell him that, while his poor body was so racked with pain, you would not be so unreasonable as
to expect him to act in any other way.” I saw at once that my friend was right, and then he said to
me, “Do you think that you are kinder to your son than God is to us?” If our opinion of God is
that he is harsher and sterner to us than we are to our children, it is a very erroneous notion.
Some Christian people seem to be afraid to rejoice, yet we love to see our children full of joy, so
we may be sure that our heavenly Father loves so see his children happy.
Further, we know that we ourselves are weak, and therefore we dream that God also is weak.
When the furnace of affliction is very hot, and we feel that we cannot endure its heat, we foolishly
think that God cannot uphold us under the fiery trial. If our labor is very hard, and we feel that
we cannot accomplish it, we are very unwise to dream that God cannot give us all the strength we
need for our task. How can we be so foolish as to estimate the omnipotence of Jehovah by our
weakness, for I will not venture to call it strength?
We also know that we constantly change. We are as fickle as the weather,-fair to-day, and foul to-morrow;
and therefore we fancy that God changes as often as we do. Some talk about his loving
his children to-day and hating them to-morrow, but that is not true. Listen to these texts, “I am
the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” “God is not a man, that he
should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent.” “Every good gift and every perfect gift,
is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither
shadow of burning.” Judge not the Lord, then by your fickleness as if he were such an one as
yourselves.

132. The mischief of this mistake on the part of Christians is that we narrow the possibility of our
attainments. We think that we cannot overcome sin, we think that we cannot walk in the light as
God is in the light, we think that we cannot enjoy abiding fellowship with our Lord, we think that
we cannot be holy; and all this is because we only think of what we can do, not of what God can
do for us and in us. ow, as far as the poles are asunder should be our estimate of ourselves and
our estimate of God. Christ not only says to us, “Without me ye can do nothing,” but also, “All
things are possible to him that believeth,” to him who thus links himself with the omnipotence of
God.
And I believe, brethren, by thinking that God is like ourselves, we also limit the probabilities of
success in his work. If we could have the management of the affairs of the kingdom of God upon
the earth, and the power to convert a hundred thousand sinners to-morrow should be put into
our hands, we should be wise if we asked God to take back that power, for I am quite certain that
God will save a hundred thousand sinners in a day when things are ripe for it,-ay, and he will
save a nation in a day when the right time comes. But if there were to be a thousand persons
saved under one sermon, or three thousand, as on the day of Pentecost, in any place in London,
there is not a church on the face of the earth that would believe in the reality of the work, and the
result would be that those who were convened would not be added to the church as the three
thousand were on the day of Pentecost. Even professing Christians would say, “This is wildfire
that will do more harm than good; we do not believe in it.” If they were told that one person, or
perhaps two, had heaven saved, they might believe that;-possibly not the two, though they might
half believe in the one; but if there were three thousand who professed to be saved, they would
say, “Oh, that could not be!” the reason for this unbelief is that members and ministers alike have
the mistaken notion that God is such an one as we are. Many ministers feel very happy if they
have a dozen conversions in a year, and some are quite content if there is one conversion in a
dozen years. A brother-minister said to me, the other day, “We have had a baptism at our chapel
this year, bless the Lord.” “Oh!” I said, “how many have you baptized?” “There were two,” he
replied, “and one of them was my own son.” I said, “Yes, bless the Lord for those two, but what
are we to say about those in your congregation who are not converted to God?” When we judge
the Lord by what we ourselves are, our belief is like that which prevented the Master from doing
many mighty works in his own city of azareth. May the Lord be pleased to give us a far higher
conception of what he really is, for that will enable us to do much more for him. It is because of
this mistaken notion of ours concerning God that we limit our desires, and slacken our
endeavors, and are satisfied to have everything on the pigmy scale when it might be gigantic. We
are content with pence when we might have pounds of grace. We are satisfied with the very
imperfect cultivation of a tiny plot of land when the broad acres of God’s bounty lie before us. We
win an inch or two of the enemy’s territory, and we throw up our caps, and cry, “What mighty
conquerors we are!” while whole provinces lie unconquered, and whole nations remain ignorant
of the gospel. Then we keep on straitening ourselves more and more, contracting our conceptions
and our ideas, the older we grow, till the zealous youth gets to be a “prudent” old men, whose
“prudence” consists in chilling everybody he meets, carrying wet blankets to cover up everyone
who has a little life in him, snuffing everybody’s candle, and generally managing to snuff all the
candles out. We must, most of us, be conscious of this chilling process; I seem to myself to be
continually feeling it. I think I am not altogether destitute of earnestness even now, but I wish I
could keep at blood heat always, for blood heat is the heat of health, the heat of true life. May
God keep us up to that mark, and it will help to keep us so if we have true notions of what God
can do, and will do, and for ever give up thinking that he is such an one as ourselves. May God’s
blessing rest upon you, for Jesus’ sake! Amen.

133. 22 “Consider this, you who forget God,
or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:
1. Barnes, “ow consider this - Understand this; give attention to this. The word “now” does not
well express the force of the original. The Hebrew word is not an adverb of “time,” but a particle
denoting “entreaty,” and would be better rendered by, “Oh, consider this;” or, “Consider this, I
beseech you.” The matter is presented to them as that which deserved their most solemn
attention.
Ye that forget God - Who really forget him though you are professedly engaged in his worship;
who, amidst the forms of religion, are actually living in entire forgetfulness of the just claims and
of the true character of God.
Lest I tear you in pieces - Language derived from the fury of a ravenous beast tearing his
victim from limb to limb.
And there be none to deliver - As none can do when God rises up in his wrath to inflict
vengeance. one would “venture” to Interpose; none “could” rescue from his hand. There “is” a
point of time in relation to all sinners when no one, not even the Redeemer - the great and
merciful Mediator - will interpose to save; when the sinner will be left to be dealt with by simple,
pure, unmixed and unmitigated “justice;” when mercy and kindness will have done their work in
regard to them in vain; and when they will be left to the “mere desert” of their sins. At that point
there is no power that can deliver them.
2. Clarke, “ow consider this - Ye have forgotten your God, and sinned against him. He has
marked down all your iniquities, and has them in order to exhibit against you. Beware, therefore,
lest he tear you to pieces, when there is none to deliver; for none can deliver you but the Christ
you reject. And how can ye escape, if ye neglect so great a salvation?
3. Gill, “ow consider this,.... The evils that had been committed, and repent of them; for
repentance is an after thought and reconsideration of sin, and humiliation for it; that the Lord,
was not like them, not an approver of sin, but a reprover for it; and what would be their latter
end, what all this would issue in, in case of impenitence;
ye that forget God; that there is a God, his being, perfections, word, works, and benefits;
lest I tear you in pieces; as a lion, leopard, or bear; see Hos_13:7; which was accomplished in the

134. destruction of Jerusalem; when both their civil and ecclesiastical state were torn in pieces; their
city and temple levelled with the ground, and not one stone left upon another; and they scattered
about in the earth;
and there be none to deliver; which denotes their utter and irreparable ruin, till the time comes
they shall turn to the Lord; see Isa_42:22.
4. Henry, “The fair warning given of the dreadful doom of hypocrites (Psa_50:22): “(ow consider
this, you that forget God, consider that God knows and keeps account of all your sins, that he will
call you to an account for them, that patience abused will turn into the greater wrath, that though
you forget God and your duty to him he will not forget you and your rebellions against him:
consider this in time, before it be too late; for if these things be not considered, and the
consideration of them improved, he will tear you in pieces, and there will be none to deliver.” It is
the doom of hypocrites to be cut asunder, Mat_24:51. ote, 1. Forgetfulness of God is at the
bottom of all the wickedness of the wicked. Those that know God, and yet do not obey him, do
certainly forget him. 2. Those that forget God forget themselves; and it will never be right with
them till they consider, and so recover themselves. Consideration is the first step towards
conversion. 3. Those that will not consider the warnings of God's word will certainly be torn in
pieces by the executions of his wrath. 4. When God comes to tear sinners in pieces, there is no
delivering them out of his hand. They cannot deliver themselves, nor can any friend they have in
the world deliver them.
5. Jamison, “
6. TREASURY OF DAVID, “ow or oh! it is a word of entreaty, for the Lord is loath even to let
the most ungodly run on to destruction. Consider this; take these truths to heart, ye who trust in
ceremonies and ye who live in vice, for both of you sin in that ye forget God. Bethink you how
unaccepted you are, and turn unto the Lord. See how you have mocked the eternal, and repent of
your iniquities. Lest I tear you in pieces, as the lion rends his prey, and there be none to deliver,
no Saviour, no refuge, no hope. Ye reject the Mediator: beware, for ye will sorely need one in the
day of wrath, and none will be near to plead for you. How terrible, how complete, how painful,
how humiliating, will be the destruction of the wicked! God uses no soft words, or velvet
metaphors, nor may his servants do so when they speak of the wrath to come. O reader, consider
this.
7. Spurgeon, ow or oh! it is a word of entreaty, for the Lord is loath even to let the most
ungodly run on to destruction. Consider this; take these truths to heart, ye who trust in
ceremonies and ye who live in vice, for both of you sin in that ye forget God. Bethink you how
unaccepted you are, and turn unto the Lord. See how you have mocked the eternal, and repent of
your iniquities. Lest I tear you in pieces, as the lion rends his prey, and there be none to deliver,
no Saviour, no refuge, no hope. Ye reject the Mediator: beware, for ye will sorely need one in the
day of wrath, and none will be near to plead for you. How terrible, how complete, how painful,
how humiliating, will be the destruction of the wicked! God uses no soft words, or velvet
metaphors, nor may his servants do so when they speak of the wrath to come. O reader, consider
this.

135. 8. Calvin, “(ow consider this, ye that forget God Here we have more of that severe expostulation
which is absolutely necessary in dealing with hardened hypocrites, who otherwise will only deride
all instruction. While, however, the Psalmist threatens and intends to alarm them, he would, at
the same time, hold out to them the hope of pardon, upon their hastening to avail themselves of it.
But to prevent them from giving way to delay, he warns them of the severity, as well as the
suddenness, of the divine judgments. He also charges them with base ingratitude, in having
forgotten God. And here what a remarkable proof have we of the grace of God in extending the
hope of mercy to those corrupt men, who had so impiously profaned his worship, who had so
audaciously and sacrilegiously mocked at his forbearance, and who had abandoned themselves to
such scandalous crimes! In calling them to repentance, without all doubt he extends to them the
hope of God being reconciled to them, that they may venture to appear in the presence of his
majesty. And can we conceive of greater clemency than this, thus to invite to himself, and into the
bosom of the Church, such perfidious apostates and violators of his covenant, who had departed
from the doctrine of godliness in which they had been brought up? Great as it is, we would do
well to reflect that it is no greater than what we have ourselves experienced. We, too, had
apostatized from the Lord, and in his singular mercy has he brought us again into his fold. It
should not escape our notice, that the Psalmist urges them to hasten their return, as the door of
mercy will not always stand open for their admission — a needful lesson to us all! lest we allow
the day of our merciful visitation to pass by, and be left, like Esau, to indulge in unavailing
lamentations, (Genesis 27:34.) So much is implied when it is said, God shall seize upon you, and
there shall be none to deliver 257
23 Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me,
and to the blameless[d] I will show my salvation.”
1. Barnes, “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me - That is, he truly honors me; he is a true
worshipper; he meets with my approbation. The word here rendered ““offereth”” is the same
which is used in Psa_50:14, and means “he that sacrifices:” here meaning, he that presents the
sacrifice of praise. So the Septuagint: “the sacrifice of praise glorifies me.” So the Vulgate. The
idea is, that the worship which God requires is “praise;” it is not the mere external act of
homage; it is not the presentation of a bloody sacrifice; it is not the mere bending of the knee; it is
not a mere outward form: it is that which proceeds from the heart, and which shows that there is
there a spirit of true thankfulness, adoration, and love.
And to him that ordereth his conversation aright - Margin, as in Hebrew, “that disposeth his
way.” Or, more literally, “To him that “prepares” or “plans” his way;” that is, to him who is
attentive to his going; who seeks to walk in the right path; who is anxious to go in the road that

136. leads to a happier world; who is careful that all his conduct shall be in accordance with the rules
which God has prescribed.
Will I show the salvation of God - This may mean either, “I, the author of the psalm as a
teacher” (compare Psa_32:8); or, “I” as referring to God - as a promise that “He” would instruct
such an one. The latter is the probable meaning, as it is God that has been speaking in the
previous verse. The “salvation of God” is the salvation of which God is the author; or, which he
alone can give. The “idea” here is, that where there is a true desire to find the way of truth and
salvation, God will impart needful instruction. He will not suffer such an one to wander away and
be lost. See the notes at Psa_25:9.
The general ideas in the psalm, therefore, are
(1) that there is to be a solemn judgment of mankind;
(2) that the issues of that judgment will not be determined by the observance of the external
forms of religion;
(3) that God will judge people impartially for their sins, though they observe those forms of
religion; and
(4) that no worship of God can be acceptable which does not spring from the heart.
2. Clarke, “Whoso offereth praise - These are the very same words as those in Psa_50:14, זבח
תודה ; and should be read the same way independently of the points, zebach todah, “sacrifice the
thank-offering.” Jesus is the great eucharistic sacrifice; offer him up to God in your faith and
prayers. By this sacrifice is God glorified, for in him is God well pleased; and it was by the grace
or good pleasure of God that he tasted death for every man.
Ordereth his conversation - שם דרך sam derech, Disposeth his way. - Margin. Has his way
There, שם דרך sham derech, as many MSS. and old editions have it; or makes that his custom.
Will I show the salvation of God - אראנו arennu, I will cause him to see בישע beyesha, into the
salvation of God; into God’s method of saving sinners by Christ. He shall witness my saving
power even to the uttermost; such a salvation as it became a God to bestow, and as a fallen soul
needs to receive; the salvation from all sin, which Christ has purchased by his death. I sall scheu
til him, the hele of God; that es Jeshu, that he se him in the fairehed of his majeste - Old Psalter.
3. Gill, “Whoso offereth praise,...., Which is exhorted to; See Gill on Psa_50:14;
glorifieth me; celebrates the divine perfections, gives God the glory of all mercies; which honours
him, and is more grateful and well pleasing to him than all burnt offerings and sacrifices;
and to him that ordereth his conversation aright; according to the rule of God's word, and as
becomes the Gospel of Christ; who walks inoffensively to all, circumspectly and wisely in the
world, and in love to the saints; in wisdom towards them that are without, and in peace with
them that are within; who is a follower of God, of Christ, and of his people; and who lives so as to
glorify God, and cause others to glorify him likewise: or that chooses for himself the right way, as
Aben Ezra, the right way to eternal life; and the sense is, he that puts or sets his heart upon it,
and is in pursuit after the evangelical way of life. To him

137. will I show the salvation of God; or, cause to see or enjoy it (b); not only temporal salvation
from time to time, but spiritual and eternal salvation; to see interest in it, and to possess it; and
particularly Christ, the author of it, who is the salvation of God's providing, appointing, and
sending, and whose glory is greatly concerned therein; see Isa_52:10.
4. Henry, “Full instructions given to us all how to prevent this fearful doom. Let us hear the
conclusion of the whole matter; we have it, Psa_50:23, which directs us what to do that we may
attain our chief end. 1. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and we are here told that whoso offers
praise glorifies him; whether he be Jew or Gentile, those spiritual sacrifices shall be accepted
from him. We must praise God, and we must sacrifice praise, direct it to God, as every sacrifice
was directed; put it into the hands of the priest, our Lord Jesus, who is also the altar; see that it
be made by fire, sacred fire, that it be kindled with the flame of holy and devout affection; we
must be fervent in spirit, praising the Lord. This he is pleased, in infinite condescension, to
interpret as glorifying him. Hereby we give him the glory due to his name and do what we can to
advance the interests of his kingdom among men. 2. Man's chief end, in conjunction with this, is
to enjoy God; and we are here told that those who order their conversation aright shall see his
salvation. (1.) It is not enough for us to offer praise, but we must withal order our conversation
aright. Thanksgiving is good, but thanks-living is better. (2.) Those that would have their
conversation right must take care and pains to order it, to dispose it according to rule, to
understand their way and to direct it. (3.) Those that take care of their conversation make sure
their salvation; them God will make to see his salvation, for it is a salvation ready to be revealed;
he will make them to see it and enjoy it, to see it, and to see themselves happy for ever in it. ote,
The right ordering of the conversation is the only way, and it is a sure way, to obtain the great
salvation.
5. Jamison, “offereth praise — (Psa_50:14), so that the external worship is a true index of the
heart.
ordereth ... aright — acts in a straight, right manner, opposed to turning aside (Psa_25:5). In
such, pure worship and a pure life evince their true piety, and they will enjoy God’s presence and
favor.
6. TREASURY OF DAVID, “Verse 23. Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me. Thanksgiving is a God
exalting work. Though nothing can add the least cubit to God's essential glory, yet praise exalts
him in the eyes of others. Praise is a setting forth of God's honour, a lifting up of his name, a
displaying the trophy of his goodness, a proclaiming his excellency, a spreading his renown, a
breaking open the box of ointment, whereby the sweet savour and perfume of God's name is sent
abroad into the world. To him that ordereth his conversation aright. Though the main work of
religion lies within, yet our light must so shine, that others may behold it; the foundation of
sincerity is in the heart, yet its beautiful front piece appears in the conversation. The saints are
called jewels, because they cast a sparkling lustre in the eyes of others. An upright Christian is
like Solomon's temple, gold within and without: sincerity is a holy leaven, which if it be in the
heart will work itself into the life, and make it swell and rise as high as heaven. Philippians 3:20.
Thomas Watson.

138. 7. Spurgeon, Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me. Praise is the best sacrifice; true, hearty,
gracious thanksgiving from a renewed mind. ot the lowing of bullocks bound to the altar, but
the songs of redeemed men are the music which the ear of Jehovah delights in. Sacrifice your
loving gratitude, and God is honoured thereby. And to him that ordereth his conversation aright
will I shew the salvation of God. Holy living is a choice evidence of salvation. He who submits his
whole way to divine guidance, and is careful to honour God in his life, brings an offering which
the Lord accepts through his dear Son; and such a one shall be more and more instructed, and
made experimentally to know the Lord's salvation. He needs salvation, for the best ordering of
the life cannot save us, but that salvation he shall have. ot to ceremonies, not to unpurified lips,
is the blessing promised, but to grateful hearts and holy lives.
O Lord, give us to stand in the judgment with those who have worshipped thee aright and have
seen thy salvation.
8. STEDMA, “Such a man is not always able to follow through as he desires, God knows that.
But he wants to, he orders his way aright. To him, God says, I will show the salvation of
God. That word, salvation, is a great word. It is a word that gathers up all God wants to do for
us, in us, through us, and by us. All that he has to give us is included in that great word, salvation.
God is offering to do this. God offers to produce men who are not for sale, men who are honest,
who are sound from center to circumference, and true to the heart's core. God is offering to
produce men with consciences as steady as the needle is to the pole; men who will stand for the
right even though the heavens totter and the earth reels; men who can tell the truth and look the
world right in the eye; men who neither brag nor run, who neither flag nor flinch; men who can
have courage without shouting about it; men in whom the courage of everlasting life runs still
and deep and strong; men who know their message and tell it, men who know their place and fill
it, who know their business and stand for it and attend to it; men who will not lie or shirk or
dodge, who are not too lazy to work and not too proud to be poor; men who are willing to eat
what they have earned and wear what they have paid for. That is what God is after. Men who are
not ashamed to say, 'o!' with emphatic tones; who are also not ashamed to say, I won't do it, or I
can't afford it.
That is what God wants, men and women, boys and girls, who have found strength in the only
place where man can find it -- in the God who provides salvation for them. God wants to show us
how it can be done. There is where we start -- every Sunday morning.
9. Calvin, “Whoso offereth praise will glorify me This is the third time that the Psalmist has
inculcated the truth, that the most acceptable sacrifice in God’s sight is praise, by which we
express to him the gratitude of our hearts for his blessings. The repetition is not a needless one,
and that on two accounts. In the first place, there is nothing with which we are more frequently
chargeable than forgetfulness of the benefits of the Lord. Scarcely one out of a thousand attracts
our notice; and if it does, it is only slightly, and, as it were, in passing. And, secondly, we do not
assign that importance to the duty of praise which it deserves. We are apt to neglect it as
something trivial, and altogether commonplace; whereas it constitutes the chief exercise of
godliness, in which God would have us to be engaged during the whole of our life. In the words
before us, the sacrifice of praise is asserted to form the true and proper worship of God. The

139. words, will glorify me, imply that God is then truly and properly worshipped, and the glory which
he requires yielded to him, when his goodness is celebrated with a sincere and grateful heart; but
that all the other sacrifices to which hypocrites attach such importance are worthless in his
estimation, and no part whatsoever of his worship. Under the word praise, however, is
comprehended, as I have already noticed, both faith and prayer. There must be an experience of
the goodness of the Lord before our mouths can be opened to praise him for it, and this goodness
can only be experienced by faith. Hence it follows, that the whole of spiritual worship is
comprehended under what is either presupposed in the exercise of praise, or flows from it.
Accordingly, in the words which immediately follow, the Psalmist calls upon those who desired
that their services should be approved of God, to order their way aright By the expression here
used of ordering one’s way, some understand repentance or confession of sin to be meant; others,
the taking out of the way such things as may prove grounds of offense, or obstacles in the way of
others. It seems more probable that the Psalmist enjoins them to walk in the right way as
opposed to that in which hypocrites are found, and intimates that God is only to be approached
by those who seek him with a sincere heart and in an upright manner. By the salvation of God, I
do not, with some, understand a great or signal salvation. God speaks of himself in the third
person, the more clearly to satisfy them of the fact, that he would eventually prove to all his
genuine worshipers how truly he sustained the character of their Savior.
Isaac Watts, The last judgment.
The God of glory sends his summons forth,
Calls the south nations, and awakes the north;
From east to west the sov'reign orders spread,
Thro' distant worlds, and regions of the dead:
The trumpet sounds; hell trembles; heaven rejoices;
Lift up your heads, ye saints, with cheerful voices.
o more shall atheists mock his long delay;
His vengeance sleeps no more; behold the day;
Behold the Judge descends; his guards are nigh;
Tempests and fire attend him down the sky.
When God appears, all nature shall adore him;
While sinners tremble, saints rejoice before him,
Heaven, earth, and hell, draw near; let all things come
To hear my justice and the sinner's doom;
But gather first my saints, the Judge commands,
Bring them, ye angels from their distant lands:
When Christ returns, wake every cheerful passion,
And shout, ye saints; he comes for your salvation.
Behold my covenant stands for ever good,
Seal'd by th' eternal sacrifice in blood,

140. And sign'd with all their names, the Greek, the Jew,
That paid the ancient worship or the new.
There's no distinction here: join all your voices,
And raise your heads, ye saints, for heaven rejoices.
Here (saith the Lord) ye angels, spread their thrones:
And near me seat my favorites and my sons:
Come, my redeem'd, possess the joys prepar'd
Ere time began! 'tis your divine reward:
When Christ returns, wake every cheerful passion,
And shout, ye saints; he comes for your salvation.
PAUSE THE FIRST.
I am the Saviour, I th' almighty God,
I am the Judge: ye heavens, proclaim abroad
My just eternal sentence, and declare
Those awful truths that sinners dread to hear,
When God appears all nature shall adore him;
While sinners tremble, saints rejoice before him.
7 Stand forth, thou bold blasphemer and profane,
ow feel my wrath, nor call my threatenings vain,
Thou hypocrite, once drest in saint's attire,
I doom the painted hypocrite to fire.
Judgment proceeds; hell trembles; heaven rejoices;
Lift up your heads, ye saints, with cheerful voices.
ot for the want of goats or bullocks slain
Do I condemn thee; bulls and goats are vain
Without the flames of love; in vain the store
Of brutal offerings that were mine before:
Earth is the Lord's; all nature shall adore him;
While sinners tremble, saints rejoice before him.
If I were hungry, would I ask thee food?
When did I thirst, or drink thy bullocks blood?
Mine are the tamer beasts and savage breed,
Flocks, herds, and fields, and forests where they feed:
All is the Lord's; he rules the wide creation:
Gives sinners vengeance, and the saints salvation.
Can I be flatter'd with thy cringing bows,
Thy solemn chatterings and fantastic vows?
Are my eyes charm'd thy vestments to behold,
Glaring in gems, and gay in woven gold?
God is the judge of hearts; no fair disguises
Can screen the guilty when his vengeance rises.
PAUSE THE SECOD.
Unthinking wretch! how couldst thou hope to please
A God, a spirit with such toys as these!
While with my grace and statutes on thy tongue,

141. Thou lov'st deceit, and dost thy brother wrong!
Judgment proceeds; hell trembles; heaven rejoices:
Lift up your heads, ye saints, with cheerful voices.
In vain to pious forms thy zeal pretends,
Thieves and adulterers are thy chosen friends;
While the false flatterer at my altar waits,
His harden'd soul divine instruction hates.
God is the judge of hearts; no fair disguises
Can screen the guilty when his vengeance rises.
Silent I waited with long suffering love;
But didst thou hope that I should ne'er reprove?
And cherish such an impious thought within,
That the All-Holy would indulge thy sin?
See, God appears; all nature joins t' adore him;
Judgment proceeds, and sinners fall before him.
Behold my terrors now; my thunders roll,
And thy own crimes affright thy guilty soul;
ow like a lion shall my vengeance tear
Thy bleeding heart, and no deliverer near:
Judgment concludes; hell trembles; heaven rejoices;
Lift up your heads, ye saints, with cheerful voices..
EPIPHOEMA.
Sinners, awake betimes; ye fools, be wise;
Awake before this dreadful morning rise:
Change your vain thoughts, your crooked works amend,
Fly to the Saviour, make the Judge your friend:
Then join the saints: wake every cheerful passion;
When Christ returns, he comes for your salvation.
Footnotes:
a. Psalm 50:6 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text for God himself is
judge
b. Psalm 50:6 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
c. Psalm 50:21 Or thought the ‘I AM’ was
d. Psalm 50:23 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; the meaning of the Masoretic Text
for this phrase is uncertain.
1. 68 FREE BOOKS
http://www.scribd.com/doc/21800308/Free-Christian-Books

142. 2. ALL WRITINGS
http://www.scribd.com/glennpease/documents?page=315