Psalm 50 -- What A True Worshipper Looks Like

This psalm really calls us out if our daily living and our worship aren’t God-centered and heart-felt.  Here, God as judge “confronts two offenders:  the formalist, to whom worship is a ritual to follow, and the hypocrite, to whom worship is a disguise to cover sin … The purpose of this trial was not to judge and condemn the sinners but to expose their sins and give them opportunity to repent and return to the Lord,” my commentary said.  “The Lord speaks first to those who are indeed His people, but their hearts are not in their worship.  Their devotion is faithful but only routine … They had left their first love and were worshipping the Lord out of habit and not from the heart.  Outwardly, they were doing what the Lord commanded and honoring the daily sacrifices, but inwardly they lacked love and fellowship with God.  They forgot that God wanted their hearts before He wanted their sacrifices … What the Lord wanted from His people was thanksgiving from their hearts, obedience to His Word, prayer, and a desire to honor Him in everything.  But the Lord doesn’t want ritualism or formalism.  He wants our worship to come from the heart.”

God as Judge is so different from earthly judges because He knows all about us – every thought, every motivation, every action.  “When we forget the transcendence of God, we find it easier to sin,” my commentary added. 

The second group of people on trial were “the Israelites in the covenant community who were reciting the creed with their lips but deliberately disobeying God’s law … After breaking God’s law, they would go to the sanctuary and act very religious so they could cover up their sins … They had no respect for God’s Word and not only consented to the sins of others but participated in them and enjoyed doing so … Their thinking was so confused that they ended up creating a god in their own image … They had forgotten God and didn’t want Him to interfere with their lifestyle.  They had a false confidence that they could sin and get away with it.”

“The true worshipper has a proper fear of the Lord and seeks only to honor Him in his worship.  He obeys God’s will and is able to experience the salvation of the Lord.  Combined with gratitude to God, obedience, prayer, and a desire to glorify God, you have a description of worshippers who bring joy to the heart of God.”

Father, I can see a little of myself in each of these descriptions, and I shouldn’t be able to do that.  Forgive me and help me to experience worship as You intended here, seeking only to honor You as I worship.  Help me to be a worshipper who brings joy to Your heart.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford