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July 24, 2019
The word Sabbath means to cease. So as Dr. Brooks is away on sabbatical, we will be using his original devotionals from 2009 on the book of Psalms. He will resume The Bible Project devotionals upon his return. Thank you for reading with us and praying for him as he replenishes his soul for the next seven years of ministry.
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Psalm 50
1 The Mighty One, God, the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to where it sets.
2 From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines forth.
3 Our God comes
and will not be silent;
a fire devours before him,
and around him a tempest rages.
4 He summons the heavens above,
and the earth, that he may judge his people:
5 “Gather to me this consecrated people,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
6 And the heavens proclaim his righteousness,
for he is a God of justice.
7 “Listen, my people, and I will speak;
I will testify against you, Israel:
I am God, your God.
8 I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices
or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
9 I have no need of a bull from your stall
or of goats from your pens,
10 for every animal of the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every bird in the mountains,
and the insects in the fields are mine.
12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
14 “Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High,
15 and call on me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
16 But to the wicked person, God says:
“What right have you to recite my laws
or take my covenant on your lips?
17 You hate my instruction
and cast my words behind you.
18 When you see a thief, you join with him;
you throw in your lot with adulterers.
19 You use your mouth for evil
and harness your tongue to deceit.
20 You sit and testify against your brother
and slander your own mother’s son.
21 When you did these things and I kept silent,
you thought I was exactly like you.
But I now arraign you
and set my accusations before you.
22 “Consider this, you who forget God,
or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:
23 Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me,
and to the blameless I will show my salvation.”
New International Version (NIV)
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“What exactly do you do?” Has anyone ever asked you to explain your job? As ministers we often get this question. The psalmist begins here by asking that question about God: “What does God do?” As we read the psalms, if we listen carefully, we can hear what God does. Notice the richness of the verbs which describe our God in action. “The Mighty one, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth . . .” “From Zion perfect in beauty, God shines forth . . .” “ . . . that he may judge his people . . . for God himself is judge.” Isn’t this a majestic portrait of our God? Worship the Lord today by praying these words out loud to him.
“What exactly does God want us to do?” A person in the Old Testament might have answered that question by saying, “He wants us to make sacrifices.” As we read Leviticus we read about the elaborate sacrificial system set in place by the Mosaic law. People sinned and then they sacrificed. In fact, the laborious sacrificial system eventually became a meaningless exercise to many. As verses 16-22 reveal, many were offering perfunctory offerings but continuing in their sins of theft, adultery, and slander. It is easy to get into the mode of what Dallas Willard calls, “Sin Management,” by which we try to do just enough good to make up for the bad in our lives.
The Psalmist says, in effect, “If you are tired of worshiping in this way, God is tired of your worship as well.” God is not like the idols who supposedly “eat” the sacrifices. God who made the animals owns them all including the cattle on a thousand hills. And even if he were hungry, he wouldn’t tell people because the whole world belongs to him. God really seeks the gratitude of his people. “Sacrifice thank offerings . . .” verse 14. When we are grateful to God and keep our promises to God we honor God.
Today, consider carefully: are we grateful? Do we ever try to manage our sin instead of confessing it and repenting from it? Is there an offering of gratitude we may offer to God today? Now that we know what God does, what will we do? When we sacrifice thanks offerings to God, we not only honor the Lord but we prepare the way so that we may see and show the salvation of God to others.
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| This year our Every Day with Jesus readings will follow The Bible Project Read Scripture Plan. Copies of this reading plan are available at Tallowood Baptist Church, or download
the app at readscripture.org. Read through the Bible with us in 2019!
Joyfully,
Duane
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