The Mighty One, God the Lord,
Has spoken and called the earth
From the rising of the sun to its going down.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God will shine forth.
3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent;
A fire shall devour before Him,
And it shall be very tempestuous all around Him.
4 He shall call to the heavens from above,
And to the earth, that He may judge His people:
5 “Gather My saints together to Me,
those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.
6 Let the heavens declare His righteousness,
For God Himself is Judge. Selah
7 “Hear, O My people, and I will speak,
O Israel, and I will testify against you;
I am God, your God!
8 I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices
Or your burnt offerings,
Which are continually before Me.
9 I will not take a bull from your house,
Nor goats out of your folds.
10 For every beast of the forest is Mine,
And the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds of the mountains,
And the wild beasts of the field are Mine.
12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you;
For the world is Mine, and all its fullness.
13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls,
Or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God thanksgiving,
And pay your vows to the Most High.
15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”
16 But to the wicked God says:
“What right have you to declare My statutes,
Or take My covenant in your mouth,
17 Seeing you hate instruction
And cast My words behind you?
18 When you saw a thief, you consented with him,
And have been a partaker with adulterers.
19 You give your mouth to evil,
And your tongue frames deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your brother;
You slander your own mother’s son.
21 These things you have done, and I kept silent;
You thought that I was altogether like you;
But I will rebuke you,
And set them in order before your eyes.
22 “Now consider this, you who forget God,
Lest I tear you in pieces,
And there be none to deliver:
23 Whoever offers praise glorifies Me;
And to him who orders his conduct aright
I will show the salvation of God.”
By Mike Chaffin
This is the first Psalm in the book written by Asaph. He wrote twelve psalms that made the book. King David appointed Asaph to lead worship. He is a prophet and his psalms are considered prophetic. This psalm is about the end of days.
Verses 1-4 set the stage for the final judgement of people on Earth. Verse 5, 5 “Gather My saints together to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”, sets God’s ground rules for separating followers from those who don’t. Asaph lets the Jews know that animal sacrifice doesn’t cut it and is no longer needed. The ultimate sacrifice has been made. Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of all who believe. From this point on the only offering God wants is our thanksgiving and our reliance on Him in times of trouble (vs 14-15).
End of days prophecy indicates the Jewish temple will be rebuilt and sacrifices reinstituted. They will do no good as Asaph points out and eventually the remnant of Israel will turn to Jesus. Prophecy calls them the 144,000 but this could just be a symbolic number.
The remainder of the psalm details the evil activity of those who are opposed to God or caught up in a worldly and sinful lifestyle. However, Asaph lets us know that God is still at hand, waiting and hoping for their repentance as well.
22 “Now consider this, you who forget God,
Lest I tear you in pieces,
And there be none to deliver:
23 Whoever offers praise glorifies Me;
And to him who orders his conduct aright
I will show the salvation of God.”
God so loved the world that He sent His only Son that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish but have eternal life. This belief is the first step in ordering one’s conduct. My prayer is you believe and call on His name and allow God’s salvation to come to you.
