Daily Reading: Psalm 50:14-15
“Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
Psalm 50 is an image of a courtroom scene painted for us. Once the scene is established (in verses 1–7), there comes the indictment, the sentence, the rationale or explanation for the indictment and sentence, the prescribed correction, and a statement of the ultimate goal that the judge is trying to accomplish in this trial. This leads us to our text verses fourteen and fifteen.
Verses fourteen and fifteen seek to answer:
“What should we do if we have fallen into the worldly mindset that treats our possessions as though they were ours and treat God as though He is somehow poor and deficient without us?
Sacrifice thank offerings to God
Fulfill your vows
Call on God in the day of trouble
This is a weighted theological statement and you might be surprised these three things have nothing to do with the Law. This applies to us living in the New Covenant as well and it is different then what we would glean from the English definitions of these words.
1. Sacrifice thank offerings to God (Praise the Judge)
In the Hebrew the definition means to (give praise to God) (interesting 'elohiym is used which means true God but can also mean Judge.
2. Pay Your Vows to the Most High (Have Faith Be at Peace)
(shalam)- to be in a covenant of peace. If you have the corrected mindset that everything good that I have has been given to me by God I can be at peace when things happen to me and “my” stuff.
3. Call upon God in the Day of Trouble (Depend on and Honor Him)
What God desires- Is that we would give him praise, be at peace. Verse 15 is the answer to the why? If we see that what we have God gave us, and we are at peace because of this when trouble comes we will call upon God.
“I will deliver you” (chalats)- to remove, draw out, draw off, take off, withdraw, equip (for war), arm for war, rescue, be rescued. Isn’t this such a great word. Sometimes God pulls you out of ridiculously toxic environments. Other times He decides to see you through it, so breathe in my grace and we will walk victoriously through this together.
“You will honor me” How? When you call upon Me in your trouble.
Honor/(kabad)- to be heavy, be weighty.
When you call on the Lord in your time of trouble, you do so by giving more weight to God as your deliverer then you do the challenge of your dire situation.
Four Applications of Psalm 50:14-15 For Us
1. Keep God Great in Your Eyes
2. Believe His Promises
3. Call on the Lord (Pray)
4. Glorify God and Sing a Song of Salvation
Place your hope in the provisions of God [Christ Jesus] and your heart will sing God’s praises (Psalm 71:14).