Read the passage: Psalms 50
v.7 1. The message God’s people need is always the same.
(Hear, O my people, and I will speak: O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I
am God, even thy God.)
The continuing need is to turn to the Lord alone.
v.8 2. God has established forgiveness and does not reproof His people for needing it.
(I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been
continually before me.)
The cross was for forgiveness.
God knows believers have much need for forgiveness.
God is not upset because a believer needs forgiveness.
v.9 3. The purpose of the condition of reconciliation (sacrifice) is not to increase or
replenish God’s resources.
(I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds.)
God is not in the place of gaining advantage because of the failings of His
people.
It is only His righteousness that can cover man’s failings and an equality yet
remain.
Apparently there was a subtle, if not overt, criticism of God’s requirement as
unfair or God serving.
v.10, 4. God does not have need of man’s resources.
11 (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.)
v.12, 5. Man must not attribute to God human qualities; he misses gaining understanding
of Godliness.
13 …(Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?)
v.14, 6. God’s people have a commitment to focus on and keep, rather than being
concerned with God’s part.
15 …(And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt
glorify me.)
They were likely tired of making all those sacrifices.
No doubt they reasoned this was just a needless cost, a reduction of their earthly
resources.
They failed to see the heavenly connection.
For every earthly resource sacrificed, there was heavenly support and blessing
given.
v.8 7. God does reproof His people for not learning His ways.
(I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been
continually before me.)
God does reproof His children.
While God does not reproof for forgiveness, nor misunderstanding, He does
reproof for not earning His ways.
God’s people, here in this passage, had not not learned His ways.
They were merely carrying out instructions without learning God’s ways.
Packaging a substitute for Godliness and peddling that to God’s people.
Today God’s people often times learn to carry out God’s instructions in a
formalistic sort of way.
However, they do not experience God because they do not learn His ways.
A believer can go through a lot of motions, and then wonder why the blessings
and heart enrichment he expected are not there.
We try to enter into spirit filled living (like stepping inside a room) without first
learning His ways.
We try to enter into faith giving without making preparation for it by learning
God’s ways.
We try to enter into ministry without learning God’s ways.
Every great leader in scripture (Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Paul, John the
Baptist, Jesus …) had a time of preparation before ministry in which they
learned God’s ways.
We try to enter into worship without making proper preparation, including clean
hands and a pure heart.
We try to be effective in witnessing without making proper preparation.
God wants every believer to know His ways.
The Holy Spirit knows God’s ways and is at work in a believer’s heart to reveal
God’s ways.
Do you find truth or does it find you?
This knowledge comes as God reveals His ways through His word.
God will teach His people His ways. He is committed to that.
In every circumstance of life we need to look for God’s ways.
The knowledge of God’s ways will make effective leading and effective following.
No comments:
Post a Comment