21 These thou didst, and I kept silent, Thou hast thought that I am like thee, I reprove thee, and set in array before thine eyes.
And of whom hast thou been afraid, and fearest, That thou liest, and Me hast not remembered? Thou hast not laid `it' to thy heart, Am not I silent, even from of old? And Me thou fearest not?
Thou hast set our iniquities before Thee, Our hidden things at the light of Thy face,
or the riches of His goodness, and forbearance, and long-suffering, dost thou despise? -- not knowing that the goodness of God doth lead thee to reformation! but, according to thy hardness and impenitent heart, thou dost treasure up to thyself wrath, in a day of wrath and of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
Because sentence hath not been done `on' an evil work speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of man is full within them to do evil. Though a sinner is doing evil a hundred `times', and prolonging `himself' for it, surely also I know that there is good to those fearing God, who fear before Him.
so, then, nothing before the time judge ye, till the Lord may come, who will both bring to light the hidden things of the darkness, and will manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then the praise shall come to each from God.
I have kept silent from of old, I keep silent, I refrain myself, As a travailing woman I cry out, I desolate and swallow up together.
`As many as I love, I do convict and chasten; be zealous, then, and reform;
Sworn hath Jehovah by the excellency of Jacob: `I forget not for ever any of their works.
For every work doth God bring into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether good or bad.'
And they say, `Jehovah doth not see, And the God of Jacob doth not consider.' Consider, ye brutish among the people, And ye foolish, when do ye act wisely? He who planteth the ear doth He not hear? He who formeth the eye doth He not see? He who is instructing nations, Doth He not reprove? He who is teaching man knowledge `is' Jehovah. He knoweth the thoughts of man, that they `are' vanity.
Our God cometh, and is not silent, Fire before Him doth devour, And round about him it hath been very tempestuous.
And God saith unto Moses, `I AM THAT WHICH I AM;' He saith also, `Thus dost thou say to the sons of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.'
Lo, nations as a drop from a bucket, And as small dust of the balance, have been reckoned, Lo, isles as a small thing He taketh up. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt-offering. All the nations `are' as nothing before Him, Less than nothing and emptiness, They have been reckoned to Him. And unto whom do ye liken God, And what likeness do ye compare to Him?
To the Overseer. -- A Psalm of David. O God of my praise, be not silent, For the mouth of wickedness, and the mouth of deceit, Against me they have opened, They have spoken with me -- A tongue of falsehood, and words of hatred! They have compassed me about, And they fight me without cause.
And they have said, `How hath God known? And is there knowledge in the Most High?'
Not for thy sacrifices do I reprove thee, Yea, thy burnt-offerings `Are' before Me continually.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 50
Commentary on Psalms 50 Matthew Henry Commentary
Psalm 50
This psalm, as the former, is a psalm of instruction, not of prayer or praise; it is a psalm of reproof and admonition, in singing which we are to teach and admonish one another. In the foregoing psalm, after a general demand of attention, God by his prophet deals (v. 3) with the children of this world, to convince them of their sin and folly in setting their hearts upon the wealth of this world; in this psalm, after a like preface, he deals with those that were, in profession, the church's children, to convince them of their sin and folly in placing their religion in ritual services, while they neglected practical godliness; and this is as sure a way to ruin as the other. This psalm is intended,
These instructions and admonitions we must take to ourselves, and give to one another, in singing this psalm.
A psalm of Asaph.
Psa 50:1-6
It is probable that Asaph was not only the chief musician, who was to put a tune to this psalm, but that he was himself the penman of it; for we read that in Hezekiah's time they praised God in the words of David and of Asaph the seer, 2 Chr. 29:30. Here is,
Psa 50:7-15
God is here dealing with those that placed all their religion in the observances of the ceremonial law, and thought those sufficient.
Psa 50:16-23
God, by the psalmist, having instructed his people in the right way of worshipping him and keeping up their communion with him, here directs his speech to the wicked, to hypocrites, whether they were such as professed the Jewish or the Christian religion: hypocrisy is wickedness for which God will judge. Observe here,