CALVI, “There have always been hypocrites in the Church, men who have placed religion in a mere observance of outward ceremonies, and among the Jews there were many who turned their attention entirely to the figures of the Law, without regarding the truth which was represented under them. They conceived that nothing more was demanded of them but their sacrifices and other rites. The following psalm is occupied with the reprehension of this gross error, and the prophet exposes in severe terms the dishonor which is cast upon the name of God by confounding ceremony with religion, showing that the worship of God is spiritual, and consists of two parts, prayer and thanksgiving.

1. PSALM 50
VERSE BY VERSE COMMETARY EDITED BY GLE PEASE
I quote many authors both old and new, and if any I quote do not want their wisdom shared in
this way they can let me know and I will remove it. My e-mail is glenn_p86@yahoo.com
If a commentator is blank, their comments are in a previous verse, or they had none.
ITRODUCTIO
1. CALVI, “There have always been hypocrites in the Church, men who have placed religion in
a mere observance of outward ceremonies, and among the Jews there were many who turned
their attention entirely to the figures of the Law, without regarding the truth which was
represented under them. They conceived that nothing more was demanded of them but their
sacrifices and other rites. The following psalm is occupied with the reprehension of this gross
error, and the prophet exposes in severe terms the dishonor which is cast upon the name of God
by confounding ceremony with religion, showing that the worship of God is spiritual, and consists
of two parts, prayer and thanksgiving.
A Song of Asaph.
The prophet holds up the ingratitude of such persons to our reprobation, as proving themselves
unworthy of the honor which has been placed upon them, and debasing themselves by a
degenerate use of this world. From this let us learn, that if we are miserable here, it must be by
our own fault; for could we discern and properly improve the many mercies which God has
bestowed upon us, we would not want, even on earth, a foretaste of eternal blessedness. Of this,
however we fall short through our corruption. The wicked, even while on earth, have a pre-eminency
over the beasts of the field in reason and intelligence, which form a part of the image of
God; but in reference to the end which awaits them the prophet puts both upon a level, and
declares, that being divested of all their vain-glory, they will eventually perish like the beasts.
Their souls will indeed survive, but it is not the less true that death will consign them to
everlasting disgrace.
2. SPURGEO, “Title. A Psalm of Asaph. This is the first of the Psalms of Asaph, but whether
the production of that eminent musician, or merely dedicated to him, we cannot tell. The titles of
twelve Psalms bear his name, but it could not in all of them be meant to ascribe their authorship
to him, for several of these Psalms are of too late a date to have been composed by the same
writer as the others. There was an Asaph in David's time, who was one of David's chief
musicians, and his family appear to have continued long after in their hereditary office of temple
musicians. An Asaph is mentioned as a recorder or secretary in the days of Hezekiah 2 Kings
18:18, and another was keeper of the royal forests under Artaxerxes. That Asaph did most
certainly write some of the Psalms is clear from 2 Chronicles 29:30 , where it is recorded that the
Levites were commanded to sing praises unto the Lord with the words of David, and of Asaph
the seer, but that other Asaphic Psalms were not of his composition, but were only committed to
his care as a musician, is equally certain from 1 Chronicles 16:7 , where David is said to have
delivered a Psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren. It matters little to us whether he

2. wrote or sang, for poet and musician are near akin, and if one composes words and another sets
them to music, they rejoice together before the Lord.
Division. The Lord is represented as summoning the whole earth to hear his declaration, Psalms
50:1-6; he then declares the nature of the worship which he accepts, Psalms 50:7-15, accuses the
ungodly of breaches of the precepts of the second table, Psalms 50:16-21, and closes the court
with a word of threatening, Psalms 50:22, and a direction of grace, Psalms 50:23.
Whole Psalm. The exordium or beginning of this Psalm is the most grand and striking that can
possibly be imagined -- the speaker GOD, the audience an assembled world! We cannot compare
or assimilate the scene here presented to us with any human resemblance; nor do I imagine that
earth will ever behold such a day till that hour when the trumpet of the archangel shall sound
and shall gather all the nations of the earth from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the
other; when the dead, small and great, shall stand before God, and the sea shall give up the dead
which are in it, and death and hell shall deliver up the dead that are in them. Barton Bouchier.
3. F. B. MEYER, “Asaph is named as the author of this Psalm. Perhaps he who is mentioned in
1Chr 15:17, 18, 19, and in 2Chr 29:30. The Psalm contains a severe rebuke of the hypocrite who
contents himself with giving a mere outward obedience to the ritual of God's house, but
withholds the love and homage of his heart.
In the earlier part God is represented as coming again, as once at Sinai, to vindicate and explain
the spiritual requirements of his holy law (Psalm 50:1-6). Then the errors in observing the first
table are discovered (Psalm 50:8-15), after which the Psalmist indicates the violations of the
second table (Psalm 50:16-21). Finally there is an impressive conclusion (Psalm 50:22, 23). The
Psalm is interesting, because it shows how the devout Israelites viewed the Levitical ritual as
being only the vehicle and expression of the yearnings and worship of the spiritual life, but not of
any value apart from a recognition of God's claims on the devotion of his people.
4. MATTHEW STITH, “The arc of the sun, the fire of the divine presence, the radiant beauty of
Zion, and especially the image of God shining forth offer points of connection to the radiance
of Jesus, Moses, and Elijah in the Transfiguration story, and preachers whose interpretive focus
is primarily on that story may find these visual associations valuable to illustrate the frequency
with which God's presence is depicted in the Bible as being accompanied by bright light.
However, if the Psalm reading is to be engaged wholly or primarily on its own terms, there are
other aspects of the text that must be considered.
The visual imagery of the passage is not invoked for its own sake, nor as a mere testament to the
glory of the Lord. The blazing divine presence is the power behind an important and far-reaching
summons. God is calling the heavens above and the earth from the rising of the sun to its
setting to bear witness to God's actions as judge. God's radiance and power help to establish his
right to sit in judgment, and the calling of heaven and earth to bear witness establish the scope of
God's jurisdiction. This passage is more a subpoena than it is a hymn of praise.
The judge is present and qualified, and the witnesses are summoned. The missing piece of the
tableau is a defendant, and the identification of the charged party is soon offered, as the Psalmist
declares that the witnesses were summoned that [God] may judge his people. Furthermore,
this judgment will have to do with Israel's covenant obligations in some way, as is made clear in

3. the direct speech of the Lord, Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by
sacrifice!
If the interpreter engages only the selected verses, the particulars of the covenant violations with
which Israel will be charged are not present. That being the case, there is opportunity for
preaching the importance of covenant faithfulness on the part of God's people, and on the
consequences of covenant violations, in any number of areas. Such flexibility might aid the
preacher in bringing the text to bear on the life and context of a given community, but it also
leaves open the possibility of forced readings that do violence to the sense and aims of the Psalm.
To prevent such forcing of the text, it is highly advisable to consider the remaining verses of
Psalm 50, whether or not they are read in worship. The Psalm as a whole offers two general
indictments of Israel:
In verses 7-15, Israel's worship practices are called into question. The message here shares many
features with the common prophetic complaint that the offering of sacrifices has come to take the
place of true worship of the living God, in a triumph of form over substance. Psalm 50 explicitly
does not condemn sacrifice per se, but rather challenges a particular understanding of sacrificial
observance. The Psalmist declares that God will not accept sacrifices from your house or from
your folds, and then reminds the reader that all of creation, including those things brought for
sacrifice, already belongs to God. Imagining that one's offerings are a gift to God, or that they
fulfill some need of God's, is to claim ownership of what belongs only to the Lord. This attitude is
here condemned as being contrary to Israel's faith and to Israel's covenant commitments.
Instead, God's people are to treat their offerings as acts of thanksgiving for all that God has done
and given. Such sacrifices alone, says the Psalm, are acceptable to God.
In verses 16-21, a similar complaint is lodged against Israel. This time, though, instead of
sacrifice, it is the recitation and citation of the covenant that is held up for inspection. Again, the
practice itself is not condemned, but rather the empty and hypocritical speaking of devout words
while living a rapacious and predatory life. To pay only lip service to God's decrees while living in
a manner contrary to them is to act as if God is either powerless to enforce the divine will or, as
the Psalm puts it, one just like yourself, whose words are not backed by actions.
By following the lead of the whole of Psalm 50, the interpreter can offer specific direction to the
call to covenant faithfulness issued in the first six verses. God's people, whether in ancient Israel
or in the church today, are called to attend to the substance and meaning of their religious
activities and proclamation, and not merely the forms of them. They are called to give offerings
as an act of thanksgiving, rather than of grudging surrender of what they imagine to be their
own. They are called to be disciplined and led by the words of the covenant, not merely to recite
them. The message of Psalm 50 is that in seeking to follow these calls, the people give honor to
God and are shown the way of God's salvation.
5. Shauna Hannan, “How do you respond to the words, The boss would like to set up a meeting
with you?
Depending upon both your relationship with the boss and your recent performance at work, you
may be one who is encouraged by this imminent meeting. Finally, a raise! Or you may get that
proverbial pit in the stomach which screams, Oh oh!

4. The announcement that God is approaching as judge yields contrasting responses as well. ot
unlike the way we talk about law and gospel in preaching (that is, the very same word can be
heard as law to some and gospel to others), the effect of this announcement depends upon the
stance of the recipient of such news. For some, the announcement that the mighty one, God the
Lord, will appear is a longed-for event. Yet, for others, it is the impetus for trembling. Yes, it is
clear that judgment takes center stage in the beginning of this Psalm, but is this welcomed or
undesirable judgment? Of course, that depends upon what we know about who is doing the
judging and, secondly, who is being judged.
Before exploring these two areas (who is doing the judging and who is being judged), it is
important to be aware that the remaining seventeen verses of Psalm 50 contain a speech made by
God. Prior to God's actual speech, however, there is an introduction to the keynote speaker. The
pericope we have before us this week (verses 1-6) is the introduction. From this introduction
alone, what do we find out about the one who is doing the judging?
We discover right away that the one who is about to speak is mighty. Also, one cannot miss the
point that God is being introduced as one who is extremely verbal. In these few verses alone, we
discover that God speaks, summons, does not keep silent, and calls. This is not a God who wishes
to speak through others or remain distant. Rather, God brings news directly. God is God's own
herald.
In addition, there are two other characteristics of the forthcoming speaker worthy of the
preacher's exploration. First, God comes out of the perfection of beauty, and second, God comes
with some special effects; surrounded by devouring fire and encircled by a mighty tempest.
Because the reputation and character of the one who speaks makes a difference in how that one is
heard, it is worth exploring these characteristics. Even more, consider the extent to which these
characteristics of God are consistent with the characteristics you or others in your congregation
would highlight when introducing God. (That is assuming God is the planned keynote speaker for
this Transfiguration Sunday!)
ot only do these characteristics speak of who God is, but the heavens chime in to put in their
good word. One cannot find a more trustworthy witness. The one who is about to speak comes
with stellar recommendations. The forthcoming theophany is not to be missed; indeed, cannot be
missed.
Another way to discover whether or not the impending judgment is welcome or undesirable is by
examining who is being judged. First, we hear that God summons the whole earth. Interestingly,
the breadth of this summons is not described (as some translations would suggest) in spatial
terms, but temporal. God does not beckon people from the East and West, orth and South, but
instead, all people for all time, past, present, and future, from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Therefore, immediately in the Psalm, we in the twenty-first century are drawn into this text. The
stage is being set for a broadcast in its broadest sense, for no one is excluded or exempt from the
forthcoming judgment.
Eventually, however, we find that the intended audience is narrowed (verse 5). God appears to be
calling specifically to God's faithful ones, the ones who made a covenant with God by sacrifice.
We still do not know whether or not God's people have been faithful in their covenant with God.
(It is worth noting, however, that God did not call them unfaithful ones.) All we know is that

5. the hearers being summoned will have one role, and that role will be to listen.
If Psalm 50 were to be the focal point for the Sunday sermon, the Psalm would have to be treated
in its entirety. It seems, however, that Transfiguration Sunday calls for this pericope to serve the
sermon as it does the remainder of the Psalm. In other words, it acts as an introduction to a
forthcoming appearance by God. ot only is Psalm 50:1-6 a suitable precursor to the theophany
in Mark 9, the questions and concerns that arise out of this text might be appropriated in order
to explore the Transfiguration of Jesus.
6. Brenda Barrows, “The Larger Picture:
This six-verse pericope introduces a prophetic psalm of judgment (see Mays), whose later verses
lay out specific charges against God’s chosen people. Psalm 50 goes beyond rebuke and the threat
of punishment, directing the faithful to reject mechanical worship and corrupt behavior and to
offer sincere thanksgiving and praise for their creator. In this context, it has been pointed out that
Psalm 51’s prayer for cleansing and pardon serves as an appropriate confession of sin and
commitment to reform along the lines mapped out in Psalm 50 (see Schaefer).
Some Details:
Ecological setting: God calls the entire natural world to witness in the case. The scope of
creation’s witness extends from sunrise to sunset (v.1) and from the height of the heavens down to
the earth (v.4). Later in the psalm (vv. 10-12), it is pointed out that God owns all of creation, and
does not need human sacrifice.
God is not an outsider: It is from within this natural context that God’s glory shines forth in Zion
(v. 2) (see “God’s Grandeur,” Gerard Manley Hopkins, http://www.bartleby.com/122/7.html).
God uses the forces of nature (devouring fire, whirling tempest) not only to demonstrate power
but also to communicate (does not keep silent) (v.3). It even appears that God requires this
natural context “that he may judge” God’s people (v.4). It is the heavens that “declare [God’s]
righteousness” – witnessing to God’s appropriate role as judge (v.6)
God’s judgment is intimate: The verb translated as “summons” in v.1 of the RSV accurately
reflects the psalm’s legal setting, but that same verb is more commonly translated simply as “calls
to,” as in v.4. The God-that-summons calls out personally, “Gather to me my faithful ones, who
made a covenant with me…” (v. 5) Further, the verb translated “judge” in v. 4 may carry the
connotation of “pleading a case” in behalf of someone (see BDB). If a courtroom scene is depicted
by Psalm 50, it is a family council where the judge knows everyone and prefers reformed
behavior to vengeful punishment.
Food for Thought
Lectionary readings consistently snip out the hard words of the psalms, leaving only words of
praise. There is nothing wrong with praise! However, Psalm 50 demonstrates that God requires

6. worshipers to struggle with the significance of their worship and to move away from
mechanically tossed-off prayer, praise, and thanksgiving. By expurgating the hard facts laid out
in later verses of Psalm 50, could the lectionary actually contribute to the very type of behavior
against which we are being warned?
Sink Your Teeth Into This
Years ago, a new second-career student came to my office to discuss plans for life at seminary.
The student remarked that he had already completed a successful career, and was now able to
“give something back to God.” At the time, I thought of the parable of the rich young ruler, and
wondered if the student knew exactly how much he might need to give up. Today’s work with
Psalm 50 brings that past conversation to mind yet again. We have many high achievers at
Union-PSCE, and it is a delight to see their varied gifts being polished to serve the church. At the
same time, Psalm 50 offers a strong and helpful reminder that each of us owes everything –
property, family, personal attributes, the very ground we stand on – to God. We have nothing of
our own to give to God – except our gratitude. The astonishing good news is that gratitude is
exactly what God has always wanted.
7. Dr. Marshall C. St. John, Introduction: At one time or another in your life you will probably
become interested in your genealogy. You may attempt to trace your family tree as far back as
you can. But that's just the nuts and bolts of genealogy. A deeper question, and much more
difficult to answer: what were my ancestors LIKE? What sort of man or woman was my great
grandfather or great grandmother? It is hard enough to start with our own parents. What sort of
person was my mother? My father? As Christians, we believe in God. But we want to know more.
What sort of Person is my Heavenly Father? Theologians call this the study of THEOLOGY.
Psalm 50 tells us a lot of basic truth about God, so I call this Psalm, THEOLOGY 101. Today I
would like to highlight four facts about God that are brought out in this Psalm:
I. God is Omnipotent (verse 1).
Psa 50:1 The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the
sun to the place where it sets.
In this verse God is called The Mighty One. And an illustration of His power is given: His
power over all the earth, from ultimate East to ultimate West. His power is universal.
Theologians have three words to describe God that all begin with the word Omni, which is
Latin for all.
• God is omniscient = all knowing
• God is omnipresent = He is everywhere simultaneously
• God is omnipotent = He has ultimate power
How powerful is God? Job caught a glimpse of God's power:
Job 9:4 His wisdom is profound, his power is vast. Who has resisted him and come out
unscathed?
Job 9:5 He moves mountains without their knowing it and overturns them in his anger.
Job 9:6 He shakes the earth from its place and makes its pillars tremble.

7. Job 9:7 He speaks to the sun and it does not shine; he seals off the light of the stars.
Job 9:8 He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.
Job 9:9 He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.
Job 9:10 He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.
Job 9:11 When he passes me, I cannot see him; when he goes by, I cannot perceive him.
Job 9:12 If he snatches away, who can stop him? Who can say to him, 'What are you doing?'
Jeremiah said:
Jer 10:12 ...God made the earth by his power; He founded the world by His wisdom and
stretched out the heavens by His understanding.
God made all things, and He controls every human being, every animal, every act of history. It is
all in God's almighty hands. His power is infinite. He is the Almighty One!
II. God Speaks (Ps. 50:1, 3, 7)
The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to
the place where it sets...Our God comes and will not be silent...Hear, O my people, and I will
speak, O Israel...
Theologians use the word REVELATIO when they consider how God communicates with us.
They speak of General Revelation and Special Revelation.
General Revelation teaches us that God has spoken all over the world by means of creation, and
by means of conscience. Every human being everywhere has heard the voice of God through
General Revelation.
Psa 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Psa 19:2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
Psa 19:3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
Psa 19:4 Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
Rom 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and
wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
Rom 1:19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to
them.
Rom 1:20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and
divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men
are without excuse.
Rom 2:14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the
law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law,
Rom 2:15 since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their
consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)
God has spoken most fully to us in the person of His Son Jesus Christ, and in the written Word of
God, whereby we learn of the living Word of God. The Bible is inspired by God. 2 Tim 3:16 All
Scripture is God-breathed. It is the breath of God Himself, and when we read it the Holy Spirit
illuminates our hearts, and makes us understand.
1 Cor 2:9 However, as it is written: o eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him--
1 Cor 2:10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep
things of God.

8. III. God is Righteous (Psalm 50:6).
...the heavens proclaim his righteousness.
Psa 11:7 For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face.
Psa 119:137 Righteous are you, O LORD, and your laws are right.
Psa 119:138 The statutes you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy.
Psa 145:17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.
Rev 15:4 Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy.
All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.
God is utterly holy in all His thoughts, words and deeds. There is no sin in God whatsoever. He is
always just, always fair, always righteous, always holy, always good, in every possible way. He is
so good that even the holy angels in Heaven cannot bear to see God.
Isa 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted,
and the train of his robe filled the temple.
Isa 6:2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces,
with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
Isa 6:3 And they were calling to one another: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole
earth is full of his glory.
It is the holiness of God that accounts for the death of Jesus on the cross. God could not simply
decree I forgive your sins. God could not just sweep our sins under the rug and not think about
them. God was compelled by His own righteousness to DO SOMETHIG DRASTIC about our
sins, in order that He might love us, and receive us to Himself. So He sent His Son to make the
ultimate sacrifice, in order that our sins might be literally washed away and expunged by the
blood of Jesus.
IV. God invites us to worship Him (Psalm 50:5,8,14-15).
Psa 50:5 Gather to me my consecrated ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.
Psa 50:8 I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are ever before
me.
Psa 50:14 Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High,
Psa 50:15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.
This morning we have gathered here in this place to worship God. I hope you have been
worshipping Him. Worship isn't something that happens to you when you go to church. If you
have no ITETIO to worship, you won't worship. If you MAKE O EFFORT to worship,
you won't worship. When we enter this place, we must turn our thoughts toward God. When we
pray, we must pray from the heart. When we sing our hymns, we must concentrate, and offer our
singing to God. When we hear the special music, it is not just to be entertained. We must take
that music and in our hearts adore the Lord, and offer Him our praise and adoration. When we
hear the sermon, we must think hard about the meaning of God's Word, and offer our hearts,
minds and wills to God. That's what worship is all about. But it is UP TO YOU. Worship doesn't
happen to you. Worship is something you make up your mind to do, and you DO IT.
Conclusion: What have we learned about God today in Theology 101?
• 1. That God is Almighty.
• 2. That God has spoken, and continues to speak in creation, by conscience, and in His
written Word.

9. • 3. That God is utterly righteous and holy.
• 4. That God graciously invites us to worship Him.
8. BILL LOG, “I have given this exposition the colorful (I hope!) title of o Bull because of
the (unintended) humorous translation of v. 9 in the Revised Standard Version and other older
Bible translations. Perhaps that is why our reading stops at v. 8 after all. Verse 9 used to say, I
will accept no bull from your house. ow, the RSV, without comment of course, has cleaned
it up to say, I will not accept a bull from your house. I sort of preferred the old translation!
Psalm 50 is a fine illustration of the point I have frequently made about the Psalms--that they are,
in fact, orientation exhortations. That is, their primary purpose is not to tell a story or to
declare Thus says the Lord, or to give instruction in wise dealing in life. Their primary
purpose is to deal with a deep human emotion or spiritual need, and to exhort us to (re)orient
ourselves to God. In this Psalm the emotion dealt with is thanksgiving or gratitude. We should
offer sacrifices to God; but only those which are given with thanksgiving, with a heart directed
rightly to God, will be acceptable to God. This theme is reflected throughout the Scriptures, with
Paul being one of the best biblical writers on gratitude. So let each one give as he purposes in his
heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver (II Cor. 9:7). We are
exhorted to gratitude because our tendency is not to be grateful. We like to whine, complain, and
otherwise stress our victimization. But this Psalm won't let us go there.
One of the arresting things about this Psalm is its literary form. Rather than beginning with a
statement of gratitude, or distress, or a declaration of love, or a recital of God's deeds in the past,
the author begins with a theophany--a description of God's coming. This theophany is
wrapped in prophetic-type language. There is also the language of lawsuit. It is God the Lord,
who shines forth from Zion, who is coming to speak to us. God is coming, and will God be
pleased? Or, in the language of the reading from Luke for this week, will we be ready? Three
points help us focus on the Psalm's lesson for us: (1) The Coming of God; (2) The Basic Principle
of the Passage; and (3) a Warning. Each deserves brief mention.
Three points about the divine coming or theophany are the language of lawsuit, God as light or
fire, and natural world as witnesses to God's word. The opening words of the Psalm are
reminiscent of the great prophetic lawsuit passages, where God is portrayed as initiating a suit
with the people. One example will suffice. In Mic. 6, God is about to indict the people for
faithlessness. We have:
1 Hear what the Lord says:
Rise, plead your case before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice.
2 Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the Lord,
and you enduring foundations of the earth;
for the Lord has a controversy with his people,
and he will contend with Israel.
God can bring a lawsuit (reeb in Hebrew) because of the covenant between God and the people.
Disobedience to that covenant by either party allows the non-offending party to bring the other to
book. This is what is happening here.

10. God shines forth out of Zion. Many biblical passages stress the light-like character of God.
My favorite is from Ps. 104.
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
wrapped in light as with a garment (vv. 1-2).
Sometimes God can be said to dwell in darkness or deep darkness (Ps. 18:11), but more
frequently God's dwelling is in light. ote the biblical connection between light and fearlessness:
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid? (Ps. 27:1-2).
The Psalmist is more precise here about the type of light in mind. It is fire. God is not just some
5000 watt bulb shining from the heavens or coming to the earth. God appears in a fire. Perhaps
the author is thinking of God's original theophany to Moses in the fire of the burning bush or in
the smoke, clouds and fire of Sinai. He doesn't say. But the fire here is a devouring one. The
language is reminiscent of Deut. 4 and 9.
For the Lord your God is a devouring fire, a jealous God (4:24)....Has any people
ever heard the voice of a god speaking out of a fire, as you have heard, and lived?
(4:33)....Know then today that the Lord your God is the one who crosses over before
you as a devouring fire... (9:3).
Finally, when God comes, the divine will call creation to witness of the truth and seriousness of
the divine words.
He calls to the heavens above/ and to the earth, that he may judge his people (Ps.
50:4).
Calling upon inanimate nature to witness a covenant or a covenant lawsuit is also something that
is known in the Bible and in Ancient ear Eastern literature generally. When Joshua sealed the
covenant with the people of Israel before his death, he took a large stone, and set it up at the
covenanting spot under the oak in the sanctuary of the Lord. Then he said:
See, this stone shall be a witness against you, if you deal falsely with your God
(24:26f.)
God is coming, and is God serious!
II. The Simple Message
But God's message, upon arrival, is really quite simple. A child can understand it, but the most
mature individual still has to put all his/her effort into it to realize it. God speaks about sacrifices,
those little things we offer to God which say that we will do X for God or that we are fully
dedicated to God's service. God wants to talk to us. Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a
covenant with me by sacrifice (v. 5). This gathering is the accountability meeting. God will
have a beef to pick with us.
The central point of God's complaint is that our sacrifices are missing their chief ingredient--
gratitude. They might be made reluctantly or even bitterly, but they are given without the

11. requisite thanksgiving. Then, the passage (not in our reading) goes on to make God's complaint
more precise. ot only do the ones sacrificing continue to practice deceit and laziness, but they
seem to think that they are giving something to God from their possessions. It is as if the mind of
the sacrificer works like this: I can afford to give God this sheep or this goat. It is not exactly
the attitude which gives the damaged goods to God, the ones you can't eat anyway, but it is
similar to it. God forestalls that attitude immediately: For every wild animal of the forest is
mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the air, and all that moves in the field
is mine (50:10-11).
That is, it already is God's. It is not as if we are giving something to God which God doesn't
already have. Thus, what is really in view in sacrifice is the offering of the heart, the heart turned
in gratitude to God. But, and I stress this point, it would not be sufficient just to say, 'Well, God is
only interested in the heart. Therefore, I will dispense with sacrifices. I will keep the goats and
bulls, supping on them with friends, giving thanks to God the whole time.' ope, this won't work.
We aren't really thankful to God unless we freely give to God what already belongs to God. But
we need to part with things that are necessary to us in life. But give it with gratitute, with
thanksgiving that we have something to give and that God is our God and will receive it and bless
us.
III. A Warning
It would be nice if the Scriptures just ended with the exhortation or the good news. Just do X
and you will be blessed. But there is often a warning appended. I don't really like warnings, but
sometimes they are salutary. We need them because we are heedless of danger and we don't really
see the serious consequences of a lot of what we do. We tend to focus too much on ourselves and
the contours of our often-puny worlds. We ignore larger dimensions of the world in which we are
placed. We don't think that our actions will have repercussions.
But sometimes they do. And that is the purpose of v. 22 of the Psalm. otice the somberness of it:
Mark this, then, you who forget God,/ or I will tear you apart, and there will be no
one to deliver.
Oops. It looks like God takes things very seriously, that the coming of God was not just to sidle
up next to us to watch an HBO Special. The coming of God was filled with the fire that burns as
well as warms. But here the language of fire has disappeared and we have an image from the
animal kingdom. In view is the lion or wild beast that tears asunder. The image is also present in
the prophecy of Hosea. When Israel (Ephraim in the passage) was in trouble, it sought help from
foreign kings rather than from God. Here is what happened:
When Ephraim saw his sickness,
and Judah his wound,
then Ephraim went to Assyria,
and sent to the great king.
But he is not able to cure you
or heal your wound.
For I will be like a lion to Ephraim,
and like a young lion to the house of Judah.
I myself will tear and go away;
I will carry off, and no one shall rescue... (Hos. 5:13-14).
God can speak through the Psalmist about tearing them limb from limb because God has already

12. rehearsed the divine lines in this Hosea passage.
Conclusion
The Scriptures will not let us avoid the point, even in our permissive age and time, that there are
repercussions to our actions. There is a piper to pay, a toll that our actions take. Orienting
ourselves rightly to God through thanksgiving and gratitude will go a long way, however, to
making sure that the rhythms of our lives and the longings of our hearts will lead to good and not
to the fearsome fire or tearing limbs of the divine judgment.
A psalm of Asaph.
1 The Mighty One, God, the LORD,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to where it sets.
1. Barnes, “The mighty God, even the Lord - Even “Yahweh,” for this is the original word. The
Septuagint and Vulgate render this “The God of gods, the Lord.” DeWette renders it, “God, God
Jehovah, speaks.” Prof. Alexander, “The Almighty, God, Jehovah, speaks;” and remarks that the
word “mighty” is not an adjective agreeing with the next word (“the mighty God”), but a
substantive in apposition with it. The idea is, that he who speaks is the true God; the Supreme
Ruler of the universe. It is “that” God who has a right to call the world to judgment, and who has
power to execute his will.
Hath spoken - Or rather, “speaks.” That is, the psalmist represents him as now speaking, and
as calling the world to judgment.
And called the earth - Addressed all the inhabitants of the world; all dwellers on the earth.
From the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof - From the place where the sun seems to
rise, to the place where it seems to set; that is, all the world. Compare the notes at Isa_59:19. See
also Mal_1:11; Psa_113:3. The call is made to all the earth; to all the human race. The scene is
imaginary as represented by the psalmist, but it is founded on a true representation of what will
occur - of the universal judgment, when all nations shall be summoned to appear before the final
Judge. See Mat_25:32; Rev_20:11-14.
2. Clarke, “The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken - Here the essential names of God are
used: אל אלהים יהוה El, Elohim, Yehovah, hath spoken. The six first verses of this Psalm seem to
contain a description of the great judgment: to any minor consideration or fact it seems
impossible, with any propriety, to restrain them. In this light I shall consider this part of the

13. Psalm, and show: -
First, The preparatives to the coming of the great Judge. El Elohim Jehovah hath spoken, and
called the earth - all the children of men from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, ( מכלל יפי michlal yophi, the beauty where all perfection is
comprised), God hath shined, Psa_50:1, Psa_50:2.
1. He has sent his Spirit to convince men of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
2. He has sent his Word; has made a revelation of himself; and has declared both his law and
his Gospel to mankind: “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined,” Psa_50:2.
For out of Zion the law was to go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Isa_2:3.
Secondly, The accompaniments.
1. His approach is proclaimed, Psa_50:3 : “Our God shall come.”
2. The trumpet proclaims his approach: “He shall not keep silence.”
3. Universal nature shall be shaken, and the earth and its works be burnt up: “A fire shall
devour before him and it shall be very tempestuous round about him,” Psa_50:3.
Thirdly, The witnesses are summoned and collected, and collected from all quarters; some
from heaven, and some from earth.
1. Guardian angels.
2. Human associates: “He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may
judge his people,” Psa_50:4.
Fourthly, The procedure. As far as it respects the righteous, orders are issued: “Gather my
saints,” those who are saved from their sins and made holy, “together unto me.” And that the
word saints might not be misunderstood it is explained by “those that have made a covenant with
me by sacrifice;” those who have entered into union with God, through the sacrificial offering of
the Lord Jesus Christ. All the rest are passed over in silence. We are told who they are that shall
enter into the joy of their Lord, viz., only the saints, those who have made a covenant with God
by sacrifice. All, therefore, who do not answer this description are excluded from glory.
Fifthly, The final issue: all the angelic hosts and all the redeemed of the Lord, join in
applauding acclamation at the decision of the Supreme Judge. The heavens (for the earth is no
more, it is burnt up) shall declare his righteousness, the exact justice of the whole procedure,
where justice alone has been done without partiality, and without severity, nor could it be
otherwise, for God is Judge himself. Thus the assembly is dissolved; the righteous are received
into everlasting glory, and the wicked turned into hell, with all those who forget God. Some think
that the sentence against the wicked is that which is contained, Psa_50:16-22. See the analysis at
the end, and particularly on the six first verses, in which a somewhat different view of the subject
is taken.
3. Gill, “The mighty God,.... In the Hebrew text it is El, Elohim, which Jarchi renders the
God of gods; that is, of angels, who are so called, Psa_8:5; so Christ, who is God over all, is
over them; he is their Creator, and the object of their worship, Heb_1:6; or of kings, princes,
judges, and all civil magistrates, called gods, Psa_82:1; and so Kimchi interprets the phrase here

14. Judge of judges. Christ is King of kings, and Lord of lords, by whom they reign and judge, and
to whom they are accountable. The Targum renders it the mighty God; as we do; which is the
title and name of Christ in Isa_9:6; and well agrees with him, as appears by his works of creation,
providence, and redemption, and by his government of his church and people; by all the grace,
strength, assistance, and preservation they have from him now, and by all that glory and
happiness they will be brought unto by him hereafter, when raised from the dead, according to
his mighty power. It is added,
even the Lord, hath spoken: or Jehovah, Some have observed, that these three names, El,
Elohim, Jehovah, here mentioned, have three very distinctive accents set to them, and which
being joined to a verb singular, דבר , hath spoken, contains the mystery of the trinity of Persons
in the unity of the divine Essence; see Jos_22:22; though rather all the names belong to Christ the
Son of God, and who is Jehovah our righteousness, and to whom, he being the eternal Logos,
speech is very properly ascribed. He hath spoken for the elect in the council and covenant of
grace and peace, that they might be given to him; and on their behalf, that they might have grace
and glory, and he might be their Surety, Saviour, and Redeemer. He hath spoken all things out of
nothing in creation: he spoke with. Moses at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai: he, the Angel
of God's presence, spoke for the Old Testament saints, and spoke good and comfortable words
unto them: he hath spoken in his own person here on earth, and such words and with such
authority as never man did; and he has spoken in his judgments and providences against the
Jews; and he now speaks in his Gospel by his ministers: wherefore it follows,
and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof; which may be
considered as a preface, exciting attention to what is after spoken, as being of moment and
importance; see Deu_32:1; or as calling the earth, and so the heavens, Psa_50:4, to be witnesses
of the justness and equity of his dealings with the Jews, for their rejection of him and his Gospel;
see Deu_4:26; or rather as a call to the inhabitants of the earth to hear the Gospel; which had its
accomplishment in the times of the apostles; when Christ having a people, not in Judea only, but
in the several parts of the world from east to west, sent them into all the world with his Gospel,
and by it effectually called them through his grace; and churches were planted everywhere to the
honour of his name; compare with this Mal_1:11.
4. Henry, “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, 2Ch_29:30.
5. Jamison, “Psa_50:1-23. In the grandeur and solemnity of a divine judgment, God is introduced
as instructing men in the nature of true worship, exposing hypocrisy, warning the wicked, and
encouraging the pious.
The description of this majestic appearance of God resembles that of His giving the law
(compare Exo_19:16; Exo_20:18; Deu_32:1).
6. KD, “The theophany. The names of God are heaped up in Psa_50:1 in order to gain a
thoroughly full-toned exordium for the description of God as the Judge of the world. Hupfeld
considers this heaping up cold and stiff; but it is exactly in accordance with the taste of the
Elohimic style. The three names are co-ordinate with one another; for הִים c אֵל אֱ does not mean

15. “God of gods,” which would rather be expressed by הִים c הֵי הָאֱ c אֱ or אֵל אֵלִים. אֵ ל is the name for
God as the Almighty; הִים c אֱ as the Revered One; יַהֲֽוֶה as the Being, absolute in His existence, and
who accordingly freely influences and moulds history after His own plan - this His peculiar
proper-name is the third in the triad. Perfects alternate in Psa_50:1 with futures, at one time the
idea of that which is actually taking place, and at another of that which is future, predominating.
Jahve summons the earth to be a witness of the divine judgment upon the people of the covenant.
The addition “from the rising of the sun to its going down,” shows that the poet means the earth
in respect of its inhabitants. He speaks, and because what He speaks is of universal significance
He makes the earth in all its compass His audience. This summons precedes His self-manifestation.
It is to be construed, with Aquila, the Syriac, Jerome, Tremellius, and Montanus,
“out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, Elohim shineth.” Zion, the perfect in beauty (cf. the
dependent passage Lam_2:15, and 1 Macc. 2:12, where the temple is called ἡ καλλονὴ ἡμῶν),
because the place of the presence of God the glorious One, is the bright spot whence the
brightness of the divine manifestation spreads forth like the rising sun. In itself certainly it is not
inappropriate, with the lxx, Vulgate, and Luther, to take מִכְלַל־יפִֹי as a designation of the
manifestation of Elohim in His glory, which is the non pius ultra of beauty, and consequently to be
explained according to Eze_28:12, cf. Exo_33:19, and not according to Lam_2:15 (more
particularly since Jeremiah so readily gives a new turn to the language of older writers). But,
taking the fact into consideration that nowhere in Scripture is beauty ( יֳפִי ) thus directly
predicated of God, to whom peculiarly belongs a glory that transcends all beauty, we must follow
the guidance of the accentuation, which marks מכלל־יפי by Mercha as in apposition with צִיּוֹן (cf.
Psychol. S. 49; tr. p. 60). The poet beholds the appearing of God, an appearing that resembles the
rising of the sun ( הוֹפִיעַ , as in the Asaph Psa_80:2, after Deu_33:2, from יָפַע , with a transition of
the primary notion of rising, Arab. yf‛, wf‛, to that of beaming forth and lighting up far and wide,
as in Arab. sṭ‛); for “our God will come and by no means keep silence.” It is not to be rendered:
Let our God come (Hupfeld) and not keep silence (Olshausen). The former wish comes too late
after the preceding הופיע (יָבֹ א is consequently veniet, and written as e.g., in Psa_37:13), and the
latter is superfluous. אַ ל , as in Psa_34:6; Psa_41:3, Isa_2:9, and frequently, implies in the negative
a lively interest on the part of the writer: He cannot, He dare not keep silence, His glory will not
allow it. He who gave the Law, will enter into judgment with those who have it and do not keep it;
He cannot long look on and keep silence. He must punish, and first of all by word in order to
warn them against the punishment by deeds. Fire and storm are the harbingers of the Lawgiver
of Sinai who now appears as Judge. The fire threatens to consume the sinners, and the storm
(viz., a tempest accompanied with lightning and thunder, as in Job_38:1) threatens to drive them
away like chaff. The expression in Psa_50:3 is like Psa_18:9. The fem. (iph. נִשְׂעֲרָה does not refer
to אֵשׁ , but is used as neuter: it is stormed, i.e., a storm rages (Apollinaris, ἐλαιλαπίσθη σφόδρα).
The fire is His wrath; and the storm the power or force of His wrath.
7. Spurgeon, The mighty God, even the Lord. El, Elohim, Jehovah, three glorious names for the
God of Israel. To render the address the more impressive, these august titles are mentioned, just
as in royal decrees the names and dignities of monarchs are placed in the forefront. Here the true
God is described as Almighty, as the only and perfect object of adoration and as the self existent
One. Hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun until the going down thereof.
The dominion of Jehovah extends over the whole earth, and therefore to all mankind is his decree
directed. The east and the west are bidden to hear the God who makes his sun to rise on every
quarter of the globe. Shall the summons of the great King be despised? Will we dare provoke him
to anger by slighting his call?

16. 8. TREASURY OF DAVID, “Verse 1. El, Elohim, Jehovah has spoken! So reads the Hebrew.
Andrew A. Bonar.
Verse 1. (first clause). Some have observed that these three names, El, Elohim, Jehovah, here
mentioned, have three very distinct accents set to them, and which being joined to a verb singular
(dbd), hath spoken, contains the mystery of the trinity of Persons in the unity of the divine
Essence. John Gill.
Verse 1. And called the earth, etc., i.e., all the inhabitants of the earth he has commanded to come
as witnesses and spectators of the judgment. Simon de Muis.
Verse 1-5. --
o more shall atheists mock his long delay;
His vengeance sleeps no more; behold the day!
Behold! -- the Judge descends; his guards are nigh,
Tempests and fire attend him down the sky.
When God appears, all nature shall adore him.
While sinners tremble, saints rejoice before him.
Heaven, earth and hell, draw near; let all things come,
To hear my justice, and the sinner's doom;
But gather first my saints (the Judge commands),
Bring them, ye angels, from their distant lands.
When Christ returns, wake every cheerful passion,
And shout, ye saints; he comes for your salvation.
Isaac Watts.
9. RAY STEDMA, We are now turning to another of these folksongs, Psalm 50. Its theme is a
familiar one among folksongs. Those of you who are acquainted with the ballads and folksongs of
America know that they frequently center around courtrooms, trials, juries (rigged or otherwise),
prisons, policemen and judges. You get a great deal of this in folksongs and it is the theme also of
this fiftieth Psalm. It is a courtroom scene and the Psalmist is recreating in his own experience
when God judges his people. If we were to put this in the street jargon of today we should entitle
it, When God Busted Me.
otice that it is inscribed as a psalm of Asaph. Asaph was the sweet singer who put these songs to
music and sang in David's court. This psalm is from his pen though it reflects the experience of
many believers. Like all courtroom scenes it begins with a summons.
The Mighty One, God the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth ... {Psa 50:1a RSV}
Some time ago my doorbell rang on a Saturday morning. When I went to the door, there stood a
man I had never seen before. He did not say a word but handed me a piece of paper, turned

17. around, and walked down the driveway. I stood there with the paper in my hands not knowing
quite what it was all about. When I went inside and opened the paper I saw that it was a
summons to appear in court. It affected me strangely. I was not quite sure what to do. I felt a
mingled sense of fear and awe. I wanted to hide, and wondered if it would not be better just to go
back to bed and start all over again.
Perhaps this was the reaction of the Psalmist when this great and impressive summons rang out.
It is a very impressive scene that is described here as the Psalmist pictures the courtroom as the
judge enters and the people are summoned to the bar.
10. Calvin, “The God of gods, even Jehovah, 241 hath spoken The inscription of this psalm bears
the name of Asaph; but whether he was the author of it, or merely received it as chief singer from
the hand of David, cannot be known. This, however, is a matter of little consequence. The opinion
has been very generally entertained, that the psalm points to the period of the Church’s re
novation, and that the design of the prophet is to apprise the Jews of the coming abrogation of
their figurative worship under the Law. That the Jews were subjected to the rudiments of the
world, which continued till the Church’s majority, and the arrival of what the apostle calls “the
fullness of times,” (Galatians 4:4,) admits of no doubt; the only question is, whether the prophet
must here be considered as addressing the men of his own age, and simply condemning the abuse
and corruption of the legal worship, or as predicting the future kingdom of Christ? From the
scope of the psalm, it is sufficiently apparent that the prophet does in fact interpret the Law to his
contemporaries, with a view of showing them that the ceremonies, while they existed, were of no
importance whatever by themselves, or otherwise than connected with a higher meaning. Is it
objected, that God never called the whole world except upon the promulgation of the Gospel, and
that the doctrine of the Law was addressed only to one peculiar people? the answer is obvious,
that the prophet in this place describes the whole world as convened not for the purpose of
receiving one common system of faith, but of hearing God plead his cause with the Jews in its
presence. The appeal is of a parallel nature with others which we find in Scripture:
“Give ear, O ye heavens! and I will speak; and hear, O earth! the words of my mouths”
(Deuteronomy 32:1;)
or as in another place,
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death,”
(Deuteronomy 30:19;)
and again Isaiah,
“Hear, O heaven! and give ear, O earth! for the Lord hath spoken,” (Isaiah 1:2.) 242
This vehement mode of address was required in speaking to hypocrites, that they might be roused
from their complacent security, and their serious attention engaged to the message of God. The
Jews had special need to be awakened upon the point to which reference is here made. Men are
naturally disposed to outward show in religion, and, measuring God by themselves, imagine that
an attention to ceremonies constitutes the sum of their duty. There was a strong disposition
among the Jews to rest in an observance of the figures of the Law, and it is well known with what
severity the prophets all along reprehended this superstition, by which the worst and most
abandoned characters were led to arrogate a claim to piety, and hide their abominations under
the specious garb of godliness. The prophet, therefore, required to do more than simply expose

18. the defective nature of that worship which withdraws the attention of men from faith and
holiness of heart to outward ceremonies; it was necessary that, in order to check false confidence
and banish insensibility, he should adopt the style of severe reproof. God is here represented as
citing all the nations of the earth to his tribunal, not with the view of prescribing the rule of piety
to an assembled world, or collecting a church for his service, but with the design of alarming the
hypocrite, and terrifying him out of his self-complacency. It would serve as a spur to conviction,
thus to be made aware that the whole world was summoned as a witness to their dissimulation,
and that they would be stripped of that pretended piety of which they were disposed to boast. It is
with a similar object that he addresses Jehovah as the God of gods, to possess their minds with a
salutary terror, and dissuade them from their vain attempts to elude his knowledge. That this is
his design will be made still more apparent from the remaining context, where we are presented
with a formidable description of the majesty of God, intended to convince the hypocrite of the
vanity of those childish trifles with which he would evade the scrutiny of so great and so strict a
judge.
To obviate an objection which might be raised against his doctrine in this psalm, that it was
subversive of the worship prescribed by Moses, the prophet intimates that this judgment which
he announced would be in harmony with the Law. When God speaks out of Zion he necessarily
sanctions the authority of the Law; and the Prophets, when at any time they make use of this
form of speech, declare themselves to be interpreters of the Law. That holy mountain was not
chosen of man’s caprice, and therefore stands identified with the Law. The prophet thus cuts off
any pretext which the Jews might allege to evade his doctrine, by announcing that such as
concealed their wickedness, under the specious covert of ceremonies, would not be condemned of
God by any new code of religion, but by that which was ministered originally by Moses. He gives
Zion the honorable name of the perfection of beauty, because God had chosen it for his sanctuary,
the place where his name should be invoked, and where his glory should be manifested in the
doctrine of the Law.
2 From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines forth.
1. Barnes, “Out of Zion - The place where God was worshipped, and where he dwelt. Compare
the notes at Isa_2:3.
The perfection of beauty - See the notes at Psa_48:2.
God hath shined - Has shined forth, or has caused light and splendor to appear. Compare
Deu_33:2; Psa_80:2; Psa_94:1 (see the margin) The meaning here is, that the great principles
which are to determine the destiny of mankind in the final judgment are those which proceed
from Zion; or, those which are taught in the religion of Zion; they are those which are inculcated
through the church of God. God has there made known his law; he has stated the principles on
which he governs, and on which he will judge the world.

19. 2. JOH PIPER, “I have two purposes in this message this morning. One is to begin a three part
series on this great psalm. The other purpose is to pick up on last week's text in Hebrews 13:14
which said, Here we have no lasting city, but we seek a city that is to come. We talked about
singing about Zion city of our God last week, but decided that Zion and the heavenly
Jerusalem and the city to come are foreign ideas to most Christians today.
Seeing the Beauty of Zion in Scripture
So we have decided to devote a message to this theme in Scripture, namely, the theme of Zion and
the city of God and the ew Jerusalem. We've sung the hymn
Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Zion city of our God;
He whose word cannot be broken
Formed thee for His own abode.
On the Rock of Ages founded,
What can shake Thy sure repose?
With salvation's walls surrounded,
Thou mayest smile at all Thy foes.
When I think about the man who wrote that hymn, I am encouraged that this biblical theme can
become relevant and meaningful for the most secular, unchurched, modern person in America. It
was written by John ewton, the same man who wrote Amazing Grace. He was, by his own
confession, a very corrupt young man. He ran from his father and ran from the law and sailed
the high seas. He ran a slave trading vessel in the 1750s from the coasts of Africa. Later on, he
called himself the old African blasphemer. In other words, he is not the kind of person you
would expect to use biblical words like Zion—or to make up a song like Glorious things of
thee are spoken, Zion, city of our God.
You'd think that ideas like Zion and the heavenly Jerusalem would be reserved for churchy
types who spend all their time reading the Bible and don't know much about the world. But
that's not true. It never has been true. It is not true today. The most irreligious, immoral person
you know is probably more religious and more moral than John ewton was. Can you imagine
that person falling in love with the language of Zion—unthinkable! Or is it?
John ewton died December 31, 1807. He wrote his own epitaph for his gravestone. It says,
John ewton, clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was, by the rich
mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to
preach the faith he had long labored to destroy.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me,
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.
And one of the things this African blasphemer saw when God saved him and opened his eyes was
the beauty Zion. And I want you to see it too, whoever you are this morning.

20. What Is Zion?
Verse 2 of our text says, Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. We will talk
more next week about the setting, the scene of judgment, and why God is calling the heavens and
the earth to listen to his judgment over Israel. But today I want us just to focus on this term Zion.
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. What is Zion? And why is it such a
rich and hope-filled word for Christians?
Let's begin back where the word is used for the first time in the Bible (2 Samuel 5:7). It says of
David, The king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites . . . [and] David took the
stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. So from the time of David, Zion was synonymous
with the city of David.
What begins to make this place so significant is that immediately (in 2 Samuel 6:12) David brings
the ark of the covenant into to this stronghold of Zion. The ark of the covenant was the sacred
seat of the holy of holies where God met his people in the tabernacle. So Zion becomes the center
of worship and of God's presence. And when Solomon moves the arc of the covenant into the
temple that he had built (1 Kings 8:1), the whole of Jerusalem came to be known as Zion.
So most of the time (in its 150+ uses in the Old Testament) Zion refers to the city of Jerusalem,
not just as another name, but because it is the city of God's presence and the city of great hope
for God's people.
The City of God's Presence and Salvation
Let me illustrate this significance with some texts.
• Psalm 51:18 , Do good to Zion in thy good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
(Zion is Jerusalem.)
• Psalm 9:11 , Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion! Tell among the peoples his
deeds. (So Zion is the place on earth where God has chosen to makes his presence
especially known. Psalm 78:67f.)
• Psalm 74:2 , Remember mount Zion, where thou hast dwelt. (It is called a mount
because David's stronghold and then the temple were on mountains or hills in Jerusalem.)
So Zion meant the place where God was present and near to his people. But that's not all. It
follows that Zion became the place from which the people expected help. Zion became the source
of deliverance and salvation. For example,
• Psalm 20:2 , May the Lord send you help from the sanctuary, and give you support from
Zion!
• Psalm 3:4 , I cry aloud to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy hill—that is,
Mount Zion.
So Zion was the place of God's special presence among his people and it was the place where they
could get help and deliverance.
But because sin became rampant among the people and because divine judgment was inevitable,
even on Zion (Lamentations 2:15), it became more and more obvious, especially to the prophets,
that Zion, the city of David, the earthly Jerusalem, was not the ideal city. They began to see more
clearly that this Zion pointed forward to a future Zion and upward to a heavenly Zion. Or to put
it another way, if imperfect Zion is the place of God's presence on the earth, then there must be a
perfect Zion where God dwells in heaven (cf. Acts 7:48f.). And if imperfect Zion is the place of
God's presence on the earth now, then all the promises of complete and perfect reign on the earth

21. must mean that there will some day be a new and ideal Zion on the earth where God rules over
all the nations. In other words the old Jerusalem points upward to a heavenly Zion, and forward
to a future Zion.
Pointers to a Future Zion
Let me show you this from some Scriptures. First some pointers to the future Zion.
• Isaiah 24:23 , The moon will be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for the Lord of hosts
will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem. The Lord will reign on Mount Zion!
• Micah 4:6f ., In that day, says the Lord, I will assemble the lame . . . and the Lord will
reign over them in Mount Zion from this time forth and for evermore.
• Isaiah 2:2f ., It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the
Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains . . . and all the nations shall flow
to it . . . For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat
their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.
So the Bible teaches that there is coming a day when the Lord will rule over the nations from his
seat in Zion. And there will be peace and righteousness. I believe this is what the Bible means by
the Millennium—a thousand year reign of God on the earth from Mount Zion. I have set my
king on Zion, my holy hill (Psalm 2:6). So the old Jerusalem points forward to a glorious future
Zion from which God will reign on earth.
Pointing to a Heavenly Zion
But the Old Testament points not only to a future, glorious Zion where God will reign on earth, it
also points to a heavenly Zion where God already reigns now. This is not so easy to see, but once
we see, it becomes really precious to us who live far from the earthly Jerusalem and are not even
Jews.
Psalm 87
There are a few key passages that show this. One is Psalm 87.
On the holy mount stands the city he founded; the Lord loves the gates of Zion more
than all the dwelling places of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God.
[This is where John ewton got his song. ow the Lord himself speaks concerning the
true citizens of Zion:] Among those who know me I mention Rahab [=Egypt] and
Babylon; behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia [So he foretells the day when these
pagan nations will turn and know God. And then he describes them as natural born
citizens of Zion]—This one was born there, they say. And of Zion it shall be said,
This one and that one were born in her; for the Most High himself will establish
her. The Lord records as he registers the peoples, This one was born there.
This is an amazing psalm! If Zion is the place of God's presence, if Zion is the place of God's
power and blessing and protection, if Zion is the hope of God's future rule over the earth, then
what is the hope of us Gentiles? What about us who pay our taxes in Minneapolis and St. Paul
and Roseville and Eagan and Bloomington and ew Brighton, and have never even seen
Jerusalem, let alone become a citizen of God's city? What about us whom Paul says are separated
from the commonwealth of Israel and have no citizenship in Zion the city of God (Ephesians
2:12)?

22. This One Was Born in Zion
The answer is that there is a Zion whose citizenship is not earthly. Psalm 87:5 says the Most High
himself is establishing this Zion by declaring with sovereign freedom and with saving effect:
This one was born there. This one in Minneapolis was born in Zion. This one in Moscow was
born in Zion. This one in Jakarta was born in Zion. This one in Kankan was born in Zion. God is
populating Zion with foreigners of every people and tribe and tongue and nation.
But how can this be? What does it mean? It means that there is a true Zion in heaven, there is a
heavenly Jerusalem. And the true people of God, whether Jew or Gentile, are citizens there. To
belong to the people of God your birth certificate has to say, This one was born in Zion.
In ew Testament Terms
But what does this mean in ew Testament terms? Galatians 4:26 says something amazingly
similar: The Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. We have been conceived and born
in the heavenly Jerusalem. In other words we have all been born once in some earthly city. And
that birth has simply made us flesh and blood and given us a citizenship in some country here on
earth. But if we want to know God and be with God in his city, if we want to be a part of that
future kingdom of peace and joy and love and righteousness where God rules from Zion, then we
have to be born from above. We have to have a second, spiritual birth. We have to have our
citizenship in heaven (Philippians 3:20) and in the Jerusalem above. Our second birth certificate
has to say, This one was born in Zion. Truly, truly I say to you, unless a person is born from
above he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3).
Hebrews 12:22 says to Christians, to those who trust Christ, You have come to Mount Zion and
to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal
gathering and to the assembly of the first born, who are enrolled in heaven.
otice the verse says, You have come to Mount Zion . . . ot: you will come. But you HAVE
COME. One of the great things about being a Christian is that when you are born again, you
don't have to wonder anymore if you are going to be a part of the city of God. Those who are
born from above have ALREADY COME to Mount Zion; they are ALREADY enrolled in the
heavenly Jerusalem; they are ALREADY citizens of the city of God. Paul said to those who had
surrendered to Jesus, You have died and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is
your life appears, then you will appear with him in glory (Colossians 3:3).
So it is with the Zion, the city of God. If you trust Christ, you are already a permanent citizen of
the heavenly Jerusalem. And when this new Jerusalem appears, you will be there too in glory.
A Closing Invitation
I want to close this message the way the Bible closes, with an invitation to any who have never
come to Mount Zion, the city of God, the new Jerusalem—perhaps a John ewton in our midst.
The last two chapters of the Bible describe the ew Jerusalem, coming down from heaven at the
end of the age.
• It is adorned like a bride for her husband.
• In it every tear is wiped away, there is no more death, or crying or pain.
• Its radiance is like a rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
• There is no temple in the city because the temple is the Lord God the Almighty and Jesus
Christ the Lamb.
• There is no sun or moon to shine, because the glory of God himself is its light and the lamp

23. is the Lamb.
• At the center of the city is the throne of God and flowing out from the throne is a river of
the water of life.
• And on either side of the river is the tree of life that bears fruit forever.
• And behold the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them and they shall be his
people and he will be their God and their light and their joy, and they shall reign forever
and ever.
The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come.' And let him who hears say, 'Come.' And let him who is
thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price (Revelation 22:17). To the
thirsty I will give from the fountain of the water of life without payment. (21:6). COME!
Further otes
• More on the idea of being born in Zion and the reach of Zion to all the nations: Isaiah
66:8; Zechariah 2:11f.
• More on the heavenly Zion in the Old Testament: Psalm 48:2; compare the phrase far
north (not in IV!) to the same phrase in Isaiah 14:13f. Zion seems to be pictured here as
in the very distant north, namely, in the heavenly realm.
• For the great future rejoicing in Zion see Isaiah 35:10; 51:3, 11.
• The hope of the city with foundations is a strong incentive to suffer and love here:
Hebrews 13:13f.; 10:10, 16; Revelation 3:12.
3. Gill, “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. Or shall shine (p); the past for
the future, as Kimchi observes; or the perfection of the beauty of God hath shined out of Zion
(q); that is, Christ; he is the perfection of beauty; he is fairer than the children of men; he is more
glorious than the angels in heaven: as Mediator, he is full of grace and truth, which makes him
very lovely and amiable to his people: he is the express image of his Father's person; and the
glory of all the divine perfections is conspicuous in his work of salvation, as well as in himself:
now as he was to come out of Zion, Psa_14:7; that is, not from the fort of Zion, or city of
Jerusalem; for he was to be born at Bethlehem; only he was to be of the Jews, and spring from
them; so he shone out, or his appearance and manifestation in Israel was like the rising sun; see
Mal_4:2; and the love and kindness of God in the mission and gift of him appeared and shone out
in like manner, Tit_3:4; or else the Gospel may be meant, which has a beauty in it: it is a glorious
Gospel, and holds forth the beauty and glory of Christ. All truth is lovely and amiable, especially
evangelical truth: it has a divine beauty on it; it comes from God, and bears his impress; yea, it is
a perfection of beauty: it contains a perfect plan of truth, and is able to make the man of God
perfect; and this was to come out of Zion, Isa_2:3; and which great light first arose in Judea, and
from thence shone out in the Gentile world, like the sun in all its lustre and glory, Tit_2:11; or,
according to our version, God hath shined out of Zion; which, as Ben Melech on the text
observes, is the perfection of beauty; see Lam_2:15; by which is meant the church under the
Gospel dispensation, Heb_12:22; which, as in Gospel order, is exceeding beautiful; and as its
members are adorned with the graces of the Spirit, by which they are all glorious within; and
especially as they are clothed with the righteousness of Christ, and so are perfectly comely
through the comeliness he hath put upon them and here it is that Christ, who is the great God,
and our Saviour, shines forth upon his people, grants his gracious presence, and manifests
himself in his ordinances, to their great joy and pleasure.

24. 4. Henry, “The court called, in the name of the King of kings (Psa_50:2): The mighty God, even
the Lord, hath spoken - El, Elohim, Jehovah, the God of infinite power justice and mercy, Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost. God is the Judge, the Son of God came for judgement into the world, and
the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of judgment. All the earth is called to attend, not only because the
controversy God had with his people Israel for their hypocrisy and ingratitude might safely be
referred to any man of reason (nay, let the house of Israel itself judge between God and his
vineyard, Isa_5:3), but because all the children of men are concerned to know the right way of
worshipping God, in spirit and in truth, because when the kingdom of the Messiah should be set
up all should be instructed in the evangelical worship, and invited to join in it (see Mal_1:11,
Act_10:34), and because in the day of final judgment all nations shall be gathered together to
receive their doom, and every man shall give an account of himself unto God.
II. The judgment set, and the Judge taking his seat. As, when God gave the law to Israel in the
wilderness, it is said, He came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir, and shone forth from Mount
Paran, and came with ten thousands of his saints, and then from his right hand went a fiery law
(Deu_33:2), so, with allusion to that, when God comes to reprove them for their hypocrisy, and to
send forth his gospel to supersede the legal institutions, it is said here, 1. That he shall shine out
of Zion, as then from the top of Sinai, Psa_50:2. Because in Zion his oracle was now fixed, thence
his judgments upon that provoking people denounced, and thence the orders issued for the
execution of them (Joe_2:1): Blow you the trumpet in Zion. Sometimes there are more than
ordinary appearances of God's presence and power working with and by his word and
ordinances, for the convincing of men's consciences and the reforming and refining of his church;
and then God, who always dwells in Zion, may be said to shine out of Zion. Moreover, he may be
said to shine out of Zion because the gospel, which set up spiritual worship, was to go forth from
Mount Zion (Isa_2:3, Mic_4:2), and the preachers of it were to begin at Jerusalem (Luk_24:47),
and Christians are said to come unto Mount Zion, to receive their instructions, Heb_12:22,
Heb_12:28. Zion is here called the perfection of beauty, because it was the holy hill; and holiness is
indeed the perfection of beauty. 2. That he shall come, and not keep silence, shall no longer seem
to wink at the sins of men, as he had done (Psa_50:21), but shall show his displeasure at them,
and shall also cause that mystery to be published to the world by his holy apostles which had long
lain hid, that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs (Eph_3:5, Eph_3:6) and that the partition-wall of
the ceremonial law should be taken down; this shall now no longer be concealed. In the great day
our God shall come and shall not keep silence, but shall make those to hear his judgment that
would not hearken to his law.
5. Jamison, “
6. STEDMA, “Sinai, of course, was where the Law was given. It was accompanied with
thunderous judgment, with lightnings and the voice of a trumpet which waxed louder and louder
until the people could not stand it. They cried out to Moses, You speak to us, ... but let not God
speak to us lest we die! {Exod 20:19 RSV}. But here it is no longer Sinai but Zion. Zion is
Jerusalem and stands for the mercy of God, the redemptive love of God, the grace of God. God is
judging, but he is judging in mercy. It is well to remember that as we go on into this psalm. The
judgment will be realistic but it will not be harsh.
Because Zion refers to Jerusalem there have been some commentators who have taken this psalm
to be a description of the second coming when the Lord Jesus Christ shall return to earth in
power and great glory, (as he himself described it in Matthew 25), and will sit on his throne and
gather the nations before him to judge them. That judgment is vividly detailed in Matthew 25.
ow, it is true that Jesus Christ is going to return to earth. When he came the first time he came
in weakness and humility, born in a cold and dirty cave on the side of a hill in Bethlehem. There

25. was no pomp, no circumstance, no power. But, when he comes again, he will come in great glory
to judge the peoples of earth as they are summoned before him. This psalm is, in my judgment, a
very beautiful description in the Old Testament of that event which is recorded in the ew
Testament. It will occur when Jesus Christ comes again. But it would be a great mistake to take
the psalm as limited only to that event. As often happens with many scriptural passages we have
here a dual application. It not only looks forward to the time when, literally and physically,
Christ will return to judge his people, but it is also describing a judgment that is going on right
now.
7. Spurgeon, Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. The Lord is represented
not only as speaking to the earth, but as coming forth to reveal the glory of his presence to an
assembled universe. God of old dwelt in Zion among his chosen people, but here the beams of his
splendour are described as shining forth upon all nations. The sun was spoken of in the first
verse, but here is a far brighter sun. The majesty of God is most conspicuous among his own
elect, but is not confined to them; the church is not a dark lantern, but a candlestick. God shines
not only in Zion, but out of her. She is made perfect in beauty by his indwelling, and that beauty
is seen by all observers when the Lord shines forth from her.
Observe how with trumpet voice and flaming ensign the infinite Jehovah summons the heavens
and the earth to hearken to his word.
8. TREASURY OF DAVID, “Verse 2. Out of Zion, the perfection of God's beauty hath shined; or,
God has caused the perfection of beauty to shine out of Zion. Martin Geier.
Verse 2. God hath shined. Like the sun in his strength, sometimes for the comfort of his people, as
Psalms 80:1; sometimes for the terror of evil doers, as Psalms 94:1, and here. But evermore God
is terrible out of his holy places. Psalms 68:35 89:7. John Trapp.
Verse 2. God hath shined. The proper meaning of ([py) is to scatter rays from afar, and from a
lofty place, and to glitter. It is a word of a grand sound, says Ch. Schultens, which is always used
of a magnificent and flashing light ... It is apparently used of the splendid symbol of God's
presence, as in Deuteronomy 34:2, where he is said to scatter beams from Mount Paran. From
which it is manifest that it may refer to the pillar of cloud and fire, the seat of the Divine Majesty
conspicuous on Mount Sinai, or on the tabernacle, or the loftiest part of the temple. Hermann
Venema.
3 Our God comes
and will not be silent;
a fire devours before him,
and around him a tempest rages.

26. 1. Barnes, “Our God shall come - That is, he will come to judgment. This language is derived
from the supposition that God “will” judge the world, and it shows that this doctrine was
understood and believed by the Hebrews. The ew Testament has stated the fact that this will be
done by the coming of his Son Jesus Christ to gather the nations before him, and to pronounce
tile final sentence on mankind: Mat_25:31; Act_17:31; Act_10:42; Joh_5:22.
And shall not keep silence - That is, the will come forth and “express” his judgment on the
conduct of mankind. See the notes at Psa_28:1. He “seems” now to be silent. o voice is heard.
o sentence is pronounced. But this will not always be the case. The time is coming when he will
manifest himself, and will no longer be silent as to the conduct and character of people, but will
pronounce a sentence, fixing their destiny according to their character.
A fire shall devour before him - Compare the notes at 2Th_1:8; notes at Heb_10:27. The
“language” here is undoubtedly taken from the representation of God as he manifested himself at
Mount Sinai. Thus, in Exo_19:16, Exo_19:18, it is said, “And it came to pass on the third day in
the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the
voice of a trumpet exceeding loud; and Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord
descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the
whole mount quaked greatly.
And it shall be very tempestuous round about him - The word used here - שׂער śa‛ar - means
properly to shudder; to shiver; and then it is employed to denote the commotion and raging of a
tempest. The allusion is doubtless to the descent on Mount Sinai Exo_19:16, and to the storm
accompanied by thunder and lightning which beat upon the mountain when God descended on it
to give his law. The whole is designed to represent God as clothed with appropriate majesty when
judgment is to be pronounced upon the world.
2. STEDMA, “You who know the ew Testament well know that these two symbols are often
used to describe God. Our God is a consuming fire, says the writer to the Hebrews {Heb
12:29}. And the Spirit of God is in Acts described as a mighty rushing wind. The wind blows
where it desires, said Jesus to icodemus, and you hear the sound thereof, but you cannot tell
where it has come from or where it is going. So is he who is born of the Spirit, {John 3:8 RSV}.
These are highly suggestive symbols. Fire is that which purifies. Purifying power is the concept
here. Fire destroys all waste and trash, the garbage of life. As fire God will burn the dross, waste
and trash of our lives, the garbage of the soul.
But he is also wind. Wind is in some ways the mightiest force in nature. Some time ago I saw a
picture taken after a tornado in the Southwest. It showed some straw that had been caught up in
the wind and driven entirely through a telephone pole. If I gave you a weak piece of straw and
told you to drive it through a telephone pole you would look at me in amazement. You do not
drive straw through a telephone pole. But this straw had been driven through by the force of a
mighty wind. Remember on the day of Pentecost when the disciples were gathered there was
suddenly the sound of a mighty rushing wind. Caught up in the power of that wind the disciples
did things they had never done before. Empowered by the wind of God they went out to do and
say things that upset the world of their day. They startled and astonished men by the power that

27. was evidenced among them.
What the Psalmist is telling us is that when God judges he will do two things: he will burn up the
trash and garbage of life, and then he will empower us. He will catch us up in the greatness of his
strength, and we will be able to do things we never could do before.
3. Gill, “Our God shall come,.... That is, Christ, who is truly and properly God, and who was
promised and expected as a divine Person; and which was necessary on account of the work he
came about; and believers claim an interest in him as their God; and he is their God, in whom
they trust, and whom they worship: and this coming of his is to be understood, not of his coming
in the flesh; for though that was promised, believed, and prayed for, as these words are by some
rendered, may our God come (r); yet at his first coming he was silent, his voice was not heard
in the streets, Mat_12:19; nor did any fire or tempest attend that: nor is it to be interpreted of his
second coming, or coming to judgment; for though that also is promised, believed, and prayed
for; and when he will not be silent, but by his voice will raise the dead, summon all before him,
and pronounce the sentence on all; and the world, and all that is therein, will be burnt with fire,
and a horrible tempest rained upon the wicked; yet it is better to understand it of his coming to
set up his kingdom in the world, and to punish his professing people for their disbelief and
rejection of him; see Mat_16:28;
and shall not keep silence; contain himself, bear with the Jews any longer, but come forth in his
wrath against them; see Psa_50:21; and it may also denote the great sound of the Gospel, and the
very public ministration of it in the Gentile world, at or before this time, for the enlargement of
Christ's kingdom in it;
a fire shall devour before him; meaning either the fire of the divine word making its way among
the Gentiles, consuming their idolatry, superstition, c. or rather the fire of divine wrath coming
upon the Jews to the uttermost and even it may be literally understood of the fire that consumed
their city and temple, as was predicted, Zec_11:1;
and it shall be very tempestuous round about him; the time of Jerusalem's destruction being such
a time of trouble as has not been since the world began, Mat_24:21.
4. Henry, “That his appearance should be very majestic and terrible: A fire shall devour before
him. The fire of his judgments shall make way for the rebukes of his word, in order to the
awakening of the hypocritical nation of the Jews, that the sinners in Zion, being afraid of that
devouring fire (Isa_33:14), might be startled out of their sins. When his gospel kingdom was to be
set up Christ came to send fire on the earth, Luk_12:49. The Spirit was given in cloven tongues as
of fire, introduced by a rushing mighty wind, which was very tempestuous, Act_2:2, Act_2:3. And
in the last judgment Christ shall come in flaming fire, 2Th_1:8. See Dan_7:9; Heb_10:27. 4. That
as on Mount Sinai he came with ten thousands of his saints, so he shall now call to the heavens
from above, to take notice of this solemn process (Psa_50:4), as Moses often called heaven and
earth to witness against Israel (Deu_4:26, Deu_31:28, Deu_32:1), and God by his prophets,
Isa_1:2; Mic_6:2. The equity of the judgment of the great day will be attested and applauded by
heaven and earth, by saints and angels, even all the holy myriads.
5. Jamison, “

28. 6. TREASURY OF DAVID, “Verse 3. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence. He kept
silence that he might be judged, he will not keep silence when he begins to judge. It would not
have been said, He shall come manifestly, unless at first he had come concealed; nor, He shall not
keep silence, had he not at first kept silence. How did he keep silence? Ask Isaiah: He was
brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not
his mouth. Isaiah 53:7. But he shall come manifestly, and shall not keep silence. How
manifestly? A fire shall go before him, and round about him a mighty tempest. That tempest is to
carry wholly away the chaff from the floor which is now in threshing; that fire, to consume what
the tempest carries off. ow, however, he is silent; silent in judgment, but not in precept. For if
Christ is silent, what mean these gospels? What the voices of the apostles? the canticles of the
Psalms? the lofty utterances of the prophets? Truly in all these Christ is not silent. Howbeit he is
silent for he present in not taking vengeance, not in not warning. But he will come in surpassing
brightness to take vengeance, and will be seen of all, even of those who believe not on him; but
now, forasmuch as although present he was not concealed, it behoved him to be despised: for
unless he had been despised he would not have been crucified; if not crucified he would not have
shed his blood, the price with which he redeemed us. But in order that he might give a price for
us, he was crucified; that he might be crucified he was despised; that he might be despised, he
appeared in humble guise. Augustine.
Verse 3. (first clause). The future in the first clause may be rendered he is coming, as if the sound
of his voice and the light of his glory had preceded his actual appearance. The imagery is
borrowed from the giving of the law a Sinai. J. A. Alexander.
Verse 3. (first clause). May our God come! (Version of Junius and Tremellius.) A prayer for the
hastening of his advent, as in the Apocalypse, 22:20. Poole's Synopsis.
Verse 3. A fire shall devour before him. As he gave his law in fire, so in fire shall he require it. John
Trapp.
7. Spurgeon, Our God shall come. The psalmist speaks of himself and his brethren as standing
in immediate anticipation of the appearing of the Lord upon the scene. He comes, they say,
our covenant God is coming; they can hear his voice from afar, and perceive the splendour of
his attending train. Even thus should we await the long promised appearing of the Lord from
heaven. And shall not keep silence. He comes to speak, to plead with his people, to accuse and
judge the ungodly. He has been silent long in patience, but soon he will speak with power. What a
moment of awe when the Omnipotent is expected to reveal himself! What will be the reverent joy
and solemn expectation when the poetic scene of this Psalm becomes in the last great day an
actual reality! A fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.
Flame and hurricane are frequently described as the attendants of the divine appearance. Our
God is a consuming fire. At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed,
hailstones and coals of fire. Psalms 18:12. He rode upon a cherub, and did fly; yea, he did fly
upon the wings of the wind. The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty
angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 . Fire
is the emblem of justice in action, and the tempest is a token of his overwhelming power. Who
will not listen in solemn silence when such is the tribunal from which the judge pleads with
heaven and earth?

29. 8. Calvin, “Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence 243 He repeats that God would come, in
order to confirm his doctrine, and more effectually arouse them. He would come, and should not
always keep silence, lest they should be encouraged to presume upon his forbearance. Two
reasons may be assigned why the prophet calls God our God He may be considered as setting
himself, and the comparatively small number of the true fearers of the Lord, in opposition to the
hypocrites whom he abhors, claiming God to be his God, and not theirs, as they were disposed to
boast; or rather, he speaks as one of the people, and declares that the God who was coming to
avenge the corruptions of his worship was the same God whom all the children of Abraham
professed to serve. He who shall come, as if he had said, is our God, the same in whom we glory,
who established his covenant with Abraham, and gave us his Law by the hand of Moses. He adds,
that God would come with fire and tempest, in order to awaken a salutary fear in the secure
hearts of the Jews, that they might learn to tremble at the judgments of God, which they had
hitherto regarded with indifference and despised, and in allusion to the awful manifestation
which God made of himself from Sinai, (Exodus 19:16; see also Hebrews 12:18.) The air upon
that occasion resounded with thunders and the noise of trumpets, the heavens were illuminated
with lightnings, and the mountain was in flames, it being the design of God to procure a
reverential submission to the Law which he announced. And it is here intimated, that God would
make a similarly terrific display of his power, in coming to avenge the gross abuses of his holy
religion.
4 He summons the heavens above,
and the earth, that he may judge his people:
1. Barnes, “He shall call to the heavens from above - He will call on all the universe; he will
summon all worlds. The meaning here is, not that he will gather those who are in heaven to be
judged, but that he will call on the inhabitants of all worlds to be his witnesses; to bear their
attestation to the justice of his sentence. See Psa_50:6. The phrase “from above” does not, of
course, refer to the heavens as being above God, but to the heavens as they appear to human
beings to be above themselves.
And to the earth - To all the dwellers upon the earth; “to the whole universe.” He makes this
universal appeal with the confident assurance that his final sentence will be approved; that the
universe will see and admit that it is just. See Rev_15:3; Rev_19:1-3. There can be no doubt that
the universe, as such, will approve the ultimate sentence that will be pronounced on mankind.
That he may judge his people - That is, all these arrangements - this coming with fire and
tempest, and this universal appeal - will be prepatory to the judging of his people, or in order
that the judgment may be conducted with due solemnity and propriety. The idea is, that an event
so momentous should be conducted in a way suited to produce an appropriate impression; so
conducted, that there would be a universal conviction of the justice and impartiality of the
sentence. The reference here is particularly to his professed “people,” that is, to determine

30. whether they were truly his, for that is the main subject of the psalm, though the “language” is
derived from the solemnities appropriate to the universal judgment.
2. TREASURY OF DAVID, “Verse 4. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth.
That these dumb creatures may be as so many speaking evidences against an unworthy people,
and witness of God's righteous dealings against them. See Deuteronomy 32:1 Isaiah 1:2 Micah
6:2. The Chaldee thus paraphrases: He will call the high angels from above; and the just of the
earth from beneath. John Trapp.
3. Gill, “He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth,.... To hear what he shall say,
when he will no longer keep silence; and to be witnesses of the justice of his proceedings; see
Isa_1:2. The Targum interprets this of the angels above on high, and of the righteous on the earth
below; and so Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and Ben Melech, explain it of the angels of heaven, and of the
inhabitants of the earth;
that he may judge his people; not that they, the heavens and the earth, the inhabitants of either,
may judge his people; but the Lord himself, as in Psa_50:6; and this designs not the judgment of
the whole world, nor that of his own covenant people, whom he judges when he corrects them in
love, that they might not be condemned with the world; when he vindicates them, and avenges
them on their enemies, and when he protects and saves them; but the judgment of the Jewish
nation, his professing people, the same that Peter speaks of, 1Pe_4:17.
4. STEDMA, “We are his people, are we not? Of old it was Israel. They are the ones who made
a covenant with God by sacrifice. Of course he is referring to the animal sacrifice which Israel
offered day by day. These were to reflect the relationship God had with his people. It was a
covenant made in blood, in other words a life had been poured out on their behalf. But all these
Old Testament sacrifices were but a picture of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Each one
was, in a sense, Christ being offered. But, in Christ, we are the people who have made a covenant
with God by sacrifice. We have entered into the benefit of the new arrangement for living made
through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This psalm then is really describing what is going on right in this meeting at this very moment. It
pictures God among his people and he has something to say to us. The God who comes from
Zion, the God who loves, and who sees things the way they are, desires to speak to us. That is why
this section ends with the little word, Selah. It means, pause, stop, look, listen, think! God the
judge is in our midst, God is judging his people. ow the judge speaks,
5. Jamison, “above — literally, “above” (Gen_1:7).
heavens ... earth — For all creatures are witnesses (Deu_4:26; Deu_30:19; Isa_1:2).
6. KD, “The judgment scene. To the heavens above ( מֵעָ ל , elsewhere a preposition, here, as in