PS 50

Ps 50:1 The Mighty One, God the Lord, has spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun to its going down.

:2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth.

:3 Our God shall come and shall not keep silent; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him.

:4 He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people:

:5”Gather My saints together to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”

:6 Let the heavens declare His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge. Selah

:7 “Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God!

:8 I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are continually before Me.

:9 I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats out of your folds.

:10 For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.

:11 I know all the birds of the mountains and the wild beasts of the field are Mine.

:12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine, and all its fullness.

:13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?

:14 Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High.

:15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”

:16 But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to declare My statues, or take My covenant in your mouth,

:17 seeing you hate instruction and cast My words behind you?

:18 When you saw a thief, you consented with him, and have been a partaker with adulterers.

:19 You give your mouth to evil, and your tongue frames deceit.

:20 You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son.

:21 These things you have done, and I kept silent; you thought that I was altogether like you; but I will rebuke you, and set them in order before your eyes.

:22 “Now consider this, you who forgot God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver:

:23 whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.”

This is headed as God the Righteous Judge.

When your spouse says, “we need to talk” you know it is serious and may not be something you want to hear. That is what God was saying here. He asked some pointed questions that weren't easy to answer. We can't lie or cover up what is really in our hearts. God is not happy with just the outward ritual of worship; He looks deep into our hearts.

Ps 49

Ps 49:1 Hear this, all peoples; give ear, all inhabitants of the world,

:2 Both low and high, rich and poor together.

:3 My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.

:4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will disclose my dark saying on the harp.

:5 Why should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity at my heels surrounds me?

:6 Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the multitude of their riches,

:7 none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him -

:8 for the redemption of their souls is costly, and it shall cease forever -

:9 that he should continue to live eternally, and not see the Pit.

:10 For he sees wise men die; likewise the fool and the senseless person perish, and leave their wealth to others.

:11 Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever, their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.

:12 Nevertheless man, though in honor does not remain; he is like the beasts that perish.

:13 This is the way of those who are foolish, and of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah

:14 Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from their dwelling.

:15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave for He shall receive me. Selah

:16 Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, when the glory of his house is increased;

:17 for when he dies he shall carry nothing away; his glory shall not descend after him.

:18 Though while he lives he blesses himself (for men will praise you when you do well for yourself),

:19 he shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.

:20 A man who is honor, yet does not understand, is like the beasts that perish.

This is headed as The Confidence of the Foolish.

This psalm was written to everyone. Young, old, rich, poor. God's warning is clear – if you put your trust in wealth, the end is disaster. God isn't impressed by what you own. Money can't buy you eternal life. We all stand on equal ground when we face God after death. Everyone leaves everything behind when they die.

Ps 48

Ps 48:1 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in His holy mountain.

:2 Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.

:3 God is in her palaces; He is know as her refuge.

:4 For behold, the kings assembled, they passed by together.

:5 They saw it, and so they marveled; they were troubled, they hastened away.

:6 Fear took hold of them there, and pain, as of a woman in birth pangs,

:7 as when You break the ships of Tarshish with an east wind.

:8 As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it forever. Selah

:9 We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness, in the midst of Your temple.

:10 According to Your name, O God, so is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness,

:11 Let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of Your judgments.

:12 Walk about Zion, and go all around her. Count her towers;

:13 mark well her bulwarks; consider her palaces; that you may tell it to the generation following.

:14 For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death.

This is headed up as The Glory of God in Zion.

It is an open invitation to visit the City of God.

We used to sing a song years ago in church that went like this:

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,

in the city of our God, in the mountains of His holiness.

Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth,

Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north

the city of the Great King.

Ps 47

Ps 47:1 Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!

:2 For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth.

:3 He will subdue the peoples under us, and the nations under our feet.

:4 He will choose our inheritance for us, the excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah

:5 God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of the trumpet.

:6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

:7 For God is King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding.

:8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne.

:9 The princes of the people have gathered together, the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted.

This is headed Praise to God, the Ruler of the Earth.

This psalm declares that the Lord God is King over all the nations and people of the world,. We sometimes say, “make Jesus the Lord of your life, “ but it's a fact that Jesus IS Lord. We either live as if He is Lord or we live as if we are. How we respond to it doesn't change the fact that He is Lord of all. We don't submit to His Lordship because he is gonna do something if we don't. We submit willingly.

Ps 46

Ps 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

:2 Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

:3 though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

:4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

:5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.

:6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

:7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

:8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth.

:9 he makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.

:10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will exalted in the earth!

:11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

This is headed as God the Refuge of His People and Conqueror of the Nations.

The writer looked to God for all kinds of help.

1. First, God is a refuge. A safe place where we can run for protection.
2. Second, God is a help. A source of inner strength when troubles come into our lives
3. Sometimes God is a fortress. He shields us from the troubles.
4. Sometimes God allows us to go through the trouble but He walks through it with us.

It is broken into three parts by the word Selah. It gives us time to think about what we just read or sang.

1. Proclaims God alone is our refuge. Money, ability, social status, friends, family – none of these bring any lasting security and stability. Life changes ALL the time. The only true source of security is the unmoving and unchanging love of God.
2. Next one proclaims the safety and security of dwelling in God's presence. For Christians that is the conscious awareness that God is always with us.
3. The last one looks forward to the day in the future when all of God's enemies will be destroyed.   

Ps 45

Ps 45:1 My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

:2 You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon Your lips; therefore God has blessed You forever.

:3 Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, with Your glory and Your majesty.

:4 And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness; and Your right hand shall teach You awesome things.

:5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King's enemies; the peoples fall under You.

:6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

:7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more tha Your companions.

:8 All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad.

:9 Kings' daughters are among Your honorable women; at Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.

:10 Listen, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your own people also, and your father's house;

:11 so the King will greatly desire your beauty; because He is your Lord, worship Him.

:12 And the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift; the rich among the people will seek your favor.

:13 The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace; her clothing is woven with gold.

:14 She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors; the virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to You.

:15 With gladness and rejoicing they shall be brought; they shall enter the King's palace.

:16 Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons, whom You shall make princes in all the earth.

:17 I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore the people shall praise You forever and ever.

This is headed as The Glories of the Messiah and His Bride

There are many ways to interpret this psalm.

1. The psalm was composed as a love song to exalt the love of King Solomon for his bride.
2. It is also clear that the author looked beyond Solomon to the King of Israel, the Lord God.
3. We as Christians have come to know God as Jesus Christ, so this psalm is also a messianic psalm that pictures Israel's future Messiah.

The “bride” in the psalm can be viewed in three ways:

1. Originally the bride referred to one of Solomon's wives, perhaps the first wife, the wife of his youth and of his heart.
2. The bride of the King can also be understood as the Old Testament nation of Israel. The Lord often refers to Himself as Israel's bridegroom.
3. It can also be applied to the New Testament church, the bride of Christ.

The psalm is a hymn about the majesty of Christ and His marriage to a bride. Four aspects of Jesus' majesty are emphasized:

1. First about Christ the man – verse 2. The King in the psalm was a man, but He was more than a man, He came to the world with a message of grace; He is blessed by God forever.
2. Second was Christ the King – verse 3. It simply confirms what all the rest of scripture teaches that Jesus is King over all.
3. Third is Christ the Lord – verse 6. King is a title of majesty. This King, this Man, is called God.
4. Finally the Messiah was pictured as Christ the Bridegroom – verses 13-15). Christ has chosen a bride and He has made the bride perfect and clothed her in the costliest garments. The day will soon come when Jesus will step out of heaven and claim His bride as His own. He is not just Lord of all; He is the lover of our souls.

Redeemed: Big Daddy Weave