2 Sam 15-16
I Cor 8
Psalm 49, Psalm 50
Psalm 49 concludes this first segment of the Exodus section of Psalms. We have seen the vindication of God's ways in connection with the wicked and the righteous. We have seen that God leads His people who are away from Him and out of the land. He has made known His intention of bringing His own to Himself and keeping them during the time of great trouble, just as He brought His people out of the land of Egypt when they were in bondage under a dictator.
Psalm 49 is designed to contrast the ways of God in dealing with the wicked and the righteous. It does not exactly philosophize about the uncertainty of riches, the shortness of life; it is not just a sweet little dissertation which bids us bear bravely our perils and our sufferings, and tells us that virtue is its own reward, and that justice will triumph at the end. Rather, this psalm shows us not only the vanity of riches but the end of those who boast themselves in riches. This psalm may sound a bit revolutionary to you according to the thinking of today, but it is one that should be given special consideration in the days in which we live.
Psalm 50 is the first psalm of Asaph, a musician and one of the three song leaders in the temple. Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were the three.
This is a great psalm of judgment. It reveals God coming in righteousness to judge His people and to judge the wicked.
The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.
Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him [Psa 50:1-3].
The introduction to this psalm proclaims that the mighty God is coming. What a glorious anticipation this should be for the child of God. Some day we shall see our Lord! That is the prospect for every believer.
Jay