God judges people for treating him lightly. First, he speaks to the superficially religious people who bring their sacrifices but are only going through the motions (Psa 50:1-15). They do not honor God with true praise and thankfulness. Second, he chides wicked, hard-hearted people for their evil words and immoral lives (Psa 50:16-22). He asks the superficially religious for genuine thanksgiving and trust, and he warns the evil people to consider their deeds, lest he destroy them in his anger.
Psalms 50:1-4
Asaph begins his psalm by describing God's final judgment of people on earth. Surprisingly, we read that God's great fury is leveled against his own people (or at least those who claim to be his). God's judgment must first begin with his own children (1Pe 4:17).
Psalms 50:5-9
God's perfect moral nature demands that the penalty for sin be death; however, people could offer an animal to God as a substitute for their own lives, symbolizing their faith in the merciful, forgiving God. But the people were offering sacrifices and forgetting their significance! The very act of sacrifice showed that they had once agreed to follow God wholeheartedly. But at this time their hearts were not in it. We may fall into the same pattern when we participate in religious activities, tithe, or attend church out of habit or conformity rather than out of heartfelt love and obedience. God wants righteousness, not empty ritual. (See the note on Psa 40:6.)
Psalms 50:16-22
Some people glibly recite God's laws but are filled with deceit and evil. They claim his promises but refuse to obey him. This is sin, and God will judge people for it. We, too, are hypocrites when we are not what we claim to be. To let this inconsistency remain shows that we are not true followers of God.
Psalms 50:21
Just because God is silent does not mean he is condoning sin or is indifferent to it. Instead, he is withholding deserved punishment, giving time for people to repent (2Pe 3:9). God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked and wants them to turn from evil (Eze 33:11). But his silence does not last forever—a time of punishment will surely come.
