Salmi 50:4 Commento

This psalm, as the former, is a psalm of instruction, not of prayer or praise; it is a psalm of reproof and admonition, in singing which we are to teach and admonish one another. In the foregoing psalm, after a general demand of attention, God by his prophet deals (Psa 50:3) with the children of this world, to convince them of their sin and folly in setting their hearts upon the wealth of this world; in this psalm, after a like preface, he deals with those that were, in profession, the church's children, to convince them of their sin and folly in placing their religion in ritual services, while they neglected practical godliness; and this is as sure a way to ruin as the other. This psalm is intended, 1. As a proof to the carnal Jews, both those that rested in the external performances of their religion, and were remiss in the more excellent duties of prayer and praise, and those that expounded the law to others, but lived wicked lives themselves. 2. As a prediction of the abolishing of the ceremonial law, and of the introducing of a spiritual way of worship in and by the kingdom of the Messiah, Joh 4:23, Joh 4:24. 3. As a representation of the day of judgment, in which God will call men to an account concerning their observance of those things which they have thus been taught; men shall be judged "according to what is written in the books;" and therefore Christ is fitly represented speaking as a Judge, then when he speaks as a Lawgiver. Here is, I. The glorious appearance of the Prince that gives law and judgment (Psa 50:1-6). II. Instruction given to his worshippers, to turn their sacrifices into prayers (Psa 50:7-15). III. A rebuke to those that pretend to worship God, but live in disobedience to his commands (Psa 50:16-20), their doom read (Psa 50:21, Psa 50:22), and warning given to all to look to their conversation as well as to their devotions (Psa 50:23). These instructions and admonitions we must take to ourselves, and give to one another, in singing this psalm. A psalm of Asaph.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 50 A Psalm of Asaph. This psalm is called a psalm of Asaph; either because it was composed by him under divine inspiration, since he was a prophet and a seer, Ch1 25:2; or because it was delivered to him to be sung in public service, he being a chief musician; see Ch1 16:7; and so it may be rendered, "a psalm for Asaph"; or "unto Asaph" (o); which was directed, sent, and delivered to him, and might be written by David; and, as Junius thinks, after the angel had appeared to him, and he was directed where he should build an altar to the Lord, Ch1 21:18. The Targum, Kimchi, and R. Obadiah Gaon, interpret this psalm of the day of judgment; and Jarchi takes it to be a prophecy of the future redemption by their expected Messiah; and indeed it does refer to the times of the Gospel dispensation; for it treats of the calling of the Gentiles, of the abrogation of legal sacrifices, and of the controversy the Lord would have with the Jews for retaining them, and rejecting pure, spiritual, and evangelical worship. (o) "ipsi Asaph", Tigurine version, Vatablus; "Asapho", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; so Ainsworth.

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, Pe1 4:17.

Since then it is evident, that many are to judge with the Lord, but that others are to be judged, not however on equality, but according to their deserts; He will come with all His Angels, [Matthew 25:31] when before Him shall be gathered all nations, and among all the Angels are to be reckoned those that have been made so perfect, that sitting upon twelve thrones they judge the twelve tribes of Israel. For men are called Angels: the Apostle says of himself, "As an angel of God ye received me." [Galatians 4:14] Of John Baptist it is said, "Behold, I send My Angel before Your face, that shall prepare Your way before You." Therefore, coming with all Angels, together with Him He shall have the Saints also. For plainly says Isaias also, "He shall come to judgment with the elders of the people." [Isaiah 3:14] Those "elders of the people," then, those but now named Angels, those thousands of many men made perfect coming from the whole world, are called Heaven. But the others are called earth, yet fruitful. Which is the earth that is fruitful? That which is to be set on the right hand, unto which it shall be said, "I was an hungred, and you gave Me to eat:" [Matthew 25:35] truly fruitful earth in which the Apostle does joy, when they sent to him to supply his necessities: "Not because I ask a gift," he says, "but I require fruit." [Philippians 4:17] And he gives thanks, saying, "Because at length you have budded forth again to be thoughtful for me." [Philippians 4:10] He says, "You have budded forth again," as to trees which had withered away with a kind of barrenness. Therefore the Lord coming to judgment (that we may now hear the Psalm, brethren), He will do what? "He will call the heaven from above" [Psalm 50:4]. The heaven, all the Saints, those made perfect that shall judge, them He shall call from above, to be sitters with Him to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. For how shall "He call the heaven from above," when the heaven is always above? But those that He here calls heaven, the same elsewhere He calls heavens. What heavens? That tell out the glory of God: for, "The heavens tell out the glory of God:" whereof is said, "Into all the earth their sound has gone forth, and into the ends of the world their words." For see the Lord severing in judgment: "He shall call the heaven from above and the earth, to sever His people." From whom but from evil men? Of whom here afterwards no mention is made, now as it were condemned to punishment. See these good men, and distinguish. "He shall call the heaven from above, and the earth, to sever His people." He calls the earth also, not however to be associated, but to be dissociated. For at first He called them together, "when the God of gods spoke and called the world from the rising of the sun unto the going down," He had not yet severed: those servants had been sent to bid to the marriage, [Matthew 22:3] who had gathered good and bad. But when the God of gods shall come manifest and shall not keep silence, He shall so call the "heaven from above" that it may judge with Him. For what the heaven is, the heavens themselves are; just as what the earth is, the lands themselves, just as what the Church is, the Churches themselves: "He shall call the heaven from above, and the earth, to sever His people." Now with the heaven He severs the earth, that is, the heaven with Him does sever the earth. How does He sever the earth? In such sort that He sets on the right hand some, others on the left. But to the earth severed, He says what? "Come, you blessed of My Father, receive the kingdom which was prepared for you from the beginning of the world. For I was an hungred, and you gave me to eat," and so forth. But they say, "When saw we You an hungred?" And He, "Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of Mine, you have done it unto Me." "He shall call therefore the heaven from above, and the earth, to sever His people."

On arriving in an obvious manner, then, with fire and storm as his bodyguards, God will summon everyone from all quarters as if to appoint those present as witnesses of the judgment. So whom does he summon? The heavenly powers from on high (the sense of “above”) and the whole “earth” from below, and he will hold court on them.

"He has called heaven from above," etc. Having set forth the coming of the judge to judgment and the preparation of the judge with respect to the instrument of punishment, here he sets forth the preparation for the judgment with respect to the ministers. And first he treats of the attendance of the ministers; second, of the office of the Angels, at "Gather together"; third, of the office of the apostles, at "It shall be announced." In the first part, mention is made of heaven and earth. And this is understood in two ways. In one way, it is understood by metonymy, the container for the contained, so that by "heaven" he designates the saints who are in heaven, and by "earth" he designates men who are on earth; and all of these are called to judgment. And this is the second calling, because above he said, "And he called the earth," because that calling is the calling to faith, to which all are called, good and bad. Mt. 13: "The kingdom of heaven is like a net cast into the sea," etc. But this second calling is for separating, because "they chose the good into their vessels, and cast the bad forth." And therefore he says, "to discern his people," by the separation of the good from the bad. Mt. 25: "He shall separate the sheep from the goats." Ps. 42: "Judge me, O God, and distinguish my cause." But the heavens are called differently from the earth; because heavenly men are called for this purpose as judges. Mt. 19: "You who have left all things," etc., up to "the tribes of Israel." The earthly are called to be judged. Joel 3: "I will gather all nations and bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat." Or, "he called heaven," that is, the heavenly, that is, the just, to their reward. Dan. 12: "The learned shall shine like the brightness of the firmament," etc. "And the earth," that is, the earthly, that is, the wicked, to punishment. There can also be another sense, so that heaven and earth stand for the corporeal creatures themselves; and thus they are called by way of testimony or assault against the unfaithful, because in them the wicked were able to perceive from heaven and earth. Job 20: "The heavens shall reveal his iniquity, and the earth shall rise up against him," namely against the sinner. Or, "he called heaven from above," to give up the souls of the saints which it holds, and the earth, to give up the souls of the wicked which it holds in the depths.

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. (Psa. 50:1-23) 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).

above--literally, "above" (Gen 1:7). heavens . . . earth--For all creatures are witnesses (Deu 4:26; Deu 30:19; Isa 1:2).

The judgment scene. To the heavens above (מעל, elsewhere a preposition, here, as in Gen 27:39; Gen 49:25, an adverb, desuper, superne) and to the earth God calls (קרא אל, as, e.g., Gen 28:1), to both לדין עמּו, in order to sit in judgment upon His people in their presence, and with them as witnesses of His doings. Or is it not that they are summoned to attend, but that the commission, Psa 50:5, is addressed to them (Olshausen, Hitzig)? Certainly not, for the act of gathering is not one that properly belongs to the heavens and the earth, which, however, because they exist from the beginning and will last for ever, are suited to be witnesses (Deu 4:26; Deu 32:1; Isa 1:2, 1 Macc. 2:37). The summons אספוּ is addressed, as in Mat 24:31, and frequently in visions, to the celestial spirits, the servants of the God here appearing. The accused who are to be brought before the divine tribunal are mentioned by names which, without their state of mind and heart corresponding to them, express the relationship to Himself in which God has placed them (cf. Deu 32:15; Isa 42:19). They are called חסידים, as in the Asaph Psa 79:2. This contradiction between their relationship and their conduct makes an undesigned but bitter irony. In a covenant relationship, consecrated and ratified by a covenant sacrifice (עלי־זבח similar to Psa 92:4; Psa 10:10), has God placed Himself towards them (Ex 24); and this covenant relationship is also maintained on their part by offering sacrifices as an expression of their obedience and of their fidelity. The participle כּרתי here implies the constant continuance of that primary covenant-making. Now, while the accused are gathered up, the poet hears the heavens solemnly acknowledge the righteousness of the Judge beforehand. The participial construction שׁפט הוּא, which always, according to the connection, expresses the present (Nah 1:2), or the past (Jdg 4:4), or the future (Jer 25:31), is in this instance an expression of that which is near at hand (fut. instans). הוּא has not the sense of ipse (Ew. 314, a), for it corresponds to the "I" in אני שׁפט or הנני שׁפט; and כּי is not to be translated by nam (Hitzig), for the fact that God intends to judge requires no further announcement. On the contrary, because God is just now in the act of sitting in judgment, the heavens, the witnesses most prominent and nearest to Him, bear witness to His righteousness. The earthly music, as the סלה directs, is here to join in with the celestial praise. Nothing further is now wanting to the completeness of the judgment scene; the action now begins.