” ‘Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God. Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me. Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.’ But to the wicked God says: ‘What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips? For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you. You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother’s son. These things you have done, and I have been silent; you thought that I[c] was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you. The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!’ ” (v7-8,14-17,19-21,23)
This one is a bit different from some of the others we have studied – it’s a scribe/author we haven’t seen before (Asaph) and most of it is from God’s perspective, speaking to the people (the majority of Psalms are the opposite, people lamenting/praising toward God). So this one reads more like one of the books of the profits, than like a Psalm (any number of chapters from Isa or Eze for example). There are still some interesting points to glean though, including two major ones we’ll look at in detail.
One of the main themes of this passage is a warning against those who have evil in their hearts and on their lips. For example, those who slander and lie, especially those who do so against God (v16-18) or their brother (v19-21) (a literal brother is mentioned, though we know from other passages this warning is still valid when we misspeak against our neighbors or any other person bearing the image of God [which is everybody]). “Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.” (Jas 4:11) Of course God doesn’t like us spitting in His face, however he’s especially angry with those who abuse other people – kind of like how I can easily endure insults directed at me, but if someone bad-mouths my neighbor/family/friend, then I get angry. God, who is a protective Father, will defend His children at great cost to those who attack them – even if this only happens at their final judgement and not during their time on earth (Mat 25:31-46).
The other main theme I’ll mention is sacrifices. The Mosaic law (throughout Ex, Lev, Due) talks at great length about sacrifices. There five main types, that are for a variety of purposes (burnt offering, grain offering, peace offering, sin offering, trespass offering) which we don’t have time to discuss right now. This passage turns that on its head a little bit, indicating that God would much rather receive an offering of thanksgiving (v5-15). He doesn’t want our sacrificed animals, since they are really His creatures that He placed in our care (v10, Gen 1:28). What he wants is our praise, thanksgiving, and obedience, and in return He will deliver us (v14-15). This same theme is mentioned other places in scripture as well, for example: 1 Sam 15:22-24, Jer 7:21-23, Jn 14:23 and my personal favorite: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says… whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it – not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it – they will be blessed in what they do.” (Jas 1:22,25)
Father God, please continue bringing passages like this to mind, for I am a simple man who quickly forgets Your teachings. Please embed Your words in my heart, so when I am tempted to speak ill of another, or when I hear someone speak ill of another, I would be filled with Your boldness to stand up for those who would be attacked and not be party to the spread of slander. Father please continue to form within me a heart for Your people, that I may love my neighbor as myself, showing them the dignity and respect they deserve as a child who is made in Your image. Please help me to show love and respect to the least of these, as if I am doing it unto You.
~ Conqueror in Training