Read
(A psalm by Asaph.)
What Pleases God
1From east to west,
the powerful Lord God
has been calling together
everyone on earth.
2God shines brightly from Zion,
the most beautiful city.
3Our God approaches,
but not silently;
a flaming fire comes first,
and a storm surrounds him.
4God comes to judge his people.
He shouts to the heavens
and to the earth,
5“Call my followers together!
They offered me a sacrifice,
and we made an agreement.”
6The heavens announce,
“God is the judge,
and he is always honest.”
7My people, I am God!
Israel, I am your God.
Listen to my charges
against you.
8Although you offer sacrifices
and always bring gifts,
9I won't accept your offerings
of bulls and goats.
10Every animal in the forest
belongs to me,
and so do the cattle
on a thousand hills.
11I know all the birds
in the mountains,
and every wild creature
is in my care.
12If I were hungry,
I wouldn't tell you,
because I own the world
and everything in it.
13I don't eat the meat of bulls
or drink the blood of goats.
14I am God Most High!
The only sacrifice I want
is for you to be thankful
and to keep your word.
15Pray to me in time of trouble.
I will rescue you,
and you will honor me.
16But to the wicked I say:
“You don't have the right
to mention my laws or claim
to keep our agreement!
17You refused correction
and rejected my commands.
18You made friends
with every crook you met,
and you liked people who break
their wedding vows.
19You talked only about violence
and told nothing but lies;
20you sat around gossiping,
ruining the reputation
of your own relatives.”
21When you did all this,
I didn't say a word,
and you thought,
“God is just like us!”
But now I will accuse you.
22You have ignored me!
So pay close attention
or I will tear you apart,
and no one can help you.
23The sacrifice that honors me
is a thankful heart.
Obey me, and I, your God,
will show my power to save.
Reflect
Forgive me for being blunt, but God doesn’t need you.
In fact, I think He is tired of you and of me and of all of us doing what we do.
He’s not tired of us as His children, or tired of loving us: but He’s tired of our fickle ways, self-satisfied ways.
Read Psalm 50 carefully and with a critical eye. Do you think perhaps He is seeing through our duplicity in bringing Him “sacrifices” and “offerings” (religion and good works) and is saying, “Enough already”? “I don’t need that stuff, those vain practises and hollow living.” “Why don’t you bring what I really want?”
And what is that?
In verse 14 He answers, “I am God Most High! The only sacrifice I want is for you to be thankful and to keep your word.” Then, pointing His finger at our self-reliance and tendency to avoid intimacy with Him, He says, “Pray to me in times of trouble. I will rescue you, and you will honour me.”
Essentially, “I am God. All I want is your thankful heart. I will help you if you call on me.”
How can we thank Him if we aren’t grateful for all He has done? Which means we have to acknowledge all He has done. And doesn’t that mean we have to be reliant on Him and not ourselves to even be in that position of receiving?
God doesn’t need anything. He doesn’t need us or our sacrifices. But He wants us; wants us to come to Him for what we require. To be needful before Him and then thankful. All this involves dependency and intimacy with Him on our part.
Want to give it a try?
Respond
God Most High, everything in all creation is yours. Forgive me for bringing you cheap offerings of do- good religion rather than the intimate sacrifice of my thankful heart. Help me obey you today so you can show your power to save through me. In Jesus’ name I pray.
James Paterson
James works as a visual artist. His current body of work is a series of metal wire sculptures called Prayer Machines which are whimsically ambiguous machine-like objects that give expression to mystery. “I love to share the gospel message, using art as a bridge, to encourage people in their relationship with Jesus.” He and Lynn have four young adult children. Publications Jim’s Grandiose Big Bible Picture Book (Bastian Books ,2007)