Psalm 50 - A Song about Justice and Mercy

Well, I'm late posting the blog this week thanks to the MLK Jr holiday yesterday.

This week, we continue reading in the Psalms - Psalm 50 to 53. And somehow, on the week that we observe MLK Jr Day and recognize his accomplishments, it seems very right to dwell on Psalm 50. It is a song about the justice of God.

The Psalmist takes for granted that there is great injustice in the world. Many of the more common injustices that the prophets speak against are absent here - too obvious to be named, perhaps. Instead, Asaph, the song-writer, gives a short list of charges against God's people - people who ought to know better!

I do not reprove you for your sacrifices [God says] (vs 8). . .
But to the wicked God says,
What right have you to tell of My statutes
And to take My covenant in your mouth?
For you hate discipline,
And you cast My words behind you,
When you see a thief, you are pleased with him,
And you associated with adulterers.
You let your mouth loose in evil
And your tongue frames deceit.
You sit and speak against your brother;
You slander your own mother's son. (16 - 20)

This may not be an exhaustive or even extensive list of injustices within a community, but it is more than enough to start with, don't you think? Willfully forgetting the word and the way of God includes a multitude of sins. The perversion of good is seen in a community's acceptance, praise, and honor given to thieves; and it is seen in the friendly association with those who forsake their marriage promises; and it is seen in the evil things that people say to and about one another - even their own brothers. A person can read this and then read the headlines and find plenty to feel guilty about!

This is what injustice looks like when we break it down into little pieces. These are not the big, systematic injustices and evils of a community - racism, political and business corruption, and human trafficking. These are the little things that make those bigger things possible.

It is against such people and such a community that Asaph cries:

May our God come and not keep silence;
Fire devours before Him
And it is very tempestuous around Him (3)

But though we live in a corrupt society, filled with those who forget the words of God and honor those who break their promises and who lie against their brothers, still God is merciful:

He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me;
And to him who order his way aright
I shall show the salvation of God. (23) 

To which we can all say, "Amen." May we do justice and love mercy and walk humbly with our God!