Everything Is His

April 24

Joshua 11-12

Psalm 50:7-15

Proverbs 12:1-3

Luke 15:11-32

Everything is His

“For every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.  I know every bird of the mountains, and everything that moves in the field is Mine.  If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is Mine, as well as its fullness.  Shall I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of male goats?  Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High; Call upon Me in the day of distress;  I will rescue you, and you will glorify Me.”  Psalm 50:10-15 LSB

Our passage in Psalm 50 today is a warning from God against superficial worship.  Under the Old Covenant, God commanded the Israelites to offer animal sacrifices to Him to atone for their sins.  The sacrifice of an innocent, unblemished animal foreshadowed the sacrifice of Jesus, His innocent, unblemished Son.  They offered the sacrifice to transfer their sin to an innocent animal pouring out the lifeblood on the altar as a substitute for their own deserved punishment.  God was providing a picture for them so that when the time came they could make the connection between their animal sacrifices and the sacrifice of Jesus. Unfortunately, they had turned the practice into an empty ritual.  They performed the sacrifice without any thought for the purpose that God intended.  In this Psalm, God is trying to make them understand that He did not need their sacrifices.  He already owns everything.  The cattle on a thousand hills belong to Him.  The beasts of the forest, the birds of the mountains and everything in the world is His.  He wanted them to get the fact that the things they were sacrificing to Him didn’t belong to them. They were already His.  He then said that if He was hungry, He would not even tell them because there was nothing they had to offer Him.  Everything is already at His disposal.  He is self-sufficient and needs nothing.  The false gods of the pagan nations around them were believed to need food and the offerings they gave were for nourishment for the gods and to gain their favor.  God was making a clear contrast between Him, the One True God, and the other false “gods” of the other nations.  Not only did God not need their sacrifices, the purpose of their sacrifices to God was not to gain His favor.  God didn’t intend for the sacrifices to be a way to “pay Him back” or to appease Him.  The sacrifices were a reminder of their sin and of God’s gracious provision. 

            Verse 15 highlights that God’s desire was their devotion and love.  He told them to “call upon Me in the day of distress; I will rescue you.”  He was their provider and deliverer.  His greatest desire was that they trust Him and obey.  God wanted their sacrifices to be done out of thanksgiving to glorify Him.  Under the New Covenant, we no longer offer animal sacrifices.  Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection fulfilled the need for the sacrifices once for all who would believe.  But God’s message is just as relevant for us today as it was for the Israelites.  Believers today are just as guilty of practicing empty rituals. Our worship should be done out of thanksgiving to glorify Him for His wonderful provision and deliverance.  The Lord’s Supper should be taken reverently with prayer and meditation.  Worship should be a personal experience between you and your Savior, not a mindless empty ritual.   

April 25