Proper 14 / Pentecost 12 / Ordinary Time 19
Devotional
Water From the Rock
Lectionary Devotional for Cycle C
Object:
Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me; to those who go the right way I will show the salvation of God.
-- Psalm 50:23
Psalm 50 complements the passage from Isaiah that is critical of people who perform the acts of worship but do not allow their acts of worship to shape their daily lives. Psalm 50 is a vision of judgment centered on the relation between worship and ethics. Verses 1-6 describe the judge and his authority. God is the mighty one who summons the earth (v. 1) and the heavens (v. 4), who serve as the jury (v. 6). God is the chief witness (v. 7).
In verses 8-13, the sham of sacrifices as a religious act separated from daily life is exposed. It is not that people are neglecting the act of worship. "Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me." The psalmist then proceeds to mock their sacrifices. "If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and all that is in it is mine." Verses 14-15 describe what God wants from the faithful as they come before him in worship. God wants them to bring a sacrifice of thanksgiving, to fulfill their commitments made in their covenant relationship, and to call on God in times of trouble. Instead, what God sees are people who are good at reciting God's law and speaking of their covenant relationship with God (v. 16) but who refuse to be disciplined by God's word in their lives (v. 17).
The parallel today would be people who quote the Bible in their speech and publicly brag about their church membership but who refuse to allow God's expectations to shape their daily lives. The psalmist suggests that their daily lives violate such commandments as those against stealing, adultery, false witness, and honoring their parents (vv. 18-20). If you were to identify which commandments are most frequently broken in our everyday lives, which ones would you choose?
God has given time for people to recognize their own evil, but they have taken God's silence as approval of separating their words of worship from the ethics of their lives (v. 21). God's judgment is now pronounced. Yet, God's judgment is always another opportunity to repent and live a life of thanksgiving and salvation. The invitation is to let the times when we are obedient to God at personal sacrifice be a sign of our worship and praise.
-- Psalm 50:23
Psalm 50 complements the passage from Isaiah that is critical of people who perform the acts of worship but do not allow their acts of worship to shape their daily lives. Psalm 50 is a vision of judgment centered on the relation between worship and ethics. Verses 1-6 describe the judge and his authority. God is the mighty one who summons the earth (v. 1) and the heavens (v. 4), who serve as the jury (v. 6). God is the chief witness (v. 7).
In verses 8-13, the sham of sacrifices as a religious act separated from daily life is exposed. It is not that people are neglecting the act of worship. "Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me." The psalmist then proceeds to mock their sacrifices. "If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and all that is in it is mine." Verses 14-15 describe what God wants from the faithful as they come before him in worship. God wants them to bring a sacrifice of thanksgiving, to fulfill their commitments made in their covenant relationship, and to call on God in times of trouble. Instead, what God sees are people who are good at reciting God's law and speaking of their covenant relationship with God (v. 16) but who refuse to be disciplined by God's word in their lives (v. 17).
The parallel today would be people who quote the Bible in their speech and publicly brag about their church membership but who refuse to allow God's expectations to shape their daily lives. The psalmist suggests that their daily lives violate such commandments as those against stealing, adultery, false witness, and honoring their parents (vv. 18-20). If you were to identify which commandments are most frequently broken in our everyday lives, which ones would you choose?
God has given time for people to recognize their own evil, but they have taken God's silence as approval of separating their words of worship from the ethics of their lives (v. 21). God's judgment is now pronounced. Yet, God's judgment is always another opportunity to repent and live a life of thanksgiving and salvation. The invitation is to let the times when we are obedient to God at personal sacrifice be a sign of our worship and praise.
