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Set to dark modePsalms 50:7-15
7 “Hear, O My people, and I will speak;
O Israel, I will testify against you;
I am God, your God.
8 “I do not reprove you for your sacrifices,
And your burnt offerings are continually before Me.
9 “I shall take no young bull out of your house
Nor male goats out of your folds.
10 “For every beast of the forest is Mine,
The cattle on a thousand hills.
11 “I know every bird of the mountains,
And everything that moves in the field is Mine.
12 “If I were hungry I would not tell you,
For the world is Mine, and all it contains.
13 “Shall I eat the flesh of bulls
Or drink the blood of male goats?
14 “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving
And pay your vows to the Most High;
15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.”
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Psalm 50:7-15 meaning
God begins Psalm 50:7-15 by challenging His covenant people, saying Hear, O My people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you; I am God, your God (v. 7). He makes it clear that His concern is not rooted in a lack of outward devotion: I do not reprove you for your sacrifices, And your burnt offerings are continually before Me (v. 8). However, He affirms His independence from their gifts as He says I shall take no young bull out of your house Nor male goats out of your folds (v. 9). Through these words, God underscores that while He has indeed commanded sacrifice, He is not dependent on His people’s offerings or constrained by their rituals. He alone has authority to address them as Lord and covenant Keeper.
The next verses reveal God’s absolute sovereignty over creation: For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills (v. 10). There is no need for Him to claim from mortals what already belongs to Him, reinforced by I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine (v. 11). Emphasizing He lacks nothing, God continues, If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains (v. 12). This declaration shows that God calls for fellowship and surrender, not because He requires anything from humanity but because He values relationship with those He has redeemed. His dominion extends over every living thing, thus the real invitation is not about giving God what He lacks, but recognizing He holds everything in His hands.
Following that truth, the Lord presses the point: Shall I eat the flesh of bulls Or drink the blood of male goats (v. 13). Rather than empty ritual, He requires an offering of gratitude and obedience evident in the heart, as He commands Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High (v. 14). The final invitation reveals a promise of deliverance: Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me (v. 15). Instead of performing lifeless rites, God’s people are invited to commune with Him in dependence, trusting that He is ready to save and be glorified through their faithful response. The ultimate role of sacrifice, then, is to cultivate a grateful and trust — filled relationship with the One who is both Creator and Redeemer.