Who was Asaph in the Bible?
He was a Levite, singer and musician in David's time, mentioned in 1 Chronicles 15:17 and 16:5. Twelve psalms carry his name: 50 and 73 to 83. His family of singers continued to serve in the temple for generations.
Psalms · psalm 50 of 150
Psalm 50: Summary, Key Verses and Study Questions
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What happens in Psalm 50?
Psalm 50 is a psalm of Asaph in which God himself summons the earth and judges his people. He makes clear that he does not rebuke them for their sacrifices but does not need them, since every animal is his; what he wants is thanksgiving, vows kept and prayer. He warns the wicked who recite his laws without living them and promises salvation to the one who orders his way rightly.
The title ascribes it to Asaph, a Levite and musician in David's time, to whom twelve psalms are attributed (50 and 73 to 83). It is the first psalm of Asaph in the Psalter. It is a psalm of judgment shaped like a legal proceeding, in which God summons heaven and earth as witnesses to his case against his people.
Psalm 50 summary
The psalm opens with the voice of God: the Mighty One, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth. Our God comes; he does not keep silence; before him is a devouring fire and around him a mighty tempest. He calls to the heavens above and to the earth to judge his people: gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice. The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge.
Then he speaks to his people. He does not rebuke them for their sacrifices or their burnt offerings, which are continually before him, but he will not accept a bull from their house or goats from their folds, for every beast of the forest is his, the cattle on a thousand hills, all the birds of the hills and all that moves in the field. If he were hungry, he would not tell them. Does he eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, perform your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.
To the wicked he says: what right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips, since you hate discipline and cast my words behind you? He joins a thief, keeps company with adulterers, gives his mouth to evil, his tongue frames deceit, and he speaks against his brother. God kept silent, and he thought God was just like him, but God will rebuke him and lay the charge before his eyes. Understand this, you who forget God, lest he tear you apart and there be none to deliver. The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me, and to the one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God.
Chapter outline
- vv. 1-6: God summons the earth from Zion, comes as judge and gathers his people.
- vv. 7-15: God does not need sacrifices; he wants thanksgiving, vows kept and prayer.
- vv. 16-21: Rebuke of the wicked who recite his law yet live in wickedness.
- vv. 22-23: Warning to those who forget God and a promise of salvation for the one who gives thanks.
Key verses in Psalm 50
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Psalm 50:12
God does not need food from his people, for the world and all it holds is his. Worship is not a way of feeding God but a response of gratitude.
Psalm 50:14
God asks for a sacrifice of thanksgiving and for vows made to the Most High to be kept. What God seeks is a grateful and faithful heart, not only an outward rite.
Psalm 50:15
God invites us to call on him in the day of trouble and promises to deliver, so that his people honor him. It is a covenant relationship in which prayer is answered and gratitude responds.
Psalm 50:23
The one who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors God, and to the one who orders his way rightly God will show his salvation. Worship and conduct cannot be separated.
Main themes
- God as judge of his people
- Sacrifice and gratitude
- Prayer in the day of trouble
- Religious hypocrisy
- Praise that honors God
People and places
- Asaph
- God, the judge
- The covenant people
- The wicked
Psalm 50 study questions and answers
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
1. Whom does God summon at the beginning of the psalm?
Answer: The earth, from the rising of the sun to its setting, and heaven and earth to judge his people. — Psalm 50:1
2. Why does God not need his people's animals?
Answer: Because every beast of the forest and field is his. — Psalm 50:10-11
3. What does God ask for instead of mere ritual?
Answer: A sacrifice of thanksgiving and keeping vows to the Most High. — Psalm 50:14
4. What does God promise to the one who calls on him in the day of trouble?
Answer: He will deliver him, and the person will honor him. — Psalm 50:15
5. What does God reproach the wicked for?
Answer: For reciting his statutes while hating discipline, joining thieves and adulterers and speaking deceit. — Psalm 50:16-20
6. What does God show to the one who orders his way rightly?
Answer: The salvation of God. — Psalm 50:23
Application for today
Psalm 50 invites us to examine the motive of our worship. In a small group you can talk about the difference between going through a religious routine and living a grateful relationship with God. Giving thanks, keeping what we have promised and praying in distress are three concrete actions the psalm connects with real life.
It also confronts hypocrisy. Reciting God's words while living in deceit or slandering a brother is worthless. A healthy church reads Scripture and practices it, and lets the Word correct first the one who teaches it.
Psalm 50 ends with a promise of salvation for the one who orders his way with gratitude. Psalm 51 will be the personal answer of someone who knows he has failed: David's prayer of repentance.
Frequently asked questions about Psalm 50
Is God against sacrifices in this psalm?
No. Verse 8 says he does not rebuke his people for their sacrifices. What he criticizes is thinking that sacrifices are a kind of food for God or that they substitute for obedience and gratitude. The prophets say something similar in passages like Hosea 6:6.
What does a sacrifice of thanksgiving mean?
It is an offering of gratitude, that is, thanking God for what he has done. In the New Testament, Hebrews 13:15 speaks of the sacrifice of praise as the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name, and joins it with doing good and sharing.