Sometimes, wickedness is easy to spot. We condemn the hatred and suspicion that would become a death sentence for a young black man out for a jog. We are shocked at those who take advantage of their high office to misuse public funds on a grand scale. And because we are certain that we would never do those kinds of things, it’s easy for us to feel pretty good about ourselves.

But in Psalm 50, Asaph warns us that sin can be much more subtle. After all, the wickedness that God condemns in verse 18 is all in the mind – the willingness to associate with adulterers and thieves implies that we don’t really think what they do is all that bad. In verses 19-20, God goes on to condemn not what we do, but what we say – the casual lies we tell one another, the way we tear one another down with gossip.

But are such thoughts and words really all that bad? Yes. Because even these seemingly harmless things demonstrate a contempt for God’s Word (v. 17), which, after all, tells us that we should love our neighbors as ourselves (Leviticus 19:18). Worse yet, when we call ourselves Christians, when we claim the name of Christ, when say we are in a covenant relationship with our Holy God and yet think and speak in these ways, we are really saying either that God doesn’t mind these things, or that He actually approves of them (v. 21).

But there’s another subtle way we can sin against God – by thinking too highly of the good deeds that we do. We might be proud of contributing to the church, or of our regular attendance at public worship whether in person or online. In the same way God’s Old Testament people were tempted to be proud of the sacrifices that they brought to the Tabernacle or the Temple (v. 8).

But the reality was that God didn’t need any of those sacrifices. After all, it’s not like He gets hungry for a hamburger (v. 13). And since He created everything that exists, He could always rustle up something for Himself if He did (vv. 10-12). In the same way, God doesn’t need to depend on us to do the good in this world that He wants done. He’s quite capable of accomplishing miracles anytime He wants.

So, what does God want us to do? It’s not really all that complicated. Instead of being proud of what we can give, we should be thankful for what God has given us. Instead of breaking God’s law of love, we should do what we have promised – loving Him with our whole heart and loving our neighbors as ourselves. And instead of imagining that we have to bail ourselves out every time we get into a jam, we just need to call on God, trusting Him to help us (vv. 14-15).

And the good news is that those who humble ourselves in this way before the Mighty One, before the Lord God, will eventually find ourselves rescued. So, let’s give Him all the glory that He deserves.

Psalm 50 (NASB)

A Psalm of Asaph . The Mighty One, God, the LORD, has spoken, And summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth.
3 May our God come and not keep silence; Fire devours before Him, And it is very tempestuous around Him.
4 He summons the heavens above, And the earth, to judge His people:
5 “Gather My godly ones to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”
6 And the heavens declare His righteousness, For God Himself is judge. Selah.
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 And call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.”
16 But to the wicked God says, “What right have you to tell of My statutes, And to take My covenant in your mouth?
17 “For you hate discipline, And you cast My words behind you.
18 “When you see a thief, you are pleased with him, And you associate with adulterers.
19 “You let your mouth loose in evil, And your tongue frames deceit.
20 “You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother’s son.
21 “These things you have done, and I kept silence; You thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you, and state the case in order before your eyes.
22 “Now consider this, you who forget God, Lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.
23 “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; And to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God.”