Psalm 50 Prayed

Psalm 50 Prayed
Offering God our true sacrifices

   O God, you are the Mighty One, the Lord.
            You speak and summons the earth
   from the rising of the sun
            to the place where it sets.
   From the heavenly Zion, perfect in beauty,
            you shine forth as our God.
   O God, come and do not be silent;
            with a fire devouring before you,
            and a tempest raging around you.
   Summons the heavens above,
            and the earth, that you may judge us,
            your people, saying:
   “Gather to me my consecrated ones,
            who made a covenant with me
            by sacrifice:
   All who have partaken of the blood of Jesus;
            the blood of the covenant,
   which is poured out for many
            for the forgiveness of sins.”
   And the heavens proclaim your righteousness,
            for you are God, you are judge.

   Open our ears, O Lord,
            and make us listen you saying to us:
   “Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
            O all my Church, I will testify against you:
            I am God, your God.
    I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices
            or your offerings of money,
            which are ever before me.
    I have no need of a few of your coins
            in the collection plate,
            or of a cheque from your bank account,
   for every penny on earth is mine,
            and all the cash of a thousand banks. 
    If I were in poverty I would not tell you,
            for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
   Do not think you can buy me off,
            or that I need your tax-deductable donations.
   Instead, sacrifice thank offerings to God,
            fulfil your vows to the Most High,
    and call upon me in the day of trouble;
            I will deliver you, and you will honour me.”

   But to the hypocrites in the Church, God says:
            “What right have you to recite your prayers
            or take my covenant on your lips?
   You hate my instruction in the Bible
            and cast my words behind you.
   When you see a thief, you join with him;
            you throw in your lot with adulterers.
   You use your mouth for evil
            and harness your tongue to deceit.

   “You speak continually against your brother
            and slander your own mother’s child.
   These things you have done and I kept silent;
            you thought I was altogether like you.
    But I will rebuke you
            and accuse you to your face."

   So help us to consider this, lest we forget you,
            O God,
            lest we are torn to pieces,
            with none to rescue us:
   May our sacrifices and offerings be given to you
            with thankfulness,
            so that we may honour you,
            and so you can prepare the way,
   so that we may show others
            your salvation, O God.
   And help us to live a life of love,
            just as Christ loved us
   and gave himself up for us
            as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to you,
            O God.

   Oh, the depth of the riches
            of the wisdom and knowledge of you, O God!
   How unsearchable your judgments,
            and your paths beyond tracing out!
   Who has known your mind, O Lord?
            Or who has been you counsellor?
   Who has ever given to you, O God,
            that you should repay him?
   For from you and through you and to you
            are all things.
            To you be the glory forever! Amen.

   Therefore, in view of your mercy,
            we offer our bodies as living sacrifices,
   holy and pleasing to you, O God—
            this is our spiritual act of worship.
   Do not let us conform any longer to the pattern
            of this world,
            but be transformed by the renewing
            of our minds.
   Then we will be able to test and approve what
            your will is—
            your good, pleasing and perfect will.

   Through Jesus, therefore, we will continually offer
            to you, O God, a sacrifice of praise—
            the fruit of lips that confess your name.
   Let us not forget to do good
            and to share with others,
   for with all such sacrifice you are pleased. 



Psalm 50
A psalm of Asaph.

1   The Mighty One, God, the LORD,
            speaks and summons the earth
     from the rising of the sun
            to the place where it sets.
2   From Zion, perfect in beauty,
            God shines forth.
3   Our God comes and will not be silent;
            a fire devours before him,
            and around him a tempest rages.
4   He summons the heavens above,
            and the earth, that he may judge his
            people:
5   “Gather to me my consecrated ones,
            who made a covenant with me by
            sacrifice.”
Matt. 26:28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
6   And the heavens proclaim his righteousness,
            for God himself is judge.                         Selah

7   “Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
            O Israel, and I will testify against you:
            I am God, your God.
8   I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices
            or your burnt offerings, which are ever
            before me.
9   I have no need of a bull from your stall
            or of goats from your pens,
10  for every animal of the forest is mine,
            and the cattle on a thousand hills.
11  I know every bird in the mountains,
            and the creatures of the field are mine.
12  If I were hungry I would not tell you,
            for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
13  Do I eat the flesh of bulls
            or drink the blood of goats?
14  Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
            fulfil your vows to the Most High,
15  and call upon me in the day of trouble;
            I will deliver you, and you will honour me.”

16  But to the wicked, God says:
            “What right have you to recite my laws
            or take my covenant on your lips?
17  You hate my instruction
            and cast my words behind you.
18  When you see a thief, you join with him;
            you throw in your lot with adulterers.
19  You use your mouth for evil
            and harness your tongue to deceit.
20  You speak continually against your brother
            and slander your own mother’s son.
 21  These things you have done and I kept silent;
            you thought I was altogether like you.
      But I will rebuke you
            and accuse you to your face.

22  “Consider this, you who forget God,
            or I will tear you to pieces, with none to
            rescue:
23  He who sacrifices thank offerings honours
            me,
            and he prepares the way
      so that I may show him
            the salvation of God.”
Eph. 5:2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Rom. 11:33  Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor?” 35 “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?” 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Rom. 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.  2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.


Heb. 13:15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.  16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.    

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