PSALM FIFTY, Verse 15

Psalm 50:15  English Standard Version
15   and call on me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you , and you shall glorify me.
Who is speaking in Psalm 50 verse 15 ?

Psalm 50:1 New Catholic Version
The Lord , God of gods, has spoken.
In Hebrew , a threefold formula for the divine
name that can be translated as
" The Mighty One, God, the Lord ".
Psalm 50:1 Tree of Life Version
God, Elohim, ADONAI has spoken.
Ps 50:6 ESV     for God himself is judge
Ps 50:14 ESV   perform your vows to the Most High
Ps 50: 14 Tof L fulfill your vows to Elyon
Ps 50:21 NJB   You do this, and am I to say nothing ?
                       Do you think that I am really like you ?
Ps 50:22 NCV  Remember this, you who forget God (Eloah)
Ps 18:32 NCV  Indeed who is God ( Eloah ) except the LORD. 

The offer is:-  Call on me.
                     I will rescue (or deliver ) you.
                     and you will honour me.
We have established who is speaking.
To whom is this offer addressed ?
In Psalm50      God calls     His people   Ps 50:4 ESV
                                          My people   Ps50:7  ESV
                       My kedroshim                Ps 50:5 TLV
                       My ("holy ones")             Ps 50    TLV
                       My faithful ones              Ps 50:5  ESV
The people of the God of Abraham        Ps 47:9  ESV
we are the people of His pasture            Ps 95:7  KJV

The offer made still stands.
His sacrifice gives us the freedom
to take up the offer or not.

PSALM 50, Sacrifice of Praise

Bring no more vain oblations .  ISAIAH 1:13  KJV

oblations;-  non living offerings ( in contrast to an animal sacrifice )
Our "firstfruits" today are usually money except at harvest festival.
Our tithe is not the blood of goats,
but the sacrifice called for is still a sacrifice of praise.

Offer to God a sacrifice of praise 
And pay your vows to the Most High   Ps 50:14 SAAS

A sacrifice of praise shall glorify Me   Ps 50:23 SAAS

Our sacrifice is not what we put in the collection, that is God's due.
Genuine praise....from the heart....is deep grateful appreciation of
who God is to us personally ...Praise has to be genuine.

ISAIAH 1:13
Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother
is still in darkness.

Genuine praise is not fleeting ( for public performance only )
but ongoing in practice and truth.

Little children let us not love in words or talk
    bot in deed and truth

So the charismatic praise we offer in love and joy
is matched by the love and joy in which we serve Him....
in our neighbour , the hungry, the sick, the homeless
the stranger, the prisoner and all in need, in everyday life.

PSALM FIFTY, Discernment and Deliverance

In our quiet time before God, when we have prayed and asked for His direction.....
in the frame of mind that we want to respond to any revelation of His will for us......
then heart and mind are prepared .

Psalm 50: 7  New Catholic Version
"Listen, my people, and I will speak"

We wait on God knowing we owe Him everything.
If the Lord brings to mind, during our prayer time, any thoughts or attitudes which
reveal that we hate discipline or obedience or won't accept teaching;-
then we desperately need grace to be less immature.

Psalm 50:17 NCT
For you loathe my instruction and cast my words behind you .

If on the other hand , the Lord brings to mind , gratitude which we have expressed
in thanksgiving and praise.....
then the Lord has already been glorified in our attitude and behaviour !

Psalm 50:23 NCT
He who offers me a sacrifice of thanksgiving
     honours me
to him who follows my way
I will show the salvation of God

Psalm 50:15 NCT
Then if you cry out to me in time of trouble
  I will rescue you and you will honour me.

Those who depend on Him call out for deliverance
and our deliverance will glorify the Lord our God !

PSALM 49 ransomed and redeemed

So trust in God and not in men or the organisations of men.
If we are, in practice, trusting our own ideas
or finding our security somewhere else,
we need to change our allegiance!

only God.......can redeem us from the grave.
only God ......can save us from the power of death.
God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol. AMEN
                                              (Psalm 49:15 ESV)

PSALM 49 trusting in Him

Psalm 49:7-8  NAB
7.  They trust in their wealth;
           the abundance of their riches is their boast.
8.  Yet in no way can a man redeem himself,
           or pay his own ransom to God.

Trusting in God is a symptom of being Christian.
Trusting in "knowledge" or "money" or "self"  is a symptom
of being turned away from God.

Psalm 49:7 ESV
Truly no man can ransom another
   or give to God the price of his life.

PSALM 49 for ever with God

Psalm 49 is addressed to everyone. There are no categories
of people who stand outside the application of these words.
Psalm 49:15  ESV
 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
for He will receive me.

With the psalmist , the believer can sing of the eternal bliss
of being forever with God after death.
This is such an important message that it is addressed to
rich and poor, to wise and foolish, to low and high.
The message is addressed to each of us individually
because we need to respond personally.

PSALM 48, Guidance beyond death

Psalm 48:12-15
Walk about Zion and go round about her; count her towers.
Consider well her ramparts; view her citadels
That you may tell it until the final generations.
For this is overwhelming! Our God exists for ever,
and he will lead us beyond death.

Psalm 48:15 The Knox Translation
Such is the God who is our God for ever and ever;
our Shepherd eternally.

Psalm 48 New English Bible verse 12-14
Make the round of Zion in procession
count the numbers of her towers
take a good note of her ramparts,
pass her palaces in review,
that you may tell generations yet to come;
Such is God  our God for ever and ever
he shall be our guide eternally.

Psalm 45:15 Hebrew Text  JPS
For God - He is our God for ever
He will lead us evermore.

Psalm 73(72) The Knox Translation
Thine to guide me with thy counsel
   thine to welcome me into glory at last.

Psalm 49:15  New RSV
But God will ransom my soul from 
           the power of Sheol
     for he will receive me. 

PSALM FORTY-EIGHT , GOD'S PRESENCE

Psalm 48: 1-2  RSV
Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God !
His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation,
is a joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion , in the far north,
the city of the great King

New testament Christians join the angels and saints in praise of God,
in His presence.

Hebrews 12:22 RSV
But you have come to mount Zion and to the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering
23.........and to the spirits of just men made perfect.

God's presence is active and beneficial.

Hebrews 4:16 RSV
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace
that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of trouble.

God is present in active praise

Psalm 22:3
But thou art holy , O thou that inhabitest  the praise of Israel

God's presence in each worshiper

Romans 8:16  RSV
When we cry " Abba ! Father ! " it is the Spirit himself 
bearing witness with our spirit  that we are children of God.

God is present in Christian meetings.

Matthew 18:20 RSV
Where two or three are gathered in my name,
there I am in the midst of them.

Members of the body of Christ form the community of the people of God.

PSALM FORTY-EIGHT ,WHERE GOD IS

Psalm 48:3 NIV   God is in her citadels, he has shown himself to be her fortress.
                  TLT   God himself is in Jerusalem's towers
                            he reveals himself as her defender.
              NASB    God , in her palaces has made Himself known as a stronghold.

Psalm 48 is about wanting to be where God is, in the comfort of His presence within the city wall.

Until recently most people walked !
We walked into battle and then walked home again. We walked on pilgrimages.
Large events were attended by people who walked there.
Refugees have walked in China and in Russia. Many have walked across much of the African continent
to reach Europe.
Walking  people carry only what they can manage and when they get to where they are going,
people make themselves comfortable in a sheltered space.
Generation after generation of God's people can sing with the psalmist ;-
Psalm 48:8 (New RSV)
                                    As we have heard, so we have seen
                                    in the city of the LORD of hosts
                                    in the city of our God
                                    which God establishes forever.

The city walls of Jerusalem encompassed not only a sheltered space but also a sacred space.

PSALM FORTY-SEVEN, GOD and KING

Colossians Ch 1 v 15-16   NAB 1971-72 edition
He is the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creatures.
In him everything in heaven and on earth was created, things visible and invisible,
whether thrones or dominations , principalities or powers, 
all were created through him and for him.

Colossians Ch 2 v 9-10  NAB 1971-72 edition
In Christ the fullness of Deity resides in bodily form.
Yours is a share in the fullness in him
who is the head of of every principality and power.

Psalm 47v8 NAB 1971-72 edition
for the King of all the earth is God

To-day the kingdom of God is in every Christian heart and Christian community
for he reigns within the heart of every member of the body of Christ.
He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world     1 John4:4 
Our King has provided our victory;-

For a child is born to us, a son is given us;
upon his shoulder dominion rests.
They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero
Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.                            ISAIAH 19:5  NAB

PSALM FORTY-SEVEN , Discernment of spirits.

1 Clap your hands , all you peoples;shout to God with loud songs of joy.
2 For the LORD , the Most High, is awesome, a great king over all the earth.    (Psalm 47 :1-2)

This is the word of the Lord, verse one is an instruction , verse two is the reason.
People  who can't or will not worship God, may be under the wrong spirit.
People who can't raise their hands clap, or shout with loud songs of joy,
may be under the wrong spirit.
But people who spontaneously , clap their hands and shout to God
with loud songs of joy may well be worshiping in Spirit and Truth.
1 John 4:1 KJV
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they be of God.
1 John 4:1 New RSV
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see
whether they are from God.

Psalm 89:16  New Catholic Version St Joseph Edition
Blessed are the people who know how to acclaim you, O, Lord,
who walk in the light of your countenance.

Romans 8:37 NIV
In all these things we are more than conquerors, through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death not life, neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the 
love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So if you know someone who exudes the love of Christ,
you have discerned the Spirit that they have chosen to live in.

PSALM FORTY-SEVEN, THE SPIRITUAL REALM

God is the King of all the earth:         Psalm 47:7   KJV
God reigneth over the heathen:         Psalm 47:8   KJV
God also reigns over the inhabitants of the "Spiritual Realm"
For God's are the guardians of the earth  Psalm 47:9 NAB
for the guardians of the earth belong to God  Ps 47:10 JPS translation

When the Most High assigned lands to the nations,
when he divided up the human race,
he established the boundaries of the peoples according
to the number of angelic beings.                            Deuteronomy 32:8 NLT

From the Septuagint (Brenton translation)
he set the bounds of the nations according
to the number of the angels of God                       Deuteronomy 32:8 

Then Michael , one of the archangels of God came to help me, and I
left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia.   Daniel 10:13 NLT

People who pray need to know that occupants of the spiritual realm
influence each generation of every nation

For we wrestle not with flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickedness in high 
places.                                                                     Ephesians 6:8 KJV

PSALM FORTY-SIX , Verse 10

Be Still and know that I am God.       AV and NIV
Stop dancing around and pay attention.
Be quiet and listen.
please pay attention
Be silent and know that I am God                   NLT
Cease striving and Know that I am God         NASB
Be still and acknowledge that I am God         NJB
Desist! Realize that I am God                         Jewish Publication Society

These words speak to the believer, they do,
but in the context of Psalm 46
these words are also a sovereign command.
The Lord is here addressing the enemy nations.
The LORD GOD is ordering them to desist
It is an imperative command
to stop their assault on God's people.
The Lord here asserts that His governance will be obeyed,
 and acknowledged by these very nations.

PSALM FORTY-SIX , Verse 6,7 & 11

Psalm 46:6 NIV  Nations are in uproar, governments fall...

For those who have lived through decades of peace and relative prosperity
in a nation where good health services and good education have been freely
available to all; where law and order and justice and democracy have been
maintained impartially and with integrity....
then we can truely say with the psalmist ;-

The LORD All-Powerful is with us
The God of Jacob is our place of safety.        Psalm 46:7 ERV

Verse 7 and 11 ere identical.
Perhaps Psalm 46 is a responsorial Psalm.
The contents of verses 7 and 11 are repeated by divine inspiration
and so are worthy of earnest contemplation.
the KJV has..............our refuge
NIV,NLT and ESV...our fortress
NASB......................our stronghold
NJB.........................our citadel
SAAS(orthodox)......our protector
Jewish Study Bible....our haven. 

PSALM FORTY-SIX, Verse 4

There is a river the streams whereof shall make glad the city 
 of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. Psalm 46:4 AV

The psalmist sings of the waters of a river--but there is no river in Jerusalem;
the city draws its water from deep pools and springs ( 2 Kings 20:20 )
 The river is invisible to those who cannot see it,
but to those who have received the revelation of God
( to those to whom it has been revealed)
the life giving river flows every month of the year.
It flows to the East and to the West and it brings life.
In prophecy a river rises in the temple
to give life to the land  (Ezekiel 47:1-12)

ZECHARIAH 14:8
On that day , living waters shall flow from Jerusalem,
half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea,
and it shall be so in summer and in winter.

REVELATION 22:1-2
The angel then showed me the river of life giving water,
clear as crystal, which issued from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
and it flowed down the middle of the streets.

PSALM FORTY-SIX, Verse 2 and 3

In some ages, people could live a lifetime without
ever experiencing natural disasters like typhoons,
tornadoes or tidal waves: but since we have T.V.
and internet videos,  we have seen; floods, earthquakes,
volcanoes, landslides, sunamies, mudflows, lava flows,
and avalanches.
But such extreme events are still experienced personally
by real people.

Through all this the believer can say;-
The Lord Almighty is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge (Psalm 46:7 & 11 GNB
                                               

PSALM FORTY-SIX, Verse 1

God is a "present help" for those who depend on Him.
Those who deny God
or put their trust elsewhere
find themselves in a different situation.

Those who can say in truth
"God is my refuge and my strength"
will also be able to testify
" a very present help in trouble"

PSALM FORTY-SIX KJV

1 God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed,
   and the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though the waters therof roar and be troubled,
   though the mountains shake with the swelling therof.
4 There is a river, the streams wherof shall make glad the city of God,
   The holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved:
   God shall help her, and that right early.

When you know this version off by heart, it becomes part of you.
At the age of ten I wrote out this psalm many times with pen on paper,
after which I knew it , and could say it all and  quote from it.
To have the word of God in you, and to be able to call on it instantly,
like the three times table, is an asset and a source of strength.
I had to learn Psalm 46, but I already knew Psalm 23 off by heart
because we sang the Scottish metrical version so often.

THE TRINITY in PSALM FORTY-FIVE

I am glad that our God is the Trinity.
Where would we be without a Saviour ?
or without our enlightening enabling Holy Spirit ?
or without the Almighty God who is also our heavenly Father ?
Our ongoing relationship with the one true God
requires our personal awareness of the three persons of the Trinity....
in our hearts as we pray and in our minds in everyday life
as we live always in the very presence of the tri-personal God.
This is the experience of believers with or without study of theology.
   The psalmist , who knows that he is standing before the God of Abraham
and Issac and Jacob, discloses in verse one that "his tongue is the pen of a skilful writer"
i.e. inspired by the Holy Spirit.
The inspired prophecy which the psalmist utters in this Psalm addresses a King
who is anointed with oil of joy...above his companions,
who has an eternal throne, and an everlasting kingdom.
A prophecy never fulfilled by any of the Old Testament kings,
but fulfilled completely by God the Son , Jesus Christ , King of Kings and God forever.
   The King who is anointed By God is revealed to be Jesus , in Hebrews 1:8
We here catch a glimpse of the relationship between God The Father and God The Son
which is more revealed in the New Testament.