Hypocritical Worship
Last week we saw from this Psalm that God desires whole-hearted worship, not just empty rituals (50:8-9;14). This week in we shall look at God’s rebuke of hypocritical worship.
First of all, they know the Scriptures and perform the right religious rituals and activity (50:8). They can quote the Scriptures, but they are called “ungodly” by God because they do not obey them. They do not submit to God’s rightful Lordship over their lives (50:16-17).
Second, because of their rejection of the truth, they live by their own standard and soon are just like the world around them (50:18). They admire the their for his cunning, and they are friends with oath-breakers. Their mouths reveal their hearts as they speak evil and are full of lies (50:18-20). They even speak evil of their own family (50:20). They hate God’s discipline and they live a life controlled by the sinful passions of their sinful hearts (Ps 50:17, James 3:6).
God responds to their behaviour with a stinging rebuke in 50:21, “You thought that I was just like you.” They convinced themselves that God wasn’t angry because He had not confronted their sin. They confused God’s patience with permission or indifference (50:21). God says that He will bring all of their sin to light, and they will see it as He sees it in all its wickedness (50:21).
God calls these hypocritical worshippers to repentance (50:22-23). They had forgotten God, by not giving Him the honour that He deserves. (50:22). God says there is a coming judgement that they cannot escape (50:22).
Brethren, honouring God from a heart of faith is what He desires (50:23). God desires a sacrifice of thanksgiving from our hearts. Through Christ we can worship the Father as He desires, in spirit and in truth.