Thanks to God versus Judgment

Psalm 50 is a psalm of judgment. God begins with His own house and judges His own people in the first 13 verses. Then verses 14 and 15 spell out the remedy--

Psalm 50:14-15 Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.

Then again, God judges the wicked from verses 16-22, but in verse 23 He again provides a remedy.

Psalm 50:23 He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him {23 Or and to him who considers his way I will show} the salvation of God.

In both cases, the remedy to change the course of God's condemnation is thanksgiving, which is honoring to God. To hear, believe, and obey the warning and remedy would be the wise choice to make. To believe and obey God is to regard Him, to take His word seriously, or, to "fear" Him.

Psalm 19:9 The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever...

Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the LORD leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.

Our God, even in judgment, desires that all should be saved. To this end, He clearly spells out what it is that would please Him enough for Him to show us His salvation. To "fear" the Lord is to take Him seriously enough to change our behavior. God wants us to turn from not regarding Him to thanking and praising Him for His blessings. We know that the fear of the Lord is a gift He gives, because of all the responses we might have to His word, this response alone is pure. This response leads to life.

God's commandment is to thank Him, which is really giving Him honor and praise. Those who fear Him will thank Him, and in return God will show them the path which leads to salvation and eternal life.

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Heavenly Father, even in our own lives, we find that none of us wants to give gifts to those who disrespect and dishonor us. We are like You in this, because we have been created in Your image. O Father, grant me by Your grace to fear You, to honor You with genuine thanksgiving, to please You, that You in turn would save me and show the way of Your salvation. If anyone who is not saved reads this, I pray, Lord, that You would grant the Spirit of thanksgiving to fall on them, that they would see and thank You for the blessings You have given them, and that You in turn would show them Your way of salvation in Jesus Christ. Thank-You, Father, in Jesus' name, Amen.