What Have the Wicked to Do to Declare God's Statutes? - Psalms 50:16

In Psalms chapter fifty Asaph shared how Jehovah God said, “Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay your vows unto the most High. And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me”, and in chapter fifty and verse sixteen of Psalms Asaph shared how Jehovah God asked the wicked, “what have you to do to declare my statues?” where we read,

But unto the wicked God says, What have you to do to declare my statutes,

or that you should take my covenant in your mouth?

The verse begins, “But unto the wicked God says, What have you to do to declare my statutes, ...” Asaph began with the words, “but unto the wicked” or “however, nonetheless, notwithstanding and moreover toward the criminal, guilty, evil and hostile to God” “God says” which means “the Divine judge, ruler and Supreme God utters, proclaims and asks”, “What have you to do” or “what kind of action or verbiage are you evil people going to use” “to declare my statutes” which means “to recount, relate and reckon my, Jehovah God's, ordinances, limits, prescribed tasks and decrees”? Asaph shared how Jehovah God spoke to people who are evil and hostile to Him, and He asked them why they bother reciting and recounting His ordinances and decrees.

The verse continues, “... or that you should take my covenant in your mouth?” Asaph added the words, “or that you” or “or that you, criminal and evil people” “should take my covenant” which means “ought to carry, lift up, sustain and endure my, Jehovah God's, alliance, pledge, treaty, league, constitution and ordinance” “in your mouth” or “within your, Jehovah God's, orifice in the face used for eating, drinking and speaking”? Asaph shared how Jehovah God continued His question to the “wicked” by asking whether they should even speak of His constitution and ordinance.

When we think through the words in this verse, we discover through Asaph how Jehovah God addressed evil people as He questioned why they even spoke of His ordinances or kept His pledges in their mouths. In other words, they should not even be speaking about His laws and ways to live. They did not keep God's “covenant”, and they had no reason to be speaking about it. God loves people, and He gave His “laws” to protect them from a multitude of troubles and difficulties. When we violate His law, we sin, and sin separates us from a personal relationship with God. God sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for the sins of the world, and when we submit to Him, we will be forgiven of our sins and granted everlasting life with Him. To speak of His covenant and laws without obeying them becomes only verbiage that will lead to judgment because we did not obey His instructions.

Next time Asaph shares how Jehovah God tells the wicked, “you hate instruction”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".