Psalm 50:1-6
Today’s six verses form a prelude to the rest of the Psalm. Today God is calling His people forth for judgment. See verse 5a (God speaking), “Gather to Me My faithful ones…” Over the next two days (according to my Study Bible) God will offer “words of correction for those of honest intent” (vv. 7-15) and a “sharp rebuke of ‘the wicked’ among them” (vv. 16-23).
It’s interesting to me that God could look on His Old Testament people and see “those of honest intent” and “the wicked”. I presume that He could look down today upon our church body and see the same two groups. I like to put myself in that former group, but with a presumption like that I wonder if I belong to that second group. God, be merciful to me, a sinner! (Luke 18:13)
He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that He may judge His people… (v. 4) Again, my Study Bible pointed out that when Moses renewed the covenant on Mt. Sinai, he called upon heaven and earth as third-party witnesses to this renewal (Deuteronomy 30:19, 31:28). Now God is calling to heaven and earth to confirm that His judgments in the rest of this Psalm are consistent with that covenant.