Psalm 50 (49):23Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Having demonstrated His humanity through encouragement, guidance, admonition, instilling reverence, administering just punishment, and offering warnings, He also presents the means by which His actions can be redeemed: “the sacrifice of praise,” He states, “shall glorify Me.” The implication of His message is clear: not only will it appease My anger and annul the judgment, but it will also bring glory to Me. Consider the magnitude of this work, for in it, God's glory is revealed. “And this is the manner in which I will reveal My salvation to him.” Can you perceive the unfathomable reward? Can you see the fullness of humanity? He assures that He will unveil the way of God and the genuine salvation of God to those who live in this manner.

How does the offering of praise bring glory to Me? The offering of praise holds no value for the wicked, for they invoke Your covenant while engaging in detestable acts that offend You. Therefore, I also declare to them: the offering of praise will glorify Me. For if you lead a life of wrongdoing yet speak virtuous words, you do not merit praise; you may have been justified, but not as the Pharisee. So listen, you who live righteously; listen, you who live unrighteously: the offering of praise will glorify Me. No one presents Me with such an offering, and it is lamentable. I do not state that no one should present such an offering that is unworthy; rather, it is that no one presents Me with this offering, which is unacceptable.

The offering of thanksgiving will honor Me. This reiterates the call to engage in worshipful service. Following a serious indictment, he provided the solution for sin through the observance of the sacraments. This is truly a sacrifice of gratitude, one that exalts God, as we join in worship alongside the angels and all of creation. In this act is revealed the path through which I will manifest My salvation; specifically, the sacrifice of praise serves as the divinely ordained route to salvation.

The Prophet introduces a new principle and enhances the conclusion of the Psalm with it. The offering of thanksgiving will honor Me, and through this, I will reveal My deliverance. However, Symmachus presents it more straightforwardly: He who presents a sacrifice in place of praise honors Me, and to the one who conducts himself properly, I will unveil the salvation of God. It is not merely to God that we should sing nor just the act of giving thanks that we should perform; we are also called to live righteously and to enhance our lives. By doing so, we can attain salvation from God.

The offering of praise will honor Me. The Lord once more instructs on the new gospel sacrifice, indicating that this specific offering will bring glory to Him and is the only one worthy of His honor, contrasting with the traditional animal sacrifices. He declares that within this new offering lies the path to salvation, through which I will reveal salvation to each worshiper, for it originates from Me. In various versions of the Psalms, instead of the phrasing "to them I will show," it is written simply "I will show," referring to the manner in which salvation will be revealed.

The Path to Salvation

Let us strive to be among those who place their trust in Him, that we may receive the gifts He has promised. How can we achieve this, dear friends? By anchoring our faith in God, by seeking that which pleases and is acceptable to Him, by aligning our actions with His holy will, and walking in the path of truth. We must cast aside all forms of unrighteousness and wickedness: greed, conflict, malice, deception, gossip, evil, pride, arrogance, vanity, and unwelcoming behavior. Those who engage in such deeds are detestable to God, as are those who endorse them. As Scripture states, "But God said to the sinner, ‘Why do you proclaim My statutes and bear My covenant on your lips? For you have despised correction, and turned away from My words.

Through these statements, God finishes His message, imparting that the path to salvation is found in the singular offering of gratitude. Consequently, only those who have consistently made this offering will find salvation on the day of judgment, while those who have disregarded it will face rejection.

This psalm is attributed to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through David and was entrusted to Asaph, the head of his musicians, for performance. The prophet anticipates the second coming of Christ, which will be both terrifying and overwhelming. A river of fire streams forth from His presence—this is a vision once seen by the prophet Daniel—where His throne blazes with fire, and His wheels are like burning flames (Dan. 7:9-10). Here, the prophet highlights the extraordinary humiliation that all creations, both celestial and terrestrial, will gather to witness, denouncing both overt and hidden evil.

Athanasius refers broadly to the sacraments, with particular emphasis on the Eucharist. This offering of thanksgiving, a spiritual sacrifice, honors the Lord; through it, we remember and express gratitude for the unfathomable gifts of creation and redemption. In this sacred act, God unveils the means by which He redeems humanity, allowing us, through faith, to witness His only begotten Son’s suffering and resurrection for our justification. The Psalmist conveys that it is not the death of calves that brings salvation, but rather the singular sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ that redeems us.