Psalms 50:17-23: a reflection

17since you hate instruction, and throw my words behind you? 18When you saw a thief, you consented with him, and have participated with adulterers. 19“You give your mouth to evil. Your tongue frames deceit. 20You sit and speak against your brother. You slander your own mother’s son. 21You have done these things, and I kept silent. You thought that I was just like you. I will rebuke you, and accuse you in front of your eyes. 22“Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you into pieces, and there be no one to deliver. 23Whoever offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifies me, and prepares his way so that I will show God’s salvation to him.”

In this psalm, God rebukes those who recite his law with their lips while living in open contradiction of it, joining with thieves, keeping company with adulterers, slandering their own kin. And he exposes a dangerous assumption they had made: These things you have done, and I kept silent; you thought that I was one just like yourself. Because God had not immediately punished their sin, they assumed he approved of it, that he was like them, with the same low standards. But God says, I will rebuke you; I am not like you.

Notice the assumption God exposes: because he had kept silent, they thought he was just like them. God's patience, his not striking immediately, they mistook for approval; they imagined God shared their tolerance of sin, saw things as they did, was, in effect, one like themselves. But this was a grave error. God's silence was not consent; his patience was not approval; and he is not like us, with our low standards. He will not keep silent forever.

That is a searching warning against a subtle error we can make. When we sin and no immediate consequence follows, we can begin to assume that God does not really mind, that his silence means he approves, that he sees our sin as leniently as we do, that he is, in effect, like us. But God is not like us; his patience is not approval, and his silence is not consent. Do not mistake God's patience with your sin for his approval of it. The fact that no consequence has yet come does not mean God does not see or does not care; he is not like you, and he will not keep silent forever. Take his patience as an opportunity to repent, not as evidence that your sin does not matter to him.

Lord, in this psalm you rebuked those who recited your law while living in contradiction of it, and you exposed their assumption: because you had kept silent, they thought you were one just like themselves, sharing their tolerance of sin. Warn me against that subtle error. When I sin and no immediate consequence follows, I can begin to assume that you do not really mind, that your silence means you approve, that you see my sin as leniently as I do, that you are, in effect, like me. But you are not like me; your patience is not approval, and your silence is not consent. Keep me from mistaking your patience with my sin for your approval of it. The fact that no consequence has yet come does not mean you do not see or do not care; you are not like me, and you will not keep silent forever. Help me take your patience as an opportunity to repent, not as evidence that my sin does not matter to you. You are holy; help me not measure you by myself, but turn from my sin while there is time.