In the ancient world, people thought the gods controlled almost everything that happened. But the gods also needed what humans had to offer them. The sacrifices they offered were sometimes thought of as food for the gods *. Without the sacrifices, the gods would be weakened. So, in some ways, the gods were dependent on the people who served them.
But as Asaph, the author of this psalm, points out, that is not true of God.
I have no need of a bull from your stall
or of goats from your pens,
for every animal of the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know every bird in the mountains,
and the insects in the fields are mine.
If I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?Psalm 50:9-13 NIV
God does not need our sacrifices. Or anything else we have to offer Him, for that matter. He owns everything and needs nothing from us.
God Delights in Delivering Us
But Asaph goes on to encourage us, nonetheless, to present thank offerings to God and fulfill our commitments to Him. And to call on Him when life gets hard.
Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High,
and call on me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor me.Psalm 50:14-15 NIV
As Asaph expressed earlier, God has no need of our thank offerings. Whether we keep our commitments to Him or not has no impact on Him. Nonetheless, we should worship Him, offering Him a sacrifice of praise (Heb. 13:15), and being faithful to the commitments we make to Him. Worship is the most rational response we can make to the God of all creation. The One who loves us beyond our comprehension. And who has done so much for us.
We can confidently call on Him when life gets hard, knowing He will deliver us. He does not respond to us out of any sense of obligation for what we have done. But simply because He loves us.
Honor Him as Lord and God. Not for His benefit, but for our own. When I honor Him as Lord, it draws me ever closer to Him. It is how I live my best life.
* (NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible Notes on Psalm 50:13)
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