Psalms 50:21, commentary and pictures

God kept silence while evil was done, not because He approved it or was like the evildoer, but He will reprove and set each deed in order plainly before the eyes so it must be faced and answered for. Sinners measure Him by themselves and by their own low standard of right, reasoning how they would act in His place and taking His love, goodness, long forbearance and mercy to mean He will not punish the disobedient who refuse His requirements, but that conclusion is false and will not stop Him from punishing. Those who persist in evil and love sin imagine Him to be altogether like themselves, selfish and seeking His own glory and using power for His own ends, giving Him their own sinful attributes, and this false picture strengthens their power to sin. A heart deceived and made selfish projects its own selfish character onto Him and mistakes His loving nature and providences for something arbitrary and vindictive, so until selfishness is renounced it cannot behold and understand Him as merciful, gracious, patient and abundant in goodness and truth, which only the unselfish, humble, trusting heart sees as He is. He is revealed here as ruler and judge, and this reckoning belongs to the present review of every person's case with its call to repent and be converted that sins may be blotted out, and to the last great day when those who worked for anarchy, war and strife will realize their fearful loss and how many souls were lost through failure to stand under Christ's rule.

Silence, Reproof, and Judgment

The silence of God while evil is done does not mean approval of the deeds or likeness to the doers. The wicked mistake patience for likeness to themselves, but reproof will come and their deeds will be set in order plainly before their eyes. They will be made to reckon with what they have done and to answer for it and be called to account and corrected in judgment. A course of choice is permitted that reveals the spirit guiding each one, yet no one stands beyond divine authority or answerable to any but Him.

The verse reveals God as ruler and judge and belongs to the final reckoning. It fits the present review of every person's case before God, with the call to repent and be converted so that sins may be blotted out. At the last great day those who have worked on the side of anarchy and war and strife will know what a fearful loss they have incurred. They will see how many souls were lost because they failed to take their stand under the rule of Christ.

Imagining God Like Ourselves

Sinners measure God by themselves and by their own low standard of right and justice, reasoning how they would act in His place and deciding He will act as they imagine they would act. In the present time this appears in representing His love as of a character that forbids Him to destroy the sinner, so that His goodness and long forbearance and patience and mercy are taken to mean He will not punish the disobedient sinner who refuses His requirements. That conclusion is false, for His goodness and forbearance will not hinder Him from punishing the disobedient. Those who persist in evil and love sin imagine Him to be altogether like themselves — selfish, seeking His own glory, and using power for His own ends. The heart in love with sin clothes Him with its own sinful attributes, and this false picture strengthens its power to sin.

A heart deceived and made selfish projects its own selfish character onto Him, mistaking His loving nature and providences for something arbitrary and vindictive. Such selfishness keeps a person from beholding and understanding Him as love, and as merciful, gracious, patient, and abundant in goodness and truth. Until selfishness is renounced true discernment is impossible, and only the unselfish, humble, trusting heart sees Him as He is. This is the blind pride and folly of feeble mortals, mere worms of the dust, who glory in their supposed wisdom and strength and set their hearts against the Ruler of the universe as though He were altogether such a one as themselves. In contrast, the power and glory displayed in creation, especially the infinite power that restrains the mighty, commotion-filled sea within limits appointed by an invisible hand and controls the rocks, shows that He rules over them and how far His might exceeds theirs.

The same making of God like themselves appears in those who mistake a satanic influence for His power and treat His power as worthless. It describes agents who use mesmerism and deceive others while believing it a gift from God, who attribute deceptive spiritual influences to the Holy Spirit, or who believe they can exercise His power. He does not remain silent forever but will reprove them and bring their deeds before them. Those who do wrong may also mistake His silence for approval and act as though He shares their judgment and character when they condemn the guiltless without fairness or sympathy. He sees unjust actions, records the unfair condemnation in heaven, and will bring the judges to account, so they must repent of it.

Judging Him by one's own character while falsely supposing to know Him is seen in the unprofitable servant's claim that He is harsh. That claim reveals ignorance of Him and dishonest misuse of entrusted gifts, and He will reprove such a person and expose his deeds and false view. So also those who imagine Christ to be like themselves and boast of holiness while failing to understand His character presume their sin is acceptable because they make God like themselves, but He will expose and reprove them. The same is true of those who day by day indulge appetite by eating what brings disease, refuse light on health, and still expect the Lord to work a miracle to restore soul, body, and spirit. They treat Him as just like themselves, thinking He will wink at ignorance, supply their neglect to cooperate with Him, and do for them the simple work of health reform He left for them to do; faith and works go together and this is not His way of working. Treating Him as no different from sinful human beings profanes His holiness, for He does not share the foolishness attributed to Him, and He will expose and judge such false ideas.