Day 16
Psalm 14:1-7
The fool says in his heart, “There’s no God.”
They are corrupt; they do vile deeds.
There is no one who does good.
The LORD looks down from heaven on the human race
to see if there is one who is wise,
one who seeks God.
All have turned away;
all alike have become corrupt.
There is no one who does good,
not even one.
Will evildoers never understand?
They consume my people as they consume bread;
they do not call on the LORD.
Then they will be filled with dread,
for God is with those who are righteous.
You sinners frustrate the plans of the oppressed,
but the LORD is his refuge.
Oh, that Israel’s deliverance would come from Zion!
When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
The statement that “there’s no God” this psalm beings with affirms a practical rather than a metaphysical atheism. The person who is making this claim is described as “the fool”. This person is not someone who is simple or gullible because it is outside his or her ability to be otherwise, but is someone who is willingly ignorant, closing his or her mind off from God’s wisdom and truth. And it is “the fool” that we are going to spend the rest of today learning about.
“The fool” is a person who lives as if there is no God. “Fools” reveal their rebellion against God in two ways: (1) They reject God’s revelation in the sense that they do not believe what the Bible says about God. In fact, they ridicule and show open disrespect of the moral principles of God’s Word, relying on their own ideas to determine right from wrong.
(2) They do not pursue any kind of a relationship with God, nor do they acknowledge him or pray for his help. This psalm describes the moral corruption of the wicked and teaches that the human race is by nature separated from and opposed to God. Paul, in fact, quotes the first three verses of this psalm to support the truth that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
The big question now is this: Are you still “the fool”? I urge you to think about that question over the next several days and answer if for yourself. And if the answer is yes, then acknowledge your “foolishness” before God and ask for his help in leading you down the right path. And the same is true of you answered no, ask God to help you stay on the right path daily.
Tomorrow’s Bible Readings:
Genesis 35-36, Matthew 12:1-21, Psalm 15:1-5 and Proverbs 3:21-26