The Fool Says There Is No God (Romans 3:9-20; Psalm 14:1-7)
For the choirmaster. According to Mahalath. A Maskil of David.
“The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt; their ways are vile. There is no one who does good. God looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if any understand, if any seek God. All have turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
Will the workers of iniquity never learn? They devour my people like bread; they refuse to call upon the LORD. There they are, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to fear. For God has scattered the bones of those who besieged you. You put them to shame, for God has despised them.
Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion! When God restores His captive people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!”
“The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt; their ways are vile. There is no one who does good.” There have always been fools who deny the existence of God and attempt to set themselves up as their own deities. And inevitably, such people become corrupt and vile. You become what you worship; if you worship a righteous and holy God, you will become more righteous and holy. But if you celebrate only yourself, you will follow a downward spiral of evil.
“God looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if any understand, if any seek God. All have turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” We don’t know exactly when David is writing this psalm, but he is obviously disillusioned. As David is writing these words, he is encouraging himself that God sees everything and knows everything. Even if people become corrupt, God remains righteous.
“Will the workers of iniquity never learn? They devour my people like bread; they refuse to call upon the LORD. There they are, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to fear. For God has scattered the bones of those who besieged you. You put them to shame, for God has despised them.” Make no mistake, David has witnessed wartime atrocities and peacetime evil. Despite God’s commandments to protect the poor, the widows and orphans, many continue to exploit the vulnerable. But David remains confident that these people will ultimately pay the price of God’s wrath.
“Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion! When God restores His captive people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!” David longs for all this mess to be over and for God to assert Himself once and for all.
APPLICATION: As I am writing this, the Israeli Defense Force continues to attack Hamas strongholds while Hamas continues to use innocent civilians as human shields while they lob rockets into Israel. We might well ask where God is in all this? Has God removed His hand from Israel?
A study of Biblical prophecy shows that God promises that Israel will be attacked repeatedly by its enemies. Even though Messiah will eventually come, nothing short of Messiah will deliver them completely. The chaos in the Middle East makes David’s final prayer even more necessary. “Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion! When God restores His captive people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!”
How can we pray for the fighting in the Middle East? There are as many innocent Palestinian civilians suffering and dying as there are Israelis. We can pray for the righteous to be preserved. We can pray for God to move sovereignly, bringing lasting peace. But before we can pray, we must trust that God is there and that He is listening and that He will act.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, please intervene in the Middle East. Only You can solve these problems. Only You can bring a lasting solution. Only You can bring peace. We beg You to act! In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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