Psalm 14 - What Fools Say

Chad Werkhoven
3 hours ago
4 min read

There are two types of people in this world: fools and believers. Which one are you?

Psalm 14

For the director of music. Of David.

1 The fool says in his heart,

“There is no God.”

They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;

there is no one who does good.

2 The Lord looks down from heaven

on all mankind (ʾā·ḏām)

to see if there are any who understand,

any who seek God.

3 All have turned away, all have become corrupt;

there is no one who does good,

not even one.

4 Do all these evildoers know nothing?

They devour my people as though eating bread;

they never call on the Lord.

5 But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,

for God is present in the company of the righteous.

6 You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,

but the Lord is their refuge.

7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!

When the Lord restores his people,

let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

Canons of Dordt

Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election

Point 2 - Limited Atonement

Point 3 - Total Depravity

Article 2: The Spread of Corruption

Human beings brought forth children
1. of the same nature as themselves after the fall.
2. That is to say, being corrupt they brought forth corrupt children.
The corruption spread, by God’s just judgment,
1. from Adam and Eve to all their descendants—
2. except for Christ alone—
3. not by way of imitation
  1. as in former times the Pelagians would have it
  2. but by way of the propagation of their perverted nature.

Summary

The word fool is a lukewarm word in English. It certainly isn't complementary, but neither is it the harshest term a person can be referred to as. In Hebrew, the word used here - nā·ḇāl - is significantly uglier. It describes one who is 'futile, worthless and good for nothing.' But the word has deeper connotations than just a person's lack of utility or usefulness. A nā·ḇāl is 'morally deficient and godless.'

The reason a person becomes a nā·ḇāl boils down to the last word in its definition - a nā·ḇāl is an unbeliever. It's not that they don't believe in anything; after all, everybody believes in something. It's just that in coming to the conclusion that there is no God, these fools have rejected the very foundation of knowledge and goodness. In their unbelief of God, nā·ḇāls believe in themselves as being the center of all knowledge and goodness.

As one commentator notes, "Foolishness is not a lack of knowledge in general but a failure to acknowledge God in trustful obedience." So it is here that David borrows a word to describe humanity that was used in scripture long before his time, writing that unbelieving humanity is corrupt. This word is used in a often in Genesis - to describe the depravity of the earth at the time of Noah, the wickedness of Sodom, and the Israelites who built the golden calf.

David adds emphasis to this point by repeating it: people's deeds are vile and there is no one who does good... All have turned away, all have become corrupt. It's so bad that amongst those who do not believe, there is no one who does good, not even one.

Ultimately, David poetically sums up the nā·ḇāl with a rhetorical question: Do all these evildoers know nothing?

Dig Deeper

This year our Friday episodes have become the most popular of the week as we've dedicated them to reading through Psalms. We love how the beautiful poetry gives us words to glorify God and enjoy the beautiful world He's created. So I hope that those who tuned in today hoping for such encouragement aren't too disappointed with the dismal words we've focused on today from Psalm 14.

It's so easy to get stuck in the swamp of despair that comprises the first half of this short psalm that the brilliant good news of the second half gets missed. So as you finish out the work week, let these gospel proclamations from Psalm 14 guide you into the Lord's Day.

Despite the overwhelming presence of foolishness in this totally depraved world, remember that:

God is present in the company of the righteous (you've been made righteous in Christ);
The LORD is the refuge of those whose plans have been frustrated by evildoers;
Salvation for Israel (God's covenant people, which includes you) has come out of Zion! The LORD has restored His people, so let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

AAA Prayer (About)

ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, the LORD, who looks down from heaven on all mankind and who restores His people;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will actively repent - change your thinking from the foolishness that denies God to that which acknowledges God in trustful obedience;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: