Psalm 14

SLIDE 1 Have you noticed that some an action can mean something different depending on the culture? For example, I don’t think anyone here would look too kindly to being spit on. It’s considered an insult. However, in his autobiographical book on missions, “Christianity Rediscovered”, Vincent Donovan says it’s not an insult among the Masai in Africa. Water is difficult to come by and so I’m most people don’t just spit. They need to conserve what moisture they can. Perhaps for that reason spitting on someone has come to be a symbol of forgiveness. Thus spitting is far from being an insult.

There have been times when I’ve jokingly shaken hands with my left hand saying that the left hand is closer to the heart. I got that from Fred Lester. However, in many cultures offering someone your left hand is extremely offensive.

Those are two examples of how actions are perceived differently in different cultures. I think I can explain those two examples, but there are many others I don’t understand.

These cultural distinctions are often the result of the world view held by a people. How we see the world affects the way we live in ways we may never realize.

Tonight we’re looking at two psalms: Psalm 14 and Psalm 53. This psalm starts the way several we’ve already looked at do:

For the director of music. Of David.

So this is another psalm by David. In this psalm David gives an assessment of the world and it’s not very good. He begins the psalm noting the worldview of many is that there is no God. This view affects the way they live. David’s conclusion is that the entire human race is in moral rebellion against God. David longs for the establishment of God’s righteous kingdom on the earth.

SLIDE 2 First, David talks about the insanity of the world.

1a The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1a)

David began his diagnosis of the problem of the human race by saying that fools say “No God.” When David talks about the fool, he’s not referring to someone’s mental ability, but someone’s lack of morals.

SLIDE 3 There are three words translated “fool” from the Hebrew. The first word is “kesyl.” It refers to someone who is dull in the mind. The second word is “ewiyl” and refers to someone who is unreasonable. And then the third is “nabal,” and refers to someone who stubborn like an animal.

David is using this third Hebrew word for fool. SLIDE 4 The person may be very smart, but they live life without thinking about the results of what they’re doing. They live without concern for the consequences of their actions.

You may remember the story of David and Nabal in 1 Samuel 25. All summer David and his men had been keeping watch in the mountains over the farms and vineyards in the valleys below. They prevented thieves and bandit from coming in to steal or destroy the crops and livestock. At the end of the growing season it was customary to tip those who had kept your farm safe. But Nabal refused to do it. He even went so far as to insult David. David shouldn’t have, but he lost his temper was leading his men to attack Nabal when Nabal’s wife came out meet David bringing produce as the tip her husband should have provided. She commented to David: SLIDE 5

Please pay no attention, my lord, to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name – his name means Fool, and folly goes with him. And as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my lord sent. (1 Samuel 25:25)

The word David uses for fool here is nabal. It’s the same word. SLIDE 6 You have to wonder what parent would name their child that? Perhaps it was a nickname. The term was a synonym for a sinner and described anyone who had no place for God in their life. The fools’ problem is that their heart they refuse to acknowledge God. They don’t want God to rule over them. As a result, they come up with theories to rid themselves of their accountability to God. As Paul wrote to the Romans: SLIDE 7

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. SLIDE 8 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. (Romans 1:21-23)

In this psalm David isn’t just talking about the intellectual atheist who has thought it through and now denies the existence of God. David is also talking about the practical atheist, those who claim to believe in God but then live as if there were no God. Isaiah describes their actions this way: SLIDE 9

For fools speak folly, their hearts are bent on evil: They practice ungodliness and spread error concerning the Lord; the hungry they leave empty and from the thirsty they withhold water. (Isaiah 32:6)

It’s not that they necessarily don’t believe there is a God; they just don’t want God telling them what to do. SLIDE 10 Billy Sunday used to say that sinners can’t find God for the same reasons criminals can’t fine the police – they aren’t looking. People turn from God refuse to allow God into their lives. They want to live their lives the way they please. Horation Bonor wrote that there are two ideas in common among those who do this: they have a better opinion about themselves than they should and worse opinion about God than they should.

David says they say there’s no God in their heart. Their problem is rooted in the sinful nature of their heart. As it has been said, the heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart. Only God’s word provides the right diagnosis for the deadly plague that has infected the human race. The problem is sin and it is futile to live as if there is no God. They deny and dismiss God to their peril.

SLIDE 11 Next, David turns to the immorality of the world.

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. (Psalm 14:1)

This decision to live life without God causes sad consequences in their character and their conduct. By leaving God out their sinful nature becomes even more sinful. David concluded that without God people are corrupt. The Hebrew word means “rotten” or “decayed.” That means that their human nature is rotten with sin. This is their character. It’s destructive. But their character spills over onto their conduct which is detestable. David says their deeds are vile. Their depraved character bore the rotten fruit of wicked conduct. What they did (their conduct), flowed out of who they were (their character). The bottom line is that there is no one who does good. All humanity, David concluded, lived sinfully, turning aside from God. There is no one who does good.

SLIDE 12 Third, there is the inability of the world. (2-3)

2 The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind 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. (Psalm 14:2-3)

David says that as God looks down on the people he made and searches their hearts that he doesn’t find any who have spiritually understood or who have spiritual desire to seek God. The sad reality is that all have turned aside and are all corrupt.

The root for the Hebrews word translated for corrupt means “to become sour, as milk.” I’m sure at some time you’ve poured milk over cereal or something you were making only to later discover the milk had soured and you didn’t notice. You took a bite expecting it to taste good but the soured milk has ruined it. David says the morals of people have become corrupt and are worse than the taste of sour milk in God’s mouth.

Who does David include in this condemnation? Is there anyone he leaves out? No. David includes everyone, including himself. “All have turned away. “All” have become corrupt. Not even one does good. The entire world is under sin. In Romans 3 Paul makes it sound even worse. He starts by quoting Psalm 14, but he quotes other psalms and Old Testament passages. SLIDE 13

10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. SLIDE 14 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” SLIDE 15 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery mark their ways, 17 and the way of peace they do not know.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:10-17)

And he then says a few verses later: SLIDE 16

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

People are basically evil. If they think that they don't have to account for their actions or what they do, they will do almost anything.

SLIDE 17 We might argue that there have been examples of people who did good and sought after God. But that’s not what David is saying. He isn’t saying that it’s impossible for someone to do good, but that it’s impossible for anyone not to sin. And sadly, people seek after God not for God, but themselves.

SLIDE 18 Fourth, David addresses the ignorance of the world.

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. (Psalm 14:4-6)

Someone asked the agnostic British philosopher Bertrand Russell what he would say if, when he died, he suddenly found himself standing before God. Russell replied, “You did not give us sufficient evidence!” So Russell was blaming God for his ignorance of God. The Bible however, says there’s plenty of evidence for God’s existence. David wrote: SLIDE 19

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. (Psalm 19:1)

If the heavens above us, the earth beneath our feet, and the wonders of nature around us don’t convince us of the existence of a wise and powerful Creator, how much more evidence must God give? The problem is people don’t want to know God and as a result are ignorant of him. David says they never learn.

SLIDE 20 Verse 4 gives us two more indictments against these practical atheists:

They take advantage of the weak and the poor, and

They will not call upon the Lord

David uses an interesting illustration to describe how they act toward poor, they “eat people like bread.” The Old Testament often uses this metaphor of eating as a description of the powerful exploiting the weak. Eugene H. Peterson expressed it way saying, “Instead of praying to God, the wicked prey on the godly.” If wicked could just get the righteous to say that their sin is okay, they would be happy. We see the same thing happening today. The evil are intent on to destroying the righteous who remind them of their sin and their foolishness. What the wicked don’t understand is that to oppose God’s people is to oppose God himself. That’s what Jesus told Paul on the road to Damascus. SLIDE 21

He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4)

Jesus didn’t ask why Paul was persecuting his followers, but why Paul was persecuting him. Jesus takes it personally and one day they will have to answer for it.

SLIDE 22 In verse 6 David shifts from third person to second person as he increases his confrontation of the ungodly. David assures them that they will not get away with their plans. The Lord will suddenly appear in judgment.

The story is told of the atheistic Russian cosmonaut who said he’d looked carefully while in space and didn’t see God. Someone commented, “If he’d opened the door of the space capsule, he would have met him!” The time will come when God and the sinner will suddenly meet him and David says it fills them with dread. These evildoers might attack the poor who trust the Lord, but God will protect them because he is their refuge. God will identify himself with those who have suffered because of righteousness.

The wicked have no future with the Lord because they prefer not to know the Lord or live for him. They live according to the desires of their own hearts, not to please God and glorify him.

SLIDE 23 Lastly, David manes an appeal to heaven.

7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad! (Psalm 14:7)

David looked forward to the day when God will send the Messiah and make everything right. God will restore what has been taken. Jesus said as much in the Beatitudes: SLIDE 24

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. SLIDE 25 11 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. SLIDE 26 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12)

God is not only for his people but rewards them when they suffer for following him. As a result, David says the people can offer praise to God. Even in the midst of their suffering they can rejoice because God will make all things right. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: SLIDE 27

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

It is certainly foolishness to disavow God and it is certainly the height of foolishness to live your life as if God doesn’t exist. That is a very dangerous place to live. SLIDE 28 Among those who say that God doesn’t exist you can almost sense their fear. You can almost see their terror. But, if they don’t change their ways that is only a drop in the bucket compared to what it will be like on that day when they come face to face with Christ. And in the meantime we remain faithful. We fix our eyes on Jesus we press on for the prize because we know that salvation comes out of Zion.

I’ll close with a preacher’s story. To remind you, I call a preacher’s story something that doesn’t sound like it actually happened but it makes a good point.

A college student was in a philosophy class, where a class discussion about whether or not God exists was in progress. The professor had the following logic: “Has anyone in this class heard God?” Nobody spoke. “Has anyone in this class touched God?” Again, nobody spoke. “Has anyone in this class seen God?” When nobody spoke for the third time, he simply stated, “Then there is no God.”

A student did not like the sound of this at all, and asked for permission to speak. The professor granted it, and the student stood up and asked the following questions of his classmates: “Has anyone in this class heard our professor’s brain?” Silence. “Has anyone in this class touched our professor’s brain?” Absolute silence. “Has anyone in this class seen our professor’s brain?” When nobody in the class dared to speak, the student concluded, “Then, according to our professor’s logic, it must be true that our professor has no brain!”

The worst gamble in life is to bet against God’s existence. When man rejects God, he rejects God’s biblical commands, moral values and he gambles on his own eternity.

What makes a man a fool, according to Psalm 14 and 53? Is someone a fool because their I.Q. and grades are low? Is it because their thinking and speech are slow? Is it because they cannot relate to or work with people or that they have a poor self-esteem or self-image? No. These psalms say that what makes a person a fool is denying the existence of God or living as if God did not exist. The fool says in his heart, “No God.”