Psalm 14 Bible Study

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Psalm 14

Introduction

In its main theme the psalm is a statement about “practical atheism.” It reflects on one whose conduct is disordered and without focus, because it is not referred to God. A picture is drawn here of a creature whose life is not referred to the Creator. Notice in verse 1, the “fool” does not visibly announce atheism. It is only “in his heart”; i.e., he thinks and decides that way.

Where the Creator is not honored, creaturely life disintegrates and degenerates. The end result is a life filled with terror (v. 5a). There are no guards, limits, or boundaries, but everything is continually at risk. A person who follows that way has no supports for life beyond his own hopeless efforts, and those efforts are inevitably inadequate.

The psalm offers a countertheme. This is still God’s world. A human life referred to God is still possible and worth living.

The intent of Psalm 14 is to counter the temptation that humankind can manage the world in ways better than Yahweh’s way (cf. Isa. 55:8–9).

The psalm asserts and guarantees that life will not be so easily reorganized. God’s will endures. God has made the world with some built-in protections for the weak against the strong, and that must not be mocked (cf. Isa. 10:12–14).

VERSES 1-3

What is happening here, is man being brought into the courtroom of God and accused of being “totally depraved.”
Let me define what I mean by that.......
The best of men are tainted by sin.
Illustration: Men are like someone with leprosy; hidden at first but entrenches our entire person.
Verse 1
Compare Psalm 53:1 “1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: There is none that doeth good.”
Question: When brought before a human judge, what does a prosecutor begin with to make his case?
ANS — With what the supposed guilty party has said and done.
Now, God as the judge and prosecutor does not begin with what we say or do, but with what we THINK.
The Holy Spirit knows the thoughts and intents of EVERY HUMAN HEART!
Hebrews 4:12 “12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Proverbs 16:2 “2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; But the Lord weigheth the spirits.”
From verse one, you can visualize the Prosecutor calling the accused to the bar and beings the trial.
What is man accused of?
A. First of all, the accusation is directed toward man’s heart.
“The fool hath said in his heart”
This person is foolish in his/her thinking toward God.
The unregenerate man is cursed with a morality that is perverted.
“God”
Ancient Hebrew scholars say the name “God” here was changed from “Jehovah” to “El.”
“El” stands for God the omnipotent one.
“Jehovah” stands for God in covenant with His people, the one who reveals Himself to man.
“there is no God”
With this in mind, the fool is actually saying, “I deny both the reality and revelation of God.”
This person is at best a rationalist.
Others simply don’t believe the Bible reveals the true nature of God. He therefore becomes a religionist; creates his own creeds.
B. Secondly, the accusation is directed toward man’s behavior

They are corrupt, they have done abominable works,

There is none that doeth good.

Question: Do you remember getting your report card at the end of the school year?!
Question: Have you ever heard of a teacher grading on a curve? It is when the highest grade grade receives an “A” and the lowest a failing mark. The others float somewhere in-between. This gives better odds for students to pass.
God DOESN NOT grade on a curve!!!
Absolute perfection = good; anything else is failure.
That helps us understand what God said there is NONE GOOD.
Verse 2
Compare Psalm 53:2 “2 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.”
Question: Has someone ever acted like they “knew you” well?

He is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. He cannot be mistaken, He cannot lie, He cannot be intimidated. He knows every man, woman, and child. He knows every thought, word, and deed. He knows the time when, the place where, the how of everything that has ever happened. He knows the motive and the manner. He knows the intent, the impact, and the influence of everything we have ever thought or said or done.

Luke 11:9 “9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”
The Prosecutor only has to call one witness to rest his case; Jesus Christ.
The greatest evidence that man is universally in this condition is the pierced hand and feet of Jesus.
What does it mean to “understand and seek God?”
It is not seeking religion.
It’s the picture of repentance and a surrendered faith in Jesus as Savior.
Verse 3
Here is where the judge gives His conclusion.
This very conclusion is why unregenerate men hate the Bible.
Illustration: One person said it is like kicking an X-ray machine because the picture reveals an internal cancer.
“gone aside” = to change direction or orientation.
Turned away from God and His Word.
Religion is a false sense of turning to God.
“all together become filthy”
Question: Have you ever left a piece of meat in the fridge too long and it develops a smell?
We are guilty of TOTAL DEPARTURE/DEFILEMENT.
“none that doeth good, no, not one.”
“Good” = speaks of moral excellence
Question: Has someone ever said, “I am doing the best I can?” Isn’t it true it could always be done a little bit better?
Illustration: You could have tipped your waitress more; given more to that charity; done more community service......
What we learn is that God’s standards are ABSOLUTE.
Question: who was the only person who went about doing GOOD? What happened to Him?

VERSEs 4-6

Verse 4
The answer to this rhetorical question is YES.
“workers of iniquity” = those who do abominable works.
We see the natural flow of denying the existence of God; they do not seek Him.
This results in believing they can devour God’s people.
The fool may think he/she is laying in low visibility and can beat down His children. However, He knows their plans.
Luke 10:27 “27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.”
Verse 5
God reveals that an atheist may claim one thing, but on the inside it’s a totally different reality.
In other words, they may claim not to be anxious or or fearful, but they live with both.
They are probably psychologically closer to Him than they would like to admit.
Example: It is interesting to note that Joseph Stalin studied for the priesthood and Hugh Hefner’s father was a Methodist minister. Donald Williams and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Psalms 1–72, vol. 13, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1986), 123.
Verse 6
“Counsel” = wisdom or advice.
The atheist may cut you down for your positions and advice, but God is there for you to turn too.
Compare Psalm 53:5 “5 There were they in great fear, where no fear was: For God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: Thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.”
The anxiety and fear within the atheist is not a result of God remaining close to His children, but because of HIS JUDGMENT.
David pronounces defeat on the enemies of God’s people!
We need to continue reaching them with the Gospel.
Quote: Wherever ideological atheism has sought to extinguish the church, there has been an encounter with the God of the Cross. Jesus stands with His martyred church. Indeed, the blood of the saints is the seed of that church. Donald Williams and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Psalms 1–72, vol. 13, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1986), 123.

VERSE 7

I love this end cap of HOPE for God’s people!
Zechariah 9:9 “9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; Lowly, and riding upon an ass, And upon a colt the foal of an ass.”
Matthew 21:5 “5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.”
This verse is prophetic in two ways:
A return of Israel from Babylon.
(Ultimate deliverance) God’s people from captivity to Satan and death.
“Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad”
This ends in worship!!!
This should be a clause that causes you to praise God for His salvation and vindication!
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