November 16
Reading: Psalm 14
To the choirmaster. Of David.
1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
there is none who does good.
2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good, not even one.
4 Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
who eat up my people as they eat bread
and do not call upon the LORD?
5 There they are in great terror,
for God is with the generation of the righteous.
6 You would shame the plans of the poor,
but the LORD is his refuge.
7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
David wrote this psalm 3000 years ago. He could have written it to us today. The first three verses paint a gloomy picture of people in this world and what they think, or do not think, about God.
“The fool says in his heart, ‘there is no God.’” This is absolutely true, and we are surrounded by fools, fools in our government, fools in our entertainment, fools in our courtrooms, fools in our schools. People all over our society who say that there is no God in science. People all over our society who say that there can be no God in our politics. People say that God should stay out of schools, and the news, and sporting events, and our workplaces.
It is no great wonder that God is judging our western Godless society with disease and economic collapse. He looks down from heaven on us all and we have all tuned away. This is not a commentary on every last person, but rather an assessment of people all together and what we have built. God says that we have become “corrupt.” The Hebrew word is one that they would have used to describe sour milk. It was once good but now is repulsive.
1000 years after David wrote this, Paul used these very words to point out the fact that every one of us is sinful and in need of our Savior to die for us.
As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Romans 3:10-18
Today you can see verses 4-6 everywhere. People have no knowledge of God. People live in fear, fear of having no money, fear of getting sick, fear of being lonely. But they do not seem to fear God. And people mock the poor person who finds refuge in God. We get what is coming to us.
How can you daily hope in the Lord and His coming rather than on man’s ability to solve our problems without reference to God?
We do not look to man for salvation. We look to God who will come “out of Zion.” We cry, “Maranatha,” which means “Come Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20)
We say with sincerity, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. Amen” (2 Timothy 4:18)