Hearty Fools
Psalm 14
Our problem with evil rulers causing great harm for fun and profit has a long history. The reach of such people has grown from regional to global, but otherwise it looks a lot like it always has. Here’s a sample from 3000 years ago.
Psalm 14:1 (CSB1):
The fool says in his heart, “There’s no God.”
They are corrupt; they do vile deeds.
There is no one who does good.
At first blush this passage might appear to be addressing everyone, but it’s not. (But we’ll return to the idea.) I am using the CSB here because it is translated to be understandable to contemporary English readers while remaining generally faithful to the meaning of the original language. It also has an accompanying commentary2 that opens the text to readers not familiar with the historical and cultural contexts behind each work, as well as offering interpretations for difficult-to-understand passages. Here’s what it has to say about this verse:
14:1 The statement that There’s no God affirms practical rather than metaphysical atheism (see note at 10:3–6). The person making this claim is described as the fool (Hebrew nabal; 1Samuel 25:253). This is not someone who was simple or gullible because it was outside his ability to be otherwise, but someone who was willfully ignorant, closing his mind off from God’s wisdom and truth.
So it could apply generally (if the shoe fits, wear it), but it is particularly descriptive of our globalist leaders. This is similar to deism, a possibly somewhat less extreme position (among the fools) that I held for much of my earlier adult life. Here’s the note referenced above for Psalm 10:3-6:
Psalm 10:3 For the wicked one boasts about his own cravings;
the one who is greedy curses and despises the LORD.
4 In all his scheming,
the wicked person arrogantly thinks,
“There’s no accountability,
since there’s no God.”
5 His ways are always secure;
your lofty judgments have no effect on him;
he scoffs at all his adversaries.
6 He says to himself, “I will never be moved—
from generation to generation I will be without calamity.”[CSB Study Bible] 10:3–6 The arrogance of the wicked one climaxes in a statement denying God’s existence. This is not metaphysical atheism, in which there is absolute unbelief in God’s existence, but practical atheism, which denies that God pays any attention to what people are doing (Psalm 14:1; 53:1). The enemy’s security rests on his thinking, which is that he can get away with anything his own cravings allow. He will never be moved (Psalm 15:5; 16:8; 21:7; 62:2; 112:6) in the sense that no higher being will divert him from doing what he desires.
Here, wicked rulers are in view, whatever the territory, whatever the year.
To continue with the text…
Psalm 14:2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the human race
to see if there is one who is wise,
one who seeks God.
And the commentary:
14:2 The LORD is depicted as one who, though he resides in heaven, is not ignorant of what happens on earth (Psalm 11:4–5; 33:13–15). While in actuality God always knows the hearts of all mankind, here he is described in anthropomorphic terms as looking down to evaluate people. For similar terminology, see Genesis 11:5; 18:21.
This depicts what I call “full instrumentation”. As a software developer, I instrument my code as needed, so that when there’s a problem I can see exactly what is going on inside it. This is one of a number of passages suggesting that we, as created beings, are similarly wired. That there are no secrets.
And the psalm continues…
3 All have turned away;
all alike have become corrupt.
There is no one who does good,
not even one.
And the commentary:
14:3 This verse expands the thought from the end of v. 1 by indicating that the psalmist felt isolated because he seemed to be the only one left who was faithful to the Lord (12:14). Paul used this verse in a more absolute sense that no one among humankind is righteous since all are corrupt (Romans 3:10–125). Paul’s usage is not contradictory to the original verse but extends its imagery to reflect the meaning that no person can claim righteousness apart from that which is given through faith in Jesus Christ.
Now we have someone from 1000 years later but nearly 2000 years ago expanding the idea to everybody, but also pointing to the solution to the problem.
Continuing… (we’re nearing the end)
Psa. 14:4 Will evildoers never understand?
They consume my people as they consume bread;
they do not call on the LORD.
And commentary:
14:4 The image of wicked people who devour or consume others is found elsewhere (27:26; Pr 30:147). It is perhaps related to the image of wild beasts such as lions that devour their prey (Ps 10:98; 17:129).
Wild beasts indeed. See the footnotes for the referenced verses. They wax rather graphic. And this is not 3000 year old religious mumbo jumbo. This is pretty close to what’s going on today, that many find so surprising and strange. It’s not new. It’s the (fallen) world in which we live.
Three more verses to go, but with a positive turn. The next two…
Psa. 14:5 Then they will be filled with dread,
for God is with those who are righteous.
6 You sinners frustrate the plans of the oppressed,
but the LORD is his refuge.
And its comments:
14:5–6 Dread is what the wicked bring to God’s people (10:1810), but the hope is that God will do the same to them (9:2011). The plans of the oppressed will succeed when God frustrates the plans of the wicked (33:1012).
And not just to God’s people but, lacking the perspective of creation, fall, and redemption, many feel confusion and anger rather than hope, and some feel a calling to try to solve the problem another way, by their/our own effort, not entirely a bad thing but an approach that has never worked for very long. Yet there is another way, one that will work (once we’ve exhausted ourselves trying everything else), but not one of our doing.
The final verse…
Psa. 14:7 Oh, that Israel’s deliverance would come from Zion!
When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
And its comments:
14:7 The Hebrew for restores the fortunes of his people is difficult. It is literally “turns with a turning his people.” The Hebrew word for “turn” can also mean “return,” and some understand this to mean the return of captives (perhaps from the exile). Such an event does not seem to fit this context. Here the idea is probably more general and describes God’s blessings on his people.
Mount Zion is often used as a figure for Jerusalem. The focus of this verse, as written, is upon the ancient kingom of Israel. There is, however a broader view of Israel as prophesied in Genesis 22:18:
And all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your [Abraham’s] offspring because you have obeyed my command.
A good many of us still understand this particular “offspring” to be Jesus.
Related: Such Foolishness
Christian Standard Bible, Holman Bible Publishers, 2017
CSB Study Bible, Holman Bible Publishers, 2017 (CSB Study Bible Notes available separately for electronic editions)
1Sam. 25:25 My lord should pay no attention to this worthless fool Nabal, for he lives up to his name: His name means ‘stupid,’ and stupidity is all he knows. I, your servant, didn’t see my lord’s young men whom you sent.
Psa. 12:1 Help, LORD, for no faithful one remains;
the loyal have disappeared from the human race.
Rom. 3:10 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.
12 All have turned away;
all alike have become worthless.
There is no one who does what is good,
not even one.
Psa. 27:2 When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh,
my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell.
Prov. 30:14 There is a generation whose teeth are swords,
whose fangs are knives,
devouring the oppressed from the land
and the needy from among mankind.
Psa. 10:9 he lurks in secret like a lion in a thicket.
He lurks in order to seize a victim;
he seizes a victim and drags him in his net.
Psa. 17:12 They are like a lion eager to tear,
like a young lion lurking in ambush.
Psa. 10:18 doing justice for the fatherless and the oppressed
so that mere humans from the earth may terrify them no more.
Psa. 9:20 Put terror in them, LORD;
let the nations know they are only humans.
Psa. 33:10 The LORD frustrates the counsel of the nations;
he thwarts the plans of the peoples.
This was good, thanks. Have you written an essay about the Tower of Babel yet? How we once again have a common language (ones and zeros), and how advanced into the inversion of God's plan we already are? Given your background as a computer person it might be interesting to see how you'd present Tower 2.0!