Yesterday we talked about how fools got left out of the wedding feast and Jesus said, “I never knew you.” In this psalm, Jesus’ ancestor David makes a true claim about fools. You can either be a fool or you can triumph with Jesus in the end. It’s your choice. Let’s dig in…
Psalm 14
For the choir director: A psalm of David.
1 Only fools say in their hearts,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and their actions are evil;
not one of them does good!2 The Lord looks down from heaven
on the entire human race;
he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,
if anyone seeks God.
3 But no, all have turned away;
all have become corrupt (or have become useless).
No one does good,
not a single one!4 Will those who do evil never learn?
They eat up my people like bread
and wouldn’t think of praying to the Lord.
5 Terror will grip them,
for God is with those who obey him.
6 The wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed,
but the Lord will protect his people.7 Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel?
Psalm 14 NLT
When the Lord restores his people,
Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice.
Will You be Foolish or Triumph with Jesus?
Pastor Sandy Adams comments…
Paul quotes Psalm 14 in Romans 3 to prove that we’re all sinners. Every man and woman is born with rebellion in his heart.
The reason man doesn’t gravitate toward God is the same reason a thief doesn’t run to a policeman. We know we’re as guilty as sin. This is why the fool denies God’s existence. It’s not that he can’t believe in God, it’s that he won’t believe. Deep inside he knows God exists, but it’s easier to deny Him than obey Him. The fool wises up in hell.
Sandy Adams
Unfortunately, wising up in hell is a tad too late. David’s son Solomon, known as the wisest man who ever lived, penned the Book of Proverbs. It’s a book that should be read every day. Each time you read it, you grasp a new tidbit of wisdom. Doing a search for “fool” in Bible Gateway garnered 83 passages in just the Book of Proverbs.
Here are a few of them…
Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Proverbs 1:7 NLT
For simpletons turn away from me—to death. Fools are destroyed by their own complacency.
Proverbs 1:32 NLT
That sounds like yesterday’s parable of the 10 virgins.
The wise inherit honor, but fools are put to shame!
Proverbs 3:35 NLT
He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness.
Proverbs 5:23 NLT
That’s really unnecessary seeing that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit and it’s available to all believers!
The words of the godly encourage many, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense.
Proverbs 10:21 NLT
Look around the world today and you can clearly see there is a serious lack of common sense!
One more…
Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.
Proverbs 13:20 NLT
Oppression
We see oppression everywhere in the world these days. Evil Russia is oppressing Ukraine and evil China is oppressing Taiwan. Christians are oppressed in many countries. Many are not allowed to worship freely, live where they want, or even get a job.
Israel was oppressed by the Philistines when David wrote this. Probably just before he slew Goliath. The “Philistines” of today, the Islamic Jihad were terrorizing Israel recently. Catch the latest end times news here. Very soon, Russia will team up with Turkey and Iran to attack Israel in what will be the Gog-Magog war prophesied in Ezekiel 38.
In the end, God wins. We see that in Ezekiel 39 and in Revelation 19 and 20. Who’s side will YOU be on?
How to Pray Psalm 14
Here is my version of a prayer for this psalm. Read the psalm a few times, then write down your own prayer.
Dear Lord Jesus, you see everything that goes on down here on earth. You’ve given your children — your true born-again believers — a Spirit of power, love, and self-discipline — a sound mind — common sense. Help me to stay close to You, Lord — in your Word every day as we wait for You to come and rescue Israel. In Your name, I pray, Amen.
Giselle Aguiar
I threw in a passage of Paul’s…
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline (or sound mind).
2 Timothy 1:7 NLT
Are You a Fool or Victorious?
The folks at Spoken Gospel lay it out very nicely…
Fools disregard God. This is most likely not the same thing as atheism—the belief that God simply does not exist. Instead, fools live, think, judge, and make decisions as if God does not have any real effect on the world…
Paul, in his letter to the Romans, addresses the same fools David does and even quotes this psalm directly. Pauls says “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10-12).
In our “wisdom” we claimed God had no real effect on the world—and it earned us the title of “fool” (Romans 1:22). In a world that consistently rejects God, you can see for yourself the type of corruption, oppression, and exploitation that exists. And we’re foolish to think we’re not complicit in those systems.
If we want to escape the corrupt cycles of life on earth, if we want to be forgiven for the ways we’ve contributed to oppression, then we need to believe that God exists (Hebrews 11:6). We need to trust that God is real. And if we confess with our mouths that Jesus is God we will not only be wise, but we’ll experience the restoration of our world and the warmth of God’s protective presence forever (Romans 10:9).
Spoken Gospel
Jesus didn’t suffer torture and die so we could have religion!
He died so He could have a Personal Relationship with YOU!
Isn’t it about time you let Him in?
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.
- Believe — have Faith — that Jesus is the Christ and He died taking your sins away forever and that He rose from the dead 3 days later.
- Repent of your sins — stop sinning! Do a complete 180-degree turn in your life and surrender your life to Him. When you ask Jesus to forgive you He will. ALL your sins will be wiped clean — past, present, and future! And All means ALL!
- Be Baptized by water baptism — show the world and yourself that you have died to your old life and are born again in Christ.
- Receive the gift of Holy Spirit in your heart.
