David wrote this Psalm for the Chief musician. This probably wasn't a song written for a choir leader. It was likely written for God, the chief musician.
There is no real indication of when this Psalm was written or why David wrote it. This is Psalm is repeated in Psalm 53 with minor differences. Can you think of a situation when David might have written it? How about when Goliath scoffed at God and the Israelites? Some suggest the nation of
"There is no God."
They are corrupt,
They have done abominable works,
There is none who does good.
The 'fool' is the nabal. This isn't the guy who just doesn't have the mental capacity to conclude there is a God. This is the person who has morally rejected God. This person didn't just go through life and ignore God. This man or woman has made a conscious decision. The words 'there is' are italicized in your bible because they aren't in the original text. They were added to make the translation make sense in our language. However, in this case it may make sense without the added words. The fool has said in his heart, "No, God!" Even the fool knows there is a God. What they are really saying is they reject God. They are the ruler of their life and they don't want a God ruling over them. Most, when pushed a little will say, yes, there is some higher power. Or they say there is no God but they believe in aliens or some other unnamed high power.
They are corrupt. Their thinking is corrupt because their worldview is wrong. They are looking at everything through a different perspective. The result of this is their works are abominable. If they do not see things through the view that we serve a perfect, holy, sovereign God who will judge sin, then why not steal and cheat and swindle? If this is all there is then why not grab all you can out of life, no matter what the cost? And if life has dealt you a raw deal, then why fight it? Strange as it sounds, we see that kind of thinking becoming more and more prevalent these days.
Men, by their nature, hate God. The unregenerate heart despises this God that wants to take away their fun. You see this in the heart of the young person who says they believe in God, they just want to have fun for a while.
John 3:20 explains it this way: For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
Men's deeds are evil. There is none who does good. Even being born again, we are in a constant battle with the flesh. Paul said all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. David knew this all the way back in his time. Jeremiah would reiterate it also saying the heart is deceitful and wicked.
2 The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
3 They have all turned aside,
They have together become corrupt;
There is none who does good,
No, not one.
Imagine when the Lord looks down from heaven what he sees. Men know there is a God and yet they function in life acting as though there wasn't. They somehow hope they can get by with their actions under the nose of God. Yet, He is looking down from heaven. He sees what is going on. Are there any who seek Him and seek to understand Him?
The foolish men have all turned aside. They have together become corrupt…..acting together against God. This reminds of the
To deny God is to deny His morality. If you deny God then you can question all the rules. Who are you to tell me how to live? Who are you to judge me? They live in their corruption and call it their right and privilege. God looks at all this and sees the heart and the intent. He judges off a perfect set of rules and standards that have never changed. Perfection and holiness is all that matters. God looked down and saw corruption……..this is a word that was used to describe rancid milk. All men had turned aside…….this was man showing their back to God in denial. There are none good……No, not one. When you say these words out loud you can almost hear the outcry from our society, "You hateful, intolerant, Christian, bigot…..how dare you!" Yet, these aren't our words they are the words of the God they deny……..and they despise them.
4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And do not call on the LORD?
5 There they are in great fear,
For God is with the generation of the righteous.
6 You shame the counsel of the poor,
But the LORD is his refuge.
Have these evil men who say they don't believe become so wise as to get the upper hand over Godly men? In their arrogance do they think they are knowledgeable enough to 'eat up' God's people? Do you ever feel as though you were being 'eat up' by the world? Have you cried out to God to be saved from those arrogant men who scoff at God?
David answers the question he asked. These men aren't as knowledgeable and wise as they seem. They are actually in great fear. They will all come to the knowledge that they are fighting against God and can never win. They are scared little children because they know God is with the generation of the righteous.
These workers of iniquity shame the counsel of the poor. They hold on to the hope that they are in control and ignore and oppress the poor. But the Lord is the refuge for those poor.
7 Oh, that the salvation of
When the LORD brings back the captivity of His people,
Let Jacob rejoice and
David was crying out for the salvation of the
We know that salvation comes from Jesus Christ. He delivers us from our bondage of sin. We live in a freedom that comes from grace. We have no rules to keep, no law to abide by and our sins are forgiven. Our response is one of wanting to follow Him in every way. He bought us with His blood so we surrender our self to Him, for His use and His purpose. And we find it a great honor to serve Him.
David said
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