Psalms 14
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The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
2 The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord.
5 There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.
6 Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his refuge.
7 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
Public Domain KJV text from Wordproject.org
Psalm 14:1-7
The Fool Says, There Is No God
To the choirmaster. Of David.
1The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
there is none who does good.
2The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
3They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
4Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
who eat up my people as they eat bread
and do not call upon the Lord?
5There they are in great terror,
for God is with the generation of the righteous.
6You would shame the plans of the poor,
but the Lord is his refuge.
7Oh, 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.
ESV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Psalm 14:1-7
Psalm 14
For the director of music. Of David.
1The fool says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does good.
2The Lord looks down from heaven
on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.
3All have turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.
4Do all these evildoers know nothing?
They devour my people as though eating bread;
they never call on the Lord.
5But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
for God is present in the company of the righteous.
6You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
but the Lord is their refuge.
7Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord restores his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
NIV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Commentary
When I look around in the world, godlessness seems to be everywhere. This is not something new. As David observed a few thousand years ago, “The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one!” (vs. 2-3).
When I see the wickedness in the world, I am sometimes tempted to view the world with contempt. But then I am reminded of Paul. Many years later, Paul quoted David’s words to the Jews to guard them from feeling superior to the Gentiles (Romans 3:9-12). So God was not just talking about "the others.” God was describing everyone—“the entire human race.” Which means that God was also thinking about me.
Father, forgive me for my arrogance. Forgive me for believing that my longing for You is result of my own wisdom and desire. When all the time, and in every way, it has been the result of Your amazing grace.
Gavin Anthony
Pastor Anthony is from the UK, grew up in Sri Lanka, and as of this writing is currently the president of the Iceland Conference
