Psalm 14

Overview……...

In Psalms we see all the workings of the heart:
1. David is a man after God's own heart: 1 Sam 13:14
2. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks: Mt.12:34
The result is a book which summarizes all that has ever been in the hearts of men and women throughout the world down through time

Psalm 14

Verse 1: (kjv) 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.

Fool (APHRON) signifies "without reason, want of mental sanity and sobriety; a reckless and inconsiderate habit of mind; the lack of common sense perception of the reality of things natural and spiritual; the imprudent ordering of one's life in regard to salvation.

The fool hath said in his heart - is one of the most recognized quotes in the Bible. In the 1960s it was said that God was dead. In a modern, technological world God was culturally irrelevant and had outlived His usefulness.

Psalm 14 reveals this is nothing new. A thousand years before Christ there were those proclaiming the death of God. In his heart, in the center of his being, the fool denies God.

Luke 11:34-36 (NIV) "Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you."

Jesus is talking about perception, not the bio-chemical function of the eye. The heart (spirit) determines what the eye sees; i.e the glass is either half FULL, or half EMPTY, depending on what you choose to see!

The fool is a fool because he/she chooses to interpret, to perceive, to see the world has having no God, no creator, no designer, no ultimate moral authority.

The fool is a fool because of a lack of faith (Heb 11:6 without faith).

The fool sees proof of God Romans 1:18-32 niv; yet doubts she sees what she thinks she sees. The answer to that problem is simply to ask God to confirm or deny our perceptions!!!!!

This lack of faith (wickedness - a suppression of truth) results in: 1. not correctly perceiving the world;
2. which in turn results in error (wrong living);
3. which in turn results in death (eternal separation from God).

The psalmist says: "They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."

Paul calls them fools because they ignore what creation so plainly shows - that there is a divine being with eternal power (Rom 1:20). The evidence stares them in the face - that there is a God - yet, they deny His existence.

The fool having denied God is then denied by God. The result is a person spinning out of orbit, lost in outer darkness (space - sin - darkens); where truly there is wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Just as faith in God is accompanied by good deeds, so unbelief is accompanied by evil deeds.

Romans 1 reveals UNBELIEFS downward progression: 1. (Rom 1:25-31) They exchanged the truth of God for a lie…
2. (26) Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts…
3. (29) They become filled with every kind of wickedness.

Psalm 14 and Romans one witness one to the other.

Verse 2-3: (kjv)
"The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one." There really is no such thing as an atheist.

Illustration:
a. Someone once said the best way to reply to an atheist is to give him an exquisite dinner and ask if he/she believes if chef prepared it; or did it just happen?

In reality, there are simply people who don't know God, and people who say they know God; but act like there is no God.

The fool has said in this heart… may be one of the most recognized scriptures; but it's not the main point. What phrase in verse two suggests the focus of the Psalm may not be the atheist?

Write the answer here ____________________________________.

Most Americans claim to believe in God and even in Christ. Yet many of them, live like there is no God. These children of men are practical atheists. They live without church, without Bible reading, without prayer, without Christian fellowship, without the sacraments, without obedience to God's law.

They live and breathe and plan without ever once thinking of God and His ways. They say God exists but He does not exist in their lives or their thoughts or their hearts. These are worse fools than the straight up atheist.

Who was the Psalmist talking to in his song?

Write the answer here ____________________________________.

Israel in scripture is an (illustration) of the Church. Read James 1:22.

Verses 4-6: (niv)
"Will evildoers never learn - those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on the LORD? There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous. You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge."

No one escapes the reality of God. There comes a time when everyone meets God face-to-face. It's too dreadful to imagine what happens at that time with those who act like there is no God. This also applies to nations and kingdoms.

God holds nations accountable, also. Let me take you on a brief scriptural journey to make a point.

Read:
Jeremiah 15:1-4 (Emphasis on verse 4)
Genesis 41:51
2Kings 20:16-21 and 2Kings 21:1-16
2Kings 24:1-3

Notice
1. Prominence of Manasseh
2. Manasseh name = forgetfulness
3. David highest point, Manasseh lowest point of Jewish kingdom

America like Israel has been highly favored and blessed. But the nations has forgotten it's God (examples = schools, church/state, violence, homosexuality, leadership devours the poor for profit).

Verse 7:
"Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!"

Christ Jesus is the salvation that comes out of Zion! Jesus is the Savior. He is the One Who returns us to God.

Conclusion:
Psalm 14 was directed to Israel.

What other nation in history has been blessed like Israel?

The point of the Psalm seems to be to inspire believers everywhere to intercede on the behalf of government (1timothy 2:1-2 ) and the nation ( 2 Chronicles 7:14 ).