14:1-3I The true atheist is either foolish or wicked—foolish because he ignores the evidence that God exists or wicked because he refuses to live by God’s truths. We become atheists in practice when we rely more on ourselves than on God. The fools mentioned here are aggressively perverse in their actions. To speak in direct defiance of God is utterly foolish according to the Bible.
Life Application Study BiblePsalmsChapter 14
Psalm 14
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 854, 855
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
14Psalm 14
1Only fools say in their hearts,“There is no God.”They are corrupt, and their actions are evil;not one of them does good!
2The LORD looks down from heavenon the entire human race;he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,if anyone seeks God.
3But no, all have turned away;all have become corrupt.*No one does good,not a single one!
4Will those who do evil never learn?They eat up my people like breadand wouldn't think of praying to the LORD.
5Terror will grip them,for God is with those who obey him.
6The wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed,but the LORD will protect his people.
7Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel? When the LORD restores his people, Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice. Theme: Guidelines for living a blameless life.
Author: David
15 A psalm of David.
Textual footnotes
- 14:3 Greek version reads have become useless, Compare Rom 3:12.
Life Application Notes 3 notes
14:3No one but God is perfect; all of us stand guilty before him (see Romans 3:23) and need his forgiveness. No matter how well we perform or how much we achieve compared to others, none of us can boast of his or her goodness when compared to God's standard. God not only expects us to obey his laws, but he wants us to love him with all our heart. No one except Jesus Christ has done that perfectly. Because we all fait short, we must turn to Christ to save us (Romans 10:9-11). Have you asked him to save you?
14:3,4David applies these observations to his enemies when he says the evildoers “eat up my people like bread” (14:4). “All have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one!” (14:3). By contrast, David said, “You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong” (17:3). There is a clear distinction between those who worship God and those who refuse to worship him. David worshiped God, and under his leadership Israet obeyed God and prospered. Several hundred years later, however, Israel forgot God, and it became difficult to distinguish between God’s fotlowers and those who worshiped idols. When Isaiah catled israel to repentance, he, like David, spoke of people who had gone astray (Isaiah 53:6). But Isaiah was talking about the Israelites themselves. Pau! quoted
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TROUBLES AND COMPLAINTS IN PSALMS
We can relate to the psalms because they express our feelings. We all face troubles, as did the psalm writers hundreds of years ago, and we often respond as they did. In Psalm 3, David told God how he felt about the odds against him. But within three verses, the king realized that God’s presence and care made the odds meaningless. This experience is repeated in many of the psalms. Usuaily, the hope and confidence in God outweigh the fear and suffering; sometimes they do not. Still, the psalm writers consistently poured out their thoughts and emotions to God. When they felt abandoned by God, they told him so. When they were impatient with how slowly God seemed to be answering their prayers, they also told him so. Because they recognized the difference between themselves and God, they were free to be human and to be honest with their Creator. That is why so many of the dark psalms end in the light. The psalm writers started by expressing their feelings and ended up remembering to whom they were speaking! Although we have much in common with these writers, we may differ in two ways: We might not tell God what we are really thinking and feeling; therefore, we also might not recognize, even faintly, who is listening to our prayers! Notice this pattern as you read Psalms, and put the writers’ insights to the test. You may well find that your awareness and appreciation of God will grow as you are honest with him. (See Psalms 3; 6; 13; 31; 37; 64; 77; 102; 121; 142.)
Psalm 14 in Romans 3:10-12. He made the image of straying sheep even more general, referring to all people. The whole human race—Jew and Gentile alike—has turned away from God. 14:5 If “God is with those who obey him,” then those who attack God's followers may be attacking God. To attack God is utterly futile (see 2:4, 5, 10-12). Thus, while we may feel we are losing the battle, we can be absolutely sure that our ultimate victory is in God. 15:1 Sanctuary and holy hilf are interchangeable words describing the focal point of Israelite worship—-the dwelling place of God. In Hebrew poetry the repeating pattern is found more in the thought than in the sound or rhythm. 15:1ff God calls his people to be morally upright, and, in this psalm, he gives us 10 standards to determine how we are doing. We live among evil people whose standards and morals are eroding. Our standards for living should not come from our evil society but from God. For other references where righteous conduct is summarized, see Isaiah 33:15; 56:1; Micah 6:8; Habakkuk 2:4; and Mark 12:29-31.