Psalm 14 : Living in the Real World

 

One is a taxi-driver, another delivers pizzas, one group buys and sells used cars, another two work for their family confectionary business. They earn their livings in unremarkable ways. They are family types, with young children and pregnant wives. They live in roads named Hepplewaite Close, Albert Road and Walton Drive. They live not far away in typical suburbs and ordinary towns like High Wycombe and Walthamstow. To relax, they watch cricket, play football and meet their friends. On the surface, their lives are unexceptional. So it was something of a reality check to wake up Thursday, expecting to pick up Louise from Heathrow after three weeks in China, to find our country on the highest state of alert, under imminent threat of terrorist attack, with flights not already in the air grounded all round the world.

Its still l hard to believe that 23 young British men and one woman, have been arrested in connection with a premeditated and carefully coordinated plot to blow up jets packed with passengers over the Atlantic. With the war between Israel and Hizbollah escalating in Lebanon with more and more civilian casualties, with the unseemly wrangling at the UN over the wording of a ceasefire deal, with little chance that it will result in a cessation of fighting - at least for a few more weeks - its hard to escape living in the real world, even when you are supposed to be on holiday. The harsh reality is that God-denying people filled with consuming hatred to commit mass murder are not confined to history, they are not living on the other side of the world, they are living in a road near you. We cannot escape living in the real world. God-denying, evil exists and, as we have been reminded this week, it is closer than we would imagine.

That is why these Sunday mornings in August we are turning to God’s word in the Psalms to make sense of what we read in our newspapers, what we see on our TV screens, what we experience in our community. That is why today’s study in Psalm 14 is entitled, quite appropriately, “Living in the Real World”. Please turn with me to Psalm 14 and let us look at it together. Remember, the Psalms were intended to be sung. This one has three stanzas, or verses.


The Foolishness of Atheism (Psalm 14:1-3)

The Fearfulness of Humanity (Psalm 14:4-6)

The Faithfulness of God (Psalm 14:7)

 

1. The Foolishness of Atheism  (Psalm 14:1-3)

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. (Psalm 14:1-3)

 

Its Origin = Alienation from God

Its Location = "the Heart"  

Its Creed    = "No God"

Its Fruit    = "Foolishness"

Its Effect   = "Corruption"


Lets examine these verses carefully, and see why atheism is foolish. "The fool says in his heart..."  The Hebrew for "fool" is "nabal."


Its a word which implies an aggressive perversity. Listen to how John Calvin defines it.


"Profane persons who have cast off all fear of God and abandoned themselves to iniquity, are convicted of madness. David does not bring against his enemies the charge of common foolishness, but rather inveighs against the folly and insane hardihood of those whom the world accounts eminent for their wisdom. We commonly see that those who, in the estimation both of themselves and of others, highly excel in sagacity and wisdom, employing their cunning in laying snares, and exercise the ingenuity of their minds in despising and mocking God. It is therefore important for us, in the first place, to know, that however much the world may applaud these crafty and scoffing characters, yet the Holy Spirit condemns them as being fools, for there is no stupidity more brutish than forgetfulness of God."

 

Calvin could have been writing about this week, for he eloquently describes people today.  The fool says in his heart there is no God.  The word ‘Heart’ means the will/understanding not the emotions. Belief in God is not an emotional experience but a response of the mind, an act of the will. Freud, the pioneer psychologist, wrote a book on religion. It was entitled, “The Future of an Illusion.” He claimed that belief in God is a product of our needs. As children depend on their father, so adults need a big Father-figure in the sky. Conclusion - belief is psychological. However, this argument is double edged. Unbelief is also just as psychological. Rejection of God, maybe due to rebellion against parents - or rejection of authority. Aldous Huxley, the prominent atheist, admitted,

“I had motives for not wanting the world to have meaning; and consequently assumed it had none, and was able, without difficulty to find satisfying reasons for this assumption… for myself, the philosophy of meaningless was essentially an instrument of liberation, sexual and political.” The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” 

Atheism is essentially arrogant.  On those rare occasions when I meet someone claiming to be an atheist I usually smile and say "I've never met a REAL atheist."  First I ask them of they know what their IQ is. Then I ask them to do a simple mathematical calculation. To take the amount of knowledge they know and divide it by the estimated sum of all the knowledge in the universe, and then turn the fraction into a percentage figure.  Usually, the humble ones admit to knowing less than 1% of all knowledge.  Rather a presumptuous estimate but never mind. The point is this.  How can a person with an understanding of less than 1% of total knowledge have the audacity to stand there and say "There is no God." Atheism is arrogant.  I'm willing to debate with agnostics who admit they don't know, but it is a waste of time witnessing to a self professed atheist. He is a fool. 

Derek Kidner, the Hebrew scholar tells us that the assertion  "there is no God", is treated in Scripture not as a sincere if  misguided conviction, but an irresponsible gesture of defiance.  Why? Because God has revealed Himself to everyone.

 

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.” (Romans 1:18-22).

 

It is worth noting that David does not say, "The fool says in his heart there is no God” but, “The fool says in his heart there is no Elohim".  The names of God are very important, for they describe the kind of God we believe in. There is a world of difference between Deism and Theism.  Deism believes there is a God but he is distant and not involved with the world - Like a celestial watchmaker who has created the world, wound it up and has left us alone. This is not that dissimilar to an Islamic understanding of God. Many people are happy to profess belief in that kind of God as some distant force - where everything that happens is the will of God - but present the claims of Jesus Christ as the One who has revealed what God is like, as the One who has claims over our life and behaviour, who calls us to repent and obey Him - who holds us morally accountable for our actions - well “No thank you very much, they are not interested.”  Why? Because they are happy running their life their way and they don’t want God interfering. 

The God of Scripture is the God who acts. The God who reveals himself as the Father who creates and cares, the Son who reveals and saves and the Spirit who indwells and empowers.  God has revealed Himself fully and finally in Jesus Christ therefore people are without excuse. The genuineness of our belief in God stands or falls on how we respond to the claims of Jesus Christ.  The folly of atheism lies not just in the arrogance of that position, verse 1, but also its consequences, in verses 2-3.

 

“The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men

to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt;

there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Psalm 14:2-3)

 

The word "corrupt" in verse 3 means "rotten to the core… gone bad, turned sour". Like milk that has gone off - rotten. That’s what sin does - it corrupts. When we speak of depravity it is no exaggeration, since every sin implies the effrontery of supposedly knowing better than God. That is why I regard those who plan acts of indiscriminate mass murder as corrupt atheists. A god who would tolerate or justify these acts is only a god of their own imagination. He is not the God of the Bible. The God who has revealed himself in Jesus Christ. The Foolishness of Atheism. (14:1-3)

 

2. The Fearfulness of Humanity (Psalm 14:4-6)

“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.” (Psalm 14:4-6)

 

The folly of evil, already emphasised in verses 1-3 is now seen in two monumental failures the atheist makes.

2.1 The Failure to Discriminate  (Psalm 14:4) 

To discriminate between good and evil.  The unbeliever does not have the spiritual discernment to choose right from wrong.


2.2 The Failure to Discern (Psalm 14:5)

To discern the consequences. Unbelievers live in fear of the unknown. Fear of the future, fear of death.


It is so tragically unnecessary. Their folly is in ignoring or rejecting God's revelation concerning the future. God has revealed what happens when we die so we need not be afraid. When people deny God's existence or live as though He were not, then selfishness, greed and wickedness prevails because this life is the only one they have.  Atheism bears its fruit in rotten conduct. 

Derek Kidner says, "There is an animal complacency about the unconcerned exploiters and secularists of verse 4 which is only  matched by that of the practiced sinner of Proverbs 30:20 ‘This is the way of an adulteress. She eats and wipes her mouth and says, "I have done nothing wrong."’  And yet the world knows things are not right but lacks the wisdom or capacity to change it.

Lets be frank. The war in Lebanon will not be brought to an end by a UN Resolution in New York, because any cessation of fighting in Southern Lebanon will not, in itself lead to reconciliation, merely a temporary postponement of hostility. Why? Because without trust in God, human scheming is foolishness and prone to depravity. The psalmist asks rhetorically, verse 4, “Will evil doers never learn?” And the answer is ‘no’, not without facing the reality that “God is present in the company of the righteous.” (Psalm 14:5).

This is the reason for fear and anxiety and dread. This is the sobering picture C.S.Lewis draws from this passage.


"In the end that Face which is the delight or the terror of the Universe must be turned upon each of us... either conferring glory inexpressible or inflicting shame than can never be cured or disguised." 


The Lord God is not simply a theoretical, intellectually satisfying hypothesis. He is not a first cause that helps us make sense of the world.  It is He who takes the initiative.


Verse 2, says "The Lord looks down from heaven" The verb actually means "to bend over" implying a searching attitude. As Francis Schaeffer phrased it.  "He is There and He is not Silent". Or as we might prefer "He is here and He is not silent."


The Favour of God is all around us whether we acknowledge it or thank Him. Nor does He leave His people unprotected or fail to vindicate them.  The Psalmist greets the oppressed, and confronts the oppressor with joyous confidence, because God has revealed Himself not only in bringing judgment and justice but as a place of refuge for the godly. The word "refuge" (Psalm 14:6) speaks of a place of hiding or concealment, a  sign of God's mercy and favour to those who trust Him.  That ultimately is the Folly of atheism, to reject the favour of God leads to dread, for there is no where else to turn, no one else to help.  The Folly of Atheism, the Fearfulness of Humanity.

 

3. The Faithfulness of God (Psalm 14:7)

“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.” (Psalm 14:7)

 

The Psalm ends with that tension we all experience between the now and the not yet, between our present experience and future hope. Israel here refers to the people of God, whether under the Old Covenant or the New.


This promise therefore applies just as much to us as to Jewish believers 3000 years ago.  Our hope is sure and steadfast because it is based on God's revelation of Himself in history, over many 1000's of years and His predictions and promises, many of which have already come true.


Jesus spoke of this hope described by David in terms of eternal life.


“My sheep here my voice, I know them, they follow me, I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. No one can snatch them out of my hand. My father who has given them to me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of my father’s hand.” (John 10:27-30)


And the Apostle Paul wrote his commentary on this passage in these words: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Cor. 4:17)


The Foolishness of Atheism (Psalm 14:1-3)

The Fearfulness of Humanity (Psalm 14:4-6)

The Faithfulness of God (Psalm 14:7)


Will the threat of terrorism be any lower tomorrow? Possibly.

Will there be less bad news tomorrow? Probably not.

Will the world our children inherit be any safer? No.  

Will the challenge of living as Christ followers get any easier? No.

Will godly people still suffer? Yes.


Because we are called to live in the real world, not a make believe one.  The cry of the psalmist is our cry today. “Oh that salvation for God’s people would come!”


Is God still in control. Yes. Is judgement day coming? Yes.

Will good triumph over evil? Yes. Will God vindicate his people? You bet he will. This is how one poet describes the entire revelation of God in the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation in under ten seconds. And it summarises our Psalm today.


God's Hand Scooping out oceans

Heaping up mountains

flinging forth stars

moulding a man

leading His people

Dragging a cross

Cupping a nail

Reaching for me

Wiping my tears

Holding my hand forever.