Psalm 14

Identifying our Foolishness

I’d like to begin tonight by looking at two verses from two different Psalms... Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1  Do the two passages sound similar?  They are... Psalms 14 and 53 are almost exalt duplicates. If you jump over to the New Testament, the Apostle Paul quotes quite a bit from these two Psalms in Romans 3.  One thing is for certain... when God uses repetition like this in the Bible... it’s meant to draw our attention to something important.So, let’s look at these verses now in a little detail.

“The Fool”

The word fool in the Bible means, someone that is lacking in common sense and basic understanding; someone who is dull, sluggish, silly, stupid, foolish.  The term draws to mind a person that makes bad choices when it comes to God, morals, personal habits, or eternity.  

“Nabal"

The Hebrew word that is translated fool in the two verses is “nabal.” One of the wisest women in the Word of God was named Abigail.  She is known in Scripture for her uncommonly good sense.  By contrast, her first husband was named Nabal--or fool. He was an evil man.  We’re not going to turn there tonight but if you’d like a living case study that outlines the life decisions and attitudes of a Biblical fool... 1 Samuel 25 is a good place to start.

Foolish Characteristics: the Bible, in Psalms 14 and 53, gives 12 characteristics of a fool:

• They say that there is no God --- verse 1
• They live corrupt lives --- verse 1
• They do vile things --- verse 1
• They are without understanding --- verse 2
• They ignore God and do not seek Him --- verse 2
• They do not do good --- verses 1 and 3
• They never learn due to their ignorance --- verse 4
• They live in ignorance of God --- verse 4
• They seek to devour God's people --- verse 4
• They never pray --- verse 4
• They are eventually overcome with great fear or dread --- verse 5
• They frustrate the plans of the poor --- verse 5

Jesus adds to this list in Luke 12:19-20...   The fool is totally caught up in the here and the now.  He ignores his soul as well as his obligations to God.  
Scripture then goes on to note several other characteristics of a fool:

• Proverbs 29:11 notes:  “A fool gives full vent to his anger....”
• Psalm 92:6 adds: “The senseless man does not know, fools do not under-stand....”
• Proverbs 1:7 declares: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”
• Proverbs 1:22 likewise notes: “How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?”
• Proverbs 13:19 then cries: “...Fools detest turning from evil.”

The fool is obviously a person that is both evil and ignorant and is content to stay that way... unwilling to change even if they could.

  

“No God”

As you look at the Psalms in question in some of your Bibles, you may notice that the words, "there is" are in italics.  What does that mean?  When words are in italics in Scripture, it means that those words were not in the original  text. The words were added by the translators so as to help make the meaning of the passage clearer.  

So, “The fool says in his heart, ‘no God’”.

• Simply, No God.
• No God for me, no God in my life, in my choices, or in my thinking.
• No God in my eternity,
• No God. 

In fact, the name for God that is used here in this text is Elohim which depicts God as Creator, Controller, and Provider.

• Without a Creator there is no true peace.
• Without a Controller there is no justice.
• Without a Provider there is no hope.

To live without Elohim is to live a frightened, self justified, hopeless existence founded on the brokenness of one’s own logic.If the greatest peace we know, justice we count on, and hope we cling to begins and ends with our own limited knowledge and resources... then every day is a battle, every person is my enemy, and every moment of joy is a delusion.What a horrible way to live... what a foolish way to spend our short lives.

Once Noted:

If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator.

If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist.

If our greatest need had been money, God could have sent us an economist.

But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior.

Psalm 13 (Part 3)

We’re going to finally finish up this Psalm tonight... and so far we’ve broken this Psalm down, talked a few details and even discussed the format and prose.

Tonight I’d like to take an overhead view of this Psalm and simply make a few applicational observations about it verse by verse.

vs.1 

• Feelings of abandonment.
• Many people feel abandoned, by others first, but more ultimately also by God.  This is an understandable feeling for many who don’t have a personal salvation relationship with God based on grace and faith alone.  If God worked off of a system of checks and balances, karma, good for the good and bad for the bad it would stand to reason that when bad things come our way God has either abandoned those who are faithful or that God is punishing them.
• It’s understandable for those who don’t really know God to have abandonment issues.  In fact, on his death bed the renowned french atheist Voltaire is quoted as saying, “I am abandoned by God and man.”
• But what about those who do truly know God?
• I believe that this is the very reason we’re given this Psalm... to deal with the fact that this happens and to offer us some sort of God honoring response to feelings of abandonment.

vs.2 - “take counsel in my soul,” “sorrow in my heart”

• David here describe a natural emotional survival and defense strategy to difficult circumstances.
• It’s a mix of self pity and self reliance and it’s understandable.  When trials come the safest thing to do is shut down.  It’s like a virus that’s infected your computer... the longer the computer is on and the more open stations the outside world has to your computer the more damage the virus will do.
• The problem is, when you shut down you fail to function and very often fail to receive the outside help that you need.
• David’s come to a place where he has to demand a response from God... he’s really out of options here in this passage.  The tone of the text, not to mention the demands that David makes of God in the next few verses indicates that David desperate.
• So this makes me wonder... why do we wait?  Why do we hold onto our problems for a while before bringing them to the Lord?  When you really step back and consider the question... any response to it seems foolish.

vs.3-4

• Here David gives God three imperatives:
• “Look on me…”
• “Answer…”
• “Give light to my eyes.” 
• Imperatives.  Telling God what to do.  
• And then, if that isn’t enough, this man, this little piece of clay in the Potter’s hand, thinks that he has to explain to the Lord why.  “Don’t you know, Yahweh, that if you don’t do something about this I am going to die?  You do realize that, right?  What... you’re going to let my enemies (ahem, you’re enemies too, by the way) you’re going to let my enemies win?  Trample me into the dust with their victory dance?”  
• This is a confrontation and so far doesn’t appear to be a God honoring response to difficult circumstance.
• But what really throws me off about this Psalm is this abrupt transition that comes, it seems, out of nowhere: 

vs.5-6 - “But I trust in your unfailing love.”

• Bible commentators suggest that this may be an example of the good change that can come out of what Freud called the “talking cure”—you know, the idea that many of your problems can be solved as you talk through them.  I think there is truth to this, that the expression of sorrow itself begins to heal and change. 
• But I think there’s something else happening here.  
• Because this “talking cure” might very likely lead David to the “I trust…” (which, in the Hebrew, is a perfect verb indicating completion), but I don’t see it leading to the “rejoicing” and “singing.”  
• The clue is, I think, in the Psalmist’s choice of verb forms... David uses cohortative and jussive imperatives here. 
• The Cohortative is used by a speaker to express his own will or determination, intention or desire to do a certain action
• Like the Cohortative, the Jussive is used to express a wish or a desire of the speaker.
• The forms of verbs (cohortative and jussive) that David uses to say “I will rejoice”  and “I will sing” make it sound almost like the Psalmist is exerting his will.
• He’s willing himself to do these things in spite of how he feels he should be reacting.
• There isn’t a change of heart here... David isn’t all the sudden better, the problem isn’t suddenly resolved and the burden hans’t been suddenly lifted.
• Instead, I see this Psalmist singing through his teeth, with the accompaniment of sweat and tears.  
• This is a song that is sung not with his hands open and arms raised, but with a kind of fist-clenching, muscle-flexing determination.
• Which is an amazing place to end this lament Psalm... because sometimes a Godly response to something is simply obedience and submission void of understanding, an emotional shift, of resolution.
• As emotionally charged as this Psalm is... this is a highly logical response to suffering.

Psalm 13 (Part 2)

Tonight we continue through Psalm 13... a lament Psalm.

Let’s read the whole Psalm together and then I’ll just make a few comments about it.

I’d like to discuss this genre of writing... lament.

In lament Psalms we hear the strong, emotional words of individual sufferers or communities. 

These are words written by real people in very difficult situations. 

The individuals who spoke and/or wrote these Psalms know that God will not be angry with their honesty, for even when they scream at God it is a scream of faith.

The major parts (found in most but not all lament Psalms) that identify a Lament Psalms are:

1. Introductory cry or addressing of God.
1. Example: "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" of Psalm 22.
2. Description of the lament, complaint or suffering.
1. Examples: "Lord, how they have increased who trouble me!" from Psalm 3.
3. Confession of faith or trust in God.
1. Example: "But you, O Lord, are a shield to me" from Psalm 3.
4. Reason(s) for God to act.
1. Example: "Arise for our help and redeem us for Your mercies' sake." of Psalm 44.
5. A petition or request for God to act.
1. Examples: "Hear me when I call, O God . . ." from Psalm 4 and/or "Give ear to my words, O LORD . . ." from Psalm 5.
6. Praise or thanksgiving to God.
1. Examples: "I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness . . ." from Psalm 7 and/or "I will sing unto the LORD . . ." of Psalm 13.

What’s interesting is that Laments are the most common genre of writing in the Psalms, which communicates a few significant things to us.

1. Life is difficult, especially for the person who is attempting to align themselves with God.
2. Life isn’t fair or just, which means we will have to rely on the justness of our Creator or be doomed to violence, depression, and/or hopelessness.
3. We were created to be emotional beings so we will respond in some way to difficult circumstances.

The Psalms of lament are models of a Godly response to suffering. 

Rather than expect us to remain stoic through our suffering, God wants us to pour out our hearts and souls to him.

Failure to express pain and suffering in prayer stifles our ability to tap into the power of God’s comfort, strength, support, and so on.

Notice that every lament Psalm ends with an awareness of God’s control over the situation.

It’s of the utmost importance that we recognize our inability to deal with the hills and valleys of life without a constant awareness of God’s control.

So a question for you tonight as we close this time of study... who’s in control of your life and your circumstances?

Honestly ask yourself this question, “Who’s in control?”

Chances are we’re holding on to something.  If you’re a fixer, a problem solver, you might be holding on to some of the difficulties of life.

If you’re a controller and organizer you might be holding on to a schedule or a budget.

If you’re a highly social person you might be holding on to friendships and other people’s opinions.

Whatever that thing is, whether it be a positive thing like family and security or a negative thing like a personal crisis or a work complication.  Whatever it is you need a perspective change.

Who’s in control?

When you recognize God’s sovereignty in your life, then and only then will you begin to experience real freedom and begin the process of healing.