Psalm 14: The Fool Says, There is No God

[] Square brackets are used in place of footnotes/endnotes.

This is a community prayer [Note: It is not a community lament (as ESV), because there is no such thing. I think Kraus is correct when he says: “the concept of LAMENT must be abandoned. The petitioners of the psalms do not lament, neither do they complain. They openly declare their DISTRESS before YHWH and PRAY for His intervention. This is justly called a PRAYER.] in which the people of God mourn the fact that humans do not seek after God and oppress God’s people. It is almost identical to Psalm 53.

Here is the outline of the psalm as given by ESV! [I haven’t studied this psalm in depth yet, so I am relying on ESV for this post]. It has 3 major parts.

Ps. 14:1-4 – The Godless Devour God’s People

Ps. 5-6 – The Lord is the Refuge for the Poor

Ps. 7 – Community Prayer for SALVATION

Think about the following as you study and meditate on this psalm:

1) How do you understand the ‘fool’ [Hebrew naval (not nabal, but the connection with Nabal remains)] in this Psalter? See also Psalm 10. [Note that there are three Hebrew words for fool, and all speak of moral orientation rather than intellectual ability.]

2) Is there a connection between “not knowing the Lord” and oppression?

3) When you look around you and see injustice and godlessness, how should you proceed in light of this Psalm?

For excellent resources on the Psalter I always recommend Spurgeon’s The Treasury of David and Matthew Henry. More info will appear toward the end of the week as I continue in my study of this passage!

Many blessings and joy, Cristian