To the choirmaster. Of David.
1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds,
there is none who does good.
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
4 Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
who eat up my people as they eat bread
and do not call upon the Lord?
5 There they are in great terror,
for God is with the generation of the righteous.
6 You would shame the plans of the poor,
but the Lord is his refuge.
7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
The psalm begins by identifying as “fool” the person who would dismiss the existence of the Deity. This person casts aside any notion of an ultimate authority and thus feels free to engage in corrupt and abominable deeds without any feelings of accountability. This is a dangerous place to be. The psalmist does not spend the bulk of his time focusing on this person however. The focus widens to include all of humanity.
What does God search for in verse 2?
What does He find (v.3)?
In verses 4 & 5 the psalmist ponders this perspective in light of the reality that God exists and will execute justice.
Do you believe in this assessment of humanity?
In Romans 3 Paul quotes this text after describing two different kinds of “sinners”. Some are hedonists – diving into all manner of sensual sins: lust, greed, violence, and the like. Others are legalists – following a set of “rules” and passing judgment on those who don’t follow their rules. The problem is in doing this they, in a different way, satisfy the same desires as the hedonists: they derive pleasure at other’s expense and search for their own glory, satisfaction and power.
The psalmist ends longing for God to send salvation to His people, the nation of Israel.
Here the psalmist most likely means relief from their sinful neighbors who frequently attacked the nation.
In Romans, Paul shows us God’s ultimate provision of “salvation” from our ultimate problem: not enemy nations, but the enemy within – the sin within us that makes all of us corrupt and godless.
Read Romans chapter 3 and see God’s provision.
Have you come to see your desperate estate before God? Have you looked to Christ alone for rescue?