“Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God. They have all gone astray, they are all alike perverse; there is no one who does good, no, not one. Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon the Lord? There they shall be in great terror, for God is with the company of the righteous. You would confound the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge. O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion! When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.” Psalm 14

“The 14th psalm is a psalm of prophecy and instruction that teaches us that human doctrine and a life without faith is nothing but an abomination before God. If such is worship, it is only belly worship by which the ungodly fatten themselves, devouring the good of the people. They do not know or understand anything of the true worship of God, though they teach and praise the Law of God. Moreover, they profane and blaspheme God’s Word whenever it rebukes them at all. They will listen to nothing about trust or faith in God. These people must be resisted by prayer. This prayer shall be heard, as the last verse says, and the Gospel of Christ shall come. Thus this psalm reproves especially those who tormented the people with the Law. When it speaks of the help for Zion, it is promising or prophesying of the coming of Christ, for the Gospel and the Spirit have come from Zion. This psalm belongs to the First and the Third Commandments because it praises God’s Word, promises Christ, and also reproves the hypocrites and devouring teachers or belly-teachers. It is in the First and Second Petitions, in which we pray for His name and His kingdom.” (Martin Luther, Reading the Psalms with Luther)

Foolishness in the Bible can be considered sinful. The fool’s problem is not with his brain but his heart. The fool is capable of grasping higher things, but the fool does not possess real fear. This results in what many call “practical atheism.” Practical atheism is a recognition of the presence of a higher power, but no belief that it really matters. All this produces is a dualism that must be addressed, somehow — there is a creator but this creator is too removed to care. G-d says such a person is a fool.

Any of us can fall into this state of foolishness — living in fear that there might be a G-d, but not allowing that fear to change us. And as the recognition of the presence of G-d continues to pervade our reality — more fear creeps inside our very being. Perhaps this is why we should spend more time in prayer, and in the presence of the righteous. The more we hear and experience the Grace of G-d through the presence of Jesus, in his word and in the sacraments, the more we lose the fear — and allow the Holy Spirit to build faith in our lives.

PRAYER

Lord, from Your throne on high look with a pitying eye upon us poor, sinful mortals. Preserve us, that we not be led astray by infidelity or superstition, and grant us simplicity of faith to receive the Gospel of Your Son, who has the words of eternal life, that in Him we may be Yours in time and eternity. Amen.