April 25, 2023 — Psalm 14

“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 fool has said in his heart, “There is no God”: David looked at those who denied the existence of God and came to the conclusion that they are fools. The idea behind this ancient Hebrew word translated fool is more moral than intellectual. David did not have in mind those not smart enough to figure God out (no one is that smart); he had in mind those who simply reject God.” (Enduring Word website, [enduringword.com] Psalm 14)

Foolishness in the Bible can be considered sinful for those of the day, but in essence the writer is talking about what we today 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 “practical righteous” people seeking the presence of G-d. 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.

Pastor Dave