PSALM 14 Wise and Foolish

Psalm 14 tells us;-
A fool says in his heart " there is no god"     NAB Ps14:1

Paul draws our attention to wisdom  and foolishness in Matthew 25

The reign of God can be likened to  .....           NAB
  the kingdom of heaven will be like                 NIV Matthew 25:1-2
  10 virgins who took their lamps
  and went out to  meet the bridegroom.
  Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

All alike have gone astray                                 NAB Matt 25:3
There is no one who does good                         NIV  Psalm 14:2
All have turned aside                                                  Psalm 14:3
They all became drowsy and slept                   ESV  Matt 25:5

The wise virgins took oil in jars                       NIV Matt 25:4
along with their lamps.

Yahweh is looking down from heaven at the sons of men
        to see if a single one is wise
                  if a single one is seeking God        Jerusalem Psalm 14:2

In Psalm 14 , wisdom  equates with "seeking God"

The workers of wickedness....                          NASB
       do not call upon the Lord
Are all the evildoers devoid of understanding                      Alternative service book
       who eat up my people as men eat bread                         Psalm 14:4
       and do not pray to the lord.

We could see Psalm 14 as on image of the Lord looking down
prior to his second coming .
The parable of the wise and foolish virgins may be seen to depict
 those waiting for the return of our Lord.

Titus 2:11-14  ESV.
11  For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people
12  training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live
      self controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age.
13  waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of our great God and 
      Savior ,  Jesus  Christ .
14  who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify 
      for himself   a people for his own possession
      who are zealous for good works. 

In Titus 2:14  wisdom equates with " Zealous for good works"

Ephesians 2:10  ESV
For we are his workmanship, created in Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Those who are doing God,s will prayerfully,
 are preparing for the coming of the Lord .

PSALM 14 quoted by Paul

Romans 3:10-18   ESV
10  as it is written
           "None is righteous, no, not one;
11               no one understands;
                   no one seeks God.
12  All have turned aside; 
      together they have become worthless ;
                  no one does good,
                  not even one."
13  "their throat is an open grave;
              they use their tongues to deceive"
      "The venom of asps is under their lips,"
14  "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness"
15  "Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16          in their paths are ruin and misery,
17          and the way of peace they have not known"
18  "There is no fear of God before their eyes"

A prudent man takes time to reflect
 and to analyze the sources of his impulses,
  and the consequences of his actions.
The "ungodly"  neither seeks God nor practices reflective prayer.
The Christian who habitually "refers to God" in prayer,
        seeking discernment,
        seeking wisdom,
        seeking the will of God,
will be more aware of his own imperfections, and so able to seek grace
to be in harmony with the purposes of God,

     From heaven the Lord looks down on the sons of men
     to see if any of them are wise and seek God.

Our God observes all mankind, constantly watching  for any who seek God.
It is comforting to think that our Lord is present to us, and that
we are welcome to His presence and that we are loved as dear children..
When we come before God who is constantly observing  all the
sons and daughters of mankind, we can not pretend that He is not aware
of our hungry deprived fellow citizens.  He is personally acquainted with
the anguish of those in hospital and in prison ,in debt and in distress.
  Our Lord has a heart for all the afflicted .

!st Timothy 2:1  NAB
        FIRST of all I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions and 
        thanksgivings be offered for all men.

Ephesians 6:18  NAB
        At every opportunity pray in the Spirit
        using prayers and petitions of every sort.

Philippians 4:6 NAB
........Present your needs to God in every form of prayer.

If we believe that "His will" is, without reservation,
the very best thing for us, then that must be our prayer
for all men.  

PSALM 14 Our Prayer

A Translation of Psalm 14(13) from the Latin Vulgate 
by  Monsignor Knox

   There is no God above us, is the fond thought of reckless hearts;
   warped natures everywhere and hateful lives! There is not an 
2  innocent man among them. The Lord looks down from heaven 
   at the race of men, to find one soul that reflects, and makes
3  God its aim; but no, all have missed the mark and rebelled 
   against him; an innocent man is nowhere to be found. 
4  What, can they learn nothing, all these traffickers in iniquity,
   who feed themselves fat on this people of mine, as if it were
   bread for their eating, and never invoke the Lord's name ?
5  What wonder if fear unmans them, when the Lord takes 
   the part of the innocent ? 
6  Easily you thought to outwit the friendless; see, the Lord
    is his refuge.
7  Oh, that it might dawn over Sion, Israel's deliverance !
    Day of gladness for Jacob, day of Israel's triumph,
    when the Lord restores the fortunes of his own people. 

Praying Psalm 14
You are our God
you alone are our God
In our heart we seek You
We seek wisdom and discernment from you
Like sheep we have all gone astray
But we choose not to be corrupt
We choose not to be the oppressor, or the accuser
We do not want to be the evil doer
nor to mock or scorn the afflicted.
We wish to be among those who do what is good
We want to be your people
the community of the just
Please raise us up as your just generation
God with us
You are our refuge and our strength
We are glad You came out of Zion
You are the Christ  The Son of the living God
We say you are the Christ
You are our Lord.

We have to remember who's in charge.
In all the important things and in the detail,
we recognize the hand of God
In everyday life we need to put on the mind of Christ.
Being one in the Spirit with the whole body of Christ
is our joy.....anything else is a fly in the ointment.

In the body of Christ we are one, in gratitude,
in forgiveness, and in peace and love.
We  are one in the Spirit in praise and worship,
in thanksgiving and in prayer..
The whole people of God can pray Psalm 14.
Some phrases take on personal significance
when reflected in the light of our own life's experience.

                            

PSALM 14 some background

Some Old Testament background to Psalm 14
In 1st Samuel Chapter 25.....    While out in the wilderness,
David seeks food for his men. He asks someone
named "Nabal"  (literally fool)  for some food.
Nabal,s response is an insulting refusal.

In the Psalms of David  (Psalm 74:22)  David prays;-
     "Rise up, O God, plead your cause;
     Remember your insult (herpa) from a fool (nabal)
                                                                                   Psalm 74:22
and again in psalm 39:8  David prays;-
     Do not make me the scorn (harpa)  of a fool (nabal)
                                                                                   Psalm 39:8

In Psalm 14  the wicked and corrupt are equated with a fool.

We read of wickedness in 2nd Samuel Ch13 v 12-13.
Tamar was David's daughter   and Amnon her half brother.
2nd Samuel 13:7 ESV
Then David sent home to Tamar , saying "Go to your 
brother Amnon's house and prepare food for him"
verse 11;- he took hold of her and said to her, 
"Come lie with me sister"
12  She answered him, "No, my brother, do not violate me,
for such a thing is not done in Israel;   do not do this
 outrageous thing.
13 As for me where could I carry my shame ?
And as for you, you would be as one of the outrageous fools
 in Israel.
14 But he would not listen to her, and being stronger than she,
he violated her and lay with her .
19 And Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long robe she wore.
And she laid her hand on her head and went away, 
crying aloud as she went.
21 When King David heard of all these things, he was very angry.

David's prayer in psalm 14  is informed by the reality of wickedness
in everyday life. But David's supplication is made , in confidence
and trust , from long experience and deep faith.

Psalm 36:7 ESV
How precious is your steadfast love, O, God !
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings..

Psalm 14:6
You (the evildoers) would shame the plans of the poor
but the Lord is his refuge.

These prayers ask for more than a promise for the future.
These words are spoken in the present tense
with the assurance that God is right in our present circumstance.
God is our refuge and strength now !
The God to whom I pray
is right in my present circumstance.

My God in whom I trust, You are my refuge and my fortress.
                                                                                                  Amen.

PSALM 14 The Lord is my hope.

The singer and the reader proclaim aloud the word of God.
The listener may follow the printed words.
Those seeking after God read many of the best translations
and editions of psalm 14..People who have had different life experiences
and people from different generations may see a different emphasis
and relate differently to the psalm. Even a familiar psalm tune
may help us to relate personally, especially as we become aware
that we are being addressed personally.  The word of the Lord,
the wisdom, the love , the healing , reconciliation and hope
is addressed to us. If hope is being offered, make that hope yours.
If healing is being offered, claim the healing for yourself,
for your family and your community. Help heal the nation!
   In Psalm 23 "The Lord is my shepherd"
we easily identify with that statement (unless we reject it)

In translations of Psalm 14 we find expressions to describe
those in trouble. There are fools, evildoers who are depraved
and whose deeds are vile, Workers of wickedness and the corrupt
who are abominable. People who have turned aside from God,
who never call Yahweh, who do not pray to the Lord.
  At any time the wicked may get a flash of their own fallen-ness
 and the dire consequences,causing fear to strike into their hearts.
Psalm 14:5 NCV
But later they will be filled with terror
for God is on the side of the righteous.
In contrast, in Psalm 14 we also meet "My people", "the poor"
"the afflicted,  and the poor man who says "the Lord is my hope"
Those who understand and seek God,  Those who are doing good
and those who act wisely. With these people we are in the company
of the righteous !
       When PAUL is a reader of Psalm 14, he can see that Psalm 14
describes our sinful condition, that no one is "just" in God,s sight !
and that we all need to be saved by Jesus Christ.
       The psalmist recognizes that he himself falls short in God's eyes.
Psalm 130:3 NCV
If you, O Lord , kept a record of our sins
O Lord, who could stand upright ?

Psalm 143: 2 NCV
Do not subject your servant to your judgement
for no one living is righteous before you.

Psalm 14 speaks of the moral depravity with which we associate
the flood, Soddom and Gomorrah, The tower of Babel, the golden calf
and the personal, national and international turning aside of God,s
people in the present day.. But the last verse in Psalm 14 is a prayer.

Psalm 14:7 GNB
I pray that victory will come to Israel from Zion
How happy the people of Israel will be 
when the Lord makes them prosperous again|!

The prayer is answered

Matthew 27:45  ESV
there was darkness over the land until the ninth hour.

We know that was the hour when our Lord Jesus cried out
with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.

PSALM 14 Any Who Seek God

People are rejecting God,s truth or leaving God,s truth to one side.
for convenience !  There is a convenience culture.
Leaving God,s truth aside  for convenience
leads to denying God,s existence for convenience.

We need to relearn how to listen to scripture with fresh ears
and allow it to speak directly to us.
The words of God received in faith
project into our imagination and our memory
speaking to the heart in the power of the Spirit.

that you may stand perfect and complete
in all the will of God.                                 Colossians 4:12 NKJV

Blessed is he who reads  and those who hear the words of this
 prophecy (The revelation of Jesus Christ) and keep those things
 which are written in it, for the time is short.
                                                                     Revelation 1:3  NKJV

In contemplation we perceive with our own mind
and divine revelation may filter through to the heart.
If knowledge can be perceived,
light can be shone on that knowledge
to bring to light  wisdom which may be accrued.

The light shines in the darkness and the darkness
 did not comprehend it.                             John 1:5  NKJV
.
There is darkness in the hearts of men
turned away from the light.
We need faith to believe.
There is knowledge contained in our awareness of history.
Our God given imagination receives an image
of the "man sent by God"  (John).
If we believe he was sent by God
and if we believe his message;-
then the words of scripture become manifest in our imagination,
rest in our memory, and we can contemplate the word of God in our heart.

How could we ever again turn aside from the living  God
and pretend that He is not with us ?

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God"
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile,
 there is no-one who does good.
The Lord looks down from heaven
 on the sons of men
to see if there are any who understand,
 any who seek God.
All have turned aside 
they have together become corrupt;
there is no one who does good, not even one.
Will evildoers never learn--
those who devour my people as men eat bread.
and who call not on the LORD?
                                                                   PSALM 14:1-4   NIV

PSALM 14 Today

The revelation which we have of the will of God
is much wider than the rules and regulations contained
in the books from Exodus to Deuteronomy.
The believer today, seeking discernment, would seek for
"the will of God" rather than "the law". although of course
"the Law"  is the will of God.
    The whole history of Israel may be quoted to make ethical points.
The Psalms allude to the Pentateuch to fill psalm singers with
revelation of the will of God.
    For those who have become aware of social, political, and moral
 corruption today, meditation on psalm 14 offers aids to discernment.
By referring to the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, The tower of Babel,
the golden calf and the turning aside of God,s people, we can appreciate
that there are historical precedents for all that is happening today.

Genesis 6:12 ESV
And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh
had corrupted their way on the earth.

In psalm 14 : 2-3 we find the same ideas and terminology.

Psalm 14 ESV
2   The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of men,
     to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.
3   They have all turned aside ; together they have become corrupt;

"hishit" ....."corrupt" occurs in psalm 14:1, 53:1 and Genesis 6:12-13.

Exodus 32:7 & 8  ESV
7   And the LORD said to Moses "Go down, for your people whom 
     you have brought out of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.
8   They have turned aside quickly out of the way I commanded them
     They have made themselves a golden calf.........

We do not have to wait to read or hear a hand written copy of the bible
read out in Hebrew, Greek or Latin.  Excellent translations of the bible
are available in many languages on the internet.but;-
God has not stopped revealing himself to those who "seek after God"
The printed word has allowed "the children of man" from every generation
to share with us the revelation and inspiration which has illuminated their lives.
Those who "seek to understand " in our generation may be encouraged by;-
Ruth,  Hannah,  David, Paul,  Clement of Rome, Iranaeus of Lyons,
Anthony of Egypt, John Cassian, Patrick, Benedict, Columbanus,
the Venerable Bede, Alcuin, Anselm, Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas Aquinas,
Meister Eckhart, Catherine of Siena, Thomas a Kempis, Albrecht Durer,
Ignatious of Loyola, Theresa of Avila, John Cosin, Brother Lawrence,
Jean Pierre de Caussade, Charles Wesley, John Newton, Theresa of Lisieux,
Elizabeth of the Trinity, Thomas Merton, Brother Roger of Taize,and by
Carey Landry  and by one another in the body of Christ.
1st JOHN 1:7 ESV
..if we walk in the light, as he is in the light,
we have fellowship with one another, and the
 blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

PSALM 14:!

PSALM 14:1
The fool says in his heart
" There is no God "

Ephesians 5:17  RSV
Therefor do not be foolish,
but understand what the will of the Lord is.

This verse illustrates the biblical meaning of "wise" and "foolish"
Biblically  "fool" is not used to indicate insanity or stupidity.
"Folly" is the opposite of wisdom,
which one receives as a gift of revelation.

So NOT having revelation (like the Gentiles in Deuteronomy 32:31)
makes them a foolish nation because they have no wisdom.
Disregarding divine revelation "like Israel in Deuteronomy 32:6)
makes them foolish because they have disregarded wisdom
and chosen foolishness.
Disobedience to God,s revealed will in scripture
is not wisdom, that is foolishness.
So the biblical meaning of "fool"  is more serious
than merely calling someone stupid or silly.
In the biblical sense, the fool is virtually "apostate" or "damned".
Folly really contrasts with "the wisdom of the LORD"

James 3:13 and 3:17  ESV
13  Who is wise and understanding among you ?
      By his good conduct let him show his works
      in the meekness of wisdom.
17  the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable,
      gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits,
      impartial and sincere.

PROVERBS 4:5   NIV
Get wisdom, get understanding,
do not forget my words or swerve from them.

We are constantly changing according to the revelation
we have received, (The self revelation of our God),
that His glory may be revealed through Christ in you and me.
The life of Christ is in us,
releasing the Glory of Christ
that His Glory might be revealed through our lives.

We can say with the psalmist,
The Lord is
          "my glory and the lifter of my head.  ( Psalm 3:3) 

Our Lord Jesus confirms this in  John 17:22
John 17:22
 "The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them"
John 17:26
that the love with which thou hast loved me
may be in them , and I in them."