Psalm 14

When Things Go from Bad to Worse

References• Goldingay, John, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament,

Psalms 1-41, (Baker Academic: Grand Rapids, MI, 2002).• Miller, Patrick D., Interpreting the Psalms, (Fortress Press:

Philadelphia, PA, 1986).• Eaton, John, The Psalms (Continuum: New York, 2005).• Keck, Leander (Gen Ed.) et al, The New Interpreter’s Bible,

Vol IV (Abington Press: Nashville, 1996).• Craigie, Peter C., World Biblical Commentary: Psalms 1-50,

(Word Books: Waco, TX, 1983).• Westermann, Claus, The Psalms: Structure, Content &

Message, (Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, 1980).• Brueggemonn, Walter, The Message of the Psalms,

(Augsburg: Minneapolis, 1984).

Psalm 141     Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”

They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;

there is no one who does good. 2     The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind

to see if there are any who are wise,

who seek after God. 3     They have all gone astray, they are all alike perverse;

there is no one who does good,

no, not one.

Psalm 144     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 shall be in great terror, for God is with the company of the righteous. 6     You would confound the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge. 7     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. NRSV

Structure of the Corporate Prayer

• v. 1a The Fool’s view

• v. 1b-3 Observations on the corrupt situation

• v. 4-6 The wicked are overwhelmed by God

• v. 7 Wish for God to take action

Structure of the Corporate Prayer

• v. 1-3 Meditation/Observation

• v. 4-6 Lament

• v. 7 Anticipated Celebration » (Craigie, p. 148)

Amazing Grace (original lyrics)Amazing grace! (how sweet the

sound)That sav’d a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found,Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to

fear,And grace my fears reliev’d;

How precious did that grace appear,The hour I first believ’d!

Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,I have already come;

’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promis’d good to me,His word my hope secures;

He will my shield and portion be,As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,

And mortal life shall cease;I shall possess, within the veil,

A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,

The sun forbear to shine;But God, who call’d me here below,

Will be forever mine

History of a Song

• John Newton wrote this hymn after converting to Christianity In the village Kineton, Warwickshire, England. The hymn describes his feelings about the slave trade while on his ship, the Greyhound, in 1748. Several years later he abandoned the slave trade. Newton maintained that his true conversion did not take place until several years after the storm incident. (Wikopedia)

Has Amazing Grace Changed Over the Years?

• First Added in Uncle Tom’s Cabin: “When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun.” Added to hymnal in 19 century.

• The melody most often used for this hymn was not original (nor was Newton a composer). As with other hymns of this period, the words were sung to a number of tunes before and after they first became linked to the now familiar variant of the tune "New Britain" in William Walker's shape-note tunebook Southern Harmony, 1835. [1]

• There are several tunes to which these words have been sung. (Wikopedia: Amazing Grace)

Fool Cartoon

Who is this “fool/scoundral?”

• Get in Pairs or Triplets

• Make a list of everything the text tells you about what a fool is and what a fool is not– Read the text carefully

and repeatedly

Who is this “fool/scoundral”• A representative person, not a specific individual• One who characterizes the whole society• Is not necessarily someone who declares unbelief with

his/her lips• Does evil/bad things to hurt other people (confound the

plans of the poor)• Doesn’t seek God• Doesn’t call upon God for help• Ends up in living in terror• Could be intelligent or unintelligent• Doesn’t think God will do anything, does not “fear God.”

What do we learn about “The Fool” from other scriptures?

Fool picture

Nabal• David asks Nabal for food: There was a man in Maon,

whose property was in Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel. ….

• Nabal answers David: 11 Shall I take my bread and my water and the meat that I have butchered for my shearers, and give it to men who come from I do not know where?”

• 12 So David’s young men turned away, and came back and told him all this. 13 David said to his men, “Every man strap on his sword!” ….

Nebal and wife

View from Mount Carmel Nabel was rich and owned land there

(1 Samuel 25:2)

Nabal’s Wife• 14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife,

“David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he shouted insults at them. 15 Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm, and we never missed anything when we were in the fields, as long as we were with them; 16 they were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. ….

• 23 When Abigail saw David, she hurried and … She fell at his feet and said, “Upon me alone, my lord, be the guilt; …. 25 My lord, do not take seriously this ill-natured fellow, Nabal; for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him; but I, your servant, did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent. NRSV 1 Samual 25:2-25

Abigail

Abigail

Nebuchadnessar

Example of Nebuchadnessar• 3 When the Lord has given you rest from your pain and

turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has ceased! …. Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, …; maggots are the bed beneath you, and worms are your covering. 12     How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! 13     You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit on the mount of assembly on the heights of Zaphon; 14     I will ascend to the tops of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High.” 15     But you are brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the Pit. (NRSV Isaiah 14:3ff)

Nebuchadnezzar

Example of the Assyrian King and his Rabshakeh

Example of the Rabshakeh• 28 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud

voice in the language of Judah, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my hand. …. Do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you by saying, The Lord will deliver us. 33 Has any of the gods of the nations ever delivered its land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? 35

Who among all the gods of the countries have delivered their countries out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’ ” (2 Kings 18:28ff, NRSV)

Defeat of Assyrian

Army Outside

Jerusalem—185,000 Men Slaughtered

(2 Kings 19:35)

Fool picture

King Nebuchadnezzar

What do we learn?

• A fool was not someone who was dumb or silly. • Were often rich men and even Kings• A person who decides and acts on the basis of the

wrong assumption. • A fool makes a mistake about reality• Scoffs at God (Ps 74:18,22)• Opposite of noble or honorable person (Isaiah

32:5)

Who are the “fools” today?

• Leaders that make decisions that hurt people but help themselves? Who are they?

• Countries that do things that hurt others but help themselves? Who are they?

• Does the purely postmodern worldview lead us along the path of fools? (No Meta-Narrative, no norms, deconstruction, no way to determine right from wrong, good from bad.) Who is teaching that worldview? Where are they teaching it?

Billy Joel and Wife Kate

Frank Sinatra

Who is not a fool?

• The person/community who shows insight into reality

• The person/community seeking God

• A person/community calling out to The LORD for help

Those Who Seek God Live• 4     For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: Seek me and live;

5     but do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beer-sheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing. 6     Seek the Lord and live, or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire, and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it. 7     Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood, and bring righteousness to the ground! 8     The one who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning, and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is his name, 9     who makes destruction flash out against the strong, so that destruction comes upon the fortress. 10     They hate the one who reproves in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks the truth. 11     Who are “my people?” (Amos 5:4ff)

Those Who Seek God Live• Therefore because you trample on the poor and take

from them levies of grain, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. 12     For I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and push aside the needy in the gate. 13     Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time; for it is an evil time. 14     (Amos 5:4ff)

Those Who Seek God Live

• Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, just as you have said. 15     Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. 16     Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord: In all the squares there shall be wailing; and in all the streets they shall say, “Alas! alas!” They shall call the farmers to mourning, and those skilled in lamentation, to wailing; 17     in all the vineyards there shall be wailing, for I will pass through the midst of you, says the Lord. NRSV. Am 5:4-17

God is a refuge/shelter

• God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Ps 46:1

• On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God. Ps 62:7

Is the World really that bad?

Los Vegas at Night

Los Vegas Evil

Los Vegas at day

Los Vegas Evil

Hungry Children

US Coffins

Child War Victim

Venezuelans Protest

Violent Crime in 2006

Did You Notice the Repetition of Negatives/No?

• No God

• No one who does good– If there are ANY who understand

• No one who does good

• Not even one

Did You Notice the Repetition of Sweeping Absolute Statements?

• No one who does good

• All have turned aside

• If there are any who understand

• No one who does good

• Not even one

• Will evildoers never learn?

Humanity Descibed before the Flood

• 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw that the earth was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of them; now I am going to destroy them along with the earth. (NRSV Genesis 6:11-13)

The Power of Sin by Paul• 9 What then? Are we any better off? No, not at all; for we

have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin, 10 as it is written: “There is no one who is righteous, not even one; 11     there is no one who has understanding, there is no one who seeks God. 12     All have turned aside, together they have become worthless; there is no one who shows kindness, there is not even one.” 13  “Their throats are opened graves; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of vipers is under their lips.” 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” 15  “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery are in their paths, 17 and the way of peace they have not known.” 18  “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Is there One Group or

Two Groups?

• Is Everyone Wicked? Or are there actually some who are Righteous?

Is there One Group or Two Groups?

• In Psalm 14, there is a “righteous group”, since– “my people” are devoured by such fools/scoundrels (v. 4)– God is among the “company of the righteous” (v. 5)– The plans of the poor are different than those who do evil

things (v. 6)– Some take refuge in Yahweh (v. 6)– The last verse hopes for God to come and intervene and

rescue Israel—which seems to not be in the group of fools/wicked who are oppressing them (v. 7)

• But notice this clarification doesn’t occur in the first 3 verses. Is ambiguity intended? Why?

Is the World really that bad?

• The Bible holds together two truths:– There is one group—all are corrupt– There are two groups: The wicked and the

righteous

How Does Paul Hold this Tension?

– Paul holds these together in that all people have sinned and are sinful (Paul),

– and yet righteousness is obtainable through Christ alone.

– So, we all begin in the one group, but there are two groups because of Christ, not because of any righteous deeds we have done.

How Do the Psalms Hold this Tension Between One and Two

Groups?– Wickedness can and does increase in societies

to the point of being unbearable to all. And all seem to participate. Prophets often make sweeping statements on entire nations being wayward and corrupt.

– At the same time, the powerful oppress the poor, a remnant of righteous, the less powerful with whom God sides, lives among, and delivers.

What Makes Someone Among the Wicked?

• They eat people as easily as they eat bread (LXX)

• Move easily from eating people to eating a good meal, like contract killers going out for dinner (Goldingay, p. 215)

• By devouring people they get their bread. It’s because of their oppressive ways that they gain wealth. (Goldingay, p. 215)

Israelite Rulers Eat People Also• 3 And I said: Listen, you heads of Jacob and

rulers of the house of Israel! Should you not know justice?— 2     

• you who hate the good and love the evil,

• who tear the skin off my people, and the flesh off their bones; 3 

• who eat the flesh of my people, flay their skin off them, break their bones in pieces, and chop them up like meat in a kettle, like flesh in a caldron. (NRSV- Micah 3:1-3)

What is Loathsome to God?

• Pride

• Lying

• Murder

• Perjury

• Dishonesty

– See Proverbs 6:16-19:11:1

Where is God?

• In the heavens looking down (v. 2)

• In the company of the poor/weak (v. 5)

• In Zion (Jerusalem) among the worshipping community in the temple (v. 7)

Can You Imagine

God Looking?

• This is not the usual word for God looking down from the heavens, but a word that depicts God leaning through a window.

Similar Image of God Searching:

• At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the people who rest complacently on their dregs, those who say in their hearts, “The Lord will not do good, nor will he do harm.” 13 Their wealth shall be plundered, and their houses laid waste. Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit (Zeph 1:12)

Diogenes searching for a True Man

What is Evidence of God’s Reign?

• The deliverance of the poor

• The downfall of the wicked

Will God Act?

• 12     They have spoken falsely of the Lord, and have said, “He will do nothing. No evil will come upon us, and we shall not see sword or famine.” 13     The prophets are nothing but wind, for the word is not in them. Thus shall it be done to them! Jer 5:12-13

Women’s Rights

IJM Current Day Freed Slaves

Hungry Children

What’s It Mean for Us?• The Psalm is not about those who don’t believe that God

exist but for those doubting that God will take action against evil.

• It’s about the psalmist/believer looking out into the world and seeing an unjust situation where it seems like God is not taking notice nor doing anything about it.

• The wicked notice this also and continue in their wickedness.

• This psalm is for believers to pray when they feel abandoned by God and find themselves doubting that God will act. We can honestly express our observations and find hope that God will act. (Miller, p. 98-99)

Questions?• What makes you wonder whether God cares at all about what

goes on in the world?• Who are the fools in your world?• In what ways do you live as though God will do nothing?• What does the Psalm say that God cares about?• Try reading the Psalm while identifying yourself as the poor

being oppressed? What emerges for you?• Try reading the Psalm while identifying yourself with the Fool

and the wicked? What emerges for you? • How do we participate on a daily basis in corrupt systems

related to economics, politics, and ultimate loyalties?• What can we do about it? Ponder these actions as actions

related to your following Jesus as Savior and Lord.