The Fool s Denial of God. Psalm 53:1-6

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 1 Commentary by Clyde M. Miller Questions by John C. Sewell The Fool s Denial of God Psalm 53:1-6

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 2 Text: Psalm 53:1-6, The Fool s Denial of God Commentary by Clyde M. Miller 1. The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good. 2. God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. 3. Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. 4. Will the evildoers never learn those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on God? 5. There they were, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to dread. God scattered the bones of those who attacked you; you put them to shame, for God despised them. 6. Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad! (NIV) Introduction: I. For the meaning of maskil in the superscription, see the notes in the introduction to Psalm 32. A. Mahalath is probably the name of the tune to which the psalm was sung (cf. Ps. 88:1).

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 3 1. Psalm 88:1, O LORD, the God who saves me, day and night I cry out before you. (NIV) II. Topical Outline of Psalm 53: A. Verses 1-5 follow a wisdom theme discussing the contrast between the righteous and the unrighteous. B. Verses 4-5 apply that theme to Israel s enemies, and Israel s reaction to them. C. Verse 6 pleads for Israel s deliverance and anticipates the rejoicing that will result from it. III. How did Ps. 14 and Ps. 53, nearly identical, both come to be included in the Psalter? A. They may originally have been parts of separate collections, which, when incorporated in our present book, were allowed to stand because of some differences between them or the author of one psalm may have consciously adapted the text of the other to a new situation Ash. 1. Psalm 14:1-7, 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 do not call on the LORD? There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous. You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 4 Commentary: Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad! (NIV) The Foolishness of the Wicked Psalm 53:1-3, The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good. God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. (NIV) Psalm 53:1, The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good. (NIV) I. The word for God, Aelohim, is Yahweh in Psalm 14. II. The word nabal, is one of several terms for fool that in the Old Testament are virtually interchangeable. A. Here the word refers to the moral depravity of one who in practice disregards God. B. He does not care enough to philosophically attempt to reason whether there is a God. III. Corrupt renders a strong word that refers to abominable corruption. A. This corruption results in a vile life style that has no regard for God s ways.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 5 Note: There is no one who does good introduces the discussion in verses 2-3. It is not to be taken in the absolute. The psalmist would consider himself a righteous person. Especially would this be true of David. Psalm 14:5-6 acknowledges the existence of the righteous whose refuge is God. The expression here and the following discussion doubtless suggests that all people are sinners. A. Psalm 53:2, 3, God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. (NIV) B. Psalm 53:5, 6, There they were, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to dread. God scattered the bones of those who attacked you; you put them to shame, for God despised them. Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad! (NIV) Psalm 53:2-3, God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. (NIV) I. God s search for sinless people meets with defeat, as He knew beforehand that it would. A. Verses 2 and 3 are quoted by Paul in Romans 3:10-12, along with several other quotations, to prove that we are all under sin (Rom. 3:9) and all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). 1. Romans 3:9-12, 23, What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 6 the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (NIV) B. Verses 2-3, taken in the context of the Psalm, are meant to describe the moral deficiencies of the practical atheist described in verse 1. 1. Psalm 53:1, The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good. (NIV) Destruction of Evildoers Psalm 53:4-5, Will the evildoers never learn those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on God? There they were, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to dread. God scattered the bones of those who attacked you; you put them to shame, for God despised them. (NIV) I. These two verses anticipate the destruction of Israel s wicked attackers. Psalm 53:4, Will the evildoers never learn those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on God? (NIV) I. The evildoers here described are those who disregard God s will and ways and therefore devour His people with a voracious appetite. A. They do not inquire concerning God s attitude toward their evil, for they are those described in verses 1-3.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 7 1. Psalm 53:1-3, The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good. God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. (NIV) B. The plaintiff question is, Will they never learn? That question is delineated in verse 5. Psalm 53:5, There they were, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to dread. God scattered the bones of those who attacked you; you put them to shame, for God despised them. (NIV) I. Psalm 14:5-6 indicates that the first two lines of Psalm 53:5 refer to the dread of the Israelites when attacked by their enemies. A. Psalm 14:5, 6, There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous. You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge. (NIV) B. Since God is their refuge, there is nothing to fear. II. Scattered the bones can be taken literally. A. The phrase describes the slain left unburied with their bones exposed following their falling on the battlefield. B. Israel put them to shame because God despised them and as a result gave Israel the victory.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 8 Longing for Salvation Psalm 53:6, Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad! (NIV) I. Salvation here and often refers to deliverance. A. Restores the fortunes of his people is literally, brings back the captivity of his people (ASV, KJV). B. Some think this phraseology indicates that verse 6 is an editorial addition from postexilic times. 1. The verse, however, can refer to deliverance from any kind of restriction. 2. The verse exhorts Israel to rejoice when God delivers them. C. Verse 6 departs from the wisdom theme to a plea and anticipation more characteristic of psalms of lament and petition. Application: I. We often suffer needless dread because we forget the presence and power of the living God. A. Failing to call upon God in times of trouble identifies us in part with wicked people who do not call upon God. B. We need to identify with the trusting faithful who expect God to protect them in times of danger.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 9 Questions Psalm 53:1-6 (Questions based on NIV text.) 1. The says in his, There is. They are, and their are ; there is who does. 2. Who are they in question 1 above? 3. looks down from on the of to see if there are any who, any who. 4. has, they have together become ; there is who does,. 5. Will the evildoers never learn? Provide reasons for your answer.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 10 6. Who are the evildoers in view in verse 4? 7. There they were, with, where there was to. 8. Have you ever been overwhelmed with anxiety when there was nothing about which to be anxious? Give examples. 9. scattered the of those who you; you put them to, for God them. 10. Whom does God despise today? 11. Oh, that for would come out of! When the of his, let and be.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 11 12. Provide a topical outline of Psalm 53. 13. Compare Psalm 14 and Psalm 53. How did both of these psalms come to be included in the Psalter? 14. What conditions, actions, thinking, factors make a person a fool?_ 15. How does Romans 3:9-12, 23 relate to Psalms 14 and 53?