Psalm 53 - Agony for the Atheist

INTRODUCTION:

Interest:

We are literally surrounded by atheists, men and women who reject the existence of God. Sure several of the atheists that live around us claim that they are agnostic—agnostic means that they are unsure whether or not God exists—but really that is nothing more than an intellectual dodge. Whether you come right out and say that God does not exist or whether you waffle and say I don’t know, in either case God has no bearing upon your life; you live without any acknowledgement of God in your life. For that matter, many people who claim that there is a God also are practical atheists. If you ask them whether or not God exists, they will tell you sure. But if you ask them how God’s existence influences their lives, they cannot point to a single thing. Except for the words they give in the answer to the question of whether or not God exists, they are indistinguishable from an out-and-out atheist.

So…we are surrounded by atheists. And if you watch the news at all, you have seen over the past few weeks where the flat-out rejection of God leads—to violence. In fact, we can expect that such violence will eventually be focused upon us, people who insist that God exists and that His existence must be the determining factor in our lives. That position is absolutely unacceptable to an atheist of any sort.

Involvement:

We are surrounded by atheists, but that is nothing new for the Christian. In fact, that is nothing new for the people of God at any point in time since the Garden of Eden. The only thing new is the term, atheist. The word that the Bible uses, as we will see this morning in our psalm is the word “fool.” Our psalm tells us right from the beginning that the fool is one who says in his heart that there is no God and that denial turns him into a fierce person, a fierce fool.

Context:

Our psalm this morning is a meditation on the fool. It is attributed in a general sense to David. In this section of the Psalter it seems as if several of the psalms were arranged to trace the course of David’s life. Last week the superscription for the psalm pointed to Doeg, who David ran into in 1 Sam 21 and 22. Next week the psalm points to the Ziphites who show up in 1 Sam 23, but most fully in 1 Sam 26. This week this focus on the fool reminds us of Nabel, whose name literally means “fool,” who David dealt with in 1 Sam 25.

Preview:

Let’s turn to our psalm for today. It is a fairly short psalm. We will read through it together and then begin to work our way through to see what God has for us to learn from His word this morning.

Transition from introduction to body:

<read Ps 53:1–6> Let’s consider what we can learn from these verses. In the first verse, we find that…

BODY:

I. Fierce fools deny God’s existence, v. 1

Just to be clear, in the Bible, a fool is not a person who lacks intelligence or is prone to making poor choices; a fool might be a highly intelligent, and even educated, person. A biblical fool is a very specific type of person—a person who denies the existence of God; he says in his heart, even if he does not say the same with his lips, “There is no God.”

This inner conviction of the fool will not be held in a neutral manner. The fool will aggressively flout his independence from God. He will intentionally reject God’s commandments as having authority over his life. A fool is aggressively ungodly. He may give the outward appearance of a nice person but suggest that he should submit to God’s authority and you will quickly find an aggressive, stubborn, rejection coming to the surface. This happens because he has determined that there isn’t really a God for him to concern himself over.

Transition:

Now it is important to understand the term, because…as I have already said…we find ourselves surrounded by biblical fools. But what is even more significant is two specific effects that the denial of God’s existence has upon the fool. Verse 1’s main idea is that we are surrounded by fools who deny God’s existence, but there are two ramifications of that idea called out in the verse. First,…

A. The fool’s denial corrupts his thinking

“They are corrupt.” The fool is led astray by his assumption that there is no limit to his own personal power and control because there is no God. That kind of thinking corrupts the rest of his thinking on everything else. It is impossible to ignore God and not encounter this effect. A life that is self-centered, which is what every life without God is, will be a life that has corrupt thinking.

Now this word, “corrupt, is a very nasty word. One of the clearest uses of this word is in Gen 6:11 and 12. Those verses read, “Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.” It is stated very bluntly that in God’s sight, those who deny Him are not good…they are corrupt.

Illustration

Do you find yourself listening to some people and being unable to even follow their thoughts because they are so incoherent? I saw a clip this week of a white protestor trying to tell a white police man that she herself had to be racist by definition because she was white. She couldn’t avoid it. She also claimed that the police man equally had no choice but to be racist. The office tried to counter her point by telling her that he was married to a black woman but the protestor said that didn’t change anything. A black police officer was there as well and tried to tell her that what she was saying made no sense, but all that she kept repeating was that skin color automatically determined whether or not a person was racist. Finally the two police men walked away from her, but first the black officer told her that she needed to understand that the real issue that she needed to confront is that America has a sin problem that can only be cured by Jesus.

Transition:

A fool’s denial corrupts his…or her…thinking. Secondly,…

B. The fool’s denial corrupts his actions

Corrupt thinking necessarily leads to corruptible actions, called “abominable injustice” in verse 1. It is impossible for there to be any other results.

Now, you might be thinking, “Hold on a minute. People can deny God’s existence and still be decent people…in fact, some of my best neighbors are non-Christians.” What I want you to see is that God bluntly states in His word that those who deny Him cannot do anything good as far as He is concerned. Their nicest actions are not good because they are not done for His glory. In Isaiah 64:6 God even calls such actions filthy rags. The fool’s denial of God impacts his actions by making every action an abomination to the Lord.

Application

Folks, we are surrounded by fools…men and women who for all practical purposes deny the existence of God. It is impossible to truly accept the existence of the God of the Bible—the one true and living God—without also accepting His Son, Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. And that is something that the vast, vast majority of the people surrounding us have not done. In fact, I am quite sure that there are some biblical fools here today—some of you have rejected Jesus Christ to this point in your life—don’t think for a moment that doing so is not a rejection of God—you are a fool according to the Bible.

Illustration

Fortunately God restrains the corrupt actions of corrupt thinking in the world. Much of that restraint is done by God through things like our police. As we have seen lately, though, all that has to happen if for that restraint to be removed and the fool quickly becomes a fierce fool with corrupt actions that explode while cities burn.

Transition:

We are surrounded by fools who deny God’s existence. The fool’s denial corrupts his thinking and his actions. Moving on in verses 2 and 3 we find another important truth…

II. God observes those who deny His existence, vv. 2–3

The fool says, “There is no God.” But the first word in verse 2 is “God.” What a forceful way to contradict the claim the fool makes. “There is no God…. God looks down.”

In these verses the Creator-King—God—is pictured as looking down as witness and judge to observe the actions of mankind. The word used for “has looked down” pictures God leaning down from heaven to take a look.

Transition:

Again, I want us to notice two things about what God observes. First of all,…

A. God observes the fool’s rejection

God as the Creator King is looking over the men and women on the earth to see whether or not there any who “understand,” if there are any who “seek after” Him. The idea of this word “understand” is having both moral and religious good sense. It is essentially a synonym for a wise person—the biblical opposite of the fool. God is looking for people who think about things the way that He thinks about them.

Of course the only way that a person can do that is if he or she is seeking after God. In order to think the way God thinks a person has to investigate God’s thoughts on the matters of life; he has to inquire into God’s revelation; he has to be searching out God. This is the only way that a person can truly “understand” anything of moral or religious consequence in God’s creation.

As God carefully looks through mankind for people like this, He immediately observes the rejection of the fool. He sees each and every fool rejecting Him…denying His existence…rather than seeking Him.

Transition:

God observes the fools rejection. Secondly, though, verse 3 assures us that…

B. God observes the fool’s presence

God sees not just the fool’s actions; He sees the overwhelming presence of fools. As God looks, fools are all that He finds, “There is no one who does good, not even one.” As God is looking for those who seek Him, He finds none. Instead, all God observes are godless men and women who have turned aside and become corrupt. Everywhere God looks He finds fools.

Application

Friends, I want to make sure we see the magnitude of this truth this morning. God sees more fools that we see. We see the outwardly fierce fools. God can see those who are also inwardly fierce fools as well. There is not a single person who naturally seeks God. In fact, the Apostle Paul uses these two verses in Rom 3:10–12 to support the point that no one is righteous before God. All people…every single person descended from the seed of Adam…every member of the human race…is naturally a fool. We all naturally deny God’s very existence in our heart…and God sees this condition in each one of us as He looks down from heaven.

Of course, this is the very reason that God sent His Son. Jesus Christ revealed much of the glory of God, but He also provided a way that our corruption...our abomination…could be forgiven by a holy God. Jesus died to pay the penalty for our moral filth. And God lovingly draws us fools to Himself…He imparts new life to us when we accept the Gospel message of Jesus…He transforms us from fools to those who actually seek Him…He does this for His glory.

Transition:

We know that God is observing those who deny His existence. God observes the fools’ rejection and He observes the fool’s presence. Gloriously, because of God’s gracious work through His Son, some of us are no longer biblical fools as we have been transformed into God-seekers…which brings us to the main idea we learn in verses 4–5…

III. God will deliver His people from fools, vv. 4–5

The wording of verse 4 presents God as being astonished by what He sees: not only are the fools denying His existence, they are acting in extreme wickedness against His people. It is clear that the fools hate God’s people. It is amazing to God that fools can be that foolish! I like the way the NIV expresses the sentiment, “Do all these evildoers know nothing?”

Transition:

As we look at these verses, there are again a couple of key ideas that we can hold on to as we will find ourselves on the receiving end of fierce actions by those who deny God’s existence. First, we need to realize that…

A. God is moved by the fool’s attacks

It may be a bit surprising that God suddenly refers in verse 4 to “My people” right after we encountered the conclusion that there was not a single person who does good. Yet, because we know from the rest of Scripture that God has drawn people to Himself we can understand the reference…David himself was one of God’s people who many times found himself on the receiving end of hatred by those who denied God.

In fact, the picture that we have in verse 4 is that this hatred is so intense that these God-haters will devour God’s people as casually as they might eat bread. Bread was a major component of the daily sustenance, but the eating of it was not something that would typically be given much thought. It would be placed on the table and consumed. In a similar fashion those who hate God consume those who are identified with God without giving it much thought.

Yet why would this be the case? The answer throughout Scripture seems to be that the very presence of God’s people reminds the wicked people that (1) there is a God and (2) that their deeds are wicked. There is a stark contrast…or at least there sure should be…between God’s people and God-deniers. The simple presence of those who serve God with their lives will cast the bright light of God’s truth upon the deeds of the wicked.

Application

The question that you should ask yourself is whether there is a stark contrast between your life and the lives of all the God-deniers around you? If your life looks like theirs, you have a problem. Sure, living for God will bring the hatred of the world upon us; but, friends, essentially that is why we are here. We are here to manifest the grace of Christ—to shine His glorious Gospel light—into this dark world filled with biblical fools. That is our purpose! The fact that they are fierce fools does not change our duty.

Transition:

So, first, even though we are hated by fools because we remind them that their deeds are wicked, we need to remember that their attacks move God; God is moved by the fool’s attacks.

Second, we need to realize that …

B. God will destroy the fool

Now, I don’t expect you to realize it, but most of you have heard this general sermon before. I didn’t mention this earlier because I wanted you to listen to the sermon to this point rather than spend your time flipping back and forth in your Bibles doing a comparison, but with the exception of verse 5, Psalm 53 is virtually identical to Psalm 14 which I preached on almost 4 and a half years ago. So really, the general ideas have been the same to this point, but verse 5 is where the significance of this psalm shows itself; God will destroy the fool.

It appears that at some point in Israel’s history the nation experienced a great miraculous deliverance by God through a sudden panic descending on their enemy. There are a few possible times recorded in the Bible that would fit the bill, such as when the Arameans heard the sound of chariots and horses and fled in 2 Kings 7 or even more likely when the Angel of the Lord destroyed Sennacherib’s army in 2 Kings 19. At some point after such a deliverance, God inspired someone to pick up David’s psalm—psalm 14—and write this verse to emphasize that God will destroy the fierce fool. The fool is guaranteed that it will come in a completely unexpected manner, right when he thinks he has no reason to fear, and it will come as a great terror.

Application

This truth is intended to be a comfort for the godly. God will destroy the fool. At the same time, it should also serve as a warning to the fool. God knows you; you have not escaped His awareness and your fierce rejection of Him will move Him to destroy you with terrifying swiftness. The only way to avoid this terrifying future is to call on Jesus as your Savior while you can. That begins by agreeing with God about your natural foolish condition. If you would like to know how to do this, please contact me through my email so I can share with you how you can escape the end of all fools…and end that will come at a moment when you believe you are secure.

Illustration

I remember several years back when there was a motorcycle fatality from a man who hit a deer while riding. It was not surprising that striking a deer while on a motorcycle would result in a fatality. What was surprising is that it happened on Mound Road right by 14 Mile. We are talking in the very middle of a city here. I am sure that if the man was riding in the country with trees nearby, he might be looking out for possible deer crossing the road. But I doubt that was a consideration in his mind when he was riding down a major city street. And yet, in a flash he was struck and his life ended.

I am not saying that that man was a biblical fool; I know nothing about him and his view of God. What I am saying is that it is guaranteed that God will strike all fools down with that kind of unexpected swiftness.

Transition:

God will destroy the fool. God will deliver His people from fools. He is moved by the fool’s attacks and He will destroy the fool.

The response that such knowledge should generate in God’s people is pictured in verse 6,…

IV. Faith waits for God’s deliverance, v. 6

Waiting for God’s deliverance is what we find in this final verse. We hear longing for deliverance as we read a cry to God for salvation. David cried out to God to come forth from Jerusalem—Zion as it is called here—come forth and save His people.

Transition:

As we consider this final cry, we can see two elements of waiting for deliverance from fools. First of all,…

A. Faith waits for daily deliverance

As God’s people are oppressed by the fierce fools, they turn to God in prayer. David prays for the Lord…as we have it here in the NASB…to “restore His captive people”. I think this is a bit of a misleading translation as it makes it sound as if the people of Israel are experiencing captivity—that they are in exile. The phrase can be taken in a general sense as hoping for any change in circumstances. The idea can be expressed, as both the NIV and ESV do, as “restore the fortunes of God’s people.” David is asking for God to deliver him and the rest of the righteous people from the oppressing wickedness of the fools—he wants God to restore their fortunes again. And until that time he will wait without fear of the fierce fools around him.

Application

Folks, this is a model that we should follow in our lives. The oppression that we encounter at the hands of fools should drive us to prayer, not discouragement. We should look to God for daily deliverance.

Transition:

Faith waits for daily deliverance, and…

B. Faith waits for final deliverance

There is no way to think of God providing deliverance from Zion without thinking of the ultimate deliverance that will come when His Messiah—our Lord and Savior—is the One on the throne in Zion. When the ultimate King is seated on David’s throne, our deliverance will be complete. Any oppression that we endure now should cause us to eagerly look to God, longing for that final deliverance. The longing we hear in David’s prayer should be matched by our own prayers of longing for final deliverance.

When that final deliverance comes, there will be great joy. As David writes, “Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad.” And I trust that we will be right there with him, celebrating the victory of our Messiah over the world with great, triumphant joy and praise.

Application

Do you have that longing in your heart? If you are one of the faithful and not one of the fierce fools, I am sure that you do. Yes, we are surrounded by fierce fools. But that should only cause our longing for God’s deliverance to increase. Really, all these verses build to one big idea: Faith waits without fear in the face of fierce fools.

I couldn’t resist wording it as a bit of a tongue twister. Faith waits without fear in the face of fierce fools.

Transition from body to conclusion:.

Faith waits for God’s God for deliverance; it waits for daily deliverance and it waits for final deliverance.

CONCLUSION

Faith waits without fear in the face of fierce fools.

We are surrounded by fierce fools who deny God’s existence. The fool’s denial corrupts his thinking and his actions. (verse 1)

Yet we know that God observes those who deny His existence. God observes the fool’s rejection and He observes the fool’s presence. (verses 2–3)

Because God observes, we know that God will deliver His people from fools. He is moved by the fool’s attacks and He will destroy the fool. (verses 4–5)

That means that for those of us who are God’s people, we live by faith. Faith waits for God’s deliverance. Faith waits for daily deliverance and we wait for final deliverance. (verse 6)

Faith waits without fear in the face of fierce fools.