How Great Is Our God
How Great Is Our God by Joe Rowland
Psalms 14:1-14:7
How Great Is Our God
Psalm 14: 1-7
1.The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
2.The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
3.They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
4.Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.
5.There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.
6.Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.
7.Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
This morning, I’ve entitled this “How Great Is Our God”.
There have been many great men that have been in this world.
These men might have had a lot of knowledge.
They invented the wheel, the telephone, cars, computers, etc.
They have invented things that we, as a civilization, think we need.
Let me tell you a little secret this morning.
In the beginning of creation was the Word.
This Word became Flesh and this Flesh died for our sins.
This Word was in the beginning with God.
According to John 1:3, all things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made. In the beginning, according to Genesis 1:1, God created the Heaven and the Earth.
God took nothing and He made something out of it.
According to John 1:3, all things were made by Him, and without Him there was nothing made.
The One who made everything there was to make came down to where I am, and walked on the same ground that I am on.
When I think about God taking nothing and making it into something, I think about my life.
He took a drunk who was on his way to Hell and set me free from the bondage I was in.
He turned my life around.
How Great Is Our God this morning?
Who invented the light bulb? Thomas Edison
Who spoke light into existence? God
Through whom? Jesus
Man might not have made the well, but without the water the well would be dry.
Who made the water?
How Great Is Our God?
Psalm 14:1 says “the fool says in his heart there is no God”.
Madelyn Murray O’Hair said in her heart there was no God.
She came against prayer in the public schools.
She said there is no God.
Now that she is dead and gone, I promise you she says there is a God.
How can this world we live in say there is no God?
Go outside at night and look at the stars.
Look at the moon, how did they get there?
Some people believe in the “Big Bang” theory. I believe in the “Big God” theory.
Psalm 14:2 says:
2. The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
Do we understand and seek God?
The Bible tells me when I seek God, I will find Him.
According to Hosea, “my people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge”.
Hosea 4:6
6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
Psalm 14:4
4. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.
I want you to look at Psalm 14:5 closely.
5. There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.
God is in the generation of the righteous.
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
I’ve entitled this today: “How Great Is Our God”
Dream- I dreamed I knew Jesus was there.
I dreamed Jerry, Becky, Susan, and I were in our yard. We must have been coming out of our house. I remember specifically going down the steps. We were in the yard praising God. The Spirit of the Lord was falling. I started to take off running. I stopped, and started to rock back and forth. We were singing, “How Great is Our God”. I put my hands in the air, praising God. The Holy Spirit came upon me in a big way.
Play song: “How Great Is Our God”
How Great Is Our God this morning.
Is God looking down from Heaven to see if anyone does understand and seek God?
Are we, as Christians, being destroyed for a lack of knowledge?
When we have a lack of knowledge, it affects out children.
“How Great Is Our God”
Are you acting like He is Great?
Do you doubt and not trust God?
Church, we have one of two destinations.
Galatians 6:7-87.
7. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
Look at verse 9:
9. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Paul is sowing in the Spirit.
In God’s time, what He has spoken will happen.
Don’t lose heart.
Closing:
How Great Is Your God?
Do you have a need this morning?
Sow into the Kingdom, seek Him, and live right.
The Fool by Darren Rogers
Psalms 14:1-14:1
The Fool – 1st April 2007 am
Psalm 14:1
Today is national Atheist day – April 1st – Why is somebody classed as a fool?
Is it because he has a low I.Q? Is he a fool because he has failed his GCSE’s? Is it because his thinking and speech are slow? Is it because he cannot relate to or work with people or that he has a poor self-esteem or self-image?
The Oxford English dictionary describes a fool as, “a person lacking in judgement, prudence, or common sense, a jester, silly, a harmlessly deranged person lacking in common powers of understanding, a cold dessert of fruit puree mixed with whipped cream.”
Fool is mentioned 145 times in the Bible, and in the Hebrew language, there are 3 basic words for “fool”: Kesyl, the dull, stupid fool; ewiyl, the unreasonable and perverted fool; and nabal -
This Hebrew word for fool is what I would like to spend some time looking at this morning. It is found 5 times in Psalms and nabal means – stupid, wicked, vile person. This word denotes moral perversity rather than a weakness of intellect.
This is the first mention of a fool (nabal) in the Psalms.
Have you heard this word before – I’ll give you a clue, it was someone’s name. It was the name of Abigail’s foolish husband who attempted to confront David’s army (1 Sam 25:25). Abigail fell at David’s feet and said Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send. (1 Sam 25:25).
What are the characteristics of a fool?
I. A Fool Will Say There is no God – Psalm 14:1
People who say “There is no God” are not necessarily lacking normal intelligence; in fact they may have very good minds. However, they lack spiritual wisdom and insight.
The nabal fool has a moral problem in the heart, not a mental problem in the head. The American evangelist Billy Sunday used to say that sinners can’t find God for the same reason criminals can’t find policemen – they aren’t looking.
A woman’s husband had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months, yet she had stayed by his bedside every single day. One day, when he came to, he motioned for her to come nearer.
As she sat by him, he whispered, eyes full of tears, “You know what? You have been with me all through the bad times. When I got fired, you were there to support me. When my business failed, you were there. When I got shot, you were by my side. When we lost the house, you stayed right here. When my health started failing, you were still by my side... You know what?”
“What dear?” she gently asked, smiling as her heart began to fill with warmth.
I think you’re bad luck, get away from me.
That is the fool’s attitude toward God. Man is a fool because he thinks he has no need for God. However, when things go wrong, God is blamed!
To say that God does not exist is what we call an absolute statement. For that statement to be true, you would need absolute knowledge. Let’s put it this way.
If I was to make an absolute statement that there was no gold in China I would have to have absolute knowledge. I would need to have information that there is no gold in any rock, river, ground, shop, ring, or mouth in China. If there is one speck of gold, then my statement is false.
To say categorically there is no God you would need all knowledge that He does not exist. As no human has this knowledge all you can say is that based on your limited knowledge you believe there to be no God.
Therefore the professing atheist is in truth what we call an agnostic. One who claims he doesn’t know if God exists.. The Latin equivalent of that Greek word is “ignoramus” which seems appropriate.
Nabal fools are self-righteous and don’t want or need God. They want to live their lives the way they please. Their problem is wilful ignorance and not lack of normal intelligence. 2 Peter 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
Willingly are ignorant = dumb on purpose.
Man can get by, advance along and make progress. His knowledge is the very thing that marks his descent into hell. In all the advances man has made, he cannot advance the length of his life or the morality of the soul. Man is attracted to power, pleasure, fame, and comfort. Humans have drive, motivation and an incentive to seek fortune and fame, but never to seek God.
II. A Fool Will Take Sin Lightly – Psalm 39:8
Often times when you tell someone that you are a Christian – they laugh. Some see it as a weakness and that you are clutching at straws.
Unfortunately, this is usually because people have the wrong concept about sin. They don’t realise that they have done anything wrong. “I’m not hurting anyone.. I’m as good as the next person.”
Sin is taken lightly and the consequences are not realised.
There was once a lamb and its mother. The lamb passed a pig pen each morning on the way to pasture with its mother. Watching the pigs wallow in the mud seemed like fun to the lamb and on an especially hot day the lamb asked his mother if he could jump the fence and wallow in the cool mud. She replied, “No.” Then the lamb asked the question, “Why?” The mother just said, “SHEEP DO NOT WALLOW.”
This did not satisfy the lamb. He felt she had put him down and exercised force she should not have, etc. So, as soon as the mother was out of sight, the lamb ran to the pig pen and jumped the fence. He was soon feeling the cool mud on his feet, his legs, and soon his stomach.
After a few moments he decided he had better go back to his mother, but he couldn’t. He was stuck! Mud and wool do not mix. His pleasure had become his prison. He cried out and was rescued by the kindly farmer. When cleaned and returned to the fold, the mother said, “Remember, sheep do not wallow.”
Sin is deceitful Hebrews 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Sin’s progression is one of its characteristics it seeks to conceal.
The “blessed man” of Psalm 1 (1) walketh not, (2) standeth not, and (3) sitteth not. Observe the progression. That Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom, and did not immediately move there, is illustrative of the progressiveness of sin.
Eve (1) heard the devil’s lie, (2) believed the lie, and (3) obeyed it. Sin is progressive. The prodigal son gradually went to the far country, which illustrates sin’s progression.
Peter (1) first deserted the Lord, (2) later fraternized with the enemy, (3) then, denied the Lord, (4) afterwards committed perjury, and (5) finally, he cursed and blasphemed. Sin was progressive in his case.
Be not deceived, for sin is still progressive. Social drinking can easily lead to alcoholism.
Missing the mid-week service can lead to missing the Sunday night service, then Sunday school, then the Sunday morning worship service-yea.
Envy can grow into hatred, and hatred can grow into murder. Be not deceived. Sin is deceptive. It grows. It is progressive. Therefore, resist every temptation, choosing the way of escape always provided 1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Abstain from every appearance of evil 1Th 5:22
Nip sin in the bud! Otherwise, it will grow! "Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of Me; and that cover with a covering, but not of My Spirit that they may add sin to sin" Isaiah 30:1
The fool takes sin lightly. Just because we as Christians are saved by grace and that our sins are forgiven – this does not mean that we can have the same light hearted view of sin. To do so would be foolish.
God took sin serious enough to send His Son to pay for it.. DON’T TAKE SIN LIGHTLY.
III. A Fool Will Blaspheme God’s Holy Name – Psalm 74:18 & 22
John Gill (commentator) says - the "foolish people" are not such as want common sense, or are idiots; the blasphemers of God and Christ, and the blessed Spirit, are generally the wise and prudent of this world, from whom the things of the Gospel are hidden; but wicked and profane men: scoffers at religion, and blasphemers of Christ, his truths and ordinances, are commonly such who walk after their own ungodly lusts, who, though wise to do evil, are foolish in matters of religion.
Why is it that our society wants God out of the picture? Why is it so easy for people to use His holy name to swear? What frightens me is one day these people will have their way – this society will not be better!!!!
You see when people read God’s word they see their need for a Saviour. Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. The world scoffs and says – we can do it on our own. But you see the moral standards drop.
A news documentary on TV claimed that 91 percent of the United States’ students in colleges, universities and graduate schools cheat on exams and tests in order to graduate.
This is what happens when God is rejected and atheism is accepted. Atheism will bring down a civilization. Civilization is based on mutual trust.
Cheating is lying. It is stealing that which is not yours. What confidence would you have in your doctors when you realise that nine out of ten are not really qualified because they stole information they did not know in order to graduate?
How honest do you expect a solicitor’s bill to be when nine out of ten of them lied to get through college? If he cheated the college, how do you know he will not cheat you? How does society survive when you lose trust in 91 percent of college graduates?
The same is true of politicians and shop keepers. There are merely two schools of thought about change in society. One is that society will get better, and the other is it will get worse. No one believes society will remain stagnant. Every politician promises a better society until they find out they are part of the problem.
Shops will post one price at the shelf and charge a higher price at the till. Customers seldom catch it because the little bars flash across the computer too fast. When it is caught, there is a quick apology, the figure is changed and it is blamed on “computer error.” But the “computer error” is not corrected.
Do you remember when a man was as good as his word? A handshake over a deal was as dependable as a legal document. A man would rather die than lie or cheat. Neighbours, who did not go to church, prided themselves in their own integrity. Christian standards formed the basis of society even among those who did not profess to be Christians.
Someone once took the Lord’s name in vain in front of me and then said oops sorry reverend – I said, don’t apologise to me. It wasn’t my name you used. Psalm 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
Conclusion:
The greatest jeopardy in life is to bet against God’s existence. When man rejects God, he rejects his Biblical commands, moral values and he gambles on his own future, destiny and eternity.
A four year old was at the pediatrician for a check up. As the doctor looked down her ears with an otoscope, he asked, "Do you think I’ll find Big Bird in here?" The little girl stayed silent.
Next, the doctor took a tongue depressor and looked down her throat. He asked, "Do you think I’ll find the Cookie Monster down there?" Again, the little girl was silent.
Then the doctor put a stethoscope to her chest. As he listened to her heart beat, he asked, "Do you think I’ll hear Barney in there?" "Oh, no!" the little girl replied. "Jesus is in my heart. Barney’s on my underpants.
Psalms 14:1-14:7
THE FOOL (PSALMS 14)
A college student was in a philosophy class, where a class discussion about whether or not God exists was in progress. The professor had the following logic: “Has anyone in this class heard God?” Nobody spoke.
“Has anyone in this class touched God?” Again, nobody spoke.
“Has anyone in this class seen God?” When nobody spoke for the third time, he simply stated, “Then there is no God.”
A student did not like the sound of this at all, and asked for permission to speak. The professor granted it, and the student stood up and asked the following questions of his classmates: “Has anyone in this class heard our professor’s brain?” Silence.
“Has anyone in this class touched our professor’s brain?” Absolute silence.
“Has anyone in this class seen our professor’s brain?” When nobody in the class dared to speak, the student concluded, “Then, according to our professor’s logic, it must be true that our professor has no brain!”
What makes a man a fool, according to the psalms? Is he a fool because his I.Q. and grades are low? Is it because his thinking and speech are slow? Is it because he cannot relate to or work with people or that he has a poor self-esteem or self-image?
People are Liable for Their Foolish Conclusion
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. (Ps 14:1)
A woman’s husband had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months, yet she had stayed by his bedside every single day. One day, when he came to, he motioned for her to come nearer.
As she sat by him, he whispered, eyes full of tears, “You know what? You have been with me all through the bad times. When I got fired, you were there to support me. When my business failed, you were there. When I got shot, you were by my side. When we lost the house, you stayed right here. When my health started failing, you were still by my side... You know what?”
“What dear?” she gently asked, smiling as her heart began to fill with warmth.
“I think you’re bad luck, get the heck away from me.”
Man is a fool because he thinks he has no need for his Creator, Caregiver, Counselor and Contributor. The fool, or simply “nabal” in Hebrew without the article (“the”), leaves his mark 18 times in the Hebrew text of the Bible, five times in Psalms, more than any other book, and this is the first mention of a fool in the Psalms. As one suspects, it is also the name of Abigail’s foolish and feeble husband who attempted to confront David’s army (1 Sam 25:25). Abigail fell at David’s feet and said: “May my lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name-his name is Fool, and folly goes with him” (1 Sam 25:23-25). In the book of Psalms, the major mark of a foolish man is that he denies God’s existence (Ps 14:1, 53:1), reviles or provokes his name, (Ps 74:18) and mocks God – meaning rebuke and shame Him - all day long (Ps 74:22).
The Bible is not surprised or alarmed by the surplus of atheists. It anticipates a world of atheists, people who dispute, deny and doubt God’s existence, those who think the world happens by itself, by chance or by evolution. The fool is one who thinks the world of his ruling, discovery and theory and the worst about His revelation, design and truth. Why is he a fool? Because man, who is so inadequate in knowledge, limited in understanding and shallow in thought has the audacity and the most to say about the things they know least about. How can mortal, finite, lowly and insignificant created human beings understand God, who is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent? But the fool, who is fragile in body and proud at heart, rejects revelation, God’s teachings and biblical wisdom.
The Bible is quick to praise man and reward man but is also quick to point to his folly. Whenever Psalms speaks of man’s vulnerability, the psalmist calls him not the regular “man” or “ish” in Hebrew, but “Adam” (v 2), to remind him who he is, where his place is and where he came from – the “dust” of the ground (Gen 2:7). Yes, man is powerful and peerless but he is a mere mortal. Adam is but a breath (Ps 39:5), a vanity or emptiness (Ps 39:11), and alike the beasts that perish (Ps 49:12, 20). Ps 144:4 says that “Adam” is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.
Theologically, the heart of “Adam” is evil from childhood (Gen 8:21). Job says “Adam” (man) is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward (Job 5:7) and that man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble (Job 14:1). The LORD knows the thoughts of Adam and He knows that they are futile (Ps 94:11). They are liars (Ps 116:11), senseless and without knowledge (Jer 10:14).
The word “looked down” (v 2) can also be translated as “looked forth” or “looked out” but why is it “looked down” instead of the other more neutral translation? It is because the word when it is associated with God, it always come with the word “from heaven” or his “sanctuary oh high” (Ps 14:2, Ps 53:2, Ps 102:19, Lam 3:50).
People are Liable for Their Flawed Condition
2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. 3 All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. (Ps 14:2-3)
In the book, The Day America Told the Truth, James Patterson and Peter Kim asked 2,000 participants their response to this question: “What are you willing to do for $10 million?” The answers:
3 % would put their children up for abortion.
4 % would have a sex-change operation.
6 % would changer their race.
7 % would kill a stranger.
10 % would withhold testimony and let a murderer go free.
16 % would leave their spouses.
16 % would give up their American citizenship.
23 % would become prostitutes for a week or more.
25 % would abandon their church.
25 % would abandon their entire family.
(James Patterson/Peter Kim The Day America Told the Truth 66 NY/Prentice Hall Press/91)
The word “corrupt” in verse 3 occurs three times in the Old Testament, twice in the Psalms and once in Job, and it is translated as “corrupt” in NIV and “filthy” in KJV. The Chinese translation of “dirty” reflects man’s filth. Corrupt makes one think of corrupt politicians and their money, filthy has to do with morality. Corrupt has to do with man’s conduct, business and dealings, but filth has to do with man’s core, his nature and character. The theological term for the descent of man is “the total depravity of man.”
Sin completely touched and enveloped every aspect of his life – his attitude, belief – knowledge, facts and analysis. Man is totally depraved, indifferent and hostile to God. He is bad, blind, beastly and barbaric to one another. He has descended on a slippery slope he has no way of getting out or climbing up. The much-derided and -maligned Wikipedia says total depravity is “The doctrine of total inability teaches that people are by nature not inclined to love God with their whole heart, mind, or strength, as he requires, but rather all are inclined to serve their own interests over those of their neighbor and to reject the rule of God. Even religion and philanthropy are destructive to the extent that these originate from a human imagination, passions, and will. Total depravity does not mean, however, that people are as bad as possible. Rather, it means that even the good which a person may intend is faulty in its premise, false in its motive, and weak in its implementation; and there is no mere refinement of natural capacities that can correct this condition.”
Dismissing and denying God’s existence is no major surprise to the Creator. A world that wants to shut God out of the picture and exclude His mention from the modern world is not news to Him. He expected it due the fallout, but man did not. A new universe free of moral values does not shock Him. In the name of progress and diversity, the politically correct politicians, media and ACLUs of the world want nothing more than to remove the Ten Commandments, Christmas and any vestiges of Christianity or the mention of God from the nation, the city and schools. Man has nothing more urgent to do than to shut God out and to free himself. The world wanted God to butt out of their lives long before they said it. They don’t want morality, guilt or absolutes; all they want is a humanistic, neutral and liberated society.
A society free of God is not a better world; it is an ugly society. The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death.” There are merely two schools of thought about change in society. One is that society will get better, and the other is it will get worse. No one believes society will remain stagnant. Every politician promises a better society until they find out they are part of the problem.
Man can get by, advances along and makes progress, but his knowledge is the very thing that marks his descent into hell. In all the advances man has made, he cannot advance the longevity of his life or the morality of the soul. Man is attracted to power, pleasure, fame and comfort. Humans have drive, motivation and impetus and even incentive to seek fortune and fame, but never to seek God. Unlike corrupt files, sadly there is no fix, troubleshooting, recovery, repair or reconfiguration for corrupt or filthy man.
People are Liable for Their Future Choice
4 Will evildoers never learn--those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on the LORD? 5 There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous. 6 You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge. 7 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! (Ps 14:4-7)
A four year old was at the pediatrician for a check up. As the doctor looked down her ears with an otoscope, he asked, “Do you think I’ll find Big Bird in here?” The little girl stayed silent.
Next, the doctor took a tongue depressor and looked down her throat. He asked, “Do you think I’ll find the Cookie Monster down there?” Again, the little girl was silent.
Then the doctor put a stethoscope to her chest. As he listened to her heart beat, he asked, “Do you think I’ll hear Barney in there?” “Oh, no!” the little girl replied. “Jesus is in my heart. Barney’s on my underpants.”
But all is not lost for foolish man. Man still has a chance to make a choice, to make a U-turn, to stand with God and be on His side. Where do troubles come from? It has always to do with the presence of evildoers (vv 4, 6), troublemakers and lawbreakers. God is not our enemy; evil is. God is our ally, refuge and help. One might say that the persecution of the righteous can be traced to wicked people. One need not look further than society and politicians today. They pass laws to exclude Christianity, calling Christian as hateful, the Bible as hate literature for its moral views and Christians speaking out against sin as hate crimes.
The word “righteous” (v 5) is so rich in the Psalms that no exposition can do justice to it. The righteous are consistently contrasted with the wicked in the Psalms. The righteous are people who trust in God (Ps 32:11, 64:10, 97:12) - who is the essence of righteousness (Ps 7:9, 11:7, 116:5, 119:137, 129:4), His commands (Ps 37:31) and His ways (Ps 145:17). They want nothing to do with evil people (Ps 1:5-6).
The righteous man have many troubles, mostly at the hands of the wicked, but the LORD delivers him from them (Ps 34:19, 37:39 ,55:22). The Lord blesses the righteous and surrounds them with favor as with a shield (Ps 5:12). He makes the righteous secure (Ps 7:9). The eyes of the Lord are on them (Ps 34:15). The LORD loves the righteous (Ps 146:8). The righteous are blessed, favored, secured, guarded and loved by God.
The righteous is everybody’s favorite punching bag. They are the most hated group in society (Ps 34:19). The wicked plot against the righteous (Ps 37:12), lie in wait for the righteous (Ps 37:32), lined up verbal attacks against them (Ps 31:18), band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death (Ps 94:21), because the righteous are not envious of the wealth of the wicked (Ps 37:16).
A righteous man is wise in mind and speech (Ps 37:30), and the righteous will have the last laugh (Ps 52:6). He will flourish like a palm tree (Ps 92:12) because there is a God who judges the earth (Ps 58:11).
Conclusion: The greatest jeopardy in life is to bet against God’s existence. When man rejects God, he rejects his biblical commands, moral values and he gambles on his own future, destiny and eternity. Man is merely cocky, never clever. A truly clever person can control his life, death and fate, so man is merely clever is his own eyes. The Bible exalts wisdom and understanding but not cleverness or smartness. Man is only smart and clever but he is not truly wise or understanding. He has abilities, talent, potential and vigor that help him get by for many years but he cannot conquer diseases, death and disasters.
Do you trust in vulnerable man or in Almighty God? Do you have godly belief and spiritual conviction? Are you jealous of evil or zealous in doing good?