Psalms 14 Study Notes: The Folly of Denying God
David describes the fool who inwardly denies God and the corruption that has spread through all humanity, for the LORD looks and finds not one person who seeks Him or lives rightly. Evildoers who prey on God's people end in terror, and the psalm closes longing for Israel's rescue to go forth out of Zion.
General
True or False: Psalm 14 says the evildoers who prey on God's people will be struck with terror because God stands with the righteous, and that the LORD shelters the oppressed.
Answer: True
This is true. David describes evildoers who consume God's people as easily as eating a meal and who never call on the LORD (14:4). Yet they end up overwhelmed with dread, because God is present among the righteous, and though they thwart what the oppressed intend, the LORD shelters them (14:5-6). In this psalm the righteous are not people who are good by nature, since verse 3 has already said no one does good; they are the people who belong to God and take refuge in Him. Other psalms give the same comfort: the LORD protects the oppressed like a stronghold (Psalm 9:9), and God stays with His people as their fortress (Psalm 46:7). Proverbs adds that oppressing the poor insults their Maker (Proverbs 14:31).
- Psalm 14:4-6 (BSB)“Will the workers of iniquity never learn? They devour my people like bread; they refuse to call upon the LORD. There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is in the company of the righteous. You sinners frustrate the plans of the oppressed, yet the LORD is their shelter.”The evildoers who prey on God's people are overwhelmed with dread, because God is with the righteous.
- Psalm 9:9 (BSB)“The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed in times of trouble.
- Psalm 46:7 (BSB)“The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah”The LORD of Hosts is with His people as their fortress.
- Proverbs 14:31 (BSB)“Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.”Oppressing the poor is an insult to God, who made them.
Theological
True or False: In 14:4-6, the oppressors of God's people end in dread because God is present with the righteous, while the LORD shelters the afflicted.
Answer: True
This is true. The evildoers devour God's people and refuse to call on the LORD (14:4), yet they are seized with dread because God is present among the righteous, and the afflicted whose plans they frustrate find refuge in the LORD (14:5-6). Since 14:3 has excluded any natural righteousness, the righteous here are God's covenant people, those who take refuge in Him, not a class exempt from the universal verdict. Psalm 9:9 and Psalm 46:7 likewise present God as refuge and fortress for His people, and Proverbs 14:31 treats oppression of the poor as an affront to their Maker.
- Psalm 14:4-6 (BSB)“Will the workers of iniquity never learn? They devour my people like bread; they refuse to call upon the LORD. There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is in the company of the righteous. You sinners frustrate the plans of the oppressed, yet the LORD is their shelter.”The evildoers who prey on God's people are overwhelmed with dread, because God is with the righteous.
- Psalm 9:9 (BSB)“The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed in times of trouble.
- Psalm 46:7 (BSB)“The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah”The LORD of Hosts is with His people as their fortress.
- Proverbs 14:31 (BSB)“Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.”Oppressing the poor is an insult to God, who made them.
General
When the LORD searches humanity for anyone who understands or seeks Him (14:2-3), what does He find?
Answer: Everyone has turned aside and gone bad; not one does good
David pictures the LORD looking down from heaven over all people to see whether anyone understands or seeks God (14:2). The result is complete: every person has turned aside and gone bad, and not a single person does good (14:3). Paul quotes these verses in Romans 3:10-12 to prove that Jews and Gentiles stand equally guilty under sin's power (Romans 3:9) and that every person has sinned and lacks God's glory (Romans 3:23). This is what Reformed Christians call total depravity: not that people are as evil as they could be, but that sin has spread to every part of every person, so that no one seeks God on his own. Genesis says the same about humanity before the flood (Genesis 6:5). That is why salvation must come from God's grace and not from human seeking.
- Psalm 14:2-3 (BSB)“The LORD looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if any understand, if any seek God. All have turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.”The LORD looks over all people and finds that none understands, seeks Him, or does good.
- Romans 3:10-12 (BSB)“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.””Paul quotes this psalm to prove that no one is righteous or seeks God.
- Romans 3:9 (BSB)“What then? Are we any better? Not at all. For we have already made the charge that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin.”Paul states his conclusion that Jews and Greeks alike are under sin.
- Romans 3:23 (BSB)“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”Paul summarizes that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
- Genesis 6:5 (BSB)“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time.”Before the flood God saw that every inclination of the human heart was evil.
Theological
What verdict on humanity results from the LORD's search in 14:2-3, which Paul cites in Romans 3?
Answer: Everyone has turned aside and gone bad; not one does good
The LORD's survey of humankind in 14:2-3 ends in a universal negative: all have turned aside, together they are corrupt, and none does good. Paul makes these verses the core of his catena in Romans 3:10-12, concluding that Jew and Gentile together stand under sin's dominion (Romans 3:9) and that all fall short of God's glory (Romans 3:23). The text teaches total depravity: sin pervades every faculty, and no one by nature understands or seeks God. Genesis 6:5 gives the same diagnosis of the human heart before the flood. The psalm thus grounds the necessity of sovereign grace, since salvation cannot begin with a seeking that fallen people do not have.
- Psalm 14:2-3 (BSB)“The LORD looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if any understand, if any seek God. All have turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.”The LORD looks over all people and finds that none understands, seeks Him, or does good.
- Romans 3:10-12 (BSB)“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.””Paul quotes this psalm to prove that no one is righteous or seeks God.
- Romans 3:9 (BSB)“What then? Are we any better? Not at all. For we have already made the charge that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin.”Paul states his conclusion that Jews and Greeks alike are under sin.
- Romans 3:23 (BSB)“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”Paul summarizes that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
- Genesis 6:5 (BSB)“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time.”Before the flood God saw that every inclination of the human heart was evil.
General
With what longing does Psalm 14 close (14:7)?
Answer: That rescue for Israel would come forth out of Zion
After showing that no one does good, David does not look to human effort for the answer. He longs for salvation to come from Zion, the hill in Jerusalem where God was worshiped and was present among His people, and he pictures Jacob and Israel rejoicing when the LORD brings His captive people back (14:7). The answer to human corruption must come from God Himself. Psalm 126 celebrates just such a restoration, when God brought His people back and filled their mouths with laughter (Psalm 126:1-2). Isaiah voices the same hope that the Redeemer is coming to Zion (Isaiah 59:20), and Zechariah praised God for raising up salvation from David's family line at the coming of Jesus (Luke 1:68-69).
- Psalm 14:7 (BSB)“Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion! When the LORD restores His captive people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad!”David longs for salvation from Zion and joy when the LORD restores His people.
- Psalm 126:1-2 (BSB)“A song of ascents. When the LORD restored the captives of Zion, we were like dreamers. Then our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with shouts of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.””Another psalm celebrates the joy of God's people when the LORD restored them.
- Isaiah 59:20 (BSB)““The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the LORD.”God promises the Redeemer's coming to Zion for those in Jacob who repent.
- Luke 1:68-69 (BSB)““Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David,”Zechariah praises God for raising up salvation from David's family line.
Theological
What hope does 14:7 set against the universal corruption described earlier in the psalm?
Answer: That rescue for Israel would come forth out of Zion
The psalm moves from the universal indictment to a prayer that Israel's salvation would come out of Zion, the place of God's dwelling, and to anticipated joy at the LORD's bringing His captive people home (14:7). Deliverance must come from God, not from the corrupt humanity just described. Psalm 126:1-2 celebrates such a restoration, Isaiah 59:20 promises the Redeemer's coming to Zion, and Zechariah blesses God for raising up salvation in David's house in the coming of Christ (Luke 1:68-69).
- Psalm 14:7 (BSB)“Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion! When the LORD restores His captive people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad!”David longs for salvation from Zion and joy when the LORD restores His people.
- Psalm 126:1-2 (BSB)“A song of ascents. When the LORD restored the captives of Zion, we were like dreamers. Then our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with shouts of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.””Another psalm celebrates the joy of God's people when the LORD restored them.
- Isaiah 59:20 (BSB)““The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the LORD.”God promises the Redeemer's coming to Zion for those in Jacob who repent.
- Luke 1:68-69 (BSB)““Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David,”Zechariah praises God for raising up salvation from David's family line.
General
In 14:1, what goes along with the fool's inner claim that God does not exist?
Answer: Corrupt, vile conduct, with nobody at all doing good
In the Psalms a fool is not someone with low intelligence but someone who lives as though God did not matter. David says the fool makes his denial in his heart, and the rest of the verse shows what follows from it: people become corrupt, their deeds are vile, and none of them does good (14:1). Denying God is a moral choice before it is an idea, and it shows itself in how people live. Paul says people who knew God refused to honor Him and so became futile and foolish in their thinking (Romans 1:21-22). Psalm 10 describes the proud wicked man who leaves God out of all his plans (Psalm 10:4), and Proverbs says that knowledge begins with fearing the LORD, while fools despise wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). Psalm 53 repeats nearly the same words as this psalm.
- Psalm 14:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt; their acts are vile. There is no one who does good.”David describes the fool's denial of God and the corruption that accompanies it.
- Romans 1:21-22 (BSB)“For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools,”Paul shows that refusing to honor the God people know leads to darkened, foolish thinking.
- Psalm 10:4 (BSB)“In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his schemes there is no God.”The proud wicked man leaves God out of all his plans, the same practical denial.
- Proverbs 1:7 (BSB)“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”Knowledge begins with fearing the LORD, while fools despise wisdom.
Theological
What does 14:1 join to the fool's inward denial of God?
Answer: Corrupt, vile conduct, with nobody at all doing good
The fool of 14:1 is the practical atheist of Hebrew wisdom literature: the denial is spoken in the heart, and David immediately ties it to moral corruption, vile deeds, and the absence of anyone doing good. Unbelief is not neutral but a suppression of the knowledge of God that issues in corrupt conduct, as Paul argues in Romans 1:21-22, where refusing to glorify God produces futile thinking and folly. Psalm 10:4 traces the same pride that shuts God out of every scheme, and Proverbs 1:7 sets reverent fear of God as the starting point of knowledge over against the fool who despises wisdom. Psalm 53 closely parallels this psalm.
- Psalm 14:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt; their acts are vile. There is no one who does good.”David describes the fool's denial of God and the corruption that accompanies it.
- Romans 1:21-22 (BSB)“For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools,”Paul shows that refusing to honor the God people know leads to darkened, foolish thinking.
- Psalm 10:4 (BSB)“In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his schemes there is no God.”The proud wicked man leaves God out of all his plans, the same practical denial.
- Proverbs 1:7 (BSB)“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”Knowledge begins with fearing the LORD, while fools despise wisdom.