Reading: Psalm 53
For the director of music. According to mahalath. A maskil of David.
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 all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.
Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good, not even one.
Do all these evildoers know nothing?
They devour my people as though eating bread;
they never call on God.
But there they are, 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 his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad! (NIV).
Reflection
There is something very fresh and current about Psalm 53. Though David penned this psalm in about 1000 BC, he is describing today’s world. The fools of the world in the twenty-first century are still busy spouting their lies. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
Vermont countryside — photo by David kitz
The fool, using the logic of a fool, observes that there is no God. But it is God’s observations about mankind that strike me as being more accurate: They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good. God looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
When God is taken out of the picture, corruption runs rampant, and no set of laws or regulations will change that. The problem is not laws or regulations; the problem is the state of a person’s heart. Without the love and fear of God, restraint is cast off and everyone does what is right in their own eyes. See Judges 21:25.
You see the fool doesn’t stop at claiming there is no God. He takes matters to the next logical step. In the absence of God, he asserts that he is god. He is the master of his own domain and not accountable to anyone but himself. This quickly leads to moral rot of the worst kind, since the devious mind of man can self-justify even the most heinous crimes. On a personal level it’s a rot that we must all guard against. None of us can claim moral perfection. When we do, we turn God into a liar.
Response: LORD God of heaven and earth. I bow my knees before you. Grant me a pure heart so that I can see you at work all around me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Your Turn: Do believers deny the existence of God when they wilfully engage in corrupt behavior?
I love the Psalms 
Lord God in heaven. Please help me to not be a fool. Help me to see you more clearly today, Amen.
Yes, Lord.
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
Do Believers deny the existence… of course not. But you wouldn’t believe how many times I hear Christians repeat the mantra that they sin (even knowing they should not) but it’s fine with them as they need only repent to be forgiven. I find that a cop out. What kind of deterant is that?
But I also have to point out, there are some very good people in the world that do not believe in any gods. Buddhists come to mind. Very low incidents of crime and violence as compared to their counterparts.
True repentance means not returning to the same sin. It means a complete change of heart and conduct. That’s not easy. It’s a work of the Holy Spirit in the believer. You are right some Christians use false repentance as a cop out. But we shouldn’t use that as an excuse to not take responsibility for our actions and change.
Exactly but this is not limited to just Christians, everyone needs to take responsibility for their actions and change. Even in the acceptance of other people.
I enjoy many of the philosophies of Buddhism because it really is a look at within ourselves, basically a study of the mind. I’m always looking at what makes me “tick” and I work at improving those areas of my life.
Yep. This is exactly how atheism works. Thanks.
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