For the leader. By David:
Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They deal corruptly, their deeds are vile, not one does what is right.
From heaven YHVH observes humankind to see if anyone has understanding, if anyone seeks God. But all turn aside, all alike are corrupt; no one does what is right, not a single one. Don’t they ever learn, all those evildoers, who eat up my people as if eating bread and never call on YHVH? There they are, utterly terrified; for God is with those who are righteous. You may mock the plans of the poor, but their refuge is YHVH.
How I wish Isra’el’s salvation would come out of Tziyon! When YHVH restores his people’s fortunes, Ya‘akov will rejoice, Isra’el will be glad!
Atheists, right? You can’t live with them, and you can’t live with them. They are obviously the overt enemies of God:
And so on. That addresses those people “out there” but what about those within your own little world? You know, those people that reject your over-aggressive attempt at handing them a flyer that explains how you’re right and they're wrong. Or the ones that avoid you like the plague because it’s no longer fun being the stupid person in the relationship. Or the family member that has listened to your words and then watched your life and can’t seem to resolve the two.
Yep, those people.
But what if that’s not who's being addressed here?
We start this psalm assuming it’s a cause and effect statement:
Cause: Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”
Effect: They deal corruptly, their deeds are vile, not one does what is right.
With this reading, we see that if they subscribe to the cause, the effect is what we expect to see. And sure enough, if we read through the list of people above, we backfill all of the evidence necessary to validate our position. And of course, we are then justified. A little more righteous in our minds also, right?
But what if it isn’t cause and effect? What if it’s a hypothesis and subsequent evidence, instead?
(note: A hypothesis is a specific, testable statement that proposes an explanation or predicts an outcome, based on assumptions or prior observations.)
Hypothesis: Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”
Evidence: They deal corruptly, their deeds are vile, not one does what is right.
If the evidence is found to be true, that validates the hypothesis. See how it works now? Ok, so let’s put on our white lab coats, grab some beakers, and set up in front of the telescope to test this.
Ah yes, corruption. Politicians and CEOs have given us a great real-world example of what this means. But extreme examples are rarely useful examples. There are far more people in the world that say there is no God so we need to get a more clear picture of what’s being communicated:
H7843 שָׁחַת shachath (shaw-chath') v.
This word is used to describe the people just before the flood, Sodom and Gamorrah, and the spirit (Destroyer) that passed over the threshold of those that did not apply the blood on their doorposts in Egypt.
These make sense. They even validate our list we outlined above.
But there is another usage that gets a little more personal: the Children of Israel with the Golden Calf.
“Yeah, but they are just as evil, right?”
Maybe. But let’s consider the situation and motivation surrounding that event.
While Moses was on Mount Sinai for a long time receiving the Torah from God, the people grew anxious and fearful, thinking Moses might not return. Wanting something tangible to connect them to the divine, they pressured Aaron to make them a visible representation. Aaron fashioned a golden calf, and the people declared it as the god who brought them out of Egypt. They held a festival with sacrifices and celebration.
From this viewpoint, the people weren't necessarily trying to abandon God -- they may have been trying (in a misguided way) to honor Him through something visible, like they were used to in Egypt. However, because God had strictly forbidden the making of idols and images, this act was still seen as a serious violation, even if their intentions were confused rather than purely rebellious.
These people believed in God. They saw Him work in amazingly crazy ways. But due to their impatience and personal life-experience, they chose to be proactive in their worship. They used the ways they’ve known since childhood to try and bring honor to God. Even though they were audibly told in Exodus 20 not to worship idols, they did it anyway.
Even though God Himself said it was idol worship, the people didn’t view it that way. Their definition superseded God’s. And they hoped to be judged based on their intentions, not their actions. But that wasn’t how it played out.
Summary of Evidence Point #1: Believers that choose to redefine God’s ways in order to fit in their preconceived notions are called “corrupt”. If left unchecked, this could lead to idol worship which means you are saying in your heart: “There is no God.”
Clearly, this isn’t us. Our deeds are right and true. Full of life and light, eagerly seeking any opportunity to illuminate the paths of those that are lost in the darkness. At least these are our intentions.
As usual, let’s see what’s written here.
Deeds: H5949 עֲלִילָה `aliylah (al-ee-law') n-f.
Root: Work: To perform a work. To work over another as a mocking or abuse. The yoke lifted up onto the shoulder of the oxen to perform work.
An exploit. When Abba does it, He’s exercising wisdom. When man does it, he’s exercising abuse.
What does this look like practically?
Simple, forcing your ways onto the lives of others. Could be through judgment, or it could be through shame. You try bringing the no-nonsense heavy hand of man as a rod of correction, telling others they are wrong (implying you are right). This can get birthed in a denominational commitment that exceeds your commitment to God Himself. (Of course, no one in their right mind would acknowledge this about themselves but it seems we all know someone from another denomination that behaves this way. This is clearly who we are talking about.)
People need the cold hard facts. And since we know most people are motivated by fear, we use it to try and sway them into the Kingdom. The fear of death over the promise of life -- this is what we think people want to hear. Why? Because our own lives lack the light needed to shine forth.
Summary of Evidence Point #2: People that choose to lay the burden of their ways on the shoulders of others sound a lot like the Pharisees Yeshua contended with. While the Gospels don't explicitly state that Yeshua declares the Pharisees do not believe in God in a direct statement, He does criticize them for hypocrisy, prioritizing outward observance over inner righteousness and neglecting justice and love of God. He warns them that they are like whitewashed tombs, outwardly beautiful but inwardly filled with filth. He also condemns them for shutting the kingdom of heaven in people's faces and not allowing others to enter.
Thinking we have the authority to allow, restrict, condemn, or shame would-be believers essentially says we are equals with God. Left unchecked, you will end up saying in your heart: “There is no God.”
Right, not as in righteous, but as in good:
H2896 טוֹב towb (toɓe) adj.
When Abba saw what He had made in Genesis 1, He said it was good. Meaning it functioned properly. That includes man. In fact, He said of the man that it was very good.
Very: H3966 מְאֹד m'od (meh-ode') adj.
Vehemently good! This is man -- in his initial state. This is you -- in your restored state.
Of course, who we are and who we really are can oftentimes be lightyears apart. Most people have no idea who they really are. They have taken the words of parents, peers, enemies, friends, spouses, etc, and woven a version of themselves that fits the narrative spoken by man. It’s not often that we take the time to listen to what Abba says about us, and so our identity flutters about trying to find a place to land. What was created as vehemently good gets distilled down into “just ok”.
As such, what we do gets influenced by this “ok” us. Since we aren’t sure who we are, we allow selfishness to run in front of what we do. And of course, selfishness heavily influences actions in a way that is less than beneficial to others. Of course, if someone is positively impacted by a move we make on our own behalf, then all the better. It may even trick us into believing we are kind and giving. But Yeshua gives us a gut-check:
Matthew 6:19 “Do not store up for yourselves wealth here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and burglars break in and steal. 20 Instead, store up for yourselves wealth in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and burglars do not break in or steal. 21 For where your wealth is, there your heart will be also. 22 ‘The eye is the lamp of the body.’ So if you have a ‘good eye’ [that is, if you are generous] your whole body will be full of light; 23 but if you have an ‘evil eye’ [if you are stingy] your whole body will be full of darkness. If, then, the light in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 No one can be slave to two masters; for he will either hate the first and love the second, or scorn the second and be loyal to the first. You can’t be a slave to both God and money.
Generosity is good, stinginess is bad. And this does not strictly apply to money and resources. It could be kindness, forgiveness, mercy, gratitude, thankfulness, or any other godly attribute with which you should be generous.
And if none of this is true for you, you’ve at least seen this in others, right?
Summary of Evidence Point #3: Our selfishness prevents us from being generous. And if we aren’t generous, we will grow the darkness within ourselves. Choosing to side with darkness means you are saying in your heart, “There is no God.”
So you’ve made it through these 3 points unscathed? No chance you:
Congratulations!
But David speaks opposite to your self-prescribed righteousness:
From heaven YHVH observes humankind to see if anyone has understanding, if anyone seeks God. But all turn aside, all alike are corrupt; no one does what is right, not a single one. Don’t they ever learn, all those evildoers, who eat up my people as if eating bread and never call on YHVH? There they are, utterly terrified; for God is with those who are righteous. You may mock the plans of the poor, but their refuge is YHVH.
And Paul reiterates this point by quoting this exact psalm in Romans:
Romans 3:9 So are we Jews better off? Not entirely; for I have already made the charge that all people, Jews and Gentiles alike, are controlled by sin. 10 As the Tanakh puts it,
“There is no one righteous, not even one!
No one understands,
11 no one seeks God,
12 all have turned away
and at the same time become useless;
there is no one who shows kindness, not a single one!”
Want to communicate to others that there is a God? Want to truly help them?
Matthew 7:7 “Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. 2 For the way you judge others is how you will be judged — the measure with which you measure out will be used to measure to you. 3 Why do you see the splinter in your brother’s eye but not notice the log in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ when you have the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite! First, take the log out of your own eye; then you will see clearly, so that you can remove the splinter from your brother’s eye!”
Your issues are likely far bigger than those you are judging. I mean, that’s why you feel so good judging -- it puts your own issues to the side.
Instead, be generous. Be generous in compassion. Be generous in love. Be generous in humility.
This is the only way we can see clearly to help others.
How I wish Isra’el’s salvation would come out of Tziyon! When YHVH restores his people’s fortunes, Ya‘akov will rejoice, Isra’el will be glad!