Upwards Church

Theme: Only the fool denies God.

 Psalm 14 is duplicated in Psalm 53 with two changes: Psalm 53 uses the name “God” (Elohim) instead of “Jehovah” and replaces 14:6 with an addition to verse 5. David contrasted “the workers of iniquity” in Israel with the godly remnant (“the generation of the righteous” vv. 4-5) that sought God and obeyed the terms of His covenant. During the reign of King Saul, the spiritual level of the nation was very low, and many Jews followed the bad example of Israel’s first king. But even in the worst of times, God has cared for His faithful remnant and has been their refuge in times of trouble. Note the characteristics of these who say, “there is no God”

They Ignore God (vv. 1-3)

Our English word “fool” comes from a Latin word that means “bellows,” suggesting that the fool is a person “full of hot air.” In the Hebrew language, there are three basic words for “fool”: kesyl, the dull, stupid fool; ewiyl, the unreasonable and perverted fool; and naba1, the brutish person who is like a stubborn animal. Nabal is the word used in 14:1, and it was the name of a man who was brutish and refused to help David (1 Sam. 25). People who say “There is no God” are not necessarily lacking normal intelligence; in fact, they may have 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 won’t find policemen—they aren’t looking!

Nabal fools are self-righteous and don’t need or want God. They want to live their own lives the way they please. Their problem is willful ignorance and not lack of normal intelligence (2 Peter 3:5; Rom. 1:18-28). But this decision causes sad consequences in both their character and their conduct. By leaving God out of their lives, they cause their inner person to become more and more corrupt—the heart (v. 1), the mind (vv. 2, 4), and the will (v. 3). The Hebrew word means “rotten, putrid, decayed.” It is used to describe Jeremiah’s useless sash (Jer. 13:7). When God looks down to investigate (Gen. 6:5,11-12; 11:15; 18:21), He sees people who are filthy (v. 3), a word that describes milk that has become rancid. “Gone aside” means they have turned their backs on God (Jer. 2:21) and refuse to fulfill the purpose for which they were created—to glorify God.

This indictment is universal: all people, individually or all together, cannot do anything at all that is good enough to merit heaven—no one, no, not one. Paul quotes from this passage in Romans 3 as part of his proof that the whole world is guilty before God and can be saved only by the grace of God as revealed in Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:9-26). Human depravity doesn’t mean that all persons are as wicked as they can be, or that all are equally bad, or that no man or woman can ever do anything good (Luke 11:13). It simply means that all have a fallen nature they cannot change, and that apart from the grace of God, none can be saved from eternal judgment.

They Will Face God (vv. 4-6)

Someone asked the agnostic British philosopher Bertrand Russell what he would say if, when he died, he suddenly found himself standing before God. Russell replied, “You did not give us sufficient evidence!” If the heavens above us, the earth beneath our feet, the wonders of nature around us, and the life and conscience within us, don’t convince us of the existence of a wise and powerful Creator, how much more evidence must the Lord give? An atheistic Russian cosmonaut said he’d looked carefully while in space and didn’t see God. Someone commented, “If he’d opened the door of the space capsule, he would have met Him!” The time comes when God and the sinner suddenly meet. See Belshazzar in Daniel 5, the rich farmer in Luke 12:13-21, and the people in Revelation 6:12-17.

Verse 4 gives us two more indictments: these atheists take advantage of the weak and the poor, and they will not call upon the Lord. To “eat people like bread” is a biblical metaphor for exploiting the helpless (27:2; 35:25; 53:4; Mic. 3:1-3; Lam. 2:16; and see Isa. 3:12, Jer. 10:25, Amos 2:6-8, and Mic. 2:2 and 7:3). People must never be used as a means to an end or “treated as consumer goods,” as Eugene H. Peterson expresses it. Instead of praying to God, the wicked prey on the godly. But then the Lord suddenly appears in judgment, and He identifies Himself with the faithful believers.

They Will Regret Not Believing God (v.7)

God has promised that the Redeemer will one day come to Zion and deliver His people in mighty power (Isa. 59:16-21; Jer. 31:33-34). The day will come when Jesus Christ will return, defeat His enemies, and establish His righteous kingdom on this earth (Zech. 10-14). What a time it will be when the prayer “Your kingdom come” is fulfilled.

But what about the wicked? They have no future with the Lord because they preferred not to know the Lord or live for Him. They lived according to the desires of their own heart, not to please the Lord and glorify Him. Those who reject Jesus Christ will spend eternity apart from the Lord and will honestly be able to say in hell, “There is no God—here.” 

Lets continue to pray for those who do not KNOW Christ, their eternity is at stake.

Darrell

For more about The Ridge Fellowship, go to www.ridgefellowship.com

Sources:

 Bible Exposition Commentary (BE Series) – Old Testament

 J. Vernon McGee’s Thru The Bible

 Life Application Bible Notes

The Treasury of David

 Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary

Theme: Praying for relief from despair. We must continue to trust God even when he doesn’t answer us immediately.

 This psalm was probably written during David’s difficult years of exile when King Saul was pursuing him. There were times when he confessed, “There is but a step between me and death” (1 Sam. 20:3). By the grace of God, David turned his sufferings into songs and left those songs behind to encourage us in our trials (2 Cor. 1:2-11). In this brief psalm, David deals with his feelings, his foes, and his faith.

Struggling Inside—Feelings (vv. 1-2)

God had promised David the throne of Israel, yet that day of coronation seemed further and further away. Saul was doing evil things, and God wasn’t judging him, and yet David was doing good things and felt abandoned by the Lord. David was certainly disturbed by what the enemy was doing, but he was more concerned about what the Lord was not doing.

“How long?” is a familiar question in Scripture (see 6:3) and is a perfectly good question to ask. The saints in heaven even ask it (Rev. 6:10). When we’re in trouble and pray for help, but none comes, we tend to feel deserted. David felt that God was ignoring him and that this alienation was final and complete. He also felt that God was hiding His face from him instead of smiling upon him (see 30:7; 44:24; Lam. 5:20). To behold God’s face by faith and see His glory was always an encouragement to David (11:7; 17:15; 27:4, 8; 31:16; 34:5; 67:1), but now he felt abandoned.

Feeling like he was left to himself, David tried to devise various ways to overcome the enemy (“wrestle with my thoughts,” NIV), but nothing seemed to satisfy him. But faith is living without scheming; it means not leaning on our own experiences and skills and trying to plot our own schedule (Prov. 3:5-6). There were storm clouds in the sky, hiding the sun, but the sun was still shining. It’s a dangerous thing to give in to our feelings, because feelings are deceptive and undependable (Jer. 17:9). When Jacob heard the news about Simeon being left hostage in Egypt, he gave up and announced that everything was against him (Gen. 42:36) when actually God was causing everything to work for him. We must not deny our feelings and pretend that everything is going well, and there is no sin in asking, “How long?” But at the same time, we must realize how deceptive our feelings are and that God is greater than our hearts (1 John 3:20) and can lift us above the emotional storms of life. David eventually learned to replace the question “How long, O Lord?” with the affirmation, “My times are in your hands” (31:15). This is a lesson that all believers must learn.

Danger Outside —Enemies (vv. 3-4)

It’s good to have peace within you, but you also need protection around you. That’s why David prayed to the Lord and made three requests:

1.  The first was, “Look on me,” a plea for the Lord to fix His eyes on His servant and scrutinize him. David felt that God had hidden His face and he wanted Him to turn His face toward him again.
2. His second request was that the Lord answer Him and send some kind of encouragement. David felt he had been deserted and that his prayers were accomplishing nothing.
3. “Give light to my eyes” was the third prayer. This involved not only spiritual enlightenment (19:8) but also physical and emotional vitality and strength (Ezra 9:8; 1 Sam. 14:24-30). When the mind and body are weary, how easy it is to be discouraged! Perhaps David was even ill and in danger of death (v. 3; see 7:5). If he died, what would happen to the throne of Israel?

As much as David was concerned about his own needs, he was concerned even more with the glory of God (v. 4). After all, God had chosen David and had commanded Samuel to anoint him king, and if David failed, God’s name would be ridiculed. “Don’t allow the enemy to gloat over me!” was his prayer. The word “moved” in verse 4 means “to waver, to be agitated, to totter and shake” (see 10:6). If David began to waver, the faithful people of the land would think that God was unable to fulfill His own promises. (See 35:19-21; 38:16-17.)

Looking Up — Faith (vv. 5-6)

The little word “But” indicates a transition from fear to faith and from questioning to claiming God’s promises. In their false confidence, let the enemy rejoice, but David will rejoice in the Lord his God! David’s feelings had been on a roller coaster, but God was still on the throne, and His character had not changed. God’s mercy (steadfast love) was all that David needed for it would never fail (see 25:6; Isa. 63:9; Lam. 3:22-23). God’s people don’t live on explanations; they live on promises, and those promises are as unchanging as the character of God. “According to your faith be it unto you” (Matt. 9:29).

Relying on the Lord leads to rejoicing in the Lord and His salvation (yeshua). The word “bountiful” focuses on the goodness of God and His generosity in dealing with His people in grace. (See 103:2; 116:7; 119:17; and 142:7.) The NIV translates it, “The Lord has been good to me.” David’s circumstances haven’t changed, but the Lord has changed him, and that occurred when David stopped looking at his feelings and his foes and by faith started looking to the Lord.

 Darrell

For more about The Ridge Fellowship, go to www.ridgefellowship.com

Sources:

 Bible Exposition Commentary (BE Series) – Old Testament

 J. Vernon McGee’s Thru The Bible

 Life Application Bible Notes

The Treasury of David

 Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary

Theme: The proud and lying words of men versus the true and pure words of God. A call for protection against those who try to manipulate us.

 On some university campuses, what once was called “Home Economics” is now “The College of Applied Life Studies.” In Tucson, Arizona, potholes are no more, because they’re now known as “pavement deficiencies.” In politics, new taxes are “revenue enhancements,” and in military jargon, “retreat” is “backloading of augmentation personnel.” If, while you’re backloading, you get shot, the bullet hole is “a ballistically induced aperture in the subcutaneous environment.” This kind of artificial evasive language is known as “double-speak” and its popularity in almost every area of human life is evidence that language and communication are in serious trouble. Our ability to speak and write words is a precious gift of God, and this psalm deals with the right and wrong use of that gift.

The Righteous—Despairing Words (v.l)

In Psalm 11, the foundations of society were shaking (v. 3), but here in Psalm 12 David cried out for help (salvation, deliverance) because the godly remnant of faithful believers was getting smaller and smaller. This wasn’t the complaint of a crotchety old man longing for “the good old days.” It was the cry of a truly faithful servant of God who wanted to see his nation Israel fulfill her divine purposes on earth. The faithfulness of Israel involved bringing the Savior into the world and blessing all the nations (Gen. 12:1-3). David wasn’t alone in his concern. Elijah thought he was the only faithful prophet left (1 Kings 18:22; 19:10, 18), and the prophets Isaiah (Isa. 57:1) and Micah (Mic. 7:1-7) expressed their concern at the absence of righteous leaders. See also Psalm 116:1, Ecclesiastes 10:5-7, and Jeremiah 5:1. When he wrote 1 Timothy, Paul lamented over what “some” were doing in the church (1:3, 6, 19; 4:1; 5:15; 6:10), but in 2 Timothy, that “some” had become “all” (1:15; 4:16).    It’s still true today, a new generation of believers doesn’t seem to know what it takes to be a godly leader, so they borrow leadership ideas from secular society and all kinds of unequipped and unqualified people are trying to be leaders.

 *Life Application: Living for God in a deceitful world can be a difficult and lonely battle. At one time the great prophet Elijah felt so lonely he wanted to die. But God told him that there were 7,000 other faithful servants (1Kings 19:4,14,18). We are never alone in our battle against evil. When you feel alone, seek out other believers for strength and support

 The Wicked—Deceptive words (vv. 2-4)

One mark of a Spirit-filled believer is the ability to detect lies and liars and avoid them (1 John 2:18-29), and David knew that he was living in a society controlled by deception. It wasn’t that only a few people were telling lies; deception was a major characteristic of the whole generation. (See 5:9; 28:3; 34:13; 55:21; 141:3.) What would David say if he were alive today and witnessed the propaganda and promotion that make up what we casually call “the media”? He would probably describe today’s “communication” as he did centuries ago: empty and useless words (“vanity”), smooth talk (“flattery”), double-talk from double hearts, and boastful talk or “proud words.”

Saul used lies to deceive his leaders about David, and Absalom used flattery to poison the minds of the naive people of Israel against David. Flattery is not communication, it’s manipulation (see Prov. 26:28; 28:23). Even in Christian ministry it’s possible to use flattery to influence people and exploit them (1 Thess. 2:1-6; Acts 20:28-31). Flattery plays on the ego and especially influences people who want to appear important (Jude 11). You can flatter yourself (36:2), others (5:9; 12:2), and even God (78:34-37). Of course, what the lips speak comes from the heart (Matt. 12:33-37), and that’s why David accuses these liars of duplicity, which is a divided heart (literally “a heart and a heart”). This is the opposite of the “perfect heart,” total loyalty to God and His truth (86:11; 1 Chron. 12:33, 38; Rom. 16:17-18).

As for “proud words,” this describes boastful speech that impresses people by its oratory and vocabulary. “Great swelling words” is the phrase used in 2 Peter 2:18 and Jude 1:16. Daniel (7:20, 25) and John (Rev. 13:2,5) both tell us that the Antichrist will speak in this way and rule the world. This kind of speech is motivated by pride and is used by people who think they’re in control and will never need to answer to anybody, including the Lord. Their lips are their own, and they can speak just as they please.

 * Life Application: We may be tempted to believe that lies are relatively harmless, even useful at times. But God does not overlook lies, flattery, deception, or boasting. Each of these sins originates from a bad attitude that is eventually expressed in our speech. The tongue can be our greatest enemy because, though small, it can do great damage (James 3:5). Be careful how you use yours.

The Lord—Delivering Words (vv. 5-8)

But God sees the oppression of the weak (Ex. 3:7) and hears the pain in their cries, and He declares that He will arise and judge the liars and deceivers. “I will arise” takes us back to 3:7, 7:6, 9:19, and 10:12, and see Numbers 10:35 and Isaiah 33:11-12. “Safety” in verse 5 (“protect,” NIV) comes from the same Hebrew root as “help” in verse 1 and “deliver” in 6:8, and is the basis for the names “Jesus” and “Joshua” (“Jehovah is salvation”). The last phrase in verse 5 should read as in the New American Standard Bible: “the safety for which he longs.” When God comes to deliver His people, He will “cut off” those who practice flattery and deception (v. 3), which means separation from the covenant community (Gen. 17:14), like the separation of the goats from the sheep (Matt. 25:31-33).

But can the Lord’s promises be trusted? Yes! Unlike the worthless words of the deceivers, the Word of the Lord is like precious silver (19:9-10) that is heated seven times in the crucible before it is poured out into the mold. His Word is flawless and can be trusted; His Word is precious and must be valued (119:14, 72, 127, 162).

How paradoxical that society today sees the Scriptures as something relatively worthless and yet pays great sums of money to the people who manufacture deception and flattery. No matter how many lies this generation tells, God’s Word is safe, for He said, “I am watching over My word to perform it” (Jer. 1:12, NASB). Furthermore, God is able to protect His godly people from the lies of the enemy. God’s people are “the generation of the righteous” (14:5), the generation that seeks God (24:6), the generation of His children (73:15), the generation of the upright (112:2).

*If God’s people will saturate themselves with God’s Word, they won’t be seduced by “this lying generation.”

The final verse (8) issues a call to action, for “the wicked strut about, and evil is praised throughout the land” (NLT). Vileness (“cheapness”) is promoted and exalted in the media: immorality, brutality, murder, lies, drunkenness, nudity, the love of money, the abuse of authority.

 The things that God condemns are now a means of universal entertainment, and the entertainment industry gives awards to the people who produce these things. People boast about things they ought to be ashamed of (Phil. 3:18-19). Is there a way to restrain and overcome this national decay? Yes! God’s people are salt and light (Matt. 5:13-16). If there were more light in the land, there would be less darkness, and if we had more salt, there would be less decay. As God’s people worship God, pray, and share the Gospel with the lost, more people will trust Christ and increase the salt and light in the land. We must also share the truth of the Word with the next generation (2 Tim. 2:2) and prepare them for the battles and opportunities to come (78:1-8; 102:18). The church is always one generation short of extinction, so we must be faithful to help people KNOW Christ and GROW to be like Him or or vileness will rule the land.

 Darrell

For more about The Ridge Fellowship, go to www.ridgefellowship.com

Sources:

 Bible Exposition Commentary (BE Series) – Old Testament

 J. Vernon McGee’s Thru The Bible

 Life Application Bible Notes

The Treasury of David

 Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary

Theme: God provides stability in the middle of panic. Because we can trust him, we can face our problems

 It’s difficult to determine the historical background of this psalm. David was often in danger, whether in the court of Saul (1 Sam. 19:1), in the wilderness being chased by Saul, or during the rebellion of Absalom, his son. David did flee from Saul’s court and hide in the wilderness for perhaps ten years, and he did abandon Jerusalem to Absalom and take refuge over the Jordan, both of which proved to be wise moves. But during the crisis described in this psalm, David did not flee his post but remained on duty, trusting the Lord to protect him, and He did. Whatever the crisis, the psalm teaches us that we must choose between fear (walking by sight) or trust (walking by faith), listening to human counsel or obeying the wisdom that comes from the Lord (James 1:5).

Faith in the Lord (v. 1)

When the crisis arose, David’s counselors immediately told him to leave Jerusalem and head for the safety of the mountains. They didn’t seem to have faith that the Lord could see him through (see 3:2 and 4:6). David used the imagery of the bird in 55:6-7. But David didn’t need wings like a dove; he needed wings like an eagle (Isa. 40:31) so he could rise above the storm by faith and defeat his enemies. The verb “flee” is in the plural and refers to David and his court. It’s right for us to flee from temptation (2 Tim. 2:22) as Joseph did (Gen. 39:11-13), but it’s wrong to flee from the place of duty, as Nehemiah was invited to do (Neh. 6:10-11). The leader who flees needlessly from the crisis is only a hireling and not a faithful shepherd (John 10:12-13). Beware of listening to unwise counsel. Put your faith in the Lord, and He will protect you and direct your paths.

What the Enemy Does (v. 2)

“For, look” (NIV) suggests that these counselors are walking by sight and evaluating the situation from the human perspective. (See 2 Kings 6:8-23.) It’s good to know the facts, but it’s better to look at those facts in the light of the presence and promises of God. There was a secret plot afoot, not unusual in an eastern palace. The bows and arrows may have been literal, but it’s more likely they are metaphors for deceptive and destructive words (57:4; 64:3-4; Prov. 26:18-19; Jer. 9:3, 8; 18:18). Perhaps this psalm was written during the early days of Absalom’s campaign (2 Sam. 15:1-6). David was upright before God (v. 2) and righteous (vv. 3, 5), and he knew that the Lord was righteous and would do the right thing (v. 7).

What Can the Righteous Do? (v. 3)

David was God’s appointed king, so anything that attacked him personally would shake the very foundations of the nation. God had abandoned Saul as king, and Absalom had never been chosen king, and both men weakened the foundations of divine government. (See 75:3 and 82:5.) Society is built on truth, and when truth is questioned or denied, the foundations shake (Isa. 59:11-15). The question “What can the righteous do?” has also been translated, “What is the Righteous One doing?” God sometimes “shakes things” so that His people will work on building the church and not focus on maintaining the scaffolding (Heb. 12:25-29; Hag. 2:6). But the traditional translation is accurate, and the answer to the question is, “Lay the foundations again!” Each new generation must see to it that the foundations of truth and justice are solid. Samuel laid again the foundations of the covenant (1 Sam. 12), and Ezra laid again the foundations of the temple (Ezra 3). In spite of all his trials, David lived to make preparations for the building of the temple and the organization of the temple worship. During the checkered history of Judah, godly kings cleansed the land of idolatry and brought the people back to the true worship of the Lord. Christ’s messages to the churches in Revelation 2-3 make it clear that local churches need constant examination to see if they’re faithful to the Lord, and we need to pray for a constant reviving work of the Spirit.

 *Life Application – When the foundations are shaking and you wish you could hide, remember that God is still in control. His power is not diminished by any turn of events. Nothing happens without his knowledge and permission. When you feel like running away — run to God. He will restore justice and goodness on the earth in his good time.

What God Will Do (vv. 4-7)

When you look around, you see the problems, but when you look up to the Lord by faith, you see the answer to the problems. When the outlook is grim, try the uplook! “In the Lord I put my trust,” said David, for he knew that God was on the throne in His holy temple in heaven (Hab. 2:20; Isa. 6) and that He saw everything the enemy was doing. The word “try” or “test” in verse 4 carries the idea of “testing metals by fire,” as in Jeremiah 11:20 and 17:10. God’s eyes penetrate into our hearts and minds (Heb. 4:12; Rev. 2:23). The Lord tests the righteous to bring out the best in them, but Satan tempts them to bring out the worst. When we trust the Lord in the difficulties of life, our trials work for us and not against us (2 Cor. 4:7-18).

*Life Application -God does not preserve believers from difficult circumstances, but he tests both the righteous and the wicked. For some, God’s tests become a refining fire, while for others, they become an incinerator for destruction. Don’t ignore or defy the tests and challenges that come your way. Use them as opportunities for you to grow.

David uses three images to describe the judgment that God has prepared for the wicked. First, he saw fire and brimstone descend on them, such as the Lord sent on Sodom and Gomorrah (v. 6a; Gen. 19:24; see also Isa. 30:33; Rev. 9:17). Then he beheld a terrible storm destroying the enemy, a “scorching wind” such as often blew from the desert (v. 6b). David used the image of the storm in his song about his deliverance from his enemies and King Saul (18:4-19). The third image is that of a poisonous potion in a cup (6c, KJV and NASB). “Drinking the cup” is often a picture of judgment from the Lord (75:8; Isa. 51:17, 22; Jer. 25:15-17; Ezek. 38:22; Rev. 14:10; 16:19; 18:6). On the Lord’s hatred of evil and violent people, see 5:5.

What does God have planned for His own people? To “see the face” means to have access to a person, such as “to see the king’s face” (2 Sam. 14:24). For God to turn His face away is to reject us, but for Him to look upon us with delight means He is going to bless us (Num. 6:22-27). When Jesus returns, those who have rejected Him will be cast “away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thess. 1:8-10; Matt. 7:21-23), while His own children will be welcomed into His presence (Matt. 25:34).

Darrell

For more about The Ridge Fellowship, go to www.ridgefellowship.com

Sources:

 Bible Exposition Commentary (BE Series) – Old Testament

 J. Vernon McGee’s Thru The Bible

 Life Application Bible Notes

The Treasury of David

 Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary