In this psalm, David introduces us to a person that is often talked about in the wisdom literature. You will find him taking center stage in the Proverbs and the Ecclesiastes. He is the fool...The fool is the person who knows what is wrong and have experienced the consequences of going against God’s will, yet chooses to do otherwise. They do this over and over, and never change the course of their lives. If you would like to know what God feels about the foolish and their choices, check out the latest podcast on Morning Mercies, now available on all major podcast platforms.
The Daily Psalms are given with the intention to encourage Christians to read and meditate on these scriptures in order to grow in their faith and relationship with God. They are released every Tuesday and Thursday for the following week on all major Podcast platforms. May the Lord bless you as you ponder His Word.
Presented by Michael Mullen
In this psalm, David introduces us to a person that is often talked about in the wisdom literature. You will find him taking center stage in the Proverbs and the Ecclesiastes. He is the fool. The fool numbers in the thousands, maybe millions. They are everywhere, and as such we know many of them.
The fool is the person who knows what is wrong and have experienced the consequences of going against God’s will, yet chooses to do otherwise. They do this over and over, and never change the course of their lives. Choice after choice, they tell themselves that God does not care, or even God is not real. They deny the one reality that is basic to everything, and believe they will escape any harsh consequence. They suffer folly, but continue to make the choice for selfishness over and over again. David in the psalm describes them as incapable of doing anything good. The things that they pursue in life take them further and further away from their creator. Solomon spoke of the fool as one who may have knowledge, maybe very educated, but doesn’t know what to do with it. They lack all wisdom, and do not know how to live life so that they truly live. David says it simply, “they are corrupt.”
When the fool acts against those who are for God, David tells us not to fear them.
There they are, in great terror, where there is no terror!
For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you;
you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.
God has rejected them because they have rejected Him. They have made choices that has a consequence, and when they say there is no God, they cut themselves off from all that is life.When a society, a city, a country is filled with the foolish, its future is most dire, unless God would restore us to health. He can do that, where he resuscitates the people through a revival of spirit, through a putting Him back on the throne of their shared community. David shows us that we should pray for as much.
“Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people…”
Here is the path we must take. Prayer for the fools repentance, for his recovery of his sanity.