The Scribe's Portion

Psalm 53: The Folly of Godlessness

· Disease & Restoration of the Believer's Heart ·

August 28, 2017 1 Comments

Read today’s portion here…Psalm 53

See also Psalm 14

Godlessness: “The Song of Man’s Disease”

Verse 1

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”

They are corrupt, doing abominable inquity; 

There is none who does good 

Spurgeon’s commentary calls this Psalm, “The Song of Man’s Disease.” And with great truth. The Psalmist is not only referring to atheists, but rather the atheistic heart of the believer. Before we go belting this psalm to skeptics, let’s sit down and analyze the meaning of the psalmist’s poem. How many times do we as believers make ungodly decisions, turn off the lights from our deepest secrets, live as though God didn’t exist or carry unrepentant sins? The truth of the matter is, if this psalm applies to anyone at all, it is to each individual. For the Psalmist clearly, states that “there is NONE who does good.” Sin is man’s chronic disease. 

Sin takes many forms but it always traces back to the same culprit: rebellion. From the episode at the Garden of Eden, man has wanted to do what it wants. He finds God’s laws foolish, thinking he can outsmart his Creator. But God, the Creator of life itself, calls the wisdom of man foolish (1 Corinthians 3:19). From the moment Eve let the snake lead her into sin, the mind of man has been spiraling down to its own demise.  For that reason, it’s the heart of the human that is corrupt and we are at the mercy of our Creator. 

Darkened Heart

All over Scripture, God describes godlessness as a darkened heart. His light does not shine where it is not permitted for it is extinguished with water. 

Then I saw that there is more to gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. The wise person has his eyes in his head , but the fool walks in darkness. – Ecclesiastes 2:13-14 

Read those verses carefully. The fool walks in darknessWho is the fool? The one who has no light, or the one who had a light but turned it off. Physically speaking, without some form of light, try walking in the darkness. You can’t accomplish much more than bump into things and stumble. You don’t need to commit murder or rob a gas station to walk in darkness, each time we make decisions based off on what we THINK is better rather than rely on God’s instruction, we are foolish.

For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. -Romans 1:21 

Read  Why are the Youth Falling Away from the Faith?

Shame & Restoration

What happens to those who walk in godlessness? The fruits of their actions put them to shame.

Verse 5

you put them to shame, for God has rejected them

How often do our godless decisions turn out successful? They don’t. Countless of times I have walked the path of “miss-know it-all-I know-how-to-handle-this” and always I regret it after driving the car off the bridge. 

But then God…

He is always there to pick us up and start again. With His gentle love, He takes us by the hand and says “Let’s try again.” Oh! The beauty of our LORD melts me on the spot each time. After the mess comes the messenger. 

Verse 6

Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of His people, let jcaob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

We are restored because HE is GOOD and the least we could do is worship Him! Do not let your light die away, shine brightly for His glory, that you may not walk in godlessness. 

 

Enjoyed this post? Check out the last devotional————–> Psalm 25: Learning to Grow

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Psalm 53- The Folly of Godlessness

Evelyn Fonseca

Christian millennial, writer, editor, introvert, lover of languages, and full-time bibliophile. My mission is to tell the whole world about the love of Christ and that apart from Him there is no hope.

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