The Fools

[Psalm 53]

What is wisdom? According to Ken Geyer, wisdom, in Hebrew, refers to "the skill of living." And this skill can be learned by cultivating the habit of listening more attentively to God's voice in our hearts. C. S. Lewis said, "The greatest dignity of man as a creature is not in leadership but in response." When God speaks, we listen. When He sows seeds, we receive them. Sowing seeds is God's attempt to restore Eden in the wilderness-like human heart. Receiving the seed is our part in that endeavor (Internet). As Charles Swindoll said, we need the "wisdom of the wilderness." The Hebrew word for "wilderness" is midbar, which comes from the root word dabar, meaning "to speak." Reflecting on this root, we can say that the wilderness is where God speaks, the place where He gives us His most important messages. Therefore, we must enter the wilderness ourselves, find a quiet place, and listen to God's voice. Then, we must live a life of obedience to that voice. This is the life of the wise (Internet). However, lately, I feel that God continues to reveal my own foolishness. Especially, through Dr. Emerson Eggerichs' book The Love She Most Desires, The Respect He Desperately Needs, I have come to realize how much I have failed to build a biblically-centered marital relationship. Not applying God's word to my marriage has exposed my foolishness, and I find myself, like "a dog returning to its vomit," repeating the same foolishness over and over again.

Today, in Psalm 53:1, we see the "fools." These fools surrounded and persecuted the psalmist David (v. 6). Of course, in the context of the passage, the "fools" refer to the wicked who were persecuting David, the righteous, seeking to kill him. However, today I want to reflect on this verse and also Psalm 14 to consider who the truly foolish people are, and examine this foolishness within ourselves. Through the revelation of God's word, I pray that we may realize our own foolishness and, in repentance, experience God's grace of salvation. I also pray that we may experience the grace that restores the joy and pleasure that God gives us.

First, the fools are those who say in their hearts that there is no God.

Look at the first half of verse 1 in Psalm 53: "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God...'" The Hebrew word for "fool" is nabal. Here, Nabal is also the name of the husband of Abigail in the story of David. In 1 Samuel 25, when Nabal repaid David with evil for good (v. 21), Abigail, Nabal's wise and beautiful wife (v. 3), approached David, fell at his feet, and begged, "Let this sin be upon me, your servant" (v. 24). Then, she spoke about her husband, saying, "... My lord, do not pay attention to this worthless man, Nabal; his name is like him; Nabal is his name, and he is a fool..." (v. 25). When thinking of Nabal, the fool who repaid David with evil for good, we also realize that before God, we are all like "Nabal." In other words, although God does good to us, we repay His goodness with sin, and thus, before Him, we are like "Nabal."

Dr. Park Yun-Seon, in his commentary, refers to this "fool" as a "practical atheist." A practical atheist is not someone who simply denies God with words, but someone who acknowledges God with their lips but denies Him with their actions. These fools "know God, but they do not glorify Him as God, nor give thanks to Him; but their thinking became futile, and their foolish hearts were darkened" (Romans 1:21). These fools certainly know God, but their thoughts become vain, and their foolish hearts are darkened, leading them to live a life of denial of God in their actions. They confess God with their words but deny Him with their actions (Titus 1:16). Titus describes them as "insubordinate, empty talkers, and deceivers" (Titus 1:10), and his advice is to "rebuke them sharply" (v. 11). The reason for this is that when fools confess God only with their words but deny Him with their actions, the church is brought down by these people.

Secondly, fools are those who do not do good.

Look at the second half of verse 1 and verse 3 in Psalm 53: "... They are corrupt, and have committed abominable iniquity; there is none who does good" (v. 1b), "... They have all turned aside; they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one" (v. 3). Fools may praise with their lips saying, "God is good," but they deny God's goodness in their lives by not doing good. Even if they have tasted God's goodness (Psalm 34:8), they are people who have already abandoned every good work and, therefore, do not practice good but do evil. Their evil deeds are described as "corruption" and "abominable wickedness" (v. 1). Here, "corruption" refers to "moral corruption," that is, an extreme sinfulness that cannot be restored by one's own effort (Dr. Park Yun-Seon). Their "abominable wickedness" ultimately earned them the title of "the filthy" (v. 3) by David.

The foolish say in their hearts that there is no God, and therefore they not only fail to do good but are also incapable of doing it. How can those who deny the existence of a good God possibly do good? The apostle Paul said: “The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so” (Romans 8:7). The foolish do not only fail to submit to God’s command to do good, but they also cannot do so. Therefore, they persist in doing corrupt and detestable evil.

Thirdly, the foolish are those who do not strive to know God.

Look at Psalm 53:2: “God looks down from heaven on the children of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.” Here, the foolish are those who profess with their words to know God, but in reality, they do not know Him. They do not make any effort to know Him. In fact, they do not even feel the need to do so. Despite God’s “looking down from heaven,” there is no one among the foolish who seeks to know God. Not striving to know God means they neither seek Him nor call on Him (v. 4). Even when they commit sins against God’s people, they do not cry out to God in repentance.

Psalm 14:3 tells us that the foolish are all gone astray. This means they have deviated from the path of knowing God (Dr. Park Yun-Seon). They have no desire to seek God, they do not seek Him alone but seek other things alongside Him, they seek the things of the world before seeking God, and they seek Him half-heartedly. They do not continue seeking Him, they do not seek Him according to His Word (like heretics), and they do not seek Him at the proper time (for example, when they need to repent, they do not). (Dr. Park Yun-Seon)

Finally, fourthly, the foolish are those who persecute God's people.

Look at Psalm 54:4: “Will the workers of iniquity never learn? They eat up my people as they eat bread; they do not call on God.” David says that the foolish are those who commit iniquity and are truly ignorant. They are those whose hearts have been hardened by evil and who cannot learn or understand. Furthermore, David says, “They eat up my people as they eat bread…” meaning that the foolish persecute God's people without hesitation. Because they see it as something normal, he says, “The workers of iniquity are all ignorant” (v. 4).

What does the Bible say about the consequences of these foolish people? The Bible tells us that God has rejected the foolish. Look at the second part of verse 5: “...because God has rejected them, you have caused them to be put to shame.” Because God has rejected the foolish, they will be shamed. Furthermore, the foolish "are greatly afraid where no fear exists" (v. 5). The reason is that God will scatter the bones of the foolish. The foolish do not fear God, live in corruption, commit abominable evil acts, and persecute God's people. As a result of God's righteous judgment and punishment, they will ultimately fear God greatly.

God rejects the foolish, but He will save His people. Look at Psalm 52:6: “Who will bring salvation to Israel from Zion? When God restores His people's fortunes, Jacob will rejoice and Israel will be glad.” God rejects the foolish, but He will restore His people's captivity, and through that, He will bring salvation. Therefore, David encourages us to rejoice and be glad. Our sorrow is momentary, but our joy is eternal.

While boasting in my own foolishness, I long for the wisdom of God.

Pastor James Sharing
[With a heart desiring to live according to the name my father gave me, “Ji-won” (wisdom “Ji” and the first “Won”).]