“The fool”
[Psalms 53]
What is “wisdom”? According to Ken Gire, wisdom is 'living skill' in Hebrew. And it is said that that skill can be learned by growing the habit of listening to God's voice more sensitively in the heart. C. S. Lewis once said that ‘the greatest dignity of man as a creature lies in the reaction, not the initiative.’ When God speaks, we hear. When He sows, we receive. Sowing seeds is God's attempt to restore Eden to the human heart that is like the wilderness. Receiving seeds is up to us to participate in the work (Internet). We need ‘wisdom of the wilderness,’ as Charles Swindol said. The Hebrew word for “wilderness” is “midbar.” This word comes from 'dabar' which means 'to talk'. In light of this root, it can be said that the wilderness is where God speaks, and where God gives us His most important message. Therefore, we must enter the wilderness ourselves and listen to God's voice in a quiet place. And we must live a life of obeying the voice of the Lord. This is the life of the wise (Internet). But for some reason these days, God keeps revealing my own foolishness. In particular, through Dr. Emerson Esrich's book “The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs,” He is making me to realize how I am not building the biblical marital relationship. When I see my foolishness of not applying God's Word in my life in my marital relationship, I realize that I am like a dog that returns to its vomit by repeating my folly (Prov. 26:11).
If we look at Psalms 53:1, "The fool" comes out. These fools are surrounded the psalmist David and persecuted him (v. 6). Of course, “The fool” mentioned in today's text refer to the wicked who persecute and kill the righteous David. But I want to think about who the fools are, based on Psalms 53 and Psalms 14, and to try to find foolishness in us. I hope and pray that through the revelation of God's Word, we can realize our foolishness. And through repentance to God, I hope and pray that we can experience God's saving grace.
First, the fools say that “There is no God.”
Look at Psalms 43:1a – “The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God, ….” The Hebrew word for “the fool” is “nabal.” “Nabal” is also the name of Abigail's husband in David's story. In 1 Samuel 25, when Nabal returned David evil for good (1 Sam. 21), Nabal's wife Abigail, who was intelligent and beautiful in appearance (v. 3), went to David and fell on his feet and put her face on the ground and asked him to turn this blame on her (v. 24). And then she said about her husband like this: “May my lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name--his name is Fool, and folly goes with him. …” (v. 25). When we think of Nabal, the foolish man who returned David evil for good, we can think ourselves as “Nabal” before God. In other words, God is doing good to us, but we are 'Nabal' before Him because we are paying God's good for sin.
In his commentary, Dr. Park Yoon-sun referred to "the fool" as ‘a practical atheist.’ The practical atheist who isn’t a theoretical atheist is a person who acknowledges God in words but denies Him in actions. Although these fools know God, they don’t honor Him as God or give thanks to Him. But they become futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart is darkened (Rom. 1:21). The fools certainly know God. However, their thoughts become vain and their foolish hearts are darkened, and they live their lives denying God. They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him (Tit. 1:16). Titus refers to these people as “rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers” (v. 10). Titus' admonition to these ones was “They must be silenced” (v. 11). The reason was because when the fools profess to know God but deny Him by their deeds, they are ruining whole church (v. 11).
Second, the fools are those who don’t do good.
Look at Psalms 53:1b, 3 – “… They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice; There is no one who does good. … Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.” The fools deny God’s goodness by not doing good even though they may praise God “God is so good” with their lips. Even though they have tasted the goodness of God (Ps. 34:8), they are the evil doers who don’t do good because they have already abandoned all good works. Their evil deeds are corrupted and abominable injustice (53:1). Here, corruption refers to moral corruption, that is, a heinous sinfulness that cannot be recovered by oneself (Park). Their abominable injustice is eventually called as corruption (v. 3).
The fools say that there is no God in their hearts. So they don’t do good nor they cannot do so. How can those who deny the existence of a good God do good? Apostle Paul said, “because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so” (Rom. 8:7). The fools not only don’t surrender to God's command to do good, but they cannot do so. That is why they are committed to corruption and abominable injustice.
Third, the fools are those who don’t even try to know God.
Look at Psalms 53:2 – “God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there is anyone who understands, Who seeks after God.” Here, the fools confess that they know God in words, but they don’t really know God and don't even try to know Him. No, they don't even feel the need. Despite God looking down from heaven and seeing, none of the fools try to know God. Not trying to know God means not seeking after God or calling upon Him (v. 4). Even if they have committed the sin of persecuting God's people, they don’t cry out to God and repent their sin.
In Psalms 14:3, the Bible says that all fools have all turned aside. This means that the fools are derailed from the way to know God (Park). The fools are without even heart of seeking God, but seeking the worldly things than God. Also, they seek God without earnestness. They don’t continue to seek Him, and not seeking Him according to His word. They don’t repent when they need to do so (Park).
Fourth and last, the fools are those who persecute the God’s people.
Look at Psalms 54:4 – “Have the workers of wickedness no knowledge, Who eat up My people as though they ate bread And have not called upon God?” David says that the fools are sinners and truly ignorant. They are those whose hearts are hardened by sins that they cannot learn and realize. Furthermore, David says, they “eat up My people as though they ate bread”, which means that the fools are eager to persecute God's people. Knowing that as usual, he says, “Will the evildoers never learn” (v. 4).
What does the Bible say about the consequences of these fools? God has despised them. Look at verse 5: “There they were, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to dread. God scattered the bones of those who attacked you; you put them to shame, for God despised them.” They are put to shame because God has despised the fools. Also, the fools are overwhelmed with dread (v. 5). The reason is because God scatters the bones of the fools. Although the fools don’t fear God, are corrupt and persecuted the God's people by being corrupted and committing abominable injustice, they will eventually fear God greatly through God's righteous judgment and punishment.
God abandons fools and saves his people. Look at Psalms 53:6 – “Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores His captive people, Let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.” The Bible is encouraging us to rejoice and be glad because God will deliver salvation through abandoning the fools and save His people by restoring their captivity. Our sorrow is for a moment, but our joy is forever.
While boasting of my own foolishness and seeing His wisdom,
James Kim
[With the desire to live according to my name, “Jeewoun” (Meaning: number one in wisdom)]