Psalms 14 Life Application

Psalm 14:1-3

The true atheist is either foolish or wicked—foolish because he ignores the evidence that God exists or wicked because he refuses to live by God's truths. We become atheists in practice when we rely more on ourselves than on God. The fools mentioned here are aggressively perverse in their actions. To speak in direct defiance of God is utterly foolish according to the Bible.

Psalms 14:3

No one but God is perfect; all of us stand guilty before him (see Rom 3:23) and need his forgiveness. No matter how well we perform or how much we achieve compared to others, none of us can boast of his or her goodness when compared to God's standard. God not only expects us to obey his laws, but he wants us to love him with all our heart. No one except Jesus Christ has done that perfectly. Because we all fall short, we must turn to Christ to save us (Rom 10:9-11). Have you asked him to save you?

Psalms 14:3-4

David applies these observations to his enemies when he says the evildoers "eat up my people like bread" (Psa 14:4). "All have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one!" (Psa 14:3). By contrast, David said, "You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong" (Psa 17:3).

There is a clear distinction between those who worship God and those who refuse to worship him. David worshiped God, and under his leadership Israel obeyed God and prospered. Several hundred years later, however, Israel forgot God, and it became difficult to distinguish between God's followers and those who worshiped idols. When Isaiah called Israel to repentance, he, like David, spoke of people who had gone astray (Isa_53:6). But Isaiah was talking about the Israelites themselves. Paul quoted Psalm 14 in Rom 3:10-12. He made the image of straying sheep even more general, referring to all people. The whole human race—Jew and Gentile alike—has turned away from God.


Psalms 14:5

If "God is with those who obey him," then those who attack God's followers may be attacking God. To attack God is utterly futile (see Psa 2:4-5, Psa 2:10-12). Thus, while we may feel we are losing the battle, we can be absolutely sure that our ultimate victory is in God.