Psalm 14

Read Psalm 14 here first: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+14&version=NIV

Psalm 13 was about God forgetting us. Psalm 14 is about us forgetting God. The fool says there is no god is the most famous passage here, but maybe the fact that all have turned from God should be the famous line. This is often used as a battle cry against atheism. Yet- the point of the passage is we’re all against God. We are corrupt. Our deeds are evil. There is none who does good. All have turned away. No one does good. That’s not describing just atheists. That’s describing us.

Do we evil doers know nothing? At times yes. I think too often we don’t know what we’re doing. I know there’s many things I do without thinking at all. Means we’re cooking more now- I’ve stabbed myself at least 3 times with a knife. Never enough to draw blood but as I’ve talked with others I know that others have done the same. Was I depressed or angry? No- I was just making dinner and not focused on what I was doing. Foolish right? It’s given me reason to be thankful for those who have made my meals for years and stabbed themselves left and right that I’ve never thought about the possibility. But more importantly it shows it’s easy to do things without intention. I pray this time gives us opportunity to think about intention and evaluate what changes we want made after quarantine is over.

“Evil doers frustrate the plans of the poor.” It’s interesting how much of the Bible is about helping the poor. I don’t know where you stand politically and right now I don’t know really where I stand either- but it’s good to think through systemic problems with the poor. Do handouts help the poor? As a youth minister I’ve often taken kids to indian reservations and painted houses. I’ve often wondered if a local painter is out of business because of us. Or does she get more work because we do such a crappy job? When we built a house in El Paso I asked if any of us would live in that house we built. We all said no. I don’t know that what we did was wrong. I know the kids were blessed and learned a lot from those experiences but I don’t know how much we helped the community. This is worth thought and discussion in not just there, but how we tax people, who receives funding from taxes and the like and yes your faith plays a roll in that.

It does say this- for the poor the Lord is their refuge. Worldwide the poor are more religious than the rich. There’s only one country where that’s not the case. It’s the US. There’s a reason Jesus rails against the rich. Too much money or power you feel like you don’t need God because you are one. There’s something to be said for the simpler life. Money is not the goal- love is.

Finally the psalmist asks for salvation to come. Oh that it would be so!