¹The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; there is no one who does good.

What David attributes to evil people in Psalm 10:4, he assigns to fools in Psalm 14. They both embrace and assert the ludicrous notion that there is no God! (David echoes similar sentiments in Psalm 53.) Only someone with a corrupt mind would deny the reality of his or her Creator. Like an artist signs his painting, God stamps His divine signature on the human mind, soul, and spirit, for we are all created in His image. We can’t help but reflect Him by our very nature. There is no escaping the knowledge of the divine; it is an innate belief, evident in our very existence. If one denies the Creator’s existence, one may as well deny all of existence, even our own.

The belief in God’s non-existence is, therefore, a corruption, a complete abnormality that can only arise out of the pride of a sinful heart. The absolute height of foolishness is to assert, “There is no God.” And to act in line with that foolish mindset is what David calls committing “abominable deeds.” All this is wrapped up in verse one of this psalm.

None of this escapes the Lord’s notice; we can almost hear His scoffing laughter in Psalm 2:2-4 against the wicked who rise in defiance against God and His anointed. David, in Psalm 14, describes God’s deniers as those who have turned aside from what they know is true. The first reading of this psalm seems to place God’s judgment only on those who overtly deny His existence. However, the apostle Paul, in his magisterium on the righteousness of God, applies these verses to all humans (Rom. 3:10-11), drawing the conclusion that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). In other words, in God’s estimation, we all have denied God by our lives and behavior. We are under the same judgment, for the “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).

Even though the psalm has a more comprehensive application, the immediate focus was applicable in David’s time. There were people, maybe even among the Israelites, who acted in ways that put the lie to any pretense of belief in God. They were “all workers of wickedness” (vs. 4). The warning is laid out that they should dread their situation, for there is no favor with God except for those who are truly righteous! No amount of religious lip service or pretend religiosity will work for them. In the end, they will be ashamed (vs. 6). How else can it be? God favors those who believe in Him and live in light of that reality. For David, the hope is that God will save His people from ungodly captivity to those who live and act contrary to God’s very real existence and authority over them (vs. 7).

Lord, I believe in You, for You are my Creator and Lord. I don’t want to live as a God-denying fool;  I submit to Your signature as the author of my life’s story.