Psalm 14 - The Folly And Future Of A Fool Series

THE FOLLY AND FUTURE OF A FOOL

TEXT: Psalm 14:1-7

Psalms 14:1-7 KJV To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. [2] The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. [3] They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. [4] Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD. [5] There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous. [6] Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge. [7] Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

I. INTRODUCTION—PSALM 14

-There are certain patterns in Scripture that it helps to look out for. When there are words that are repeated, they should get our attention. There were times when the Lord would say, “Verily, verily” (Truly, truly) and then He would launch into a lesson. What is notable about the use of that phrase is that it is only used in the Gospel of John. In fact, it appears twenty-five times. Some of the most powerful doctrinal issues that are raised in Scripture when the Lord used those words.

-But it is extremely rare when you find a portion of Scripture that appears three times. This is one of the passages that is linked to two others. Psalm 14 is almost identical to Psalm 53 (only verses 5-6 are different) and it is used again in Romans 3:10-12 by Paul.

-Psalm 14 can be seen as a comfort to the faithful and Psalm 53 can be seen as a warning to the wicked.

-John Phillips makes the following observation about these two Psalms:

• Psalm 14 is personal. . . Psalm 53 is private.

• Psalm 14 is pragmatic (how to deal with fools). . . Psalm 53 is prophetic (what will become of fools).

• Psalm 14 is about the past. . . Psalm 53 is about the future.

-Both of them are about fools and their contact with the righteous.

A. Where The Psalm Came From

-Psalm 14 falls into the category of a lament psalm. It is a cry of anguish of how that those in Israel no longer have a belief or a reverence for God. It is a psalm that is authored by David but there isn’t a clear cut time that can be applied to it taking place in his life.

-Even though it is considered a psalm of lament, it is also a psalm of wisdom because it is clearly marking the path and direction for those who are fools.

B. A Biblical Description of Fools

-The word “fool” occurs 73 times in the KJV and the word “fools” occurs 42 times. There is a lot that is learned about those who are fools from the standpoint of Scripture.

• A fool is disobedient and rebellious (Saul) “I have played the fool”—1 Sam. 26:21

• A fool will die who forsakes safety (Abner)—2 Sam. 3:33

• A fool says there isn’t a God—Ps. 14:1; 53:1

• A fool will die and leave his wealth to others—Ps. 49:10

• A fool will go to jail—Prov. 7:22

• A fool is has a chattering mouth—Prov. 10:8, 10

• A fool is one who slanders others—Prov. 10:18

• A fool thrives on mischief—Prov. 10:23

• A fool will always be a servant to the wise—Prov. 11:29

• A fool is always right and receives advice from no one—Prov. 12:15

• A fool cannot restrain his anger—Prov. 12:16

• A fool despises his father’s instructions—Prov. 15:5

• A fool is always chasing a get rich quick scheme—Prov. 17:24 (i.e. the ends of the earth)

• A fool stirs up fights with his words that soon come to blows—Prov. 18:6

• A fool uses his mouth for his own destruction and uses words that become a snare to his soul—Prov. 18:7

• A fool is always meddling in someone else’s business—Prov. 20:3

• A fool does not use his ears to hear wisdom—Prov. 23:9

• A fool cannot be trusted to send a message—Prov. 26:6

• A fool will tell every thought that crosses his mind—Prov. 29:11

• Fools mock sin—Prov. 14:9

• Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools—Rom. 1:22

-A fool is not a category we want to fall into!

II. PSALM 14—GOD AND THE FOOLISH