Psalm 14: Fool

No one ever wants to be called or considered a fool.  A simple definition of the word “fool” is a person who acts unwisely. That definition fits all of us at one time or another, and yet there is something about the word that is demeaning and offensive. To be a fool in our culture means to lack knowledge, to be crass, stupid, incapable, even undesirable. There are few things worse than being thought to be a fool. Because of this we work hard to hide our imperfections, to put forward our strengths and to make it appear that we know, even when we don’t. We don’t want to be thought of as fools, even when we know that we are being foolish.

In Psalm 14, David begins by saying, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” I believe that David is revealing to us the height of foolishness. It’s not that fools say there is no God, but rather the statement itself, the belief that God is not, is what turns us into fools. David is not saying that a fool is a person that is lacking knowledge, short on wisdom or downright stupid, he’s saying that the true fool is the one who denies the very existence of God.

The vast majority of those reading this today will immediately decide that this doesn’t apply to them because, well, we believe in God. But David is not referring to atheists, he’s not simply writing about those who deny the existence of God, he’s writing much more to those of us who often deny the presence of God. He’s writing about when we make no room for God, when we give no credit to God, when we show no present and practical awareness of God. He’s writing about the times in our lives when what we believe does not match the way we live. When what we say doesn’t resemble how we live.

David had a season like this in his life, singing Psalms while living in sin. Abraham went through this for nearly 25 years, walking by faith but living in fear. Moses battled anger while offering intercession. Peter gave in to doubt while making confessions of faith. I don’t want to say that we are all fools, but we are all constantly being tempted to doubt God’s presence, to question His character, to wonder about His nearness and to live from our anxiety rather than from our faith.

The danger here is that David writes, that living as if there is no God, makes us corrupt. The word used here has the idea of soured milk. When we stop being mindful of God, when we weary in our recognition of His presence, our confidence in His nearness, even our willingness to remember His love and trust in His character, we begin to sour. Our faith fades, our love grows old, our anxiety rises, our flesh becomes more active, our hearts and feelings begin to grab more of our attention and slowly the way we live, the decisions we make, the focus of our thoughts and our desires move away from God and His will. David is not saying that the fools are inherently evil, but rather that they invited evil in because at some point, possibly without even realizing it, they pushed God out. If we stop considering God in every step of our lives, it won’t be long before we have stopped considering Him at all.

What is the remedy? How do we avoid this foolishness or come back from it if we have already started to sour? The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4, “The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing . . .” This is not a promise that in God’s nearness there will be no anxiety, it is a command to remember God’s nearness when we face anxiety. This is what Jeremiah was doing in Lamentations 3. In the midst of being taken into captivity, as Jerusalem was being destroyed and God’s people were being judged for their sin, Jeremiah turned his attention from his anguish and said, “My soul still remembers and sinks within me. This I recall to mind, therefore I have hope. Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” Nothing changed about Jeremiah’s situation other than where he put his thoughts. He would not allow himself to forget God’s goodness, God’s love, God’s promises or God’s character. He would not allow where he was and what he was facing sour what he was sure of, God was good, and God was present.

I won’t call you a fool today, but I must ask you as I’m asking myself, are there parts of our lives where we are acting foolish? Are there areas in which we have taken things into our own hands, lived according to our own desires, chosen to operate within our own understanding or even started doing what everyone else around us does? Are we choosing to be mindful of God because He has promised to be mindful of us? Have we recalled His goodness in the midst of the places that we don’t call good? Don’t give in to the temptation to be foolish. Don’t allow the lies about God’s absence to sour the truth that has been hidden deeply in your heart. The Lord is near, speak his nearness to your anxiety. The Lord is good, speak His goodness to your broken places. The Lord is patient, speak His patience to your worry. The Lord is faithful, speak His faithfulness to your desperation. Above all, today, let’s search our lives, every part, from our faith to our finances, from our relationships to our occupations, from our conversations to our aspirations and let’s honestly search to see if our actions are matching our beliefs, to see if there are any areas in which we living as if there is no God. If we find foolish places in our lives, let’s not hide them in shame, let’s confess them in boldness and watch God turn what we have soured back to sweet.