VIP Ministry Network

Psalm 53

What is wisdom? Fear of God (Reverence of God)

Wisdom in the Bible means the knowledge that God exists and controls everything. Fools in the Bible mean those people who deny God’s existence and power. However, the problem is that there is no one wise person! Everybody says that she believes in God but she acts as if there is no God! That is not the true wisdom!

No one is wise! Nobody truly respects God!

This psalm is a song about this situation. It was sung with a harp (Mahalath). It has David’s favorite tune: a Maskil, whatever that is. “Fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God.’  They are corrupt, they commit abominable acts; there is no one who does good. God looks down from heaven on humankind    to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God. They have all fallen away, they are all alike perverse; there is no one who does good, no, not one.”

Do not act out human sinfulness!

Evil starts with ideas in head and attitudes in hearts. However, it really becomes destructive when it bears fruits in actions. Then it produces evildoers: “Have they no knowledge, those evildoers, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God?”

God also acts when humans act!

God lures us to repent and change our heart. God uses messengers and signs to instruct us the right ways. When we make action, however, God’s actions also follow: “There they shall be in great terror,    in terror such as has not been. For God will scatter the bones of the ungodly; they will be put to shame, for God has rejected them.”

If we can keep our hearts also clean, it would be better!

When God acts, that is the time when the weak people can be saved from the strong people: “O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.” Weak people are not necessarily righteous because there is no one righteous. However, weak ones do not produce actions. They are still afraid of God’s justice and that maybe enough for us humans to maintain our community. Hypocrisy is the final defense line of morality!