Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Ps 53:2 and following. Indeed, with the exception of verses 6 and the substitution of God’s name for that of Jehovah, Psalm 53 is the almost textual reproduction in Ps 14:1-7. Romans 3:9-18 quotes the first three verses to demonstrate the general bankruptcy of the entire human race, and no one has ever been able to contradict it: “There is no one who does good,” “not even one,” verse 4 adds. Yet we know that there was a Man, the One who came from heaven, the holy exception among the sons of men, whom God was able to look at from heaven (Matthew 3:13-17).
“There is no God” claims the fool in his heart, although his conscience tells him otherwise; and though He moves by His permission, lives off His blessings, and breathes with His breath (Acts 17:22-31). But God bothers him, so he tries to persuade himself that He does not exist, putting science and its fragile and shifting hypotheses in his place. And when he is nevertheless forced to admit a cause to things that are beyond him, the unbeliever speaks vaguely of Nature or Providence to avoid having to pronounce the name that frightens him… because God is Light. It is He who will confuse all the “workers of iniquity.”
For the iniquitous and proud king (the Antichrist) who refuses the grace and goodness of God, having been challenged by the prophet in the previous psalm, and this contrasts, as we have seen, with the repentant residue – this same wicked man continues to hold his gaze for several psalms. He calls him here the fool or the atheist because as he will be. And he will present himself as God: he will act as if there were no one above him; he will act at his own pleasure, rising up against all gods, and will utter blasphemy against the God of the gods (Dan 11:36). Thus, prophets and apostles make in advance the portrait of this apostate of the last Days (Dan 11; 2 The 2).
What a difference between the spirit of the righteous residue and that of this apostate: The faithful have their hearts humiliated and broken, while he manifests the most absolute pride. God is their all in this day which is that of their distress, while he speaks and acts according to the thought of his heart: “There is no God”. That is the contrast. And this is how the saints are already distinguished from the world now. Jesus is their whole. Its fullness is that treasure that makes them fulfilled (Col 2:9-10).
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
God in the face of corruption:
· Wicked heart, characteristics of evil
-Stubbornness Ec 8:11 Because a sentence against evil deeds is not carried out promptly, the hearts of the sons of man are filled in them with the desire to do evil.
-Foolishness Ec 9:3 This is an evil among all that is done under the sun, it is that there is for all the same fate; so the hearts of the sons of man are full of wickedness, and madness is in their hearts during their lives; after which, they go to the dead. For who is excepted?
-Depravity Jr 17:9 The heart is tortuous above all else, and it is wicked: Who can know it?
-Extortion and excess Mt 23:25 Woe to you, hypocritical scribes and Pharisees! because you clean the outside of the cup and the dish, and inside they are full of rapine and intemperance.
-Source of all evil Mk 7:21 For it is from within, it is from the hearts of men, that evil thoughts, adultery, immodesty, murder come out,
-Source of unbelief and lust Hb 3:12 Beware, brother, that someone of you has an evil and unbelieving heart, to the point of turning away from the living God. 2 Pet 2:14 Their eyes are full of adultery and insatiable with sin; they initiate souls badly strengthened; they have hearts exercised in greed; they are children of curse.
· Atheism, general references
Ps 10:4 The wicked man arrogantly says: He does not punish! There is no God! -These are all his thoughts. Ps 14:1 To the leader of the cantors. From David. The fool says in his heart: There is no God! They have corrupted themselves, they have committed abominable actions; None of them do good. Ps 36:2 The ungodly word of the wicked is deep in my heart; The fear of God is not before his eyes. Pr 30:9 Lest in abundance I deny you and say, Who is the Lord? Or that, in poverty, I do not steal, and attack me in the name of my God. Jer 5:12 They deny the Lord, they say: He does not exist! And misfortune will not come upon us, We will see neither the sword nor famine. 1 John 2:22 Who is a liar, if not one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son.
· Lack of prayer
Ps 53.5 Have those who commit iniquity lost their meaning? They devour my people, they take them for food; They do not invoke God. Isaiah 43:22 And thou hast not invoked me, O Jacob! For you have grown tired of me, O Israel! Isaiah 64:6 They strengthen themselves in their wickedness: They consult each other to set traps, They say: Who will see them? Dn 9:13 As written in the law of Moses, all this calamity came upon us; and we did not implore Jehovah our God, we did not turn away from our iniquities, we did not pay attention to your truth. John 4:2 You covet, and you do not possess; you are murderous and envious, and you cannot obtain; you have quarrels and struggles, and you do not possess, because you do not ask.
· Restoration of Israel
Isaiah 1:26 I will restore your judges as they once were, and your counselors as they were in the beginning. After that, you will be called the city of justice, the faithful city. Isa 27:13 On this day the great trumpet will be sounded, and then those who were exiled to the land of Assyria or fugitives in the land of Egypt will return; And they will bow down before the Lord, on the holy mountain, in Jerusalem. Isaiah 40:2 Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and cry out to her that her bondage is over, that her iniquity is atone for, that she has received from the hand of Jehovah Twice all her sins. Isaiah 60:10 The sons of the stranger will rebuild your walls, and their kings will be your servants; For I have struck you in my anger, but in my mercy I have mercy on you. Ez 36:8 And you, mountains of Israel, will grow your branches, and you will bear fruit for my people of Israel; Because these things are about to happen. Zech 10:6 I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will deliver the house of Joseph; I will bring them back, for I have compassion for them, and they will be as if I had not rejected them; For I am Jehovah, their God, and I will answer them. Ml 3:4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to jehovah, as in the old days, as in the years of old.
From all the above, we note that Ps. 53 presents us with the wicked in general, all the mass of the people, except those whom grace has set apart. These are the same words that we find in Ps. 14, but here we have the name of God instead of that of Jehovah, because the residue is far from the place of the covenant. That is why we do not have God here in the midst of the righteous generation (Ps. 14:5), but the complete confusion of those who camp against it, – the public judgment of external enemies (Ps. 53:5). For those who are seized with fear are the ungodly Jews (Isa. 33:14; 8:12 and 10:24): in Ps. 14, they despised the afflicted who trusted in the Lord; they were outwardly together. Now it is otherwise: instead of the proud ungodly overwhelming the poor of the flock, we find God scattering his enemies, and then we find the desire that the complete salvation (salvations) of Israel, and not just the judgment of the enemies from outside, will come from Zion. For the power that comes from heaven and destroys the faithless oppressor, is a separate thing from the establishment of the result in Zion, from the power that belongs to the covenant, in accordance with the promise. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow ” God’s intervention in judgment.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.