Greetings church!
Last Sunday, in the message, I mentioned Psalm 14:1a; The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” It is a mistake to read back into scripture an idea from our current culture. In this case, it would be to say that this is describing an atheist (someone who does not want to believe in a supreme being). Based on the rest of the context, in the case of our verse, and of the whole Psalm, it is about a person who is acting as if God does not exist.
Three are several words for “fool” in the Old Testament. The word for fool here is not a description of a lack of mental acuity. It is describing a person who is recklessly and willfully disobedient. The words “there is” are provided by the translators for readability. What is suggested is the person, when they hear a voice of reason or a morality tug at their conscience, says “no God.” The person is wanting to act as if there is not God Who is telling them to do justice, love kindness, and to walk humbly.
In the rest of the Psalm, David goes on to describe the person who remains persistent in denying that voice and when that person takes that path to its end, selfishness is at the expense of others.
I would like to interject something else here. When I was a foreman in a small manufacturing company, the manager said, “Larry does not suffer fools gladly.” Yeah, I was ~that~ guy! Am I ever glad that God does suffer fools! Jesus also told us that when we call someone else a fool, we have committed murder. When we call others fools, we have denigrated someone that God loves. We know how we feel when someone insults one of our loved ones. So, let’s be careful out there with what we say.
What is our part as we encounter people who do not want to believe in God? Love them. I feel that the boldness of atheism today (even Christians who act as if God does not care about their life choices) represent the unpaid bills of the church for the last century. Had Christians behaved more like Jesus Christ, things would be different today. Our part in this culture war today is to act like Jesus Christ to all that are within our circle of influence.
I am grateful that God does not give up on me!