January 10
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PSALM 53 THERE’S NONE WHO DOES GOOD, NOT EVEN ONE
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good. 2 God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 3 They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.
4 Have those who work evil no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God? 5 There they are, in great terror, where there is no terror! For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you; you put them to shame, for God has rejected them. 6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad. – Psalm 53:1-6
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This psalm is identified as a maskil of David. Most Bible translations suggest that maskil is a literary or musical term. Most likely, it relates to the purpose of specific psalms or how they were performed or recited. Certain Bible translations have rendered the word in English, referring to it as “a contemplation” or “insight”. It sounds like a soliloquy in a theatrical literary form where the character is thinking aloud while contemplating.
The psalm focuses on fools who don’t believe in God. The psalmist describes them as worldly and loves to engage in detestable evil acts. They can not do anything right. He describes a picture of how God watches over this man whom he created in his image and yet they haven’t been able to live in purpose that he made them to be. Everyone has sinned and have become so tainted by evil. In verse 3, David repeats again the phrase “There is none who does good, not even one.” It is a good reminder for all of us that we are all sinners. In verse 4, David gives his insight on fools who are ungrateful and never acknowledge the Giver of life who provides for all their needs. Isn’t this so true for most of us, even those who claim they are believers? We forget to count our blessings, thus we become fools ourselves.
In verse 5, David further illustrates the fear that is so prevalent in those who reject God. They fear anything and everything because God has left them to the sins they love to do. When they deny God’s existence, they are rejected by God as well. David mentions how God protects his people from such fools who doesn’t acknowledge God. He gives them shame and makes them live in that humiliation. In verse 6, once again, we hear David ends on a hopeful contemplation of the restoration that God promised to his people.
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REFLECTION
• How is this psalm reminding you of man’s fallen nature?