Psalms 14: The Fool Says No God
A wisdom psalm exposes the corruption of those who deny God, declares that none does good, and longs for salvation to come out of Zion.
Psalms 14 (WEB)
1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt. They have done abominable works. There is no one who does good.
2 Yahweh looked down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there were any who understood, who sought after God.
3 They have all gone aside. They have together become corrupt. There is no one who does good, no, not one.
4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and don’t call on Yahweh?
5 There they were in great fear, for God is in the generation of the righteous.
6 You frustrate the plan of the poor, because Yahweh is his refuge.
7 Oh that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When Yahweh restores the fortunes of his people, then Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
Psalms 14 (KJV)
1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
2 The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord.
5 There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.
6 Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his refuge.
7 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
Psalms 14 (ASV)
1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works; There is none that doeth good.
2 Jehovah looked down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there were any that did understand, That did seek after God.
3 They are all gone aside; they are together become filthy; There is none that doeth good, no, not one.
4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, Who eat up my peopleasthey eat bread, And call not upon Jehovah?
5 There were they in great fear; For God is in the generation of the righteous.
6 Ye put to shame the counsel of the poor, Because Jehovah is his refuge.
7 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When Jehovah bringeth back the captivity of his people, Then shall Jacob rejoice, andIsrael shall be glad.
Summary
Psalm 14 is a wisdom psalm diagnosing the human condition apart from God. It begins with the fool who says in his heart, “There is no God,” a denial that issues in corruption and abominable deeds. Yahweh looks down from heaven to see if anyone understands and seeks after God, but the verdict is stark: all have turned aside and become corrupt, and there is none who does good, not even one. The apostle Paul gathers these words into his sweeping indictment of all humanity in Romans, showing the universal need for grace. The psalm then turns to the workers of iniquity who devour God's people and do not call on the Lord, warning that they are gripped by great fear because God is with the generation of the righteous. The Lord is the refuge of the poor, even when the wicked frustrate their plans. The psalm closes with a longing prayer: “Oh that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!” and a vision of joy when Yahweh restores the fortunes of his people. As a wisdom psalm it exposes our deep corruption and points beyond ourselves to the salvation that comes from God, fulfilled in Christ.
Voices
- The fool — The one who says in his heart there is no God, whose practical atheism breeds corruption and abominable deeds.
- Yahweh (the LORD) — The God who looks down from heaven, is the refuge of the poor, and is present with the generation of the righteous.
- The psalmist — The voice who exposes universal corruption and longs for salvation to come out of Zion for God's people.
Key Verse
Psalm 14:1 (WEB)
The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt. They have done abominable works. There is no one who does good.
Lessons Learned
- Denying God in the heart leads to moral corruption in the life.
- God's verdict is that none seeks him and none does good on their own.
- The righteous belong to a “generation” where God himself is present.
- True salvation must come out of Zion, from God, not from ourselves.
- Practical atheism corrupts the heart. “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt” (Psalm 14:1, WEB). Pushing God out of view inevitably damages the moral life.
- All have fallen short before God. “There is no one who does good, no, not one” (Psalm 14:3, WEB). Paul cites this in Romans to show that every person needs grace.
- God is the refuge of the poor. “You frustrate the plan of the poor, because Yahweh is his refuge” (Psalm 14:6, WEB). The Lord stands with the humble against their oppressors.
- Salvation comes from God, out of Zion. “Oh that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!” (Psalm 14:7, WEB). The longing of the psalm is answered in the Savior God sends.
- What does it mean that the fool says “in his heart” there is no God, and how does it affect his life?
- What does God find when he looks down from heaven (vv. 2-3)?
- How does Paul's use of this psalm in Romans deepen our understanding of human sin?
- What hope is held out for the poor and for God's people in verses 6-7?
- Where might you live as a “practical atheist,” acting as if God were not watching, and how does this psalm call you back?
- Saying “there is no God” in the heart is less a philosophical claim than a practical one—living as if God does not see or matter (14:1). That inner denial breeds corruption and abominable deeds in the life.
- God looks down to find any who understand and seek him, but sees that all have turned aside and become corrupt, with none doing good (14:2-3). The verdict is universal and humbling.
- Paul weaves these verses into Romans 3 to prove that Jews and Gentiles alike are under sin, so that no one can claim righteousness by their own merit. This magnifies the necessity and beauty of grace in Christ.
- The psalm assures that God is the refuge of the poor and is present with the righteous, and it longs for salvation from Zion and the restoration of God's people (14:5-7). Hope rests in God's intervention, not human strength.
- This is a gentle personal-application question. Invite members to examine areas where they functionally forget God, and to receive the psalm's call back to dependence on the God who alone can save.