December 30
“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call on the Lord? There they are in great fear, for God is with the generation of the righteous. You shame the counsel of the poor, but the Lord is his refuge. Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord brings back the captivity of His people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad,” Psalm 14:1-7.
In the major portion of this psalm, the Lord speaks of the atheists and the ungodly, and then He concludes with a word of comfort for His people. “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” Why is an atheist, who denies that there is a God, called a fool? He is a fool because he is denying everything that the whole creation proclaims. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork,” Psalm 19:1. Look out at the whole creation – throughout the entire universe, the handiwork of God is clearly seen. The atheist is flying in the face of true human knowledge. Nothing can come into existence of and by itself. Nothing can naturally come out of nothing, and it never will. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews wrote, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible,” Hebrews 11:3. To the Colossians, the apostle Paul wrote, “By Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible,” Colossians 1:16.
In his Epistle to the Romans, the apostle Paul wrote, “What may be known of God is manifest in them (that is, in the non-Christians), for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools,” Romans 1:19-22.
Atheists, thinking that they are wise, become fools because they deny what they know to be true. They are liars! Lying to others is one thing, but when you lie to yourself and believe your own lies, you are a fool! “They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good . . . They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one.”
The Lord is pictured as looking down from heaven. “The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.” The Lord asks, “Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge?” Don’t they know anything? Furthermore, although they might lie to themselves again and deny it, they are filled with fear because they know that they cannot face God.
As the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus, we rejoice that God has revealed Himself to us, not only through creation, but especially in His holy Word, and by the power of the Holy Spirit He has called us to faith in our Savior, who loved us and sacrificed Himself on the cross to gain for us the forgiveness of sins and the promise of life everlasting. The psalmist assures us, “The Lord is (our) refuge. Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord brings back the captivity of His people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.” With the people of God throughout the world, we rejoice and are glad!
Dear God, touch the hearts and consciences of those who deny You, and lead them to repentance of their sins and to faith in Your Son and the Savior of all people, the Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us and suffered and died to wash away our sins and who rose from the grave to conquer death and the devil. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.