Not only are some people no longer believing in God, in His very Existence I mean, but they are becoming much more vocal about it!

And of course the secular press is constantly trying to promote such literature and endear its authors to their readership.

Some atheistic tome is now always on the "top ten" or the "top twenty" list, at least somewhere!

But what does the Lord think of such an explosion, an explosion of godlessness?

He tells us in Psalm 14, our next Bible study project, beginning today in fact. The complete chapter, though brief, is powerful.

"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. The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD. There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous. Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge. 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."

Come back tomorrow and we will see God's response!

Until then, let me identify with Joshua of Old Testament fame. "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15

Amen!

                                                                            --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 2, VERSE 1:

The Bible handles the word "fool" carefully.

Jesus even cautioned His followers about using the word "fool" at all, unless quoting Scripture of course.

But David, in Psalm 14, under the direct influence and inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God, thunders, "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."

The noun used here for "fool" is spelled "nabal" and means "one who is spiritually inept."  Often "nabal" means "wicked" or "impious." It is derived from "nabel," a verb meaning "to wilt, to faint, to fail, to fall away."

This kind of fool is morally bankrupt!

Twice the King James Bible translates "nabal" as a "vile" person. Character, not intellect, is the issue here! One's heart, not his head!

Notice that this "fool" need not have spoken his atheism aloud! Even if he harbors such rebellion in his heart, silently, God still knows! "Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart." 1st Samuel 16:7

The expression "no God" is interesting.

"Ayin" means "to be nothing, a non-entity, nought!"

The Name for God used here is "Elhoiym." Literally this means "strong one!" It's plural ending, though rightly translated singular, emphasizes the Trinity surely!

If a man personally denies the existence of God, his unbelief probably springs from deep roots, wicked tentacles growing deep into that man's soul!

Even if that man just says that God is absolutely powerless, nothing to be reckoned with, inconsequential!

More often than not, the motivating drive behind that man's newly professed atheism is some form of sin, and almost always it's sensual sin!

"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."

God calls these fools "corrupt" in nature! "Shachath" means that which is in ruin, decay, marred, spoiled, rotted!

This is a "days of Noah" description! The first time "shachath" is used in the Bible, Genesis 6:11, says: "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence." Think of the sexual sins committed during Noah's sojourn on earth! Sins God judged!

The word "abominable" is "taab" in Hebrew and means "that which is hated or loathed or detested."

"Works" is "aliylah" and means "to glean," as in a field after the harvest!

Then, in a "holy" play on words, the Spirit of God again employs "ayin," This time God is not being discussed though! Lost rebellious unbelieving mankind is! Of these lewd men, "none" do good! And here "none" is spelled "ayin," just as we learned earlier!

It appears that this Text clearly shows us how a man's morality determines his theology!

The reprobate's theology: No God!

The reprobate's moral life: No good! That's right! No good whatsoever can be found, not even in God's Eyes!

The belief in no God may be popular in some places, but Hell is not one of them!

What do you believe about God, deep down in your heart?

Remember Hebrews 11:6. "He that cometh to God must believe that He is ...!" No atheistic fools allowed here!

                                                                              --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 3, VERSE 2:

God knows everything!

He is keenly aware of every action on earth.

Solomon wrote long ago, "For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and He pondereth all his goings." Proverbs 5:21

Furthermore, "The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." Proverbs 15:3

It seems that the Lord is especially attuned to the righteous men and women of the land. "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him." 2nd Chronicles 16:9

Peter adds, "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers." 1st Peter 3:12

Yet the Psalmist reminds us that God sees the iniquity of evil men too! "The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God." This is Psalm 14:2, our verse for today.

The verb "looked down" is rare. "Shaqaph" is only used 22 times in the Old Testament. It means "to lean out," as of a window for example. To gaze upon something!

Then later in our verse a similar verb, "to see," is represented by "raah" in Hebrew. This means to perceive, to understand, to examine and discover, to observe.

For whom is God looking?

Someone who "did understand!" A person, man or woman, who "understands" God, or wants to anyway. Now "sakal" here implies having wisdom or prudence, or maybe even skill at godly living! Its "root" means "to be circumspect" and is thought to be a synonym for intelligence! Spiritually intelligent for sure, having discernment!

Look!

The Believer in God is wise, intelligent!

While by definition, the fool ("nabal") is stupid, the very opposite of wisdom!

God knows when we "seek" Him! Using "darash" as a participle, the meaning is "to tread" with one's feet, closely following Almighty God! "To frequent" the Lord's Presence! "To search" for the precious "touch" of our dear Lord!

It's just like the Lord told the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him." John 4:23

No doubt God's heart is broken when He sees the results of His inquiry! Psalm 14:3 gives us this information, but that's tomorrow's verse! "They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one."

Yet Jesus, God the Son, knows all things. One day He even asked, teaching through His Own question really, "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" Luke 18:8

When the Lord Jesus comes again, both at the Rapture of the Church and at His glorious Revelation with its white horse of victory and our Saviour's literal descent from Heaven, standing again in that yet future day on the Mount of Olives ... He is coming for His "precious ones!" His "jewels" says Malachi!

"And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him." Malachi 3:17

Today when God looks down upon earth, He no doubt sees a lot of "tares," unsaved masses of humanity! Many of whom are growing in real wheat fields, associated with the saints but lost as they can be!

But that same Divine Glance will also locate the saved ones! Thank God, "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD." Genesis 6:8 should be the testimony for all of us! We who are redeemed!

Yes, "The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God."

Are you saved?

                                                                               --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 4, VERSE 3:

It sounds just like Paul!

But it's David instead!

More accurately, it's the Lord!

And He is describing the wicked of this world, some of whom say in their hearts, "There is no God!"

"They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one." Psalm 14:3

The little word "all" is spelled "kol" in Hebrew. It means "the totality" of anything. The whole of it! It's verbal root is "kalal," meaning "to complete." No exceptions here!

The verb "gone aside," in Hebrew "sur," means "to turn off," as one might do when he is leaving the main road for a side street!

All we humans have drifted far from God's Plan.

Isaiah preached, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way." Isaiah 53:6

Then our verse says that the ungodly have "become filthy!" Now "alach" literally means "to muddy" the waters! Only found three times in the Bible, "alach" is consistently translated "filthy."

Job 15:16 asks, "How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?" Then Psalms 53 and 14 use it. Both have it meaning "filthy" too! " Three lexicons quickly consulted also strongly imply that "moral impurity" is indicated here!

Mankind, denying God's very existence, invariably becomes immoral! The qualifier "altogether" translates "yachad," that is, "as a unit!"

The expression "doeth good," or "asah tov," means something like this: bearing or manufacturing or accomplishing that which is pleasant and agreeable to God! Man, without Christ, cannot please Almighty God!

The "none" who even attempt to do good, "ayin" in David's language, surely indicates a non-entity. To be non-existent it means!

Our verse again: "They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one." 

There are, apparently, no exceptions!

Paul agrees in the New Testament: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23 here is quoting David the Psalmist!

Or, "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God." Romans 3:10-11 is alluding to our Text as well!

Look at God's "outline" here!

Where have the lost gone?

Who have they become?

What have they done?

Where? "They are all gone aside."   

Who?  "They are all together become filthy." Morally evil!

What? "There is none that doeth good." And if we did "do good" within the power of our sinful flesh, that would only amount to a pile of filthy rags in God's Eyes anyway!

What a pessimistic verse, yet so true!

"They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one."

The New Testament summarizes it this way, "dead in trespasses and sins." Ephesians 2:1

Not a bright picture, especially if mankind is determined to stay that way!

Maybe today reading these paragraphs some sinner, convicted by the Holy Spirit of God, will finally get "lost!"

Lost, the prerequisite to getting saved!

                                                                                   --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 5, VERSE 4:

Today's Verse, Psalm 14:4, is loaded with meaning.

Of course, all Scripture is!

"Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD." Psalm 14:4

The Holy Spirit has been teaching us about the wicked, the really wicked! They are so wicked that they deny the very existence of Almighty God! "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." Psalm 14:1

Now, by Verse 4, God wonders if this atheistic "fool" has any "knowledge" at all! "Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge?"

This is dangerously close to calling the fool here "stupid!" Could a man have a doctorate in science or philosophy or history ... and still be void of knowledge? Yes, real knowledge that is!

The English noun "workers" is "paal" in Hebrew and means those who practice sin, habitually! Their very lifestyle reveals spiritual bankruptcy.

"Iniquity," another word for sin, is spelled "aven" and basically is derived from a verb meaning "to pant, to breathe hard!" It means to sin so deliberately and vigorously that one literally loses his or her breath! "To exert oneself, usually in vain!"

"Knowledge" is "yada," and can mean anything from mere acquaintance to intimate association. Here it means, in the style of Paul, to know Him, the Lord Jesus, to know Him closely! "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death."

The question God just asked implies a negative answer!

The reprobates of this world, atheists especially, simply do not know God!

Then, more is written for us. "Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD." Psalm 14:4

These scoundrels "eat up" God's people! "Akal" means just that, "to devour!" History is full of examples, ungodly people battling the righteous! Christians worldwide are under attack yet today! Either psychologically or legally or physically!

The noun "people" is special too. A translation of "am," the word implies "people of like mind!" Even "relatives!" Kin folks! God's people comprise His FLOCK! They really are a protected group!

The word "bread" is "lechem" in Hebrew and means that which one feeds upon, his meat and sustenance. "Bethlehem" actually means "house of bread." And there, soon after our Lord's Birth, a heathen King sought to "eat" or "devour" Baby Jesus!

The devil's tactics have not changed much over the years!

Not only do these God haters "eat" the Lord's people alive, they refuse to "call" upon God in any way at all!

The verb "to call," in Hebrew "qara," means in its strongest emphasis "to accost" a person! To demonstrably get their attention!

These reprobates want nothing to do with God!

By the way, see their ambiguity here, their double-mindedness!

At first they loudly shout, "There is no God!"

By Verse four they hesitatingly ... "Call not upon the Lord!"

No stability, even in their wickedness!

Do note how the Lord here equates, or at least links, "knowledge" and the practice of intercession, "calling upon God" to work in our midst!

Again, "Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD."

Thank God saved people are no longer in that group!

Jesus associates "knowledge" with "God" also. "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." John 17:3

Folks, how very thankful we should be for our salvation!

                                                                                   --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 6, VERSE 5:

The wicked try to present such a bold image!

Nothing could make them afraid, or so it would seem!

Yet Psalm 14:5, speaking of the ungodly, particularly including atheists and other reprobates, says, "There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous."

Behold!

The face they present is ... false!

Hypocritical!

There is some fear in the hearts of the wicked, great fear in fact!

For sure, the wicked man fears the very possibility of God's existence!

Just think, if God is real ... the ungodly will certainly die and spend eternity in Hell!

If God is real ... the wicked man's sexual escapades will prove to be something other than innocent fun! Rather, adultery or fornication will be the charge at the Great White Throne Judgment of God!

If God is real ... the wicked man has believed a pack of lies for all his days!

If God is real ... the wicked man has built his life, and that of his family too, around sheer nothingness!

If God is real ... the wicked man has again gambled ... and lost!

And no matter what that God-denying philosopher or physicist or professor or soldier or politician or even housewife says, some fear surely lives in the human heart when it rebels against its Creator!

I suspect that the most ungodly man on earth, whatever his sin, occasionally gets a case of the "what if" syndrome!

What if there is a Heaven?

What if the Devil can deceive?

What if Jesus died for me?

What if the Bible is right?

What if these Christians are going to joyfully live forever?

What if that Fire never ends?

The Lord says such things happen in the heart of the one who says, "No God!"

Again, today's Verse concerning the obviously wicked: "There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous." Psalm 14:5

The opening word, "there" is translating "sham," a Hebrew adverb meaning "when" as well as "there."

The wicked man, his time is coming!

Calamity will befall him or her too!

They, at least at times, reside in "great fear" says the Lord!

This expression is priceless!

The Hebrew Text reads "pachad pachad."

Double "pachad!"

Or maybe even "pachad" squared!

And "pachad" means the state of being startled, shaking and quivering in awe or dread! Sudden alarm!

It's twofold use here intensifies its meaning of course.

In the King James Bible "pachad" is rendered as "dread" 3 times and "terror" 2 times and "fear" 40 more times!

Remember Proverbs 28:1 which declares: "The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion."

Atheists do not rest well at night!

Perfect peace is never theirs!

Why?

Why are they fearful?

Once more, "There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous." Psalm 14:5

They fear because God, the One in Whom they place no faith at all, is helping the righteous folks!

"For" serves as a conjunction at the beginning of that second clause. And "kiy" here reveals a "causal relationship" with the sentence.

The wicked fear BECAUSE God is so plainly evident in the lives of the godly, to the third and forth generation as well!

The noun "generation" is spelled "dor" and means "to gyrate, to revolve, to move in a circle." It probably is indicating the cyclical nature of generations of people. Always coming ... then going! The human begins as a baby, then he's a toddler, child, teenager, adult, parent, grandparent, elderly one, and soon enough, deceased! All to be repeated again in his son and grandson and great-grandson!

Yet as the families come and go, something is observable!

A godly Grandfather begets a godly Son, then notice the character and holiness in that Granddaughter!  And so it grows and spreads one family to another!

God saves their souls, answers their prayers, heals their sick, gives them joy and strength and promises them Heaven as well!

God's being among the real saints, His "little flock," is so clear!

Some day this powerful Presence among us Gentiles will provoke the Jews, making them jealous for the old days of their consecration and dedication to Jehovah God!

Yes, "Salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them (the Jews) to jealousy," writes Paul in Romans 11:11.

Certainly! What provokes Israel to redemption ... scares the wicked half to death!

One more time: "There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous." Psalm 14:5

Live for Jesus, folks!

If for no other reason, to frighten sinners, to shake them to the core of their innermost being!

Why?

Hopefully, contributing to their seeing a need, their own dire need for the Saviour!

I of course want to handle God's Word respectfully and seriously and accurately, yet today I also want to laugh and shout and glory in the Truth of Psalm 14:5.

Little old ex-sinners like you and me ...  disturbing the lifestyles of the rich and famous! The intelligentsia! The high and mighty!

Disturb them Lord, for your Name's Sake!

                                                                           --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 7, VERSE 6:

Psalm 14 analyzes the wicked man.

Especially does it concentrate on the one who says in his heart, "There is no God."

One thing that is specifically mentioned is this reprobate's attitude toward the godly people of earth.

Speaking directly to these brazen sinners the Psalmist says, "Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge." Psalm 14:6

The "key" to understanding this verse perhaps hangs on the verb "have shamed." The ungodly "shame" the righteous!

"Bush" is the verb in Hebrew used here. At its very "root" it means "to pale." That carries with it the idea of being "embarrassed." Along with that comes "confusion" and "frustration." Likely the idea here is that the wicked "make fun of" the godly, laughing at them and belittling them with mockery and sarcasm and ridicule.

The "poor" man, in Hebrew "aniy," is a synonym for the godly person under attack! The term literally means "pressed down." In reality "humility" is a parallel word. According to the King James Bible's usage of "aniy" it can also mean "afflicted" or even "troubled." Under great pressure!

Often in the Old Testament the "poor" are equated with the "godly." Listen to Jesus in Matthew 5:3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

The born-again humble people of earth are subjected more and more to the taunts and rants of the so-called intelligent, more politically correct, ungodly element of society. A growing segment I might add!

The noun "counsel" is spelled "etzsah" and means "advice." That's a Latin word, "ad" meaning "to" and "video" meaning "I see." To advise someone is to share with them what you "see" about a situation! The worldview of the righteous is discounted! His values and convictions and beliefs are not allowed in the court of public opinion! Not in the day when atheism rules! That's their idea of "tolerance" one presumes!

But, why?

Why do the God haters so shame the righteous?

The rest of today's verse provides the answer.

"Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge." Psalm 14:6, with the reason capitalized for emphasis.

They react to the people of God because they despise the Lord God Himself!

In the language of the Old Testament "because" here is a conjunction, linking the two parts of the sentence. "Kiy" indicates a "causal" relationship. "Since" is another way the Bible uses it too.

As you can tell by glancing, "Lord" is the Name Jehovah. These liberals specifically dislike God's Name That implies His loving saving Nature! His covenant relationship Personality! The very idea of "salvation" angers many of these "no God" people.

Then comes the noun "refuge." And "machaseh" means a "shelter," usually to protect one from a storm or some specific danger! Twice in the Bible the word is rendered "hope" and once more "trust." Twenty times the word appears in Scripture, thirteen of them being in the Psalms! For example, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Amen to Psalm 46:1. Also notice Psalm 61:3, "For Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy."

Get ready, saint of God!

Some will hate you just because you are saved and love the Lord!

Because you name His great Name!

Yet as the old song says, "It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus!" And while many of you will disagree, I think it will be "worth it all" when we see these ungodly atheists and filthy rebels of all the ages forced to acknowledge Jesus as Lord ... doing so on bended knees, just before standing at God's Great White Throne Judgment. "At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:10

Folks, they are wrong, especially when they preach "There is no God."

God is!

God rules!

And He lives, among many other places, in my heart!

Praise His good Name!

                                                                                  --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 8, VERSE 7:

In the Old Testament Psalm 14 reveals to us a sketch of a wicked man, particularly one who believes in his heart that "There is no God!"

In what amounts to a blistering character study, Psalm 14 calls this man, an avowed atheist, a "fool!"

Several adjectives are chosen to describe his lifestyle; "corrupt, filthy, fearful," all being examples.

Can anything persuade this man concerning the reality of Almighty God?

Our Lord, not being willing that any should perish, longs to see wicked people repent and be saved!

Just what might enlighten this reprobate?

How is he to be reached?

No Prophet is mentioned!

Nor Psalmist!

Or statement of the Law!

Our Lord Jesus Himself suggested to us that hard cases might require special means of witness!

"This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting," proclaimed our Lord in Mark 9:29, referring to an especially difficult case of demon possession.

Today we must notice the last verse of Psalm 14. "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."

Perhaps this is just the thing that could bring even an atheist to the point of salvation!

Israel is God's "miracle" Nation!

She is "special" in His Eyes! God several times in Scripture calls Israel "the apple of His Eye!" Read Deuteronomy 32:10.

But Israel today, while certainly in the Holy Land after centuries of dispersion, is such a small Nation! And so divided! Hated by multitudes, ever growing factions call for her eradication.

Overall, not much hope for such a dire situation!

But what if I told you God is not through with Israel yet?

Jesus, Israel's Messiah, is coming again ... back to earth!

Israel, now a nation filled with unbelief toward our Lord, will see Him and believe on Him "Whom they have pierced!"

That's what Verse 7 is telling us!

"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."

The word "salvation" is "yeshuah" and means "deliverance or victory." Of course, It is also another Name for Jesus!

And "Zion," being a synonym for Israel, means "dry parched place!"

Jesus, at His First Coming, was called "a root out of a dry ground," an accurate description of His Nation's spiritual condition.

To "bring back," in Hebrew "shub," just means "to return!" This is a yet future regathering of scattered Jews from all around the world! "To restore" or "to recover" are King James Bible translations of the word also!

Using both main names for the Jewish people, "Jacob" (the supplanter or heel-catcher or deceiver) later becomes "Israel" (prince with God), surely a picture of spiritual growth and transformation!

The verb "rejoice" is "giyl" and means something like this: "to spin around," usually under the influence of a very strong emotion, most often joy!

And "be glad" equals "samach" in Hebrew, "to brighten up," to be happy or merry or cheerful!

What a host of miracles here!

Israel regathered!

All her land restored!

Jesus having returned and the whole Nation having now been saved! Yes, saved, the very day Jesus returns riding that white horse of Revelation 19! "Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children." Isaiah 66:8 supplies these beautiful word pictures!

Happy Israel!

Changed Israel!

The center of all creation!

Every people and tribe and clan on earth approaching Her in respect and awe, for, after all, God dwells in Her midst!

When these miracles all fall into place, God gloriously bringing about the consummation of this age, there just might be some unusual salvation experiences!

Guess what?

Atheists by the scores, I strongly suspect, will fall on their knees and trust Jesus Christ, God the Son, as Saviour and Lord!

Yes, Psalm 14:1 presents the problem. "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."

And Psalm 14:7 the solution. "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."

The "Salvation of Israel," again be clear, That is Jesus!

Lord, hasten the day!

                                                                                --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 9, SUMMARY:

God's desire for sinners is that they might be saved.

However, make no mistake, lost people who continue to rebel against the Lord and His Word will be judged some day. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Galatians 6:7

Psalm 14, in some detail too, describes such lost men, particularly the atheists! It begins, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God."

These men who deny God are said to "eat up God's people as they eat bread," hating true born-again saints! They indeed mean harm to Christians!

They also "shame the counsel of the poor," making light of what we believe and preach and teach!

God is listening to their words of unbelief!

Oh, let me tell you about this before we do anything else!

There is another Psalm, Psalm 53, which is nearly identical to Psalm 14! It's a "parallel" Passage the experts would tell us.

Here is verse 1 in each Psalm. First Psalm 14: "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." Then Psalm 53: "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good." Quite close!

And so these Psalms continue together verse after verse. However, there are two significant differences.

Psalm 53 mentions to the Lord's children the little fact that "God will scatter the bones of him that encampeth against thee."

Not apparent in Psalm 14, God's judgment will fall ... even against the atheists!

Also, remember with me that the unbelieving wicked man who shames the counsel of the poor, the humble saints of earth, will himself some day be put to shame by those they have despised! "

We will have the last laugh!

"Thou (the saints) hast put them (the wicked) to shame, because God hath despised them." Psalm 53:5

It only appears that atheism and its adherents will prosper indefinitely, eating up God's people day by day!

Judgment is on the way!

God is going to do some "bone scattering" and some "shaming" and some "despising" and some "condemning" one of these days!

And, again according to this two Psalm set, even these BOLD antagonists against God have, deep down inside their hearts, a little bit of fear!

"There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous." Psalm 14:5

"There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them." Psalm 53:5

Also, using more Scripture: "He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." John 3:18

And, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 3:36

It took Psalm 53 to fully complete the picture originally drawn in Psalm 14! God is such an awesome Artist, often waiting until after dinner to put the finishing touches on His latest portrait!

And the portrait of these "fools" who do not believe in God, that masterpiece is soon to be hung out to dry!

                                                                                   --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

PSALM 14, WHAT A TEXT! IT INDEED SPEAKS FOR ITSELF! WE PRAY THIS STUDY HAS BEEN A BLESSING TO YOU ALL.