Bible Commentaries
Psalms 14

Verses 1-7

Here the psalmist utters his own consciousness of the meaning of godlessness. In its essence it is folly. The word "fool" here stands for moral perversity rather than intellectual blindness. This is repeated in the declaration, "They are corrupt,'' and in the statement that their works are abominable. To his own testimony the psalmist adds the statement of the divine outlook on humanity. It is the same. Men do not recognize God and their doings are therefore evil.

The psalmist then looks at certain occasions without naming them. "There" refers to some occasion of God's deliverance of His people. The thought is that when God was recognized by His people their enemies were filled with fear. Then there is a contrasting picture of the oppressed people of God put to shame, "because Jehovah is his refuge"; the thought being that the refuge was neglected and the chosen therefore rejected (see Psa 53:5 ). The thought of the whole psalm is of the safety of godliness and the peril of ungodliness. Jehovah cannot be deceived. He knows and this events always prove. The psalm ends with a sigh for the coming of the day of deliverance.