Psalm 14
Looking for one good human
Good humans don’t exist anymore
A psalm of David. For the music leader. [1]
1It takes a fool to say, “There is no God.”People that sour are crooks, despicable sinners.
They have no trace of goodness in them.
2The LORD in heaven sees people on earth.
He’s looking for anyone who gets it—
Anyone wise enough to seek him out.
3Everyone’s a crook.
Not one person has a drop of goodness.
Not one.
4Are these wicked people stupid?
They destroy good people like eating a loaf of bread.
They treat me like I don’t exist.
5Look at them now, terrified.
They see God standing with the good people.
6You would badmouth the needy and their needs.
But the LORD is protecting them.
7I’m praying that Zion [2] shows Israel the way to salvation.
When the LORD restores the nation
Jacob’s family will celebrate, Israel will be happy again.
Footnotes
The subtitle wasn’t part of the original psalm. And the possible byline “of David,” isn’t necessarily a byline. The vague phrase could mean the song was written by David, about David, or was inspired by David. Almost half of the psalms are attributed to David in this way, 73 of 150. Ancient Jewish history tells of David playing a lyre and writing songs. For one, he wrote a song of mourning at the battlefield death of King Saul and his sons: “How have the mighty fallen!” (2 Samuel 1:19-27 New American Standard Bible). An ancient Jewish scroll from about the time of Jesus, discovered among the famous Dead Sea Scrolls, reports that David wrote 3,600 songs.
“Zion” is a term of endearment, and another name for Jerusalem. It’s a bit like “The Big Apple” for New York City, “The City of Love” for Paris, and “Sin City” for Las Vegas, though some wouldn’t call that a term of endearment.
Discussion Questions
- Sorry, there are currently no questions for this chapter.
Maps/Guides
