Well, as we look at Psalm 53, I want to warn you: I'm about to hurt your feelings. It's a humbling Psalm to say the least. I want to title this Psalm, "The Ultimate Pandemic." Psalm 53 is almost identical to Psalm 14, and that's important, because that's not an editorial error, like, you know, the editor made a mistake and repeated a Psalm. That's divine intention!
What Psalm 14 and Psalm 53 talk about is so important that God says, "I'm going to give a little bit of time in between these two Psalms, and then I'm going to repeat it again, because these people need to hear this."
What Psalm 53 discusses is the fool. Now, here's what's so important to understand about Psalm 14 and Psalm 53. When God discusses the fool, he is not pointing out a certain class of people who are just losers-they don't get it, a certain class of people that are different from you and me (oh, wise people that we are!)
This Psalm is about everyone, because the Bible is very clear (you get this in Proverbs and Romans 3) that sin does something to all of us: it reduces all of us to fools. If you don't believe that, all you have to do is have a child. A three-year old child will argue about food as if they were a dietician; they have no idea what to eat, they would eat nails. It's just utter foolishness! Or they'll argue about when to go to sleep, as if they had done a sleep study.
And so, Psalm 53 is meant to confront all of us. All of us forget God. All of us have moments where we ignore his existence. All of us live like there's no such thing as God. All of us willingly step over God's boundaries. All of us fail to seek the Lord as we should. All of us eat one another up. (What does that mean? With anger and conflict and envy.) All of us fail to call upon God, giving way to self-sufficiency and self-righteousness and the denial of need.
You see, this Psalm is not about an intellectual, philosophical atheism. It's about the practical atheism of street level, God-forgetfulness. Let me say that again: it's about the practical atheism of God-forgetfulness.
The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."
They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;
there is none who does good.
God looks down from heaven
on the children of man
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
They have all fallen away;
together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
Hard words to hear. Does an acknowledgement of foolishness live in your life? Does acknowledgement of God shape your identity, your choices, your words, your actions? Does it shape the way you approach your marriage, your parenting, friendship, work, university, money, sex, whatever? Or is there evidence of God-forgetfulness in you that causes you to say things you shouldn't say, to do things you shouldn't do, to want things you shouldn't want?
There is hope for us. 2 Corinthians 5:15 says that Jesus came so that those who live might no longer live for themselves. Jesus came to rescue fools from themselves. And that's a very good thing because foolishness embraces us all!
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. Think honestly about yourself and intentionally write down where foolishness is a part of your daily life--in other words, where are you a practical atheist, living a life of street level God-forgetfulness?
2. How are those specific areas of foolishness (practical atheism) shaping the way you think, talk, act, and believe? How does your foolishness dictate the way you interact with your spouse, kids, friends, roommates, coworkers, extended family members, and neighbors? How does your foolishness dictate the way you talk to yourself and shape your identity? How does it mold your choices, words, and actions?
3. How can you now make a U-Turn on that foolishness and begin to acknowledge God in the way you approach your marriage, your parenting, friendships, work, university studies, money, sexuality, etc.? In other words, how can your relationship with God through Jesus give shape to the areas of your life that were previously dictated by foolishness and lack of acknowledgement of God?
4. Read 2 Corinthians 5:15 and ponder what it might specifically look like to no longer live for yourself (foolishness), but instead live for Jesus because of his love for you. Write those areas down as you think about how you speak to your children, how you react to traffic, how you think about the people in your life who can regularly irritate you, and even how you talk to yourself in the privacy of your own mind and heart. How is the good news of the gospel (Jesus came) something that you want to change you?
Conversation Prompts to Use with Children
For Younger Children:
• When do you think you know better than grown-ups about how you should act? During dinner? During bedtime? When it's time to clean up?
• Have you ever seen someone else act foolishly before? What happened? When have you seen me act foolishly before? What are some ways that you can act foolishly sometimes? Why shouldn't we act foolishly? What do you think the opposite of "foolishness" is? Why do you think God wants us to act that way instead of foolishly?
• When we're forgetful about God and act foolishly, how can we remind ourselves that we should make a U-Turn and go the opposite direction from the way we're speaking or acting? Let's talk about how I can do that for you and you can do that for me.
For Older Children:
• When you were younger, do you remember a few ways that you used to act foolishly? Share them with me. Now, let me share with you a few ways that I acted foolishly when I was younger.
• Why is it so important that we don't act foolishly now? What does foolish behavior, speech, and thought say about who we are on the inside? How is foolishness actually just God-forgetfulness? Can you give me a few examples of what that might look like either in your life or what you've seen in someone else's life?
• Do you think my life represents an acknowledgement of God when you see my choices, my words, and my actions? If not, can you help me to make better choices that acknowledge God in my areas of weakness?
• What parts of your life need to be challenged so they can acknowledge God more clearly, both on the outside, but more importantly, on the inside?
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