This is a Psalm of David to the chief musician. This Psalm talks of the fool – how he says in his heart that there is no God. The Hebrew word for “fool” is one who is morally deficient. Note that it is not in his mind, in his thinking, that he makes this decision, but in his heart. He has a proud attitude. The heart is the seat of all emotion. This man is not stupid, he does not lack intelligence, but his heart lacks accountability before God. He makes this choice.
God looks down from heaven on all mankind and sees those who have chosen to follow His way and those who have not. He sees those who have become corrupt and frustrated the plans of the poor. David says that as God looks (v.2), He can see no-one who does good. Some scholars believe this verse is telling us that David is talking prophetically about the time when the Christians have left the earth in the Rapture, and the great tribulation is happening.
Whether we accept this school of thinking or not, this Psalm reminds us all that God sees everything we do, good or bad, and that on the Day of Judgment, He will reward those who follow Him, and punish those who do evil things.
In Romans 3:10 – 12 Paul quotes this Psalm saying that all men are under the power of sin, but we can choose to follow the way of Christ.
Peter, in 2 Peter 2:10, says that those who wilfully follow the way of the world, will have punishment on the Day of Judgment, but God will hold the righteous from trials.
As followers of the Lord Jesus Christ we are called to let go of the world and follow the way of Christ. If we do this, then we will be held from various trials.
We may look at our lives and think that we do have trials even though we follow the Lord Jesus Christ, but all our trials are “God filtered”; nothing comes to us that hasn’t been allowed by our Father. Things could be a lot worse than they are, but our heavenly Father sifts everything before He allows it to touch us.
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Prayer: Father, help me to follow You today and make choices that will please Your heart, Amen