The Fool's Hope

Who comes to mind when you hear the word, “fool”?

When I hear the word, “fool,” I immediately think of one of my heroes when I was 6: “Mr. T.” Mr. T was the tough, tender-hearted mechanical wizard of my favorite TV show, the A- Team. His name on the show was Bosco “B.A.” Baracus. I’ll let you guess what “B.A.” stood for.

He was one cool dude. Not afraid of anything. Clever and totally jacked. And when the A-Team had to outsmart some unreasonable bad guy, Mr. T would come up with an ingenious solution and say “I pity the fool!” And believe me, you did not want to be that fool!

And can I say that, two weeks ago, Mr. T tweeted the following: “I pity the fool!: “The fool says in his heart, there is no God.” Mr. T. gets it. Yep—still my hero!

I begin lightheartedly because this is a difficult Psalm. It is humbling, searching, sobering. And as much as we might want to think that Psalm 53 is speaking of someone else, as we will see, its message is universal. David is speaking to all people and perhaps, especially, to those who claim that God exists, but live as though he doesn’t.

Like Mr. T, we ought to pity the fool—especially when that fool is us. And Psalm 53 is here to tell us something difficult now so that we don’t hear it on the day of judgement.

Here is how this Psalm unfolds: David moves from telling us about the heart of the fool, to the identity of the fool, to the destiny of the fool, and, finally, to the hope for the fool. Remember those four words:

Heart – Identity – Destiny – Hope

Father in heaven, your word is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. Help us to see you, by your Spirit and through your word, because we ask in Jesus’s name, Amen.

The Heart of the Fool (1–3)

Psalm 53 teaches us some very fundamental things about the human condition—about our nature and desires. Let’s look together at verse 1:

"The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.”

At first glance, we might think that the fool of v1 is the atheist.

But the Bible doesn’t believe in atheists.

The Scriptures very clearly and repeatedly attest that no human being at any time in any place can plausibly deny the existence of God.

Paul makes this case in Romans 1:19-20, where he says

For what can be known about God is plain to [all mankind], because God has shown it to them. For [God’s] invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made. So [mankind is] without excuse.

And Paul builds his argument on Psalm 19:1-3:

The heavens declare the glory of God, the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor are there words whose voice is not heard.

Human beings simply cannot deny creation’s witness to the existence of God. From galaxies to grasshoppers, God’s glory, his power, his moral beauty, his creativity, his wisdom, his goodness—are all displayed in the things he has made.

Our very nature as derivative, created beings who cannot bring ourselves into the world or uphold our existence, testifies to God’s sovereign power. His miraculous deeds displayed in history and preserved through the ages in his word, bear witness to his purposes and to his mercy and goodness.

That’s why there can be no theoretical or philosophical atheists. God is there, and he is not silent. The Bible doesn’t believe in atheists.

So, here is what Psalm 53 is saying: The heart of the fool says “there is no God” not because God is plausibly deniable, but because it stubbornly refuses to bow the knee to God’s rule. The heart refuses to give him the glory he is due. And the highest injustice, the most immoral act, is saying in our heart, “I cannot deny that you exist, but I refuse to worship you and I reject your authority.”

So, despite the witness of reality, the heart of the fool suppresses the truth about God. It says: “He does not see, he does not judge, he does not hold to account. There is no God.”

Listen to how Psalm 10 identifies the fool’s suppression of truth with wickedness. The Psalmist writes:

For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord. In the pride of his face, the wicked does not seek him. All his thoughts are “there is no God.”… [The wicked] says in his heart, “God has forgotten."
He has hidden his face, he will never see it….[the wicked renounces] God and [says] in his heart, “you will not call to account[.]”

Psalm 53:1 is teaching us that, by its very nature, the heart of the fool suppresses the truth about God. It is stubborn, proud, sin-sick, and opposed to the Lordship of God.

The Identity of the Fool

Spotting an atheist is as difficult as drawing a square circle, but spotting a fool is as easy as waking up in the morning and looking in the mirror. Look at the rest of verses 1–3:

"They are corrupt, doing abominable deeds, there is none who does good. God looks down on the children of men 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."

We have been looking at the heart from David’s perspective. Now we are looking at mankind from God’s perspective. Seeing all of humanity simultaneously, God finds none “who act wisely,” none who from the heart naturally pursue God in worship and obedience. Rather, the entire human race is characterized by rebellion against God.

Instead of walking with the One by whom and for whom mankind was made, everyone has verse 3 “fallen away.” Humanity refuses God the worship and obedience that he deserves. Together they have “soured” on God—becoming bitter, resentful, acrimonious, disaffected. Rather than acting wisely and choosing good, all their actions have turned inward. They have become self-seeking, rather than God-seeking. They have become morally corrupt. The concluding words of verse 3 capture the picture comprehensively:

“None of them does what is right, not a single one!”

So, who then is the fool? Not someone else. Not them. Us. All of us. Apart from a miracle of God’s grace, to be human is to be a fool.

You might say: “hold on a second, Pastor Ryan! You are going too far! How can we be lumped in with those woke liberal progressives, those raging anti-theists, those enemies who persecute the church of Christ?”

The placement of Psalm 53 actually gives us the answer. Track with me a second. You may remember that Psalm 53 is almost a word-for-word repetition of Psalm 14. The fact that the Psalter repeats Psalm 14 between Psalm 52 and 54 could seem accidental. But it is intentional. And it reminds the people of God why we are not exempted from the league of fools.

As we have seen in over the last two Sundays in Psalm 51 and 52, several of the Psalms reflect on particular moments in David’s life.

Those who arranged the Psalms repeated Psalm 14 as Psalm 53 to point back to the actions of Doeg the Edomite and King Saul which occasion David’s lament in Psalm 52. You can go back and listen to Jordan’s excellent message from last week to hear more. What is important for the moment is to remember that in Psalm 52 David is lamenting Saul’s wicked slaughter of the inhabitants of Nob.

Obviously, King Saul wasn’t a woke liberal progressive or a raging anti-theist—he was Israel’s king. And as king, he was especially responsible to cultivate his personal relationship with the God of Israel. In Deuteronomy 17:18-20, God says:

"And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, 20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel."

While nature and conscience would have been sufficient witness, Saul had God’s very word. He knew precisely what pleased God and what didn’t. Saul did not deny God’s existence, he defied God’s kingship. He said in his heart, “there is no God” and in his anger and bitterness, he murdered 85 Levitical priests with their wives and children. He became the fool—and committed an injustice so abhorrent, so repulsive, so despicable that it can only be described as “abominable.”

Psalm 53 stands here in the Psalter in part as a witness against the high-handed sin of God’s people who foolishly say, “He doesn’t know, he doesn’t care, he doesn’t judge, he won’t hold to account.”

So, what is the identity of the fool? All rebellious, sinful humanity, generally. And especially those who know the living God, who know the beauty of living according to his word, and who in pain or anger or lust or greed, deliberately choose to defy his Lordship.

What we’ve just seen in Psalm 53:1-3 and these other texts of Scripture is sometimes labeled by theologians as the doctrine of total depravity. Total depravity describes the complete moral inability of mankind to seek after God.

As beings created in God’s image and for relationship with him, we have the natural ability to see that God exists and alone is worthy of our worship and obedience. No physical limitation prevents us from worshipping or obeying him. But because our hearts are trapped in conscious, deliberate rebellion, we are morally unable to seek him. No matter how irrational it may be to disbelieve in God, we cannot reason ourselves to belief.

Here’s why: fold your arms right now in the “angry momma” pose. Now, note which arm is on top of the other. Got it? Now, try to reverse it. Not that easy, is it? But why do some people have their right hand above their left forearm and others the opposite? Intriguingly, it doesn’t necessarily correspond to right or left-handedness. Scientists believe that our arm folding preference is an inherited trait.

Why is the whole human race in bondage from birth to rebellion against God? It is an inherited trait. Rebellion from birth is the consequence of our first parents’ rebellion in the garden of Eden. This is the doctrine of original sin. Genesis narrates how Adam and Eve chose not to act wisely by walking in holiness and obedience and gratitude. Instead, they presumed that God was keeping something from them that they deserved.

Rather than acknowledging his benevolent authority or giving thanks to him, they defied him by eating of the one tree that was forbidden them. The result was catastrophic. Genesis 3:16-19 describes how Adam and Eve’s rebellion resulted in disordered desires producing all kind of dysfunction in their relationship with themselves, with God, with each other, and with the created order. And their offspring inherited this new state of reality. All humanity is under the power of sin.

David reflects this biblical understanding in Psalm 51, flip back and look at Psalm 51:5:

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Listen to how Paul explains it in Romans 5:12:

…all sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.

And in Romans 3, Paul even quotes our Psalm, Psalm 53:3, to underscore the fact that all of the human race are under the power of sin. Listen to verses 9–12:

“What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’” (Rom 3:9-12)

The heart of the fool suppresses the truth about God. And who is that fool? The man who refuses to make God his God. And, under the power of sin inherited from our first parents, that is all of humankind. Apart from a miracle of grace transforming our disordered desires, every single one of us are trapped in obstinate foolishness. This is a humbling doctrine. It is a doctrine against which our proud hearts want to rebel. But it is a doctrine that gives all the glory to God — because all the initiative is of God’s grace.

The Destiny of the Fool

Whew. Ok. Stretch break. Out of the heavy doctrinal stuff.

Let’s consider what the destiny of the fool if his folly is not addressed. Where does folly ultimately lead? Consider for a moment that what makes foolishness folly is not merely that it is sin. What is foolish about foolishness is that it places an unwise bet. The fool wagers that God isn’t really who he says he is, even though this is contrary to the witness of creation and conscience. The fool says, “he doesn’t really see. He doesn’t really care.”

But this is a wager that the fool cannot possibly win. The fool might wager that poison doesn’t affect him, but that won’t stop the poison from killing him when he drinks it.

And David knows this. Look at verse 4:

Have those who work evil no knowledge? Who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon God?

David sees the fool’s wager. He cries out, “do they not know?” Do they not realize that gobbling up God’s people like breakfast cereal—will bring about their own destruction? Do they not know that they are playing with fire? That they are teetering on the edge of destruction?

But then, David sees the answer. Look at verse 5:

"There they are, in great terror, where there is no terror. For God scatters the bones of who encamps against you; you put them to shame, for God has rejected them."

Like in a vision, David sees that God’s judgment has suddenly come upon his enemies. They were confident in their rebellion, consciously disobeying God’s rule, acting as though God did not see, living as though he did not exist. But he does. And he sees. They weren’t frightened by him then, but now they are seized with terror.

The ESV translates Psalm 53:5 in the present tense—which captures the “prophetic perfect” from the Hebrew original. God says something will happen, a prophet sees it, and because God has said it will happen it is as good as done. David is looking at what will happen that is so sure is it as though it is happening right now. It is as good as done. Those who walk in pride now will be brought to complete shame then.

There is a warning for us here. David is saying, “If I reject him now, he will reject me then. And if he rejects me on that day, there will be no hope.” Shame and destruction is the fool’s destiny.

Psalm 53 is sobering. It highlights our impossible situation. We are fools who, by nature, cannot change our foolish state, and our destiny is shame and destruction. We need a miracle of grace. But thank God that the Psalm does not end there.

The Fool’s Hope

There is hope for the fool. Look at verse 6:

“Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.”

Verse 6 is a prayer. David prays, “Oh, that deliverance would come out of Zion,” “Oh, God would you send a rescuer from Jerusalem? Would you send a deliverer from the holy city of God’s king, where the your presence dwells in your temple! Oh, God would you send your promised anointed one to rescue men and women who trapped in the bondage of sin!”

Then, David says, when God’s deliverer brings back his people from the bondage of sin, Jacob will rejoice and Israel will be glad!

As a boy, I went hiking one morning with some friends. This was many moons before smartphones or GPS. Somewhere along the way, we split up into two groups, intending to rendezvous later in the day. I hung toward the back of my group and, after some time, realized that our leader was hopelessly lost. We got off the trail, intending, we thought to bushwack a shortcut to our destination.

As the hours wore on, we got more and more turned around. Night began to fall. It was dark and cold. We were hungry and tired. I still remember that feeling—the tightness in my chest, the rising panic that we might be lost beyond rescue in 10,000 acres of howling wilderness. In that moment what I wouldn’t have given to have been home! To be at the campsite in a warm tent! To at least have had a compass!

But getting deeply lost certainly heightened the joy of being found. I won’t forget that moment when the headlamp of friend from the other group blinked into view over the ridgeline. What it was to be found!

Perhaps we cannot know the joy of salvation until we know the true danger of our situation. We are, by nature, fools. Our hearts are resolutely set against God and we have no desire to change. That folly is abominable in God’s sight (v1). That folly destroys our relationship with others (v4). And that folly ultimately leads to final rejection by God (v5).

There is only one hope. That salvation would come out of Zion.

Verse three tells us that there are none who seek after God, none who do good, not even one.

But that judgement is no longer absolutely true. The Gospels tell us that there came a time in human history when God looked down from heaven at one man and said “you are my beloved Son, in you am I well pleased.” The word “salvation” in verse six is the word Yeshua, “God’s salvation,” the same as the name Joshua, or, in Greek, Jesus.

There is hope for the fool—the salvation to be found in Jesus. Jesus who, alone, lived in perfect joyful obedience to his Father’s will. Jesus who alone acted wisely, whose entire earthly life was in perfect concert with his Father’s purposes. Jesus, the anointed one of God, the Son of David and Son of man who laid down his life to redeem fools from our sin.

Isaiah says that all we like sheep had gone astray, every one of us to our own way, but God laid upon him the iniquity of us all (Isa 53.6). Paul says that for our sake God made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5.21). This Jesus, Paul says, broke the power of our miserable inheritance,

“if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ” (Romans 5.17).

The apostle Peter says,

“there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4.12).

Salvation has come out of Zion.

Conclusion

There is hope for the fool. Perhaps this morning for the first time the real sense of your plight has settled in. The word of God is the Spirit’s sword, and this difficult word is a message of mercy. Psalm 53 is telling you that you are a fool, now, so that you do not hear it on the day of judgement. Perhaps in his kindness at this moment he is inclining your heart to find your hope in him. Responding to that sense is as simple as saying, “I am that fool and I need rescue. I repent of my hard-hearted rebellion and I trust in the rescue of Jesus, the Messiah.”

Friend, I promise, you are not too far away for rescue. Jesus says to you in John 6:37, “whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” This morning, receive the mercy of God.

Or perhaps you are trusting the Lord Jesus, but you see in your own heart the tendency to say “he does not see. He does not hold to account.” As Christians, we live in the time between the times. We are, in Christ, a new creation. And yet our foolish nature has not yet been entirely eradicated. Before grace, we were not able to not sin. Now, in Christ, we are able to not sin. But we look forward to our Savior’s final return when we will be with him and no longer able to sin. Until that day, then, can we resolve again, together, this morning, God helping us, to live our utmost for his highest? Can we remember him who laid down his life to free us from our selfish, sinful ways? Can we remember him, daily, and walk in newness of life?

The Lord’s Table

That’s what we do when we come to this table. We remember his redeeming love, until he comes again.