Psalm Devotional
The Trajectory of Unbelief
Psalms 52, 53, and 54 seem to form a chronological commentary on three successive rivals of David. Psalm 52 looks at Doeg the Edomite (cf. 1 Sam. 22); Psalm 53 describes an unbelieving fool (cf. 1 Sam. 25 where the name Nabal means “fool”); and Psalm 54 answers the intrigue of the Ziphites (cf. 1 Sam. 26). As David faced opposition from these various rivals, he was inspired to write, in universal terms, on the sober subject of human sinfulness. Whether Nabal the fool prompted Psalm 53 or not, the psalm is a timeless assessment of all those who foolishly rebel against the Lord.
Trying to convince himself of his own assertion, the fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” This inner dialogue is a struggle against the facts. If you have to tell yourself something, that something is not your first instinct. No one needs to tell himself that God does not exist unless there is the suppressed suspicion that He does. The fool needs to be reminded that saying so does not make it so. Romans 1 tells us that what may be known of God is revealed, but the unbeliever suppresses that knowledge. Psalm 53:1 shows us how that suppression works. Like the thief who tells himself, “I won’t get caught,” the fool tells himself, “There is no God.” This is not a sincere but misguided opinion harbored within a life well lived; it is willful defiance accompanied by “abominable iniquity.”
