Denouncing the folly of those who deal with God's people as if there were no God.
Scripture References:
st. 1 = vv. 1-2
st. 2 = vv. 3-4
st. 3 = vv. 5-7
Psalm 14 (= Psalm 53) springs from a time when the many godless run roughshod over the few who walk humbly with God. The psalmist's lyrics refer to the godless as fools because they act as if there were no God to call them to account; yet God sees their folly (st. 1) and their God-defying oppression of his people (st. 2). Confident that the LORD will expose such foolishness, the psalmist voices our prayer for the early deliverance of God's people and anticipates the time of their restoration and joy (st. 3). Marie J. Post (PHH 5) versified this psalm in 1983 for the Psalter Hymnal.
Liturgical Use:
Occasions in which the church suffers from or laments the folly of unbelievers who act toward God's people as if God is dead.
--Psalter Hymnal Handbook