Psalm 14
Psalm 14
Fallen Man and a Faithful God
This psalm is titled, To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. The historical superscription identifies David as the human author and the Chief Musician as the one responsible for its liturgical use in Israel’s worship. Ultimately, however, the true Chief Musician is the LORD Himself, who governs both history and redemption. This psalm is not merely a private meditation but a theological declaration meant for covenant instruction. Its central theme is the safety of godliness and the peril of ungodliness. It presents a sweeping diagnosis of human depravity and sets the stage for the hope of divine salvation.
A. The Sad Condition of the Man Who Rejects God
Psalm 14:1
“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.”
David begins with a moral and theological evaluation, not a philosophical debate. The fool is not intellectually deficient, he is morally perverse. The Hebrew term nabal denotes one who is spiritually insensitive, morally hardened, and aggressively self-willed. The term is illustrated in 1 Samuel 25:25, where Abigail describes her husband:
“Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal, for as his name is, so is he, Nabal is his name, and folly is with him.”
Folly in Scripture is fundamentally ethical rebellion, not mere ignorance.
“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” The denial is internal before it is verbal. This is not merely an academic conclusion but a moral suppression of truth. The heart in Scripture represents the seat of will, desire, and moral orientation. This aligns with the apostolic explanation in Romans 1:18–22:
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.”
The fool suppresses revealed truth. Creation testifies to God’s eternal power, conscience testifies to moral accountability, and history testifies to divine governance. Denial, therefore, is not lack of evidence but rejection of authority.
The denial may be theoretical, but often it is practical. The fool effectively says, “No God for me.” This is lived atheism. It is possible to confess God with the lips and deny Him in the heart and conduct. Scripture records that even David once spoke foolishly within himself. In 1 Samuel 27:1, we read:
“And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines.”
In that moment, David functioned as though God were absent from covenant promises. Practical unbelief can overtake even a believer when fear overrides faith.
Christ Himself identifies the moral root of unbelief in John 3:19–20:
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”
The issue is not intellectual deficiency but moral hostility. Sinful man resists divine exposure.
David continues, “They are corrupt, they have done abominable works.” The rejection of God produces ethical decay. The word corrupt implies moral ruin, like fruit that has spoiled beyond use. Abominable works refers to behavior detestable before a holy God. Remove transcendent authority, and moral relativism fills the void. When man dethrones God, he enthrones self.
This principle is confirmed in Proverbs 14:12:
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
Human autonomy always trends toward destruction.
David concludes with a sweeping theological assessment: “There is none that doeth good.” This is not hyperbole but doctrinal realism concerning total depravity. Fallen man is not as evil as he could possibly be, but every aspect of his being is affected by sin. The apostle Paul quotes this verse in his systematic argument on universal guilt in Romans 3:10–12:
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable, there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
This is the divine indictment against humanity apart from grace.
Man is born with a bent toward sin. Psalm 51:5 declares:
“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.”
The will and capacity to sin are native to fallen humanity. No child must be taught selfishness or deceit, those arise naturally from the corrupted nature inherited from Adam.
Even acts that appear morally good are contaminated by impure motives. Isaiah 64:6 states:
“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.”
Without regeneration, even righteousness is insufficient before divine holiness.
This verse establishes the theological baseline of Psalm 14. The fool denies God, corruption follows denial, and universal depravity characterizes fallen humanity. The psalm does not end here, but it begins with an unflinching diagnosis. Scripture never flatters human nature. It exposes it. Only after the depth of ruin is understood can the glory of redemption be rightly appreciated.
Psalm 14:2–3
Heaven’s Analysis of Fallen Humanity
Psalm 14:2–3
“The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
David now shifts perspective from earth to heaven. Verse 1 gave man’s declaration. Verses 2 and 3 give God’s evaluation. What man says in his heart is answered by what God sees from heaven.
“The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men.” The covenant name, LORD, emphasizes Yahweh, the self existent and sovereign God of Israel. Fallen man may deny Him, but heaven is not silent. God observes. This echoes earlier moments in redemptive history. In Genesis 11:5, during the rebellion at Babel, we read:
“And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.”
Likewise, before the Flood, divine observation preceded divine judgment. Genesis 6:5 declares:
“And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
God’s looking is not investigative ignorance, as though He must gather data. It is judicial examination. He looks in order to render moral assessment.
Man often wishes that God would withdraw His oversight, but such a desire is irrational. All existence is sustained by Him. Paul proclaimed in Acts 17:28:
“For in him we live, and move, and have our being.”
Even daily provisions flow from divine common grace. Jesus declared in Matthew 5:45:
“For he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
To wish God away is to wish away the very foundation of life itself.
“To see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.” The divine search is not for intellectual brilliance but for spiritual perception. Biblical understanding involves moral alignment with God’s truth. Scripture repeatedly connects understanding with reverent obedience. Proverbs 9:10 states:
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
Understanding begins with submission, not speculation.
God also looks to see if any “seek God.” Fallen humanity often imagines that religious activity equals seeking God. Yet Scripture distinguishes between self generated religion and genuine pursuit of the true and living God. Paul cites this very passage in his indictment of universal sin in Romans 3:11:
“There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.”
This is a sweeping theological statement. Apart from regenerating grace, man does not initiate a saving pursuit of God. Instead, he fashions idols consistent with his desires. Romans 1:23 explains:
“And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man.”
Left to himself, man does not seek the God who reveals Himself in holiness. He seeks a manageable substitute.
“They are all gone aside.” The language conveys deviation from a straight path. Humanity has collectively departed from the moral standard of God. This recalls the universal corruption described before the Flood and anticipates Paul’s summary in Romans 3:12:
“They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable.”
Sin is not isolated but pervasive. The departure is corporate and comprehensive.
“They are all together become filthy.” The term suggests moral contamination. Sin is not merely an error, it is defilement. Isaiah gives similar testimony in Isaiah 53:6:
“All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
The universality is unmistakable, all have strayed, every one has turned.
“There is none that doeth good, no, not one.” The repetition intensifies the verdict. This is not hyperbole but divine declaration. Paul quotes these very words in Romans 3:10:
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.”
This statement broadens the scope beyond the explicit atheist of verse 1. The fool is not a rare exception, he is representative of fallen humanity. The problem is not limited to outspoken deniers, it includes religious moralists, covenant members, and every descendant of Adam apart from saving grace.
The doctrine presented here is total depravity, not absolute depravity. Man is not as evil as he could be in every action, but every part of his nature is affected by sin. His mind is darkened, his will is biased toward self, and his affections are disordered. Ephesians 4:18 describes fallen humanity:
“Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.”
Psalm 14:2–3 thus provides heaven’s audit of humanity. God searches for understanding and true seeking. He finds none. All have deviated, all are corrupted, none do good in a manner that meets divine righteousness.
B. God’s Defense of His Righteous People
Psalm 14:4–6
God Defends the Generation of the Righteous
“Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.
There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.
Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.”
After declaring the universal corruption of fallen humanity, David now turns to a more focused issue, the treatment of God’s covenant people in a hostile world. If all have turned aside, what becomes of the righteous remnant? Does corruption triumph unopposed? David answers with confidence rooted in divine presence and covenant faithfulness.
“Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge?” The question carries astonishment. The workers of iniquity act as though they are unaware of moral accountability. Yet their ignorance is willful. Scripture distinguishes between intellectual limitation and moral blindness. Psalm 111:10 declares:
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments.”
True knowledge begins with reverence. Therefore, those who persist in wickedness reveal not intellectual deficiency but spiritual rebellion.
“Who eat up my people as they eat bread.” The imagery is striking. The wicked consume God’s people casually, regularly, without remorse, as naturally as daily sustenance. This aligns with the Lord’s warning in John 16:2:
“They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.”
Persecution is often rationalized by the persecutor. The wicked treat oppression as normal and even justified.
“And call not upon the LORD.” Prayerlessness marks practical atheism. To refuse dependence upon God is to function as though He is absent. Jeremiah 10:25 describes the nations in similar terms:
“Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name.”
Calling upon the LORD signifies covenant trust. Its absence reveals estrangement.
“There were they in great fear.” The tone shifts abruptly. The oppressors appear dominant, yet inwardly they are unstable. Conscience is not easily silenced. Even the hardened sinner cannot fully escape moral awareness. Proverbs 28:1 states:
“The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
Fear without visible cause exposes inward guilt. The Hebrew intensifies the phrase, they feared a fear, suggesting sudden panic or overwhelming dread. The wicked live under suppressed knowledge of divine accountability.
“For God is in the generation of the righteous.” This is the theological center of the passage. The strength of the righteous is not numerical superiority but divine presence. God identifies Himself with His covenant people. This echoes the covenant promise in Leviticus 26:12:
“And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.”
The righteous may appear weak externally, but they are never abandoned. The presence of God defines their security.
“Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor.” The wicked mock the strategies and faith of the afflicted believer. The poor here are not merely economically disadvantaged but spiritually dependent. Their counsel consists of trust in God rather than manipulation of power structures.
“Because the LORD is his refuge.” Refuge language dominates the Psalms. The believer’s security rests in divine protection. Psalm 46:1 declares:
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
To shame the poor for trusting God is ultimately to oppose God Himself. The wicked battle against the LORD’s covenant loyalty, and such opposition cannot succeed.
Psalm 14:7
Longing for the LORD’s Salvation
“Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.”
David concludes with eschatological longing. Having surveyed corruption and conflict, he looks to divine deliverance. Salvation here carries the idea of comprehensive restoration, not merely private spiritual relief but national and covenant renewal.
“Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion!” Zion represents the dwelling place of God, the center of covenant presence. Deliverance originates with God, not with human reform. This anticipates the fuller revelation of redemption centered in Zion and ultimately fulfilled in the Messiah. Isaiah 59:20 prophesies:
“And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.”
Salvation is covenantal and messianic.
“When the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people.” This phrase does not refer specifically to the later Babylonian exile, but to any state of oppression or affliction. The language signifies reversal of fortune by divine intervention. A similar expression appears in Job 42:10:
“And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends.”
The turning of captivity means restoration after affliction.
“Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.” The dual names emphasize covenant identity. Joy is the proper response to divine redemption. The psalm began with corruption and denial, it ends with hope and restoration. God’s final word is not the folly of man but the salvation of His people.
From a broader redemptive perspective, this longing finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ. Paul echoes Psalm 14 in Romans 3, where he establishes universal sin, then immediately presents justification through faith in Jesus Christ. The despair of verses 1–3 drives the necessity of the gospel. The conflict of verses 4–6 magnifies the need for divine intervention. The longing of verse 7 anticipates the saving work of the Redeemer.
