Psalm 14: Psalm for the Atheist

Psalm 14:

The fool hath said in his heart,

There is no God.

vs.1

"This psalm could be dedicated to the atheist.
With the denial of God’s existence often comes the moral decay described (in verses 1-6), and which was used by Paul to prove the universal depravity of the human race (Rom. 3:10-12).
While the “fool” may deny that God is, the righteous finds in Him the object of hopeful prayer for deliverance (verse 7).

 (Psalm 14), a wisdom poem, along with its nearly identical twin (Psalm 53), contains profound deliberations on human depravity. David’s representative desire for deliverance (verse 7), provides the chorus to his two preceding dirges on depravity.

(1)  The Dirges on Depravity (14:1-6);

A.  The First Dirge: In the Form of a Round, Addresses the Universality of Depravity (14:1-3);

They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: vs.3

B.   The Second Dirge: In the Form of a Ballad, Addresses the Futility of Depravity (14:4-6).

Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD. vs.4

(2)  The Chorus on Deliverance (14:7);

A.  The Wish for it (14:7a);

 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! vs.7

B.   The Worship Attending it (14:7b-c).

...when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad. vs.7

The contempt it puts upon the honor of God:

for there is something of practical atheism at the bottom of all sin.

Sin is the disease of mankind, and it appears here to be malignant and epidemic.

The sinner here described. He is one that saith in his heart, There is no God; he is an atheist.

There is no Elohim, no Judge or governor of the world, no providence presiding over the affairs of men.

The character of this sinner.

He is a fool."

BooksOfTheBible/MatthewHenry

The LORD looked down from heaven

upon the children of men,

 to see if there were any that did understand,

and seek God.

vs.2