Today’s thought “Folly and Wickedness of Men” (January 06)

Throughout the times there have always been disputes about how everything came into being and if there are gods or who has the right to call himself or herself the first god.

For David, who grieves over the pervasiveness of sin and its sad effects, it is clear that it are fools who say that there is no God. For him such people are corrupt. Mostly people also can see that such people have committed abominable deeds, though in reality all have faults, no one can escape sometimes doing wrong.

“1 «For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.» 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. 2 Jehovah looked down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there were any that did understand, That did seek after God. 3 They are all gone aside; They are together become filthy; There is none that doeth good, no, not one.” (Ps 14:1-3 ASV)

“ The wicked, in the pride of his countenance, saith, He will not require it. All his thoughts are, There is no God.” (Ps 10:4 ASV)

“ «For the Chief Musician; set to Mahalath. Maschil of David.» The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none that doeth good.” (Ps 53:1 ASV)

“ If thou, Jehovah, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” (Ps 130:3 ASV)

“10 as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none that understandeth, There is none that seeketh after God; 12 They have all turned aside, they are together become unprofitable; There is none that doeth good, no, not, so much as one:” (Ro 3:10-12 ASV)

We must know that the Adonai looks down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. (Psalm 14:2)

“13 Jehovah looketh from heaven; He beholdeth all the sons of men; 14 From the place of his habitation he looketh forth Upon all the inhabitants of the earth,” (Ps 33:13-14 ASV)

“ For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; From heaven did Jehovah behold the earth;” (Ps 102:19 ASV)

“ A brutish man knoweth not; Neither doth a fool understand this:” (Ps 92:6 ASV)

“ Now set your heart and your soul to seek after Jehovah your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of Jehovah God, to bring the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of Jehovah.” (1Ch 22:19 ASV)

David wonders if evildoers ever would understand. Those who live how they want and never call on Adonai, Jehovah God are in great dread, and shall come to tremble with great fear. (Psalm 14:4-5)

“4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And call not upon Jehovah? 5 There were they in great fear; For God is in the generation of the righteous.” (Ps 14:4-5 ASV)

“ They know not, neither do they understand; They walk to and fro in darkness: All the foundations of the earth are shaken.” (Ps 82:5 ASV)

“ When evil-doers came upon me to eat up my flesh, Even mine adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell.” (Ps 27:2 ASV)

“ Pour out thy wrath upon the nations that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have devoured Jacob, yea, they have devoured him and consumed him, and have laid waste his habitation.” (Jer 10:25 ASV)

“ Pour out thy wrath upon the nations that know thee not, And upon the kingdoms that call not upon thy name.” (Ps 79:6 ASV)

“ And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee; for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us by means of our iniquities.” (Isa 64:7 ASV)

“ If I had said, I will speak thus; Behold, I had dealt treacherously with the generation of thy children.” (Ps 73:15 ASV)

“ His seed shall be mighty upon earth: The generation of the upright shall be blessed.” (Ps 112:2 ASV)

At the second Psalm we read in our Daily Reading Plan we find the recurring theme in the psalms of the dwelling place of God and its importance in worship. Psalm 15 considers the moral qualities of the person who wishes to approach God.

David questions God who may dwell in His tent and who may live on His holy mountain. (Psalm 15:1)

“ «A Psalm of David.» Jehovah, who shall sojourn in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?” (Ps 15:1 ASV)

“5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me secretly in his pavilion: In the covert of his tabernacle will he hide me; He will lift me up upon a rock. 6 And now shall my head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me. And I will offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto Jehovah.” (Ps 27:5-6 ASV)

“ I will dwell in thy tabernacle for ever: I will take refuge in the covert of thy wings. [[Selah” (Ps 61:4 ASV)

“ Who shall ascend into the hill of Jehovah? And who shall stand in his holy place?” (Ps 24:3 ASV)

In Psalm 15 we get the answer. The one who lives and walks with integrity, does what be right, and speaks honestly with truth from the heart, is the one who may come close to the Most Highest and Only One True God. (Psalm 15:2)

“ He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, And speaketh truth in his heart;” (Ps 15:2 ASV)

“ He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto falsehood, And hath not sworn deceitfully.” (Ps 24:4 ASV)

“ He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from taking a bribe, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from looking upon evil:” (Isa 33:15 ASV)

“ These are the things that ye shall do: speak ye every man the truth with his neighbor; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates;” (Zec 8:16 ASV)

“ Wherefore, putting away falsehood, speak ye truth each one with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.” (Eph 4:25 ASV)

Though we may not forget that those who want to be Children of God, or want to call themselves Jew, Jeshuaist or Christian, should be people who have a good character, not speaking evil against others. For a lover of God or for the one who wants to be a child of God, there is no place for doing wrong to his neighbour, or to disgrace or slander his friends. (Psalm 15:3)

“ He that slandereth not with his tongue, Nor doeth evil to his friend, Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor;” (Ps 15:3 ASV)

“ Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; Thou slanderest thine own mother’s son.” (Ps 50:20 ASV)

“ Draw me not away with the wicked, And with the workers of iniquity; That speak peace with their neighbors, But mischief is in their hearts.” (Ps 28:3 ASV)

“ Thou shalt not take up a false report: put not thy hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.” (Ex 23:1 ASV)

One who does not tell lies about others, does no wrong [evil], does not gossip [L raise a reproachful matter with their associates] but honours [L fear] Jehovah and keeps to His commandments, also keeping their promises to their neighbours, even when it hurts (Psalm 15:4), not take money [a bribe] to hurt innocent people [Ex. 23:8; Deut. 16:19], whoever does all these things will never be shaken (destroyed or removed). (Psalm 15:3-5)

“ In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honoreth them that fear Jehovah; He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not; He that putteth not out his money to interest, Nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.” (Ps 15:4-5 ASV)

“ If thou lend money to any of my people with thee that is poor, thou shalt not be to him as a creditor; neither shall ye lay upon him interest.” (Ex 22:25 ASV)

“ Take thou no interest of him or increase, but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee.” (Le 25:36 ASV)

“ unto a foreigner thou mayest lend upon interest; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon interest, that Jehovah thy God may bless thee in all that thou puttest thy hand unto, in the land whither thou goest in to possess it.” (De 23:20 ASV)

“ he that hath not given forth upon interest, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true justice between man and man,” (Eze 18:8 ASV)

“ And thou shalt take no bribe: for a bribe blindeth them that have sight, and perverteth the words of the righteous.” (Ex 23:8 ASV)

“ Thou shalt not wrest justice: thou shalt not respect persons; neither shalt thou take a bribe; for a bribe doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.” (De 16:19 ASV)

“ Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble:” (2Pe 1:10 ASV)

*
Psalm 14 is repeated with minor changes in Psalm 53. Paul refers to this Davidic psalm to explain how all of humanity is tainted by sin (Romans 3:1–12).

“1 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what is the profit of circumcision?
2 Much every way: first of all, that they were intrusted with the oracles of God. 3 For what if some were without faith? shall their want of faith make of none effect the faithfulness of God?

4 God forbid: yea, let God be found true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy words, And mightest prevail when thou comest into judgment. 5 But if our unrighteousness commendeth the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who visiteth with wrath? (I speak after the manner of men.) 6 God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world? 7 But if the truth of God through my lie abounded unto his glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? 8 and why not (as we are slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say), Let us do evil, that good may come? whose condemnation is just. 9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we before laid to the charge both of Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin; 10 as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none that understandeth, There is none that seeketh after God; 12 They have all turned aside, they are together become unprofitable; There is none that doeth good, no, not, so much as one:” (Ro 3:1-12 ASV)

Preceding

Memorizing wonderfully 71: Philippians 4:8 True and Honest things