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For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.

Psalm 14 For the director of music. Of David. 1 The fool says in his heart,      “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;      there is no one who does good. 2 The Lord  looks down from heaven      on all mankind to see if there are any who understand,      any who seek God. 3 All have turned away, all have become corrupt;      there is no one who does good,      not even one. 4 Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread;      they never call on the Lord . 5 But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,      for God is present in the company of the righteous. 6 You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,      but the Lord  is their refuge. 7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!      When the Lord  restores his people,      let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

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The Oxford English Dictionary defines a fool as one ‘who acts unwisely or imprudently; a stupid person.’ Few people aspire to attain this status. There are many, however, who choose to live their lives independently of God. The Bible calls this foolishness. Foolishness is mentioned in many places in the Bible, and not always in a negative sense: Paul says that the preaching of the cross is foolishness in the world’s eyes.1 In today’s passage, however, foolishness carries undesirable connotations.2 Fools live in rebellion against the Lord. They differ from agnostics in that they are fully cognizant of the truth about God but choose to live their lives disregarding him and his word. Fools also mock sin; they ‘sit in the company of mockers.’3 That intellectual decision to disregard God has practical implications in the moral realm. Psalm 14 mentions a downward spiral into corruption, abominable works, and iniquity. Paul calls them ignorant people who demonstrate futility in their minds.4 Their conduct leads to disastrous social policies that destroy the lives of the poor and oppressed, who are eaten up (v. 4). Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool.5 He had everything sorted: stacks of money, generous pensions, and aspirations to take life easy. There is no suggestion that his wealth was anything but the result of his hard work and prudent economic practices—but he was not rich toward God and made no provision for eternity. God calls him a fool.6 Materialism, deep-rooted individualism, a lack of awareness of the socially deprived, and a disregard for God and his eternal plans earned this farmer the name of a fool.

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