As I read all four chapters this morning, verse one of Psalm 14 jumped out at me. I think it is because of the sheer bluntness of the statement and the harshness of the word "fool." And while this was what caught my attention first, it was the overall description of "the fool," "the corrupt," and "the reprobate" that had the deeper impact on me.
The image of "eating up my people as they eat bread" is a powerful image. I think of predatory lenders and businesses who impoverish their own workers to turn a greater profit. Any activity that dehumanizes and abuses people for whom Christ died, people made in the image of God, this is wickedness.
And Psalm 15! Can there be a more pointed contrast between our own society and the image God has for human flourishing? As I read verse 4 I thought of Philippians 3:19 where the Apostle Paul describes those who are enemies of the cross of Christ:
whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.Too often, I fear, we honor the reprobates and despise those who fear the Lord. We are living life upside down! We glory in the shameful things of life, and we seek to shame the beautiful. We applaud lies and untruth, and we despise truth. We deconstruct morality and we call it good.
And so I pray for integrity today - integrity among the people of God. I pray that a love of truth will fill our hearts. I pray that no slander will pass our lips. I pray that we will honor what is honorable and love what is beautiful and follow what is right in the eyes of God. And I pray that the integrity of our hearts will be evident in the way that we treat others.
But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness;My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. Psalm 13:5
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