Psalms 44

Psalms 44:1

The Throne of the LORD

The word “if” has the meaning and power of saying that there is no doubt whatsoever (Psalms 11:3). There is no doubt that the foundations will be overthrown if the rightful king does not rule, but is persecuted. By the foundations we can think of justice and righteousness, the laws that God has issued that should govern public life (cf. Psalms 82:5). They are the foundations of society. If those foundations are eroded, the house of society will eventually collapse and become a ruin.

We see this today in the society around us. When God’s rights and laws are no longer obeyed, when He is not taken into account any longer, the chaos in which society now finds itself is created. What should the righteous do if that is the situation? Can he do anything? Can he undertake something to turn the tide? No and yes.

No, he cannot rebuild the collapsed house. Yes, he can look up in faith, beyond his counselors and enemies, to the LORD (Psalms 11:4). He “is in His holy temple” (cf. Habakkuk 2:20a), in heaven, where His throne stands. In Isaiah, God says: “Heaven is My throne” (Isaiah 66:1). That He is in His “holy” temple means that He is separated from all turmoil on earth. His “throne” implies that He rules and has authority to judge. He and His throne can be shaken by nothing. Nothing is able to disturb His peace or thwart His plans with the world.

On earth the foundations can be destroyed, but that is impossible with “the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10). It is to that city that the believer looks. He realizes that the true government sits in heaven, untouchable from all the turmoil of the earth. The government over the earth is exercised from the throne in heaven, although man thinks that he himself is in control.

He Who is in His holy temple and governs everything from His throne in heaven acts in His government with perfect knowledge of man. Although it may seem that He does nothing, that He is absent, nothing escapes Him. He is not indifferent to what happens on earth, but fully involved in all that “the children of men”, righteous and wicked, do on earth.

His eyes observe all the doings of men. With “His eyelids” He fathoms everything, even the most deeply hidden motives, for “all things are open and laid bare” to Him (Hebrews 4:13). Nothing is hidden from Him “who sees [what is done] in secret” (Matthew 6:4; 6; 18). His eyes are “like a flame of fire” (Revelation 1:14). He sees right through us.

Psalms 44:2

The Throne of the LORD

The word “if” has the meaning and power of saying that there is no doubt whatsoever (Psalms 11:3). There is no doubt that the foundations will be overthrown if the rightful king does not rule, but is persecuted. By the foundations we can think of justice and righteousness, the laws that God has issued that should govern public life (cf. Psalms 82:5). They are the foundations of society. If those foundations are eroded, the house of society will eventually collapse and become a ruin.

We see this today in the society around us. When God’s rights and laws are no longer obeyed, when He is not taken into account any longer, the chaos in which society now finds itself is created. What should the righteous do if that is the situation? Can he do anything? Can he undertake something to turn the tide? No and yes.

No, he cannot rebuild the collapsed house. Yes, he can look up in faith, beyond his counselors and enemies, to the LORD (Psalms 11:4). He “is in His holy temple” (cf. Habakkuk 2:20a), in heaven, where His throne stands. In Isaiah, God says: “Heaven is My throne” (Isaiah 66:1). That He is in His “holy” temple means that He is separated from all turmoil on earth. His “throne” implies that He rules and has authority to judge. He and His throne can be shaken by nothing. Nothing is able to disturb His peace or thwart His plans with the world.

On earth the foundations can be destroyed, but that is impossible with “the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10). It is to that city that the believer looks. He realizes that the true government sits in heaven, untouchable from all the turmoil of the earth. The government over the earth is exercised from the throne in heaven, although man thinks that he himself is in control.

He Who is in His holy temple and governs everything from His throne in heaven acts in His government with perfect knowledge of man. Although it may seem that He does nothing, that He is absent, nothing escapes Him. He is not indifferent to what happens on earth, but fully involved in all that “the children of men”, righteous and wicked, do on earth.

His eyes observe all the doings of men. With “His eyelids” He fathoms everything, even the most deeply hidden motives, for “all things are open and laid bare” to Him (Hebrews 4:13). Nothing is hidden from Him “who sees [what is done] in secret” (Matthew 6:4; 6; 18). His eyes are “like a flame of fire” (Revelation 1:14). He sees right through us.

Psalms 44:3

The LORD Is Righteous

David is not guided by the difficult circumstances and the well-meant or ill-meant counsel of men, but by the LORD, of Whom he knows that He tests the righteous (Psalms 11:5). He himself is such a righteous person who is being tested.

The verb “to test” means to test metals to determine their content and purity. The process of testing also works purification. Testing indicates the activity of the refiner who is engaged in the inspection and purification of gold or silver (cf. Jeremiah 6:27-30; Jeremiah 9:7; Malachi 3:2-4). The LORD tests the genuineness of faith, not to kill the believer, but to make the faith purer through it, so that it will be focused only on Him.

Thus, the believing remnant will come to repentance in the time of the great tribulation. We see an example of the beginning of the purification process in Joseph’s brothers when they repent in prison (Genesis 42:15-22). Once this process is completed by Joseph, he is able to reveal himself to them (Genesis 45:1).

Just as God knows who is righteous and tests such a person, He also knows who is wicked [according to the Dutch Bible Translation the sentence reads as follows: “but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates]. His soul, that is, His whole Being, all that is in Him, hates the wicked” (cf. Psalms 11:2). A special form of wickedness is violence, of which David here and the believer in general are the targets (cf. Revelation 13:7). Those who love violence, as evidenced by the persecution of God’s people, are a special object of God’s hatred. Hatred is not merely an attitude, but involves action.

God brings upon the wicked the only judgment appropriate for them (Psalms 11:6). He will “rain snares” upon them. The word “snares” points to anything that happens to a person that causes him to lose dominion over his life and become a captive of someone or something. God will seize the wicked just as a hunter renders a wild animal harmless by letting it run into a snare.

That the snares come upon them like rain indicates that the means by which they are ensnared in their actions are abundant. It is impossible to escape them. Prophetically, this is about the judgment through the Assyrian, the king of the North, on the apostate Israel under the antichrist, the wicked one par excellence.

God will bring the same judgment of “fire and brimstone” on the antichrist and his wicked followers that He also brought on Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24; cf. Revelation 9:17-18). Sodom and Gomorrah illustrate the utmost wickedness. The judgment on them illustrates the way God will punish all future wickedness (cf. Deuteronomy 29:22-23; Revelation 14:10). Just as Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, so all the wicked will be put to death.

The “burning wind” is devastating. The beauty of the vegetation changes instantly to withered plants (Genesis 41:6; Isaiah 21:1; Isaiah 40:7-8; Jeremiah 4:11-13). The wicked will be like the flowers of the field that are seen today and gone tomorrow. This “will be the portion of their cup”. By this is meant the cup of the wrath of God which they will have to drink (Psalms 75:8; Isaiah 51:17; Ezekiel 23:31-33; Matthew 26:39).

The LORD deals with the wicked in this way, “for” He “is righteous” (Psalms 11:7). The wicked will experience that when He judges them. The righteous experience it through His appreciation of their “righteousness” or their “righteous deeds”. He loves their deeds. This is in contrast to His hatred that He has for the wicked and those who love violence.

“The upright” are not removed from before Him, as happens to the wicked. On the contrary, they will “behold His face” which looks at them full of love. He knows the dangers in the midst of which they find themselves and is in it with them. Seeing Him in the midst of difficulties is a great comfort and strengthening of faith. Beholding His face means enjoying fellowship with Him, now and later in the world to come (cf. Matthew 5:8).

This is David’s response to the advice given to him in Psalms 11:1 that he should flee from danger. God is his Defender and he firmly trusts in His protection. The wicked have to fear everything, the righteous have to fear nothing. The wicked are never safe, the righteous are always safe. The righteous or God-fearing in Ezekiel 9 are given a mark on their foreheads (Ezekiel 9:4). The righteous or God-fearing in Revelation 9 are given the seal of God on their foreheads (Revelation 9:4).

Psalms 44:4

The LORD Is Righteous

David is not guided by the difficult circumstances and the well-meant or ill-meant counsel of men, but by the LORD, of Whom he knows that He tests the righteous (Psalms 11:5). He himself is such a righteous person who is being tested.

The verb “to test” means to test metals to determine their content and purity. The process of testing also works purification. Testing indicates the activity of the refiner who is engaged in the inspection and purification of gold or silver (cf. Jeremiah 6:27-30; Jeremiah 9:7; Malachi 3:2-4). The LORD tests the genuineness of faith, not to kill the believer, but to make the faith purer through it, so that it will be focused only on Him.

Thus, the believing remnant will come to repentance in the time of the great tribulation. We see an example of the beginning of the purification process in Joseph’s brothers when they repent in prison (Genesis 42:15-22). Once this process is completed by Joseph, he is able to reveal himself to them (Genesis 45:1).

Just as God knows who is righteous and tests such a person, He also knows who is wicked [according to the Dutch Bible Translation the sentence reads as follows: “but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates]. His soul, that is, His whole Being, all that is in Him, hates the wicked” (cf. Psalms 11:2). A special form of wickedness is violence, of which David here and the believer in general are the targets (cf. Revelation 13:7). Those who love violence, as evidenced by the persecution of God’s people, are a special object of God’s hatred. Hatred is not merely an attitude, but involves action.

God brings upon the wicked the only judgment appropriate for them (Psalms 11:6). He will “rain snares” upon them. The word “snares” points to anything that happens to a person that causes him to lose dominion over his life and become a captive of someone or something. God will seize the wicked just as a hunter renders a wild animal harmless by letting it run into a snare.

That the snares come upon them like rain indicates that the means by which they are ensnared in their actions are abundant. It is impossible to escape them. Prophetically, this is about the judgment through the Assyrian, the king of the North, on the apostate Israel under the antichrist, the wicked one par excellence.

God will bring the same judgment of “fire and brimstone” on the antichrist and his wicked followers that He also brought on Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24; cf. Revelation 9:17-18). Sodom and Gomorrah illustrate the utmost wickedness. The judgment on them illustrates the way God will punish all future wickedness (cf. Deuteronomy 29:22-23; Revelation 14:10). Just as Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, so all the wicked will be put to death.

The “burning wind” is devastating. The beauty of the vegetation changes instantly to withered plants (Genesis 41:6; Isaiah 21:1; Isaiah 40:7-8; Jeremiah 4:11-13). The wicked will be like the flowers of the field that are seen today and gone tomorrow. This “will be the portion of their cup”. By this is meant the cup of the wrath of God which they will have to drink (Psalms 75:8; Isaiah 51:17; Ezekiel 23:31-33; Matthew 26:39).

The LORD deals with the wicked in this way, “for” He “is righteous” (Psalms 11:7). The wicked will experience that when He judges them. The righteous experience it through His appreciation of their “righteousness” or their “righteous deeds”. He loves their deeds. This is in contrast to His hatred that He has for the wicked and those who love violence.

“The upright” are not removed from before Him, as happens to the wicked. On the contrary, they will “behold His face” which looks at them full of love. He knows the dangers in the midst of which they find themselves and is in it with them. Seeing Him in the midst of difficulties is a great comfort and strengthening of faith. Beholding His face means enjoying fellowship with Him, now and later in the world to come (cf. Matthew 5:8).

This is David’s response to the advice given to him in Psalms 11:1 that he should flee from danger. God is his Defender and he firmly trusts in His protection. The wicked have to fear everything, the righteous have to fear nothing. The wicked are never safe, the righteous are always safe. The righteous or God-fearing in Ezekiel 9 are given a mark on their foreheads (Ezekiel 9:4). The righteous or God-fearing in Revelation 9 are given the seal of God on their foreheads (Revelation 9:4).

Psalms 44:5

The LORD Is Righteous

David is not guided by the difficult circumstances and the well-meant or ill-meant counsel of men, but by the LORD, of Whom he knows that He tests the righteous (Psalms 11:5). He himself is such a righteous person who is being tested.

The verb “to test” means to test metals to determine their content and purity. The process of testing also works purification. Testing indicates the activity of the refiner who is engaged in the inspection and purification of gold or silver (cf. Jeremiah 6:27-30; Jeremiah 9:7; Malachi 3:2-4). The LORD tests the genuineness of faith, not to kill the believer, but to make the faith purer through it, so that it will be focused only on Him.

Thus, the believing remnant will come to repentance in the time of the great tribulation. We see an example of the beginning of the purification process in Joseph’s brothers when they repent in prison (Genesis 42:15-22). Once this process is completed by Joseph, he is able to reveal himself to them (Genesis 45:1).

Just as God knows who is righteous and tests such a person, He also knows who is wicked [according to the Dutch Bible Translation the sentence reads as follows: “but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates]. His soul, that is, His whole Being, all that is in Him, hates the wicked” (cf. Psalms 11:2). A special form of wickedness is violence, of which David here and the believer in general are the targets (cf. Revelation 13:7). Those who love violence, as evidenced by the persecution of God’s people, are a special object of God’s hatred. Hatred is not merely an attitude, but involves action.

God brings upon the wicked the only judgment appropriate for them (Psalms 11:6). He will “rain snares” upon them. The word “snares” points to anything that happens to a person that causes him to lose dominion over his life and become a captive of someone or something. God will seize the wicked just as a hunter renders a wild animal harmless by letting it run into a snare.

That the snares come upon them like rain indicates that the means by which they are ensnared in their actions are abundant. It is impossible to escape them. Prophetically, this is about the judgment through the Assyrian, the king of the North, on the apostate Israel under the antichrist, the wicked one par excellence.

God will bring the same judgment of “fire and brimstone” on the antichrist and his wicked followers that He also brought on Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24; cf. Revelation 9:17-18). Sodom and Gomorrah illustrate the utmost wickedness. The judgment on them illustrates the way God will punish all future wickedness (cf. Deuteronomy 29:22-23; Revelation 14:10). Just as Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, so all the wicked will be put to death.

The “burning wind” is devastating. The beauty of the vegetation changes instantly to withered plants (Genesis 41:6; Isaiah 21:1; Isaiah 40:7-8; Jeremiah 4:11-13). The wicked will be like the flowers of the field that are seen today and gone tomorrow. This “will be the portion of their cup”. By this is meant the cup of the wrath of God which they will have to drink (Psalms 75:8; Isaiah 51:17; Ezekiel 23:31-33; Matthew 26:39).

The LORD deals with the wicked in this way, “for” He “is righteous” (Psalms 11:7). The wicked will experience that when He judges them. The righteous experience it through His appreciation of their “righteousness” or their “righteous deeds”. He loves their deeds. This is in contrast to His hatred that He has for the wicked and those who love violence.

“The upright” are not removed from before Him, as happens to the wicked. On the contrary, they will “behold His face” which looks at them full of love. He knows the dangers in the midst of which they find themselves and is in it with them. Seeing Him in the midst of difficulties is a great comfort and strengthening of faith. Beholding His face means enjoying fellowship with Him, now and later in the world to come (cf. Matthew 5:8).

This is David’s response to the advice given to him in Psalms 11:1 that he should flee from danger. God is his Defender and he firmly trusts in His protection. The wicked have to fear everything, the righteous have to fear nothing. The wicked are never safe, the righteous are always safe. The righteous or God-fearing in Ezekiel 9 are given a mark on their foreheads (Ezekiel 9:4). The righteous or God-fearing in Revelation 9 are given the seal of God on their foreheads (Revelation 9:4).

Psalms 44:7

Introduction

Psalms 12 can be seen as a continuation of Psalm 11 in terms of content. In Psalms 11 the foundations are destroyed because of the coming of the antichrist (Psalms 11:3). In Psalms 12 the faithful are disappeared because of the persecution by the antichrist during the great tribulation (Psalms 12:1b).

In both psalms the believer seeks his help from God. In Psalms 11, the believer trusts in the government of God, that He governs everything from His heavenly throne (Psalms 11:4). In Psalms 12, the believer trusts in the words of God, that He makes all things true that He says (Psalms 12:6).

In Psalms 11, the believer has to deal with the false deeds of the wicked and in Psalms 12 with the false, untrustworthy words of the wicked. In Psalms 11 the believer puts his trust (generally) in the LORD, the faithful God, and in Psalms 12 (specifically) in the trustworthy Word of God.

The division of the psalm is simple. It consists of two parts: 1. Psalms 12:2-5 deal with the unreliability of the words of the godly. 2. Psalms 12:6-8 deal with the trustworthiness of the words of God and the Word of God.

The Godly Man Ceases to Be

For “for the choir director” (Psalms 12:1a) see at Psalms 4:1.

For “upon an eight-stringed lyre” see at Psalms 6:1.

For “a Psalm of David” see at Psalms 3:1.

David immediately begins the psalm with a cry for help (Psalms 12:1b). He cries out to God to bring salvation. He feels all alone. There is no godly man left to find (cf. Micah 7:2a; Hosea 4:1). No one wants to show him kindness, and those who could do it – for they are there (cf. 1 Kings 19:18) – he cannot reach. Therefore, his God is his only refuge.

In Psalms 10 and Psalms 11 believers are killed covertly (Psalms 10:8-10; Psalms 11:2), in Psalms 12 it happens openly. As a result, David – he is a type of the believing remnant – feels lonely, as does Elijah later (1 Kings 19:10b; 14b). It is as if he is the only one left (cf. Matthew 24:22). Psalms 12 is a deepening and worsening of the condition of Psalm 10 and Psalms 11. Unlike Elijah, David does not give up, but takes refuge in the LORD!

Also, “the faithful” to the LORD and His Word “disappear from among the sons of men”. When the godly man ceases to be, the faithful people disappear with them. Faithfulness, or truthfulness, is being reliable, someone you can rely on; it excludes all hypocrisy.

We can apply this verse to the time of the antichrist, the time of the great apostasy, the apostasy of the faith. In this time in which we live, the revelation of the man of sin is yet to come. That will happen when the church is caught up (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3). However, the spirit of antichrist is already present and busy with its pernicious work of undermining the faith of many (1 John 4:1).

Psalms 44:8

The Words of Men

The wicked disobey God with their tongue (cf. Isaiah 57:4a). They falsify and distort the truth (Psalms 12:3). They are out for power and want to pull it toward themselves by flattery, that is, lavishing others with insincere, cunning compliments. Everything may be said, the end justifies the means. Their lips drip with hypocrisy (Proverbs 26:24-25). The source of their false words is their heart, for it is “a double heart”, literally “heart and heart”. Their heart is different from the impression they give by their words. They mean something completely different. What is being said here we see with Absalom (2 Samuel 15:1-6).

David cries out to the LORD and utters a curse wish to put an end to this awful hypocrisy (Psalms 12:3). He wants their lips to be silenced and in a radical way: by cutting off those flattering lips, so that they can never be used again. The same is true of their “tongue that speaks great things” (cf. Daniel 7:8; Revelation 13:5). “The tongue that speaks great things” is above all the tongue of the antichrist (Daniel 11:36a). Their tongue, over which roaring language rolls out, must be silenced and never be able to be used again.

That the tongue is a powerful tool for subduing people (Psalms 12:4), history shows. Many have been deceived by the roaring, but also sometimes soft, spawning language of power-hungry people. The fancy-sounding promises to make life better have brought people under their spell. That in doing so God and His authority are rejected, they applaud. All that coercion of the Bible, they have to get rid of it.

Freedom of speech is the highest good. You should be able to mock and ridicule anything and anyone. God and Christ, of course, have to suffer particularly in this matter. It must be possible to publish the filthiest, dirtiest drawings and the most debauched texts. “Our lips are our own; who is lord over us?” Man makes up his own mind what he does or does not say. The portrayal of the wicked reaches a low point here and should, as it were, prompt God to intervene now.

That words are not harmless or without value is what the Lord Jesus teaches us. He says: “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37).

Psalms 44:9

The Words of Men

The wicked disobey God with their tongue (cf. Isaiah 57:4a). They falsify and distort the truth (Psalms 12:3). They are out for power and want to pull it toward themselves by flattery, that is, lavishing others with insincere, cunning compliments. Everything may be said, the end justifies the means. Their lips drip with hypocrisy (Proverbs 26:24-25). The source of their false words is their heart, for it is “a double heart”, literally “heart and heart”. Their heart is different from the impression they give by their words. They mean something completely different. What is being said here we see with Absalom (2 Samuel 15:1-6).

David cries out to the LORD and utters a curse wish to put an end to this awful hypocrisy (Psalms 12:3). He wants their lips to be silenced and in a radical way: by cutting off those flattering lips, so that they can never be used again. The same is true of their “tongue that speaks great things” (cf. Daniel 7:8; Revelation 13:5). “The tongue that speaks great things” is above all the tongue of the antichrist (Daniel 11:36a). Their tongue, over which roaring language rolls out, must be silenced and never be able to be used again.

That the tongue is a powerful tool for subduing people (Psalms 12:4), history shows. Many have been deceived by the roaring, but also sometimes soft, spawning language of power-hungry people. The fancy-sounding promises to make life better have brought people under their spell. That in doing so God and His authority are rejected, they applaud. All that coercion of the Bible, they have to get rid of it.

Freedom of speech is the highest good. You should be able to mock and ridicule anything and anyone. God and Christ, of course, have to suffer particularly in this matter. It must be possible to publish the filthiest, dirtiest drawings and the most debauched texts. “Our lips are our own; who is lord over us?” Man makes up his own mind what he does or does not say. The portrayal of the wicked reaches a low point here and should, as it were, prompt God to intervene now.

That words are not harmless or without value is what the Lord Jesus teaches us. He says: “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37).

Psalms 44:10

The Words of Men

The wicked disobey God with their tongue (cf. Isaiah 57:4a). They falsify and distort the truth (Psalms 12:3). They are out for power and want to pull it toward themselves by flattery, that is, lavishing others with insincere, cunning compliments. Everything may be said, the end justifies the means. Their lips drip with hypocrisy (Proverbs 26:24-25). The source of their false words is their heart, for it is “a double heart”, literally “heart and heart”. Their heart is different from the impression they give by their words. They mean something completely different. What is being said here we see with Absalom (2 Samuel 15:1-6).

David cries out to the LORD and utters a curse wish to put an end to this awful hypocrisy (Psalms 12:3). He wants their lips to be silenced and in a radical way: by cutting off those flattering lips, so that they can never be used again. The same is true of their “tongue that speaks great things” (cf. Daniel 7:8; Revelation 13:5). “The tongue that speaks great things” is above all the tongue of the antichrist (Daniel 11:36a). Their tongue, over which roaring language rolls out, must be silenced and never be able to be used again.

That the tongue is a powerful tool for subduing people (Psalms 12:4), history shows. Many have been deceived by the roaring, but also sometimes soft, spawning language of power-hungry people. The fancy-sounding promises to make life better have brought people under their spell. That in doing so God and His authority are rejected, they applaud. All that coercion of the Bible, they have to get rid of it.

Freedom of speech is the highest good. You should be able to mock and ridicule anything and anyone. God and Christ, of course, have to suffer particularly in this matter. It must be possible to publish the filthiest, dirtiest drawings and the most debauched texts. “Our lips are our own; who is lord over us?” Man makes up his own mind what he does or does not say. The portrayal of the wicked reaches a low point here and should, as it were, prompt God to intervene now.

That words are not harmless or without value is what the Lord Jesus teaches us. He says: “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37).

Psalms 44:11

The Words of the LORD

The torrent of ungodly words is now cut off and silenced by the sudden action of the LORD. He begins to speak. He responds to “the devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy” (Psalms 12:5). He hears their cry (cf. Exodus 2:24) and arises. When He arises and lifts up Himself and exalts Himself (Isaiah 33:10), it is to judge evil and deliver His people. The wicked are humbled and blown away, and His people He sets in the safety for which they long.

The God-fearing’s assurance that God will intervene is in “the words of the LORD” (Psalms 12:6). He has promised to stand up for His own, and what He says, He does. His words are promises; you can trust them. The Old Testament is full of promises that are “yes” in Christ and “amen” through Him (2 Corinthians 1:20). Here He acts by speaking (cf. Psalms 2:5). In doing so, He terrifies the wicked.

If we are wise, we will hold to this, no matter what may happen. The Word of God, what He says, is the unshakable foundation of our trust (cf. Matthew 7:24). We may find ourselves in circumstances that challenge our faith. God uses those circumstances to free us from trusting in ourselves. In return, He wants to teach us to rely on every word that comes from His mouth. As a result, we will live for certain (Matthew 4:4).

God’s words “are pure words”. They are without any ulterior motive, completely pure, without any mixture, true and trustworthy. God’s words are as pure as silver that has been “refined seven times”, that is to say, perfectly refined. Any falsity or hypocrisy is absent. They are words without the deceit, flattery, and duplicity of which the words of the wicked are steeped. This is what David spoke of in Psalms 12:2-4. The words of God are the greatest contrast imaginable with that.

The words of the LORD are “tried in the furnace of earth” (Darby Translation). The purification is not meant to make it purer, but to show that it is perfectly pure. There has been and is attempted to eradicate the Word of God by burning Bibles. The Word has endured. There has been and is attempted to make the Word of God implausible by Bible criticism. The Word has demonstrated the absurdity of criticism and has proven to withstand all criticism. Philosophy and science have tried to show that God’s Word is not the truth, for example, by supposedly proving that the world came into being through evolution. God’s Word mocks them openly, for man without God is a blind man who also steps and gropes around in the dark.

The Word has been in every conceivable “furnace of earth” and has come out each time as pure as it went in. The believer has experienced it as a fully reliable Word. In the heat of the trial and the temptations that can accompany it, it has been clearly proven that no teaching of Scripture and no promise has suffered in the slightest through the trial and challenge.

Psalms 44:12

The Words of the LORD

The torrent of ungodly words is now cut off and silenced by the sudden action of the LORD. He begins to speak. He responds to “the devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy” (Psalms 12:5). He hears their cry (cf. Exodus 2:24) and arises. When He arises and lifts up Himself and exalts Himself (Isaiah 33:10), it is to judge evil and deliver His people. The wicked are humbled and blown away, and His people He sets in the safety for which they long.

The God-fearing’s assurance that God will intervene is in “the words of the LORD” (Psalms 12:6). He has promised to stand up for His own, and what He says, He does. His words are promises; you can trust them. The Old Testament is full of promises that are “yes” in Christ and “amen” through Him (2 Corinthians 1:20). Here He acts by speaking (cf. Psalms 2:5). In doing so, He terrifies the wicked.

If we are wise, we will hold to this, no matter what may happen. The Word of God, what He says, is the unshakable foundation of our trust (cf. Matthew 7:24). We may find ourselves in circumstances that challenge our faith. God uses those circumstances to free us from trusting in ourselves. In return, He wants to teach us to rely on every word that comes from His mouth. As a result, we will live for certain (Matthew 4:4).

God’s words “are pure words”. They are without any ulterior motive, completely pure, without any mixture, true and trustworthy. God’s words are as pure as silver that has been “refined seven times”, that is to say, perfectly refined. Any falsity or hypocrisy is absent. They are words without the deceit, flattery, and duplicity of which the words of the wicked are steeped. This is what David spoke of in Psalms 12:2-4. The words of God are the greatest contrast imaginable with that.

The words of the LORD are “tried in the furnace of earth” (Darby Translation). The purification is not meant to make it purer, but to show that it is perfectly pure. There has been and is attempted to eradicate the Word of God by burning Bibles. The Word has endured. There has been and is attempted to make the Word of God implausible by Bible criticism. The Word has demonstrated the absurdity of criticism and has proven to withstand all criticism. Philosophy and science have tried to show that God’s Word is not the truth, for example, by supposedly proving that the world came into being through evolution. God’s Word mocks them openly, for man without God is a blind man who also steps and gropes around in the dark.

The Word has been in every conceivable “furnace of earth” and has come out each time as pure as it went in. The believer has experienced it as a fully reliable Word. In the heat of the trial and the temptations that can accompany it, it has been clearly proven that no teaching of Scripture and no promise has suffered in the slightest through the trial and challenge.

Psalms 44:13

Protection From the Wicked

In response to the assurance of God’s words, David ends his cry for salvation of Psa 12:1b with the assurance of God’s keeping (Psalms 12:7). Just as he put his trust in God earlier (Psalms 11:1), he now puts his trust in His Word. He does not say this only with regard to himself, but sees the truth of this for “them”, that is, all God-fearing people. Regardless of the circumstance of life, the children of God are sure of the special protection of their Father in heaven.

The wicked can turn the world upside down, but God preserves His own “from this generation”. Here the wicked have not yet been eradicated, they are still going on, but the righteous have learned to put their trust in God (Psalms 11) and in His words (Psalms 12; Acts 20:32). ”This generation” are David’s contemporaries, but it also has the meaning of an “unbelieving and perverted generation” or an “evil and adulterous generation” that is present throughout the ages (Proverbs 30:11-14; Matthew 17:17; Matthew 12:39). God’s preservation and protection do not apply occasionally or for a defined period of time, but are “forever” (cf. John 17:12).

God’s preservation is a reality, even though the wicked strut about on every side trying to wipe out the God-fearing (Psalms 12:8). They strut about on every side as if they are lord and master everywhere. While “the faithful disappear from among the sons of men” (Psalms 12:1b), “vileness is exalted among the sons of men”. The lowest and most worthless among the wicked have gained a position of power with flattery and their elbows, including going over dead bodies.

We recognize them in politicians who say in unctuous voices that it is a good thing to murder children in the mother’s womb and to give the elderly people the opportunity to commit suicide. These politicians are elected by the people and have the mandate of all who voted for them. They are hoisted on the shield to impose these nicely packaged, debauched things on the entire nation.

It is truly a psalm to be sung accompanied with “an eight-stringed lyre“ (Psalms 12:1a), that is, in a low voice. The developments that David has described give the ‘choir members’, who recognize themselves in this, every reason to do so.

Psalms 44:14

Protection From the Wicked

In response to the assurance of God’s words, David ends his cry for salvation of Psa 12:1b with the assurance of God’s keeping (Psalms 12:7). Just as he put his trust in God earlier (Psalms 11:1), he now puts his trust in His Word. He does not say this only with regard to himself, but sees the truth of this for “them”, that is, all God-fearing people. Regardless of the circumstance of life, the children of God are sure of the special protection of their Father in heaven.

The wicked can turn the world upside down, but God preserves His own “from this generation”. Here the wicked have not yet been eradicated, they are still going on, but the righteous have learned to put their trust in God (Psalms 11) and in His words (Psalms 12; Acts 20:32). ”This generation” are David’s contemporaries, but it also has the meaning of an “unbelieving and perverted generation” or an “evil and adulterous generation” that is present throughout the ages (Proverbs 30:11-14; Matthew 17:17; Matthew 12:39). God’s preservation and protection do not apply occasionally or for a defined period of time, but are “forever” (cf. John 17:12).

God’s preservation is a reality, even though the wicked strut about on every side trying to wipe out the God-fearing (Psalms 12:8). They strut about on every side as if they are lord and master everywhere. While “the faithful disappear from among the sons of men” (Psalms 12:1b), “vileness is exalted among the sons of men”. The lowest and most worthless among the wicked have gained a position of power with flattery and their elbows, including going over dead bodies.

We recognize them in politicians who say in unctuous voices that it is a good thing to murder children in the mother’s womb and to give the elderly people the opportunity to commit suicide. These politicians are elected by the people and have the mandate of all who voted for them. They are hoisted on the shield to impose these nicely packaged, debauched things on the entire nation.

It is truly a psalm to be sung accompanied with “an eight-stringed lyre“ (Psalms 12:1a), that is, in a low voice. The developments that David has described give the ‘choir members’, who recognize themselves in this, every reason to do so.

Psalms 44:16

Introduction

In Psalms 11 and Psalms 12, the psalmist has put his trust in God and His words in the midst of severe tribulation. Yet, as the tribulation begins to grow long, doubt begins to gnaw at his heart. Psalms 13 shows us the inner struggle of the believing remnant when the tribulation lasts (too) long in their experience. Four times we hear the desperate cry: How long? It is comparable to the doubt of John the baptist in prison (Matthew 11:2-3), and the doubt of Elijah when Jezebel threatens to kill him (1 Kings 19:1-4). Thus, in the great tribulation, the believing remnant will struggle with the failure of God’s intervention.

Yet the result of this struggle is not despair, but renewed trust in God on the basis of His covenant faithfulness (Psalms 13:5). The word “lovingkindness” – Hebrew Adonai – means the covenant faithfulness of the LORD. We see in the letter to the Hebrews that His covenantal faithfulness is based on the accomplished work of the Mediator of the new covenant on the cross of Calvary. The Mediator brought the blood of the new covenant into the inner sanctuary.

Psalms 13 can be divided into three sections: 1. A desperate cry for help: four times “how long?” (Psalms 13:1b-2). 2. A threefold prayer: consider, answer, enlighten my eyes! (Psalms 13:3-4). 3. Finally, a song of confidence (Psalms 13:5-6), similar to the singing of Jehoshaphat and the people while facing a multitude of enemies (2 Chronicles 20:22), and of Paul and Silas while thrown into prison (Acts 16:25).

Complaint: How long?

For “for the choir director” (Psalms 13:1a) see at Psalms 4:1.

For “a Psalm of David” see at Psalms 3:1.

Four times in these two verses, David asks the question, “how long?” (Psalms 13:1b). The questions come from a soul that is in great distress and has been in it for quite some time, when there seems to be no end. He yearns for salvation, for the end of his misery. It is therefore not just asking a question, but wrestling in doubt, almost despair, with a question (cf. Matthew 11:2-3).

The depth of the distress is expressed in the four repetitions of the word ‘how long’. His question is not “why”, but “how long”. He holds that another era will come. But how long will this era be delayed? Can he hold on for so long?

The first “how long” question (Psalms 13:1b) is not about his enemies. Those he mentions last. He begins with God as the cause of the distress in which he finds himself. It is with him as with Job, who also does not say that satan has taken, but “the LORD has given and the LORD has taken” (Job 1:21b). His worst struggle is that God has forgotten him, or at least that is the way he experiences it. How long will He do that? And, he exclaims, will God do that “forever”, constantly, will He never think of him again?

God does not seem to think of him anymore (cf. Isaiah 49:14). This is the greatest distress that can torment a believer. When you are forgotten, when no one asks about you, the thought occurs to you that you are not of interest, that you do not count. This is already true when people don’t notice you. It’s completely the case when you have the feeling that God doesn’t care about you anymore.

The second “how long” question David asks because God has disappeared from his field of vision. He knows God exists, but God does not show Himself. God may have forgotten him, but he has not forgotten God. Then he discovers to his dismay that God is untraceable. David is desperately searching for Him, but He has hidden Himself. This increases his loneliness and despair.

That God hides His face, that is, Himself, in a time of need, is the curse of the covenant (cf. Psalms 10:1; Psalms 22:1). It is the reverse of the priestly blessing in Numbers 6 (Numbers 6:24-26). It is a question of how God can withhold His covenant faithfulness, His lovingkindness, from him. David speaks here as the voice of the remnant.

He makes all kinds of plans in his soul, he deliberates how to get through his misery now that he apparently cannot appeal to God (Psalms 13:2). He pains his thoughts about it how long he will endure, while God is the great Absent One and he can discover nothing of Him. It causes an incessant sorrow in his heart, deep inside, that he feels “all the day”, or day in, day out.

And then there are his enemies who exalt themselves over him. They are at the edge of his existence, constantly surrounding him. Now that God, Who is in the center of his existence, has withdrawn from him, the enemies press on him all the more strongly. As already noted, it is only now that he speaks of his enemies, after first expressing his greatest concern that God does not show Himself.

Psalms 44:17

Introduction

In Psalms 11 and Psalms 12, the psalmist has put his trust in God and His words in the midst of severe tribulation. Yet, as the tribulation begins to grow long, doubt begins to gnaw at his heart. Psalms 13 shows us the inner struggle of the believing remnant when the tribulation lasts (too) long in their experience. Four times we hear the desperate cry: How long? It is comparable to the doubt of John the baptist in prison (Matthew 11:2-3), and the doubt of Elijah when Jezebel threatens to kill him (1 Kings 19:1-4). Thus, in the great tribulation, the believing remnant will struggle with the failure of God’s intervention.

Yet the result of this struggle is not despair, but renewed trust in God on the basis of His covenant faithfulness (Psalms 13:5). The word “lovingkindness” – Hebrew Adonai – means the covenant faithfulness of the LORD. We see in the letter to the Hebrews that His covenantal faithfulness is based on the accomplished work of the Mediator of the new covenant on the cross of Calvary. The Mediator brought the blood of the new covenant into the inner sanctuary.

Psalms 13 can be divided into three sections: 1. A desperate cry for help: four times “how long?” (Psalms 13:1b-2). 2. A threefold prayer: consider, answer, enlighten my eyes! (Psalms 13:3-4). 3. Finally, a song of confidence (Psalms 13:5-6), similar to the singing of Jehoshaphat and the people while facing a multitude of enemies (2 Chronicles 20:22), and of Paul and Silas while thrown into prison (Acts 16:25).

Complaint: How long?

For “for the choir director” (Psalms 13:1a) see at Psalms 4:1.

For “a Psalm of David” see at Psalms 3:1.

Four times in these two verses, David asks the question, “how long?” (Psalms 13:1b). The questions come from a soul that is in great distress and has been in it for quite some time, when there seems to be no end. He yearns for salvation, for the end of his misery. It is therefore not just asking a question, but wrestling in doubt, almost despair, with a question (cf. Matthew 11:2-3).

The depth of the distress is expressed in the four repetitions of the word ‘how long’. His question is not “why”, but “how long”. He holds that another era will come. But how long will this era be delayed? Can he hold on for so long?

The first “how long” question (Psalms 13:1b) is not about his enemies. Those he mentions last. He begins with God as the cause of the distress in which he finds himself. It is with him as with Job, who also does not say that satan has taken, but “the LORD has given and the LORD has taken” (Job 1:21b). His worst struggle is that God has forgotten him, or at least that is the way he experiences it. How long will He do that? And, he exclaims, will God do that “forever”, constantly, will He never think of him again?

God does not seem to think of him anymore (cf. Isaiah 49:14). This is the greatest distress that can torment a believer. When you are forgotten, when no one asks about you, the thought occurs to you that you are not of interest, that you do not count. This is already true when people don’t notice you. It’s completely the case when you have the feeling that God doesn’t care about you anymore.

The second “how long” question David asks because God has disappeared from his field of vision. He knows God exists, but God does not show Himself. God may have forgotten him, but he has not forgotten God. Then he discovers to his dismay that God is untraceable. David is desperately searching for Him, but He has hidden Himself. This increases his loneliness and despair.

That God hides His face, that is, Himself, in a time of need, is the curse of the covenant (cf. Psalms 10:1; Psalms 22:1). It is the reverse of the priestly blessing in Numbers 6 (Numbers 6:24-26). It is a question of how God can withhold His covenant faithfulness, His lovingkindness, from him. David speaks here as the voice of the remnant.

He makes all kinds of plans in his soul, he deliberates how to get through his misery now that he apparently cannot appeal to God (Psalms 13:2). He pains his thoughts about it how long he will endure, while God is the great Absent One and he can discover nothing of Him. It causes an incessant sorrow in his heart, deep inside, that he feels “all the day”, or day in, day out.

And then there are his enemies who exalt themselves over him. They are at the edge of his existence, constantly surrounding him. Now that God, Who is in the center of his existence, has withdrawn from him, the enemies press on him all the more strongly. As already noted, it is only now that he speaks of his enemies, after first expressing his greatest concern that God does not show Himself.

Psalms 44:18

Supplication

David has presented his “how long” questions to God in the previous verses. Now he addresses God with three short words, “consider … answer … enlighten”. They are in the imperative, but are uttered as supplications (Psalms 13:3).

The question “consider” connects to his question “how long” God will forget him (Psalms 13:1b). The question means: “Be merciful to me, have mercy on me” (cf. Isaiah 63:15). He asks God to notice him, the supplicant, and not to pass him by as if he did not exist.

The question “answer” is connected to the question “how long” God will still hide Himself (Psalms 13:1c). With this he asks God to please respond to his cry for help and to take away the distress of his soul.

Finally, David asks the LORD to enlighten his eyes. To enlighten the eyes means to receive God’s blessings through which he will again receive strength to go forward (cf. 1 Samuel 14:27). His eyes are now dull with sorrow and hopelessness. He longs for light in his darkness, for a ray of hope.

The darkness does not even have to disappear, if only he has light to find his way that is now so hidden from him because God hides Himself. If his eyes are not enlightened by giving him some hope of salvation, he will die. What David says in his prayer indicates how serious the situation is, how desperate he feels.

“Sleep the [sleep of] death” means that he loses his trust in God, whereby the enemy will then gain complete victory. In Psalms 13:4, David makes this argument. Surely God must be sensitive to this. It connects to what he said about his enemies in Psalms 13:2. The argument is that surely God will not allow the enemies to boast of a victory over him. Surely he will not give his enemies a reason to rejoice over the abandonment of his trust in God. David here ties his fate to the honor of God (cf. Numbers 14:15-16).

He appeals to God’s intervention in view of the reaction of his enemy and adversaries. If God does not intervene in his favor, the enemies will boast that they have conquered him. They will express their joy over it when he staggers. Surely God cannot allow this to happen. After all, His honor is at stake here, isn’t it?

Psalms 44:19

Supplication

David has presented his “how long” questions to God in the previous verses. Now he addresses God with three short words, “consider … answer … enlighten”. They are in the imperative, but are uttered as supplications (Psalms 13:3).

The question “consider” connects to his question “how long” God will forget him (Psalms 13:1b). The question means: “Be merciful to me, have mercy on me” (cf. Isaiah 63:15). He asks God to notice him, the supplicant, and not to pass him by as if he did not exist.

The question “answer” is connected to the question “how long” God will still hide Himself (Psalms 13:1c). With this he asks God to please respond to his cry for help and to take away the distress of his soul.

Finally, David asks the LORD to enlighten his eyes. To enlighten the eyes means to receive God’s blessings through which he will again receive strength to go forward (cf. 1 Samuel 14:27). His eyes are now dull with sorrow and hopelessness. He longs for light in his darkness, for a ray of hope.

The darkness does not even have to disappear, if only he has light to find his way that is now so hidden from him because God hides Himself. If his eyes are not enlightened by giving him some hope of salvation, he will die. What David says in his prayer indicates how serious the situation is, how desperate he feels.

“Sleep the [sleep of] death” means that he loses his trust in God, whereby the enemy will then gain complete victory. In Psalms 13:4, David makes this argument. Surely God must be sensitive to this. It connects to what he said about his enemies in Psalms 13:2. The argument is that surely God will not allow the enemies to boast of a victory over him. Surely he will not give his enemies a reason to rejoice over the abandonment of his trust in God. David here ties his fate to the honor of God (cf. Numbers 14:15-16).

He appeals to God’s intervention in view of the reaction of his enemy and adversaries. If God does not intervene in his favor, the enemies will boast that they have conquered him. They will express their joy over it when he staggers. Surely God cannot allow this to happen. After all, His honor is at stake here, isn’t it?

Psalms 44:20

Confidence and Joy

After making his distress known to the LORD (Psalms 13:1b-2) and pleading with the LORD to come to his aid (Psalms 13:3-4), David comes to rest. “I” (Psalms 13:5) has emphasis in Hebrew. After struggling with his doubt in his life of prayer, David achieves victory by trusting and looking to God’s lovingkindness. His confidence in God’s lovingkindness, that is, his trust that God remains faithful to His covenant, is back. He knows that God will show him His lovingkindness and help him. That awareness causes joy in his heart. He expresses his joy by singing to the LORD.

The occasion is that “He has dealt bountifully with me” and has turned everything around for the better (Psalms 13:6). The phrase “has dealt bountifully” has the meaning of ‘treated with abundant blessing and goodness’. God is not good just a little bit, but full of goodness to His own. The enemies rejoice at God’s apparent absence and lack of care for His own, but the psalmist is certain that the God-fearing will ultimately rejoice in God’s salvation. The word “salvation” has the meaning of an ample redemption. It is not just that the enemy has been vanquished, but he has been totally eliminated.

We see here what we find in many psalms, that they begin with a lament and end with a song of praise. We see the order: complaint (Psalms 13:1b-2), prayer (Psalms 13:3-4) and expression of confidence in a song of praise (Psalms 13:5-6). The complaint about being forgotten by God thus turns into a song of thanksgiving for God’s experienced goodness.

Psalms 44:21

Confidence and Joy

After making his distress known to the LORD (Psalms 13:1b-2) and pleading with the LORD to come to his aid (Psalms 13:3-4), David comes to rest. “I” (Psalms 13:5) has emphasis in Hebrew. After struggling with his doubt in his life of prayer, David achieves victory by trusting and looking to God’s lovingkindness. His confidence in God’s lovingkindness, that is, his trust that God remains faithful to His covenant, is back. He knows that God will show him His lovingkindness and help him. That awareness causes joy in his heart. He expresses his joy by singing to the LORD.

The occasion is that “He has dealt bountifully with me” and has turned everything around for the better (Psalms 13:6). The phrase “has dealt bountifully” has the meaning of ‘treated with abundant blessing and goodness’. God is not good just a little bit, but full of goodness to His own. The enemies rejoice at God’s apparent absence and lack of care for His own, but the psalmist is certain that the God-fearing will ultimately rejoice in God’s salvation. The word “salvation” has the meaning of an ample redemption. It is not just that the enemy has been vanquished, but he has been totally eliminated.

We see here what we find in many psalms, that they begin with a lament and end with a song of praise. We see the order: complaint (Psalms 13:1b-2), prayer (Psalms 13:3-4) and expression of confidence in a song of praise (Psalms 13:5-6). The complaint about being forgotten by God thus turns into a song of thanksgiving for God’s experienced goodness.

Psalms 44:23

Introduction

Now that wickedness has reached its nadir under the leadership of the antichrist, we find in this psalm the description of the wickedness of the people. It is a foolish (Psalms 14:1) and totally deviated (Psalms 14:3) people, both in word (Psalms 14:1-3) and in deed (Psalms 14:4-6). Seeing so much wickedness, the faithful remnant seeks refuge in the LORD alone (Psalms 14:7).

This psalm is almost identical to Psalms 53. In Psalms 53, the name LORD, the God of the covenant, is replaced with the name God, making the form of address more distant. The ending of that psalm is also different.

The Fool

For “for the choir director” (Psalms 14:1a) see at Psalms 4:1.

For “[a Psalm] of David” see at Psalms 3:1.

“The fool” (Psalms 14:1b) – Hebrew nabal – is not the ignorant or the unbeliever, the atheist, but the wicked who deliberately excludes God. He hates and despises the LORD (Psalms 74:18; 22). It is not just about his thinking, it is deeply rooted in his inner being and visible in his actions (Isaiah 32:6a). He does so “in his heart”, the center of his existence. All his actions flow from it and make it clear that he ignores the existence of God.

The thought that there is no God does not mean so much the denying the existence of God, which is what the atheist does. The fool is one who pretends as if there is no God (Luke 12:16-20; Zephaniah 1:12). For him, “in his heart” – meaning this is his conviction – He is not present, because He does not assert Himself. He does not show Himself, therefore there is no God. The fool denies that he is accountable to God and that Divine judgment will follow. His life is all about himself. He acts entirely according to his own judgment, without taking God into account in the slightest. He totally ignores Him.

If God is not taken into account, it also has harmful consequences for the fool’s environment. There is an inseparable and undeniable connection between religious decay and social decay. One who excludes God becomes a disaster for his fellow men.

In three lines David describes the actions of the wicked. In doing so, he switches from the singular, “the fool”, to the plural, “they”. The one fool has become a great company of fools. It is common in Hebrew, that the fool is often a designation for a group of people who act foolishly. Prophetically we see here the antichrist and the unbelieving mass of the people who follow him.

The first characteristic of fools is, “they are corrupt” (cf. Deuteronomy 4:16; Isaiah 1:4). Their actions are rotten and create an atmosphere that causes decay and calls down God’s judgment. It is the same word “corrupt” as in Genesis 6, where it is mentioned as the reason for the flood (Genesis 6:12). The less awareness a person has of God, the lower the standards and values he holds.

Second, “they have committed abominable deeds”. Their deeds are abominable to God. They are in connection with idols, which are also called “abominations”. Their deeds are abhorrent and reprehensible and arouse abhorrence (cf. Ezekiel 16:49-52).

Third, fools are characterized by a total lack of doing good. There is no godliness, that is, no fear or reverence for God. If that is not present, there can be no doing good. Doing good is not present in any member of this group of fools who count themselves among God’s people. There is truly “no one who does good”. There is an abundance of destruction and abomination present, while not the slightest bit of doing good can arise in them.

People may think they are doing good if they donate some of their wealth to charities. They don’t do that because God tells them to, because they don’t care about Him, but for a good feeling. The determining factor, however, is not what people see as “doing good”, but what God judges as “doing good” (cf. Isaiah 64:6).

The conclusion that there is no one who does good makes all human charity valueless. This is hard to swallow for all those who give and all those who work so hard for any good cause. If it is not done out of obedience to God, it is sin, because “everything that is not done by faith is sin” (Romans 14:23).

Psalms 44:24

How the LORD Sees the Sons of Men

God has looked down from heaven on His creation and His creatures, the sons of men (Psalms 14:2). That was already true in Genesis 6 and Genesis 11 (Genesis 6:5; Genesis 11:5), but here it is the people of Israel! He has been a Witness to all their actions.

He has looked around and examined “to see if there are any who understand”. The understanding one – Hebrew maskil (Daniel 12:3) – is the counterpart of the fool. The understanding or wise person is not only one with understanding, but also one who acts in accord with his understanding of the nature and revelation of God. It is one who seeks after God.

God must observe that “they have all turned aside” from Him and thus from the source of blessing (Psalms 14:3). They have left His will and way and have gone astray from Him, or apostatized, as the words “turned aside” can also be translated. They have cut the connection with Him and “together they have become corrupt”. The word “together” points to a collective expulsion of God. It is as if the totality of humanity has made an agreement to banish God from their thinking and to encourage one another to disregard Him.

Willingly and knowingly “they have become corrupt”, indicating that something is no longer healthy or has become stinky and must be discarded. The word “corrupt” originally has the meaning of ‘souring’ of milk. People who ignore God sour themselves and sour all with whom they come into contact, even if they are constantly playing the comedian. What is soured cannot be consumed. It is unbearable. Most of all, it’s about what they are to God. He looks down from heaven and sees how soured they are, so that He can do nothing more with them than cast them away.

David has already said in Psalms 14:1 that “there is no one who does good”. In Psalms 14:3, he says it for the second time, emphasizing this conclusion strongly by adding that there is “not even one”.

Paul quotes these verses in Romans 3 to show that all men, all humanity, including the Jews, “are under sin” (Romans 3:9; 13-18).

Psalms 44:25

How the LORD Sees the Sons of Men

God has looked down from heaven on His creation and His creatures, the sons of men (Psalms 14:2). That was already true in Genesis 6 and Genesis 11 (Genesis 6:5; Genesis 11:5), but here it is the people of Israel! He has been a Witness to all their actions.

He has looked around and examined “to see if there are any who understand”. The understanding one – Hebrew maskil (Daniel 12:3) – is the counterpart of the fool. The understanding or wise person is not only one with understanding, but also one who acts in accord with his understanding of the nature and revelation of God. It is one who seeks after God.

God must observe that “they have all turned aside” from Him and thus from the source of blessing (Psalms 14:3). They have left His will and way and have gone astray from Him, or apostatized, as the words “turned aside” can also be translated. They have cut the connection with Him and “together they have become corrupt”. The word “together” points to a collective expulsion of God. It is as if the totality of humanity has made an agreement to banish God from their thinking and to encourage one another to disregard Him.

Willingly and knowingly “they have become corrupt”, indicating that something is no longer healthy or has become stinky and must be discarded. The word “corrupt” originally has the meaning of ‘souring’ of milk. People who ignore God sour themselves and sour all with whom they come into contact, even if they are constantly playing the comedian. What is soured cannot be consumed. It is unbearable. Most of all, it’s about what they are to God. He looks down from heaven and sees how soured they are, so that He can do nothing more with them than cast them away.

David has already said in Psalms 14:1 that “there is no one who does good”. In Psalms 14:3, he says it for the second time, emphasizing this conclusion strongly by adding that there is “not even one”.

Paul quotes these verses in Romans 3 to show that all men, all humanity, including the Jews, “are under sin” (Romans 3:9; 13-18).

Psalms 44:26

Men Are Wicked

David wonders in doubt if fools then completely lack knowledge (Psalms 14:4). Will the wicked never learn? He is amazed that “all the workers of wickedness” are feasting on his people, the people over whom he is king to protect and care for them. But the fools have the upper hand now that David seems to be on the run. They see in David’s subjects an opportunity for profit. Instead of calling upon the Lord, they feast on the possessions of their defenseless fellow citizens. They do not call upon the Lord because they do not want to acknowledge Him in their hearts.

However, their tyranny will come to an end. They will be seized with great dread when they are suddenly confronted with the fact that God is on the side of His people, “the righteous generation” (Psalms 14:5). It may seem that they put to shame “the counsel of the afflicted” by thwarting and exploiting him in every way. But the LORD is the “refuge” of the afflicted (Psalms 14:6). With Him he is safe. No matter what the fools in their wickedness do to the afflicted, the afflicted has what the fool does not have, and that is protection and security.

An example is Naboth who is killed by the wicked Ahab and the even more wicked Jezebel. Naboth does not want to sell his inheritance to Ahab because he has received this land from the LORD (1 Kings 21:1-3). The counsel of this ‘afflicted’ seems to have been put to shame because he is murdered (1 Kings 21:8-15). But the LORD has been his refuge. That He is not only for this life, but above all after this life. Naboth will get everything back in the resurrection. Then the fools will be put to shame.