In the Waiting: Psalm 14
“A wicked and foolish man truly believes there is no God. They are vile, their sinfulness nauseating to their Creator; their actions are soiled and repulsive; every deed is depraved; not one of them does good.” (Psalm 14:1 The Voice)
I recently pulled G.K. Chesterton’s “Orthodoxy” off my bookshelf and jumped in with joy. I love his brilliant mind and playful exploration of Christianity. Here’s how one author summarizes Chesterton’s approach:
“Chesterton criticizes modern philosophers for erasing religion. Modern philosophies encourage people to over-analyze everything, including religion, and when we question something too deeply, we stop believing in it. He suggests that Christianity is simple enough to answer life’s questions while mysterious enough to keep us guessing.” (https://www.supersummary.com/orthodoxy/summary/)
As we sit with Psalm 14, we pick up on this same sentiment from David. The foolish person, in an attempt to be wise, actually thinks their way into believing God does not exist. As the psalm continues, the outline of the foolish person is filled in with the following complaints:
They are corrupt;
They only think of themselves;
They turn their backs and walk their own roads;
They use other people for their own gain;
They reject the reality of their Creator;
They laugh at those who put their trust in God;
They attempt to rationalize and reason away another person’s hope.
The conclusion of this list of grievances, Psalm 14:7, stands as a powerful rejection of this mad form of wisdom which leads to complete abandonment of faith.
“May a new day, a day of deliverance come for Israel, starting with Zion. When the Eternal breaks the chains of His oppressed people, the family of Jacob will rejoice, and Israel will be delighted.” (Psalm 14:7 The Voice)
While the foolish one splashes around the kiddy pool, convinced he’s discovered the deepest caverns of the ocean, scripture offers this profound reminder: “No one can measure the depths of [the LORD’s] understanding.” (Isaiah 40:28b NLT)
A new day of deliverance is coming. In fact, it has already come, and “those who trust in the LORD will find new strength.” (ibid, v.31)
Chesterton was wise enough to believe in the foolishness of fairies. He was imaginative enough to reason his way to childlike faith. As we move closer to Christmas, I offer this beautiful poem from Chesterton, sent to me by a very good friend. May we, once again, take great delight in the profundity of God’s surprising gift of salvation. So unfathomable…it simply must be true.
Gloria in Profundis (G.K. Chesterton)
There has fallen on earth for a token
A god too great for the sky.
He has burst out of all things and broken
The bounds of eternity:
Into time and the terminal land
He has strayed like a thief or a lover,
For the wine of the world brims over,
Its splendor is split on the sand.
Who is around when the heavens are humble,
Who mounts if the mountains fall,
If the fixed suns topple and tumble
And a deluge of love drowns all -
Who rears up his head for a crown,
Who holds up his will for a warrant,
Who strives with the starry torrent,
When all that is good goes down?
For in dread of such falling and failing
The Fallen Angels fell
Inverted in insolence, scaling
The hanging mountain of hell:
But unmeasured of plummet and rod
Too deep for their sight to scan,
Outrushing the fall of man
Is the height of the fall of God.
Glory to God in the Lowest
The spout of the stars in spate -
Where thunderbolt thinks to be slowest
And the lightning fears to be late:
As men dive for sunken gem
Pursuing, we hunt and hound it,
The fallen star has found it
In the cavern of Bethlehem.