That Was Then; This Is Now

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms 

September 15, 2022

That Was Then; This Is Now

 Only fools say in their hearts,

    “There is no God.”

Psalm 53:1

NOTE: Except for verse 5, Psalms 14 and 53 are almost identical. You may want to re-read my meditation on Psalm 14:  July 21, 2022, It Is Well With My Soul. It is available on this blog. 

The opening line to Psalms 14 & 53 is widely known: “Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”

That was then; this is now. Today, I think it is more common to hear, “Only fools say in their hearts, “There is a God.”

We do live in a world where the followers of Jesus, the people seeking new life in Christ, are increasingly marginalized. Even so, as fully devoted followers of Jesus we are interested in the “Applause of Heaven” (Max Lucado’s book on the beatitudes), not the applause of the world’s culture.

In Psalm 53, a new verse 5 replaces verses 5-6 in Psalm 14. Psalm 53 responds to a different condition at a different time in the life of Israel. The use of military language suggests an enemy of Israel was defeated in their attack against the people of God. Psalm 53 reminds me of the story of King Jehoshaphat and the people of Israel recorded in 2 Chronicles 20 which I often reference.

My Takeaway: I believe the story in 2 Chronicles 20 also inspired Psalm 46. The opening verse of this psalm is often included in my prayers:

God is our refuge and strength,

    a very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1 (NRSV)

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.