“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the Lord. But there they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous. You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge. Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!” (v1-7)
Despite the poetry, this is an apt description of the sinful nature (flesh). David nails it when he says all people are prone to sin, and Paul paraphrases this Psalm in a couple of verses: “There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Rom 3:22b-24)
The only main difference between David’s Psalm and Paul’s letter, is David is pre-Jesus and Paul is post-Jesus. David longs for the deliverance and restoration that Paul is able to describe in past tense.
This doesn’t mean that David is without hope, however, since he is still able to rejoice in the in God in his present time, and also rejoice in the future promise of permanent deliverance from the problem of sin. Israel has the Mosaic Laws and through ritual sacrifices can atone for their sins, which was a temporary solution until the time was right for the true Lamb to be the final sacrifice.
Both David and Paul understood the burden of sin, and the need for deliverance, and I pray each of us does as well. My prayer is that I continue living in “grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” seek the “Lord as [my] refuge” at all times. I do not wish to take salvation, grace, or mercy for granted, or I may neglect to share those gifts with others.
Be blessed in God’s presence today, and celebrate Him, resting on the promise that “righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Rom 3:22a)
~ Conqueror in Training