This psalm is exactly like Psalm 14, except that the Hebrew word for "God" is different in verse 2. In Psalm 14, the word was "Jehovah" - the covenant Lord of His people. In that psalm the verse read, "God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek the covenant Lord." Here it reads, " . . . who seek God." In other words, the question of Psalm 14 was whether anyone was seeking Israel's Covenant Lord. The question here is whether anyone is even seeking the one true God. The answer is still "no."
Put in modern terms, we could paraphrase, "Not only are there very few Christians out there in the world, but there are even very, very few who consider the possibility of a God at all."
It's not a happy theme. It seems reasonable that this portion of the psalm would be sung in a very minor key, possibly with accompanying dissonance. It's a picture of the real world, the world of total unbelief, the world that hates believers and seeks to be rid of them!
And the results are predictable. Following their leader, the temple worshippers have to repeat after him, "They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity. There is none who does good!" It reads like the headlines of our modern newspapers! It's a prediction from ancient times of the development of human depravity in our own day, with all the rampant political corruption, all the demands for homosexual "rights," all the schoolground shootings, and all the releases of dangerous criminals from prison to prey once again upon society!
Our own prayers should echo those of Israel: "Oh that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When God brings back the captivity of His people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!" If you can tolerate the evil surrounding the people of God in our day, if you can simply ignore the corruption that has been foisted upon God's good creation, if you can easily ignore the rebellion against God's rule that is all around you - without crying out a prayer like this one for the return of Christ, for release and relief from the rebellion of this world against God - then perhaps He isn't your God at all!
Oh sing this prayer in its minor key, and plead for the soon return of the Lord of righteousness!
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This psalm is exactly like Psalm 14, except that the Hebrew word for "God" is different in verse 2. In Psalm 14, the word was "Jehovah" - the covenant Lord of His people. In that psalm the verse read, "God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek the covenant Lord." Here it reads, " . . . who seek God." In other words, the question of Psalm 14 was whether anyone was seeking Israel's Covenant Lord. The question here is whether anyone is even seeking the one true God. The answer is still "no."
