Remember the last two day's of psalms have David at a low point. Surrounded by the deceitful and really wondering if God was ever going to listen. But it would appear a new day has dawned.
David is gloating. "The fool says in his heart there is no God. I know better. I know there is one. And I know he sees all those who folks who deny the existence of God. And God will judge, yes God will judge."
Might seem like a rather petty prayer. Might not always fit with the loving attitude we see displayed in other passages. But remember, the psalms are prayers. They are absolutely overflowing with human emotions and all that this entails. There are rants. There are cries of desperation. There is anger. There is bitter weeping. And some days you just feel deep down like saying, "All you fools who don't believe in God, just wait! God will judge."
And just so you don't think that David was completely self centered. Over and over his psalms speak out on behalf of the poor. While he was on the run, he may have been poor, but even after he became king, he seemed to always remember that his leadership was a trust from God that involved responsibility for those less fortunate.
So if you want to rejoice with David about the fools of the world who say there is no God remember it comes with a caveat. God doesn't appreciate those who say they believe in him and then act like they don't. Justice will be exacted at some point. Sobering words.
Was this pre or post Bathsheba?
ReplyDeleteEd. We don't have dating on most of the psalms. A couple are tied to specific events. Psalm 51 is tied to the Bathsheba incident. And certainly in that story, David is acting as though there was no God who would judge him.
ReplyDeleteIf it's post Bathsheba maybe David writes the psalm about himself?