Cornerstone Sermons | (The Holy Fool - Nathan Carico)Cornerstone

The Holy Fool

Bible Reference: Psalm 14:1-7

Series: Psalms: Learning to Walk with God | June 10, 2012 by Nathan Carico

One of the most captivating characters in all of literature is Wiliiam Shakespeare’s, the fool. Shakespeare’s fool was a caricature. He was an extreme - an exaggeration. He was an over the top court jester and with the use of comedy, Shakespeare’s fool was often able to say things to the nobility that no one else could say and so expose the deepest darkest places of their hearts.

The fool in the wisdom literature of the Bible is much more nuanced than Shakespeare’s fool but he very much serves the same purpose. The fool is an exaggeration, a caricature, an extreme given to us so that we might see the deepest darkest places in our hearts. And here in Psalm 14 the caricature of the Psalmist’s fool exposes this darkness in the most extreme way possible. In the inner most places of his being the fool says, "no God for me!”

Tags: depravity, fool, original sin, wisdom

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Psalm 14

To the choirmaster. Of David.

14:1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds,
there is none who does good.

2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.

3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.

4 Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
who eat up my people as they eat bread
and do not call upon the Lord?

5 There they are in great terror,
for God is with the generation of the righteous.
6 You would shame the plans of the poor,
but the Lord is his refuge.

7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad. (ESV)