Psalm 53

Psalm Category: Lament Psalm

Central Thought: Psalm 53 is a timeless assesment of all those who foolishly rebel against the Lord. As David faced various rivals, he was inspired to write this psalm on human sinfulness and God’s gracious salvation.

Setting and Theme: Psalms 52, 53, and 54 seem to form a chronological commentary on three successive rivals of David. Psalm 52 looks at Doeg the Edomite (cf. 1 Sam. 22); Psalm 53 describes an unbelieving fool (cf. 1 Sam. 25 where the name Nabal means “fool”); and Psalm 54 answers the intrigue of the Ziphites (cf. 1 Sam. 26). As David faced opposition from these various rivals, he was inspired to write, in universal terms, on the sober subject of human sinfulness. Whether Nabal the fool prompted Psalm 53 or not, the psalm is a timeless assessment of all those who foolishly rebel against the Lord.

The Foolish Heart (v. 1): Trying to convince himself of his own assertion, the fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” This inner dialogue is a struggle against the facts. If you have to tell yourself something, that something is not your first instinct. No one needs to tell himself that God does not exist unless there is the suppressed suspicion that He does. The fool needs to be reminded that saying so does not make it so. Romans 1 tells us that what may be known of God is revealed, but the unbeliever suppresses that knowledge. Psalm 53:1 shows us how that suppression works. Like the thief who tells himself, “I won’t get caught,” the fool tells himself, “There is no God.” This is not a sincere but misguided opinion harbored within a life well lived; it is willful defiance accompanied by “abominable iniquity.”

The Divine Perspective (vv. 2-3): The Sumerians used to call themselves “black heads.” It is thought by some that this title was coined from the perspective of their god who, when he looked down from above, saw the tops of people’s heads with black hair. The Sumerians tried to describe themselves as their god would see them from above. Psalm 53:2 describes us as the all-knowing God sees us, picturing God looking down upon people from above, but He sees black hearts not black heads. From our perspective we may not look too bad, but God’s perspective of perfect righteousness is a different view altogether. From His view, “There is none who does good, no, not one” (v. 3).

The raging fool we met in verse 1 is an extreme example of what is true of mankind in general. Without the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, we are corrupt, self-seeking, and lost in sin—every one of us.

“My People” (vv. 4-5): The spirit of godlessness described thus far is often expressed in this world by the persecution of believers, who are pictured in verse 4 as being eaten like bread by the wicked. This vivid image of persecution is met with a vivid image of God’s judgment in verse 5, where God scatters the bones of those persecutors. The trajectory of unbelief is traced in this psalm from its beginning in the heart to its final judgment before God. Verse 4, however, introduces a ray of hope with the term “my people.” There is a people whom God protects, avenges, and calls His own. We meet them, and get a sense of their hope and joy, in the final verse.

The Salvation of Israel (v. 6): David concludes with the expectation that the salvation of Israel will come, and this is reason for God’s people to rejoice. Israel, which means “a prince with God,” was a term of divine endearment for the ancient church that still applies to believers today (Gal. 6:16). In David’s time, people were saved by grace through faith in the true God and the promised Savior, just as they are today. We have all turned aside and together become corrupt, as this psalm has reminded us. We are also reminded that there is hope, salvation, and joy for believers, who are the Israel of God.

The human condition is desperately sinful, but there is grace and forgiveness to be found when, by God’s grace, fools like you and I say in our hearts, “There is a God, and I trust in Him alone for my salvation.”

—C. J. Williams