Psalm 14 Continued…
Psalms 14:2-3 The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
The Lord is meticulously concerned about the deeds of men; He is present with us in all that we do and say, and He notes any who act wisely, that is, any man who conducts his life according to divine wisdom. The phrase, the sons of men, emphasizes that all human beings are referred to here, and not just Israel. By nature and by practice, man is a sinner. If left to himself, he would never seek after God. It is only through the ministry of the Holy Spirit that men become aware of their need for God and his need for salvation. Yet note another important theological point. David tells us that God must find out what people are doing on the earth. This is because God has made men free from His control. People are not puppets. They are not predestined to do either good or evil. The choice they have is theirs. When the Lord (the Lord Jesus Christ) looks down from heaven, His findings are dismal. His is the eye of omniscience, the eye of One who sees everything. Nothing is hidden from Him. He knows every man, woman, and child. He knows every thought, word, and deed. He knows the time when, the place where, the how of everything that has ever happened. He knows the motive and the manner. He knows the intent, the impact, and the influence of everything we have ever thought, or said, or done.
The diagnosis given in verse 3 belongs to the godless man, for he has repudiated objective righteousness, goodness and truth. This is the first characteristic of such men; everyone has turned aside (gone astray, turned their backs on God) from right living, and become tainted in his nature (Job 15:14-16)
Corrupt means “spoiled,” or “soured,” “corrupted” (Job 15:16; Romans 3:12).
No one who does good, not even one means no one among mankind in general does good. This is the verdict of the Eyewitness of verse 2. And a terrible verdict it is. No wonder the average unregenerate man hates the Bible! But attacking the Bible because it tells the truth is like kicking an X-ray machine because the picture reveals an internal cancer.
This is a picture of you and me, friend. I’m not an atheist, and I don’t imagine you are, but we are sinners. We do not do good. The indictment is universal: all people, individually or all together, cannot do anything at all that is good enough to merit heaven—no one, no, not one. The condition of man is corrupt and the first three verses tell us the depth to which man can go.
PRAY
Father thank you that the free gift you give is eternal life through Jesus Christ!