Year 8, Day 168: Psalms 13-14

Theological Commentary: Click Here

We have the same interesting dynamic that was spoken about yesterday.  The wicked seem to prosper.  The wicked seem to go unchallenged by God.  The wicked devour God’s people and God’s people wonder how long it will go on.

As with yesterday, notice how the psalmist does not allow this reality to question the nature of God.  Not once does the psalmist wonder if God is capable of being a savior, or if God is able to judge the wicked, or if God is even real in the first place.  The psalmist is not looking for gaps in God’s being.  The psalmist is not looking for inconsistencies between His promises and reality.

The psalmist is trying to make sense of his own experience, not make sense of God.  This is a really important point.  God is beyond our understanding.  It is one thing for us to try and understand Him; it is another thing – entirely wrong – to bring God’s character into question because of our limited human capacity. In one position we understand that the flaw or gap lies within us; in the other the assume that the issue lies within God.

That being said, look at how the psalmist deals with God’s perspective in Psalm 14.  In this psalm, the perspective that we get is a God who has given free will and who is looking down upon the earth to see how people are utilizing the gift.  Who is using their free will to obtain their own self-centered desires?  Who is using their gift to pursue God and His ways?  This is what a God who understands true freedom looks like.  This is what a God who understands true love looks like.

<><