“There they were, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to dread. God scattered the bones of those who attacked you; you put them to shame, for God despised them.”
~ Psalm 53:5
Hi James and Ellen,
Does being in the dark scare you? Does thinking about tomorrow scare you? Does getting sick scare you? Does losing control of everything scare you? Does experiencing failure scare you? Do you think of yourselves as fools? Fools are scared of their own shadow. Fools trust only in themselves. Fools do not trust in God. David wrote about the life of a fool in the psalm song that is now Psalm 53. This psalm song is a revision of an earlier psalm song that David also wrote. David uses ‘the Lord’ in the earlier psalm song that he wrote – which is Psalm 14. David uses ‘God’ in this psalm song that he wrote. This psalm song is a maskil. When David wrote a maskil, David was writing a song that would instruct God’s specially chosen guys and gals to attentively mediate in godly ways on God. Do you like to sing? To you like to sing songs that praise God? David wrote songs to praise God. Many of the songs that David wrote are now in the Psalm Book in the Bible. Some of the songs that David wrote were put to music by a director of music. This psalm song uses the mahalath tune. A mahalath tune would be used for a psalm song that was written by Davis regarding suffering or sickness or affliction or about an enemy that was winning a battle against him or about a guy and/or gal who was mocking him about his trust and faith in God.
Do you sometimes feel that you really have it bad – that you do not have as many nice things that the other kids have? Do you sometimes feel that you are always sick – that you do not have the same kind of rambunctious energy that the other kids have? Do you sometimes feel that nothing ever seems to go right for you – that you never get to go to the same places and do the same things that other kids get to go to and do? Do you sometimes feel that you are always being picked on – that you do not know any kid who is nice to you because he or she wants to be your friend? David really wanted God to do something about all the guys and gals who were fools who thought that he was a fool for believing in God. David knew fools. Do you know a fool? A fool is a corrupt guy or gal. A corrupt guy or gal does bad things. A corrupt guy or gal does not care about the welfare of other guys and gals. The actions of a corrupt guy or gal are vile. To be vile is to be despicable, depraved and evil. Vile guys or gals are not good guys and gals. David was a good guy. David was called a man after God’s own heart. David trusted in God. A vile fool trusts only in himself. A vile fool will put being in control, having things, making money and putting down other guys and gals the most important things to have and to do during his or her life. A man – or a woman, of God will always let a sovereign God be in control of every aspect of his or her life, he or she will let go of all the things that he or she has, he or she will diligently take care of his or her family and his or her responsibilities and he or she will put other guys and gals always before himself or herself. Do you want to grow up being fools or do you want to grow up being a man or a woman of God?
If you really want to grow up as fools, verse 5 says, “There they were, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to dread. God scattered the bones of those who attacked you; you put them to shame, for God despised them.” If you want to grow up as fools, you will always live scared. If you want to grow up as fools, you will always have God despising you or not liking you at all. If you want to grow up as fools, you will never have any joy, hope or peace in your lives. If you want to grow up as fools, you will believe that you are more important than every other guy, gal or kid. David grew up as a kid trusting in God. Just as God taught the guys and gals who He specially chose for Himself – like David, when David was alive, God is teaching today the guys, gals and kids who He has specially elected for Himself. Your grandpaa knows that God is always using life lessons to teach him to put his trust in Him. When your grandpaa was asked by Beneficial Finance to transfer in August of 1972 to Aberdeen, South Dakota to manage the Beneficial Finance office that is in Aberdeen, your grandmaa and grandpaa were able to buy a house in Aberdeen. When your grandmaa and grandpaa were first thinking about where they would live in Aberdeen, they thought that they would live in an apartment. When your grandmaa went to Aberdeen with your grandpaa for the first time, your grandmaa looked for a place where your grandmaa, grandpaa and dad could live. Your grandmaa ended up though looking at a couple of houses. Your grandmaa and grandpaa really liked one of the houses. Your grandmaa and grandpaa decided to buy the house but . . . when they went to the bank where the realtor – who was selling the house to your grandmaa and grandpaa, used for his banking to finance the mortgage for the house, the bank would not okay the loan for your grandmaa and grandpaa to buy the house. After the realtor realized that he could not get his bank to finance a mortgage for the house that your grandmaa and grandpaa were hoping to buy, the realtor stopped at the Beneficial Finance office – which was in the mall that is in Aberdeen, where your grandpaa was the manager of to . . . your grandpaa and the realtor decided to go to a place in the mall that sold coffee to talk. As they were drinking coffee, one of the bank officials from the bank that the realtor used for his finances walked past them. The guy was eating an ice cream cone. The realtor stopped the bank official and asked him if . . . the bank official told your grandpaa and the realtor that he was sure that something could be worked out. When the bank approved a mortgage for them, God reminded your grandmaa and grandpaa that when they trust in Him that He will never see your grandmaa and grandpaa as fools. Always trusting in God for His help is never a foolish thing to do.
Psalm 53 (324)