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FOLLY OF THE IGNORANT AND THE WICKED

  • Writer: Olufunmilayo Adekusibe
    Olufunmilayo Adekusibe
  • Oct 3
  • 5 min read

Today’s Readings:

Psalm 14:1-7

Jeremiah 4:13-21, 29-31

John 10:11-21

The [spiritually ignorant] fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have committed repulsive and unspeakable deeds; there is no one who does good. The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there are any who understand, who act wisely, who truly seek after God, longing for His wisdom and guidance. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt. No one does good, not even one. Have all the workers of wickedness and injustice no knowledge, who eat up My people as they eat bread, and do not call upon the Lord? There they tremble with great fear, for God is with the consistently righteous generation. You evildoers shamefully plan against the poor, but the Lord is their safe refuge. Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores His captive people, then Jacob will rejoice, and Israel will be glad. (Psalm 14:1-7 AMPV)

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In the Bible, the fool is someone who says in their heart, “There is really no God to worry about.” It is the one who feels secure in pride and arrogance—like those in Obadiah 1:3-4 who said in their heart, “Who can bring me down to the ground?” Such people deny divine accountability. They doubt God’s holiness and His standards, thinking, “I sincerely doubt there is a God like that. I am free to live as I choose.” This attitude leads to corruption, selfishness, and self-centred living. Only the fool denies God. How foolish it must seem to God when anyone says, “There is no God.” Psalm 14 addresses arrogant fools. These are not people who lack intelligence, nor are they always confessed atheists. Instead, their lives reveal that they live as if God does not exist. A true atheist is foolish for ignoring the evidence of God’s existence, or wicked for refusing to live by His truth. When we depend on ourselves rather than God, we too become “practical atheists.” The fool is aggressive in defying God. To live in direct disobedience is utterly foolish. Often, Christianity is treated only as a cultural practice—attending church, fasting, and praying, but without true obedience to God’s Word. Such people acknowledge God with their lips but deny Him in their lifestyle. This produces corruption, oppression, division, and moral decay in society. Psalm 14 challenges both Christians and unbelievers to examine themselves.


Psalm 14 is a wisdom psalm that reflects on human depravity. The fool here lacks spiritual discernment, not intelligence. To be a fool is a moral condition, not an intellectual one (Isaiah 32:6). In the Old Testament, the opposite of folly was not intelligence but steadfast devotion to the Lord. Paul echoes Psalm 14 when he writes that human wisdom apart from God is foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18-25). The psalmist shows that all humanity is guilty before God. In verses 1–3, the repeated words “all” and “no one” make this clear. Paul quotes this passage in Romans 3:10-12 to show that everyone—Jew and Gentile alike—falls short of God’s glory and requires His grace. Zion, mentioned in verse 7, represents God’s dwelling, His presence, and His protection on earth (Ps. 3:4; 20:2; 132:13). Good works may be valuable, but they cannot make us righteous before God. No amount of good deeds can cancel out our sins. Only God is perfect. We all stand guilty before Him (Romans 3:23). Therefore, we must all turn to Jesus Christ for salvation (Romans 10:9-11).


When David says, “The evildoers devour my people as men eat bread” (vv. 3–4), he is describing enemies who oppress God’s people. In contrast, David himself sought God and obeyed Him, and under his leadership, Israel prospered. But later generations abandoned God, and even His chosen people went astray (Isaiah 53:6). Paul later reminds us that this applies to all humanity: everyone has turned away. To oppose God’s people is to oppose God Himself. And it is useless to fight against God (Ps. 2:4–5). Though the wicked seem powerful, the victory belongs to God and His people. Psalm 14 ends with a prayer of hope: “Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!” This is a cry for deliverance, not just for Israel, but for all God’s people. When God rescues the oppressed, the faithful will rejoice.


In our dark world full of wickedness, the temptation is to live like everyone else—rejecting God and living foolishly. But Psalm 14 warns us against such a path and reminds us that true wisdom is found in seeking and obeying God.

                                                            OLUFUNMILAYO TITILOLA ADEKUSIBE



To surrender your life to Christ, say this prayer aloud. “Father, I acknowledge my sin against You. I repent and ask for forgiveness, in the name of Jesus. I surrender to the Lordship of Jesus. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, take control of my heart and lead me in Your path of righteousness. Thank you, Lord.”

 If you said the prayer, Congratulations! You are welcome to the body of Christ. Prayerfully seek out a living church and meet the resident reverend, pastor, or priest.



Prayer:

  1. Blessed, fortunate, prosperous, favoured by God is the man/woman whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man/woman to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit, there is no deceit. Lord, thank you for the forgiveness of my sin, in Jesus’ name.

  2. Lord, search me and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and deliver me, correct me and lead me, in the everlasting way, in Jesus’ name. 

  3. Thank you, Lord, because You are my hiding place. You, Lord, protect me from danger and trouble. You surround me with songs and shouts of deliverance. Instruct me, Lord, and teach me the way I should go. Counsel me, Lord, with Your watchful eye on me, because I desire to learn, in Jesus’ name.

  4. Lord, do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit. So that I will be able to teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted and return to You, in Jesus’ name.

  5. Holy Spirit, empower me, give me the enablement to obey the word of God. From the victory point of our Lord, and boldly pull down strongholds against the gospel of truth, in Jesus’ name.

  6. O Lord, create in me a clean heart; renew a right, teachable, humble and forgiving spirit in me, in Jesus’ name.

  7. Lord, walk in the midst of the wicked and the blood thirsty, who will not rest until they shed innocent blood, and do that which only You can do, take away the captive of the mighty, deliver the prey of the terrible, break bondages to sin, addiction, and turn the heart of Your people towards You, in Jesus’ name.

  8. Lord, visit marriages and families with your mercy and healing power, especially Christian marriages, heal fractured souls, wounded spirits. Destroy bitter roots and their consequences. Let the purpose for which you have ordained marriages be fulfilled, to the glory of Your holy name, in Jesus’ name.

  9. Lord, as a loving and caring Father, visit the midst of our young ones, adolescents, young and old adults in different levels of institutions of learning and reform centres. Turn their hearts toward you, in Jesus’ name.

  10. By the authority in the name of Jesus, we pull down the stronghold of wickedness at all levels of governance in our nation, in Jesus’ name.

 
 
 

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