985 英翻中 (785) PSALM 12 詩篇第十二篇 16/02/2025

985 英翻中 (785)                PSALM 12                     詩篇第十二篇                           16/02/2025

PSALM 12                                                                                                                                                    詩篇 12 On some university campuses, what once was called “Home Economics” is now “The College of Applied Life Studies.” In Tucson, Arizona, potholes are no more, because they’re now known as “pavement deficiencies.” In politics, new taxes are “revenue enhancements,” and in military jargon, “retreat” is “backloading of augmentation personnel.” If, while you’re backloading, you get shot, the bullet hole is “a ballistically induced aperture in the subcutaneous environment.”10 This kind of artificial evasive language is known as “double-speak” and its popularity in almost every area of human life is evidence that language and communication are in serious trouble. Our ability to speak and write words is a precious gift of God, and this psalm deals with the right and wrong use of that gift. (For Sheminith, see Ps. 6.)                                                                                                                                    在一些大學校園裡，曾經被稱為「家政學院」的學院現在被稱為「應用生活研究學院」。在亞利桑那州的圖森，不再有坑洼，因為它們現在被稱為“路面缺陷”。在政治上，徵收新稅是“增加收入”，在軍事術語中，“撤退”就是“撤出增援人員”。如果你在子彈後裝時被擊中，那麼彈孔就是“皮下環境中彈道引起的孔洞”。我們說話和寫字的能力是上帝賜予的珍貴禮物，這首詩篇涉及這種禮物的正確和錯誤使用。 （關於 Sheminith，見詩篇 6。）

The Righteous—Despairing Words (v. 1)                                                                                                義人－絕望的話語（第 1 節） In Psalm 11, the foundations of society were shaking (v. 3), but here David cried out for help (salvation, deliverance) because the godly remnant of faithful believers was getting smaller and smaller. This wasn’t the complaint of a crotchety old man longing for “the good old days.” It was the cry of a truly faithful servant of God who wanted to see his nation, Israel, fulfill her divine purposes on earth. The faithfulness of Israel involved bringing the Savior into the world and blessing all the nations (Gen. 12:1–3). David wasn’t alone in his concern. Elijah thought he was the only faithful prophet left (1 Kings 18:22; 19:10, 18), and the prophets Isaiah (Isa. 57:1) and Micah (Mic. 7:1–7) expressed their concern at the absence of righteous leaders. (See also Ps. 116:1; Eccl. 10:5–7; Jer. 5:1.) When he wrote 1 Timothy, Paul lamented over what “some” were doing in the church (1:3, 6, 19; 4:1; 5:15; 6:10), but in 2 Timothy, that “some” had become “all” (1:15; 4:16). One of the tragedies today is that a new generation of believers doesn’t seem to know what it takes to be a godly leader, so they borrow leadership ideas from secular society and all kinds of unequipped and unqualified people to be leaders.
在詩篇 11 篇中，社會的基礎正在動搖（第 3 節），但在這裡大衛呼救（救贖、解脫），因為虔誠的信徒剩下的人數越來越少。這並不是一位脾氣暴躁的老頭懷念「過去的美好時光」的抱怨。這是上帝一位真正忠實的僕人的呼聲，祂希望看到祂的國家以色列在地球上實現她的神聖使命。以色列的忠誠包括將救世主帶到人間並造福所有國家（創世記 12：1-3）。戴維並不是唯一一個有這種擔憂的人。以利亞認為他是唯一剩下的忠實的先知（列王紀上 18:22；19:10,18），先知以賽亞（以賽亞書 57:1）和彌迦（彌迦書 7:1-7）對缺乏正義領袖表示擔憂。 （另參詩篇 116:1；傳道書 10:5-7；耶利米書 5:1）當保羅寫提摩太前書時，他為“一些人”在教會中的所作所為而哀嘆（1:3、6、19；4:1；5:15；6:10），但在提摩太書中後，那變成了「1:10），但在提摩太」後，那變成了「1:14），但在提摩太」中。當今的悲劇之一是，新一代的信徒似乎不知道如何成為一個敬虔的領袖，所以他們從世俗社會和各種沒有裝備、沒有資格的人那裡借用領導理念來當領袖。

The Wicked—Deceptive words (vv. 2–4)                                                                                                  惡人－欺騙的話語（2-4節） One mark of a Spirit-filled believer is the ability to detect lies and liars and avoid them (1 John 2:18–29), and David knew that he was living in a society controlled by deception. It wasn’t that only a few people were telling lies; deception was a major characteristic of the whole generation. (See 5:9; 28:3; 34:13; 55:21; 141:3.) What would David say if he were alive today and witnessed the propaganda and promotion that make up what we casually call “the media”? He would probably describe today’s “communication” as he did centuries ago: empty and useless words (“vanity”), smooth talk (“flattery”), double-talk from double hearts, and boastful talk or “proud words.”                                                        充滿聖靈的信徒的一個標誌是能夠發現謊言和騙子並避開他們（約翰一書2：18-29），而大衛知道他生活在一個被欺騙控制的社會中。並不是只有少數人在說謊；欺騙是整個世代的一大特徵。 （參閱 5:9；28:3；34:13；55:21；141:3）如果大衛今天還活著，親眼目睹了我們隨意稱之為「媒體」的宣傳和促銷，他會怎麼說？他可能會像幾個世紀前一樣描述今天的「交流」：空洞無用的話語（「虛榮」）、花言巧語（「奉承」）、心懷二意的模稜兩可的談話，以及自吹自擂或「傲慢的話語」。                                                                                                                                    Saul used lies to deceive his leaders about David, and Absalom used flattery to poison the minds of the naïve people of Israel against David. Flattery is not communication, it’s manipulation (see Prov. 26:28; 28:23). Even in Christian ministry it’s possible to use flattery to influence people and exploit them (1 Thess. 2:1–6; Acts 20:28–31). Flattery plays on the ego and especially influences people who want to appear important (Jude 11). You can flatter yourself (36:2), others (5:9; 12:2), and even God (78:34–37). Of course, what the lips speak comes from the heart (Matt. 12:33–37), and that’s why David accuses these liars of duplicity, which is a divided heart (literally “a heart and a heart”). This is the opposite of the “perfect heart,” total loyalty to God and His truth (86:11; 1 Chron. 12:33, 38; Rom. 16:17–18 ).                                                                                                                                                               掃羅用謊言欺騙他的領袖關於大衛的事，而押沙龍則用奉承的話來毒害天真的以色列人民的思想以對抗大衛。奉承不是溝通，而是操縱（參考箴言 26:28；28:23）。即使在基督教事工中，也有可能用奉承來影響和利用別人（帖撒羅尼迦前書 2：1-6；使徒行傳 20：28-31）。阿諛奉承利用了人的自尊心，尤其會對那些想顯得重要的人產生影響（猶大書 11）。你可以奉承自己（36:2），奉承他人（5:9；12:2），甚至奉承上帝（78:34-37）。當然，嘴唇所說的話是從心裡說出來的（馬太福音 12：33-37），這就是為什麼大衛指責這些說謊者是口是心非的人，也就是心懷二意（字面意思是「一隻心和一隻心」）。這與「完全的心」相反，「完全的心」是對上帝和祂的真理的絕對忠誠（86:11；歷代誌上12:33,38；羅馬書16:17-18）。                                          As for “proud words,” this describes boastful speech that impresses people by its oratory and vocabulary. “Great swelling words” is the phrase used in 2 Peter 2:18 and Jude 16. Daniel (7:20, 25) and John (Rev. 13:2, 5) both tell us that the Antichrist will speak in this way and rule the world. This kind of speech is motivated by pride and is used by people who think they’re in control and will never need to answer to anybody, including the Lord. Their lips are their own, and they can speak just as they please.            至於“傲慢的言語”，這描述的是誇誇其談，以其口才和詞彙給人留下深刻印象。 「誇大的話」是彼得後書 2:18 和猶大書 16 中使用的短語。這種言論是出於驕傲，說這種言論的人認為自己一切盡在掌握，永遠不需要向任何人（包括主）負責。他們的嘴唇是他們自己的，他們可以隨心所欲地說話。

The Lord—Delivering Words (vv. 5–8)                                                                                                    主－傳達的話語（5-8節）

But God sees the oppression of the weak (Ex. 3:7) and hears the pain in their cries, and He declares that He will arise and judge the liars and deceivers. “I will arise” takes us back to 3:7; 7:6; 9:19; and 10:12. (and see Num. 10:35 and Isa. 33:11–12.) “Safety” in verse 5 (“protect,” niv) comes from the same Hebrew root as “help” in verse 1 and “deliver” in 6:8, and is the basis for the names “Jesus” and “Joshua” (“Jehovah is salvation”). The last phrase in verse 5 should read as in the New American Standard Bible: “the safety for which he longs.” When God comes to deliver His people, He will “cut off ” those who practice flattery and deception (v. 3), which means separation from the covenant community (Gen. 17:14), like the separation of the goats from the sheep (Matt. 25:31–33).                    但上帝看見弱者所受的壓迫（出埃及記3章7節），聽到他們哭喊中的痛苦，祂宣告祂將會興起，審判說謊者和欺騙者。 「我要起來」讓我們回想起3:7； 7:6； 9:19；和10:12。 （參閱《民數記》10:35 和《以賽亞書》33:11-12。）第 5 節中的“安全”（“保護”，niv）與第 1 節中的“幫助”和第 6 章第 8 節中的“拯救”來自相同的希伯來詞根耶和華，並且是“耶穌是”和“救恩”（耶穌）的基礎。第 5 節的最後一句話應該按照新美國標準聖經的格式讀作：「他渴望的安全」。當上帝來拯救祂的子民時，祂會「剪除」那些奉承和欺騙的人（第 3 節），這意味著與聖約社區分離（創 17:14），就像將山羊與綿羊分開一樣（馬太福音 25:31-33）。                                              But can the Lord’s promises be trusted? Yes! Unlike the worthless words of the deceivers, the Word of the Lord is like precious silver (19:9–10) that is heated seven times in the crucible before it is poured out into the mold. His Word is flawless and can be trusted; His Word is precious and must be valued (119:14, 72, 127, 162). How paradoxical that society today sees the Scriptures as something relatively worthless and yet pays great sums of money to the people who manufacture deception and flattery. No matter how many lies this generation tells, God’s Word is safe, for He said, “I am watching over My word to perform it” (Jer. 1:12 nasb). Furthermore, God is able to protect His godly people from the lies of the enemy. God’s people are “the generation of the righteous” (14:5), the generation that seeks God (24:6), the generation of His children (73:15), the generation of the upright (112:2). If God’s people will saturate themselves with God’s Word, they won’t be seduced by “this lying generation.” When the church adopts the techniques and motives of the world system, the church ceases to glorify the Lord.               但主的應許可信嗎？是的！與騙子的無價值的話語不同，主的話語就像珍貴的銀子（19：9-10），在坩堝中加熱七次後才倒入模子中。祂的話語是完美無缺、值得信賴的；祂的話語十分寶貴，必須加以珍惜（119:14、72、127、162）。多麼矛盾的是，當今社會認為聖經是相對沒有價值的，但卻向製造欺騙和奉承的人支付大筆金錢。不管這世代說了多少謊言，上帝的話是安全的，因為他說過：「我看守我的話，使之成就」（耶利米書 1:12）。此外，上帝能夠保護祂虔誠的子民免受敵人謊言的侵害。上帝的子民是「義人的世代」（14:5），尋求上帝的世代（24:6），祂的兒女的世代（73:15），正直人的一代（112:2）。如果上帝的子民能充分領受上帝的話語，他們就不會被「這個說謊的世代」所誘惑。當教會採用世界體系的技術和動機時，教會就不再榮耀主。         The final verse issues a call to action, for “the wicked strut about, and evil is praised throughout the land” (NLT). Vileness (“cheapness”) is promoted and exalted in the media: immorality, brutality, murder, lies, drunkenness, nudity, the love of money, the abuse of authority. The things that God condemns are now a means of universal entertainment, and the entertainment industry gives awards to the people who produce these things. People boast about things they ought to be ashamed of (Phil. 3:18–19). Is there a way to restrain and overcome this national decay? Yes! God’s people are salt and light (Matt. 5:13–16). If there were more light in the land, there would be less darkness, and if we had more salt, there would be less decay. As God’s people worship God, pray, and share the gospel with the lost, more people will trust Christ and increase the salt and light in the land. We must also share the truth of the Word with the next generation (2 Tim. 2:2) and prepare them for the battles and opportunities to come (78:1–8; 102:18). The church is always one generation short of extinction, so we must be faithful to win the lost and teach the believers, or vileness will conquer the land.                                                             最後一節發出了行動的號召，因為「惡人昂首闊步，邪惡在全地受到讚揚」（NLT）。媒體宣揚並頌揚卑劣（「低俗」）：不道德、殘暴、謀殺、謊言、酗酒、裸體、貪財、濫權。上帝所譴責的事物如今卻成為全民娛樂的一種手段，娛樂業也給製作這些事物的人獎勵。人們誇耀他們本該感到羞恥的事（腓立比書 3：18-19）。有沒有辦法可以抑制和克服這種民族衰敗？是的！上帝的子民是鹽和光（太5：13-16）。如果土地上有更多的光明，黑暗就會減少；如果土地上有更多的鹽，腐爛就會減少。當上帝的子民敬拜上帝、祈禱並與迷失的人分享福音時，會有更多的人信任基督，並增加土地上的鹽和光。我們也必須與下一代分享聖經的真理（提摩太後書 2:2），讓他們為即將到來的戰鬥和機會做好準備（78:1-8；102:18）。教會總是離滅絕只有一步之遙，因此我們必須忠實地去贏得迷途者並教導信徒，否則邪惡將征服這片土地。 

PSALM 13  詩篇 13

This psalm was probably written during David’s difficult years of exile when King Saul was pursuing him. There were times when he confessed, “There is but a step between me and death” (1 Sam. 20:3). By the grace of God, David turned his sufferings into songs and left those songs behind to encourage us in our trials (2 Cor. 1:2–11). In this brief psalm, David deals with his feelings, his foes, and his faith.    這首詩很可能是在大衛流亡的艱難歲月中，當掃羅王追捕他時寫的。他曾坦白說：「我離死亡只有一步之遙」 (撒母耳記上 20:3)。感謝上帝的恩典，大衛將自己的苦難化為歌曲，並留下這些歌曲來鼓勵我們克服困難（哥林多後書 1：2-11）。在這首簡短的詩篇中，大衛談論了他的感受、他的敵人和他的信心。

The Inward Struggle—His Feelings (vv. 1–2)                                                                                            內心的掙扎－他的感受（1-2節） God had promised David the throne of Israel, yet that day of coronation seemed further and further away. Saul was doing evil things, and God wasn’t judging him, and yet David was doing good things and felt abandoned by the Lord. David was certainly disturbed by what the enemy was doing, but he was more concerned about what the Lord was not doing. “How long?” is a familiar question in Scripture (see 6:3) and is a perfectly good question to ask if your heart is right with God. The saints in heaven even ask it (Rev. 6:10). When we’re in trouble and pray for help, but none comes, we tend to feel deserted. David felt that God was ignoring him and that this alienation was final and complete. He also felt that God was hiding His face from him instead of smiling upon him (see 30:7; 44:24; Lam. 5:20). To behold God’s face by faith and see His glory was always an encouragement to David (11:7; 17:15; 27:4, 8; 31:16; 34:5; 67:1), but now he felt abandoned.                                                                                                  上帝已經應許大衛以色列的王位，但加冕的日子似乎越來越遙遠。掃羅做壞事，上帝卻沒有審判他，而大衛卻做了善事，卻覺得被上帝拋棄了。大衛當然對敵人的所作所為感到不安，但他更擔心上帝沒有做的事情。 “多久？”是《聖經》中一個常見的問題（參閱 6:3），也是一個非常好的問題，用來詢問你的心是否與上帝同在。甚至天堂裡的聖徒也問這個問題（啟 6:10）。當我們遇到麻煩並祈求幫助，但卻沒有人提供幫助時，我們往往會感到孤獨。大衛感覺到上帝忽視了他，而這種疏遠是最終的、徹底的。他也感覺到上帝沒有對他微笑，而是掩面不看他（參閱 30:7；44:24；耶利米哀歌 5:20）。憑著信心仰望上帝的面容並看見祂的榮耀對大衛來說一直是一種鼓勵（11:7；17:15；27:4, 8；31:16；34:5；67:1），但現在他感到被拋棄了。 Feeling like he was left to himself, David tried to devise various ways to overcome the enemy (“wrestle with my thoughts,” niv), but nothing seemed to satisfy him. But faith is living without scheming; it means not leaning on our own experiences and skills and trying to plot our own schedule (Prov. 3:5–6). There were storm clouds in the sky, hiding the sun, but the sun was still shining. It’s a dangerous thing to give in to our feelings, because feelings are deceptive and undependable (Jer. 17:9). When Jacob heard the news about Simeon being left hostage in Egypt, he gave up and announced that everything was against him (Gen. 42:36) when actually God was causing everything to work for him. We must not deny our feelings and pretend that everything is going well, and there is no sin in asking, “How long?” But at the same time, we must realize how deceptive our feelings are and that God is greater than our hearts (1 John 3:20) and can lift us above the emotional storms of life. David eventually learned to replace the question “How long, O Lord?” with the affirmation “My times are in your hands” (31:15). This is a lesson that all believers must learn.                                                                                                         大衛感覺自己被孤立了，他試圖想出各種方法來戰勝敵人（“與我的思想搏鬥”，niv），但似乎沒有什麼能讓他滿意。但信仰就是不策劃生活；這意味著不要依賴我們自己的經驗和技能，也不要試圖規劃我們自己的時間表（箴言 3：5-6）。天空烏雲密布，遮住了太陽，但是太陽仍然閃耀。屈服於自己的感覺是一件危險的事情，因為感覺具有欺騙性且不可靠（耶利米書 17:9）。當雅各聽到西面在埃及被當作人質的消息時，他放棄了，並宣稱一切都是與他作對（創世記 42:36），而事實上是上帝讓一切都為他而動。我們絕不能否認自己的感受，假裝一切都進展順利，問「還有多久？」也沒有什麼罪。但同時，我們必須認識到我們的感覺是多麼具有欺騙性，上帝比我們的心大（約翰一書 3:20），可以幫助我們克服生活中的情緒風暴。大衛最後學會了用「主啊，還要等多久？」來代替這個問題。並肯定「我終身的事在你手中」（31:15）。這是所有信徒都必須學習的功課。                                                                              

The Outward Danger—His Foes (vv. 3–4)                                                                                              外面的危險－他的敵人（3-4節）                                                                                                         It’s good to have peace within you, but you also need protection around you. That’s why David prayed to the Lord and made three requests. The first was, “Look on me,” a plea for the Lord to fix His eyes on His servant and scrutinize him. David felt that God had hidden His face and he wanted Him to turn His face toward him again. His second request was that the Lord answer Him and send some kind of encouragement. David felt he had been deserted and that his prayers were accomplishing nothing. “Give light to my eyes” was the third prayer. This involved not only spiritual enlightenment (19:8) but also physical and emotional vitality and strength (Ezra 9:8; 1 Sam. 14:24–30). When the mind and body are weary, how easy it is to be discouraged! Perhaps David was even ill and in danger of death (v. 3; see 7:5). If he died, what would happen to the throne of Israel?                                                                      內心平靜是件好事，但你也需要周圍的保護。因此大衛向主祈禱並提出三個請求。第一個是“看著我”，懇求主注視著他的僕人並審視他。大衛感覺到上帝掩面而去，他希望上帝再次將臉轉向他。他的第二個請求是希望主回答他並給他一些鼓勵。大衛感到自己被拋棄了，他的祈禱毫無效果。第三個祈禱是「讓我的眼睛明亮起來」。這不僅涉及精神啟蒙（19:8），也涉及身體和情緒的活力和力量（拉 9:8；撒母耳記上 14:24-30）。當身心疲憊的時候，人是多麼容易灰心喪志啊！或許大衛甚至生病了，處於死亡的危險中（第 3 節；參閱 7:5）。如果他死了，以色列的王位會怎麼樣？                                             As much as David was concerned about his own needs, he was concerned even more with the glory of God (v. 4). After all, God had chosen David and had commanded Samuel to anoint him king, and if David failed, God’s name would be ridiculed. “Don’t allow the enemy to gloat over me!” was his prayer. The word moved in verse 4 means “to waver, to be agitated, to totter and shake” (see 10:6). If David began to waver, the faithful people of the land would think that God was unable to fulfill His own promises. (See 35:19–21; 38:16–17.) 大衛雖然關心自己的需要，但他更關心上帝的榮耀（第 4 節）。畢竟，上帝已經選擇了大衛，並命令撒母耳膏他為王，如果大衛失敗了，上帝的名字就會被嘲笑。 “別讓敵人幸災樂禍！”是他的祈禱。第四節中的「感動」一詞的意思是「動搖、激動、搖晃和震動」（見 10：6）。如果大衛開始動搖，這片土地上忠實的人民就會認為上帝無法兌現自己的承諾。 （參閱 35：19-21；38：16-17）參閱 35：19-21；38：16-17）                                                                                              

The Upward Look—His Faith (vv. 5–6)                                                                                                  往上看－他的信仰（第 5-6 節）                  The little word but indicates a transition from fear to faith and from questioning to claiming God’s promises. In their false confidence, let the enemy rejoice, but David will rejoice in the Lord his God! David’s feelings had been on a roller coaster, but God was still on the throne, and His character had not changed. God’s mercy (steadfast love) was all that David needed, for it would never fail (see 25:6; Isa. 63:9; Lam. 3:22–23). God’s people don’t live on explanations; they live on promises, and those promises are as unchanging as the character of God. “According to your faith be it unto you” (Matt. 9:29).                                                                                                                                                                          Relying on the Lord leads to rejoicing in the Lord and His salvation (yeshua). The word bountiful focuses on the goodness of God and His generosity in dealing with His people in grace. (See 103:2; 116:7; 119:17; 142:7.) The NIV translates it, “The Lord has been good to me.” David’s circumstances haven’t changed, but the Lord has changed him, and that occurred when David stopped looking at his feelings and his foes and by faith started looking to the Lord.                                   

PSALM 14                                                                                                                                                  The psalm deals with the character and conduct of the “practical atheist” and adds to the messages of Psalms 10 and 12. The three psalms present a vivid picture of the ungodly—their proud attitude (10), their deceitful words (12), and now their corrupt deeds (14). All that they are, say, and do comes from their arrogant (and ignorant) belief that “there is no God.” Psalm 14 is duplicated in Psalm 53 with two changes: Psalm 53 uses the name “God” (Elohim) instead of “Jehovah” and replaces 14:6 with an addition to verse 5. David contrasted “the workers of iniquity” in Israel with the godly remnant (“the generation of the righteous” vv. 4–5) who sought God and obeyed the terms of His covenant. During the reign of King Saul, the spiritual level of the nation was very low, and many Jews followed the bad example of Israel’s first king. But even in the worst of times, God has cared for His faithful remnant and has been their refuge in times of trouble. Note the characteristics of the “practical atheists.”        

Wilful Folly—They Ignore God (vv. 1–3) Our English word fool comes from a Latin word that means “bellows,” suggesting that the fool is a person “full of hot air.” In the Hebrew language, there are three basic words for “fool”: kesyl, the dull, stupid fool; ewiyl, the unreasonable and perverted fool; and nabal, the brutish person who is like a stubborn animal. Nabal is the word used in 14:1, and it was the name of a man who was brutish and refused to help David (1 Sam. 25). People who say “There is no God” are not necessarily lacking normal intelligence; in fact, they may have good minds. However, they lack spiritual wisdom and insight. The nabal fool has a moral problem in the heart, not a mental problem in the head. The American evangelist Billy Sunday used to say that sinners can’t find God for the same reason criminals can’t find policemen—they aren’t looking! Nabal fools are self-righteous and don’t need or want God. They want to live their own lives the way they please. Their problem is willful ignorance and not lack of normal intelligence (2 Peter 3:5; Rom. 1:18–28). But this decision causes sad consequences in both their character and their conduct. By leaving God out of their lives, they cause their inner person to become more and more corrupt—the heart (v. 1), the mind (vv. 2, 4), and the will (v. 3). The Hebrew word means “rotten, putrid, decayed.” It is used to describe Jeremiah’s useless sash (Jer. 13:7). When God looks down to investigate (Gen. 6:5, 11–12; 11:15; 18:21), He sees people who are filthy (v. 3), a word that describes milk that has become rancid. “Gone aside” means they have turned their backs on God (Jer. 2:21) and refuse to fulfill the purpose for which they were created—to glorify God.                                                                                                                                         This 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. Paul quotes from this passage in Romans 3 as part of his proof that the whole world is guilty before God and can be saved only by the grace of God as revealed in Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:9–26). Human depravity doesn’t mean that all persons are as wicked as they can be, or that all are equally bad, or that no man or woman can ever do anything good (Luke 11:13). It simply means that all have a fallen nature they cannot change, and that apart from the grace of God, none can be saved from eternal judgment. 

Sudden Fear—They Meet God (vv. 4–6)                                                                                              Someone asked the agnostic British philosopher Bertrand Russell what he would say if, when he died, he suddenly found himself standing before God. Russell replied, “You did not give us sufficient evidence!” If the heavens above us, the earth beneath our feet, the wonders of nature around us, and the life and conscience within us don’t convince us of the existence of a wise and powerful Creator, how much more evidence must the Lord give? An atheistic Russian cosmonaut said he’d looked carefully while in space and didn’t see God. Someone commented, “If he’d opened the door of the space capsule, he would have met Him!” The time comes when God and the sinner suddenly meet. (See Belshazzar in Daniel 5, the rich farmer in Luke 12:13–21, and the people in Rev. 6:12–17.)                                                          Verse 4 gives us two more indictments: these practical atheists take advantage of the weak and the poor, and they will not call upon the Lord. To “eat people like bread” is a biblical metaphor for exploiting the helpless (27:2; 35:25; 53:4; Mic. 3:1–3; Lam. 2:16; and see Isa. 3:12; Jer. 10:25; Amos 2:6–8; Mic. 2:2; 7:3). People must never be used as a means to an end or “treated as consumer goods,” as Eugene H. Peterson expresses it.11 Instead of praying to God, the wicked prey on the godly. But then the Lord suddenly appears in judgment, and He identifies Himself with the remnant of faithful believers. We don’t know what event David was referring to, but the parallel passage in 53:5 suggests a great military victory that left all the enemy dead, unburied, and therefore humiliated. Some interpret the scene as a metaphor of a court case and connect it with verse 6: “You evildoers frustrate the plans [counsel] of the poor” (niv). Imagine God suddenly appearing in court and ousting the crooked judge! Whatever the meaning, this much is clear: God is in the generation of the righteous, God is their refuge when the enemy attacks, and God will protect His own people.

Joyless Future—They Have No God (v. 7) God has promised that the Redeemer will one day come to Zion and deliver His people in mighty power (Isa. 59:16–21; Jer. 31:33–34), and Paul affirmed this at the close of his great discussion of the future redemption of the Jewish nation (Rom. 11:25–32). The word captivity in verse 7 doesn’t refer to the Babylonian captivity, for Jeremiah made it clear that it would end in seventy years (Jer. 25:8–14). The phrase “bring back the captivity” means “to restore the fortunes, to radically change circumstances from bad to very good.” The day will come when Jesus Christ will return, defeat His enemies, cleanse the nation of Israel, and establish His righteous kingdom on this earth (Zech. 10—14). What a time of rejoicing that will be when the prayer “thy kingdom come” is fulfilled!                                                                                                                                                      But what about the wicked? They have no future with the Lord because they preferred not to know the Lord or live for Him. They lived according to the desires of their own heart, not to please the Lord and glorify Him. Those who reject Jesus Christ will spend eternity apart from the Lord and will honestly be able to say in hell, “There is no God—here!”