The fool

Psalm 14:1 (NIV)

The fool says in his heart,
“There is no God.”

Whenever I read or hear something about atheists, I think of what the Bible calls them---fools!  This verse applies not only to true atheists, but also to those who believe that God might exist but has no part in their lives.  Psalm 10:4 speaks of the wicked and proud who think “There is no God”.  Psalm 36:1 speaks of the ungodly who have no fear of God.  Psalm 53:1 also says the same thing as 14:1.  Biblically, what does “fool” mean? 

The Hebrew word for fool is “nabal” and means simply “senseless”.  Yet, it also can mean “stupid”, “impious”, or “wicked” in the Hebrew language.  Proverbs and Ecclesiastes make about 80 statements concerning fools where fools are defined as full of emptiness, conceit, pride, boasting, self-confidence, thick-headedness, lack of self control, and wordiness (Pictorial Bible Dictionary, Zondervan, 1967). 

The Greek word for fool is “moraine” that simply means “foolish”, but then the Greek word for foolish is “aphrōn” that also means “senseless” or “unwise”.  Jesus used the words for fool or foolish four times

·  Matt 5:13, describing salt losing its taste; such are people who are good for nothing

·  Luke 14:34, same description of salt losing its taste

·  Luke 11:40, describing the Pharisees’ hypocrisy as foolish

·  Luke 12:20, God describing the rich man as a fool because of his selfishness

Biblically, the fool is always the opposite of the wise (e.g. Romans 1:22, I Cor 1:20).   And, so indeed, a man who does not believe in God is very unwise.  The fool is someone who not only denies the existence of God, but also one who might believe in the existence of God but don’t believe that He is involved in our lives.  You may have heard that the holiday for atheists is April 1---April Fools Day.

Perhaps the best question to ask yourself as you think about this verse is-----“Am I a fool in God’s sight?”  Perhaps a better question to ask yourself ----“Is there any foolishness in my life that I must eradicate?”

"The best way to convince a fool that he is wrong is to let him have his way."--Josh Billings