Psalm 53, The Lord Looks Down From Heaven
The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. Psalm 53:2
That verse says that as the Lord sits in heaven, He looks down at the people of His creation. Someone once asked me, “In this vast universe, why would God care about us humans?”
I told him that God made us in His image. Think about it. He made the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and every sort of animal. But He didn’t mass produce the human being.
Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person. Genesis 2:7
God’s creation fascinates me. He put the moon on a path to circle the Earth, which will continue until He stops it. He also did the same thing with the planets moving around the sun.
The trees shed their leaves before winter sets in. Some animals and insects instinctively find places to sleep to escape the cold. We call it nature, but God put all that and more in place.
The Psalmists made many references to God and the Earth. We see the Lord not only looks down from heaven, but He focuses on those He made.
God Focuses on Us
- But the Lord is in his holy Temple; the Lord still rules from heaven. He watches everyone closely, examining every person on Earth. Psalm 11:4
- The Earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. Psalm 24:1
- From his throne he observes all who live on the Earth. Psalm 33:14
- The heavens are yours, and the Earth is yours; everything in the world is yours—you created it all. Psalm 89:11
Our Lord set up a different order when He created men and women. He gave them the ability to reason and think, along with the capability of making choices.
God supplied everything we need to sustain life, from the air we breathe to the food we eat. He gave us the knowledge to invent things that make our lives easier.
With all that humans have accomplished, they have become so self-sufficient many have no need for God. And, of course, Satan draws people away from God by continually feeding them lies.
The Lord, however, put every man and woman on the Earth to have fellowship with Him. But in their self-sufficiency, many people worldwide deny He exists and form their own gods.
Therefore, in the first verse of Psalm 53, the Psalmist labeled those who say there is no God. He called them fools and described them.
Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! Psalm 53:1
Let’s look at a biblical definition of a fool. It’s someone confident they know how life works, no matter how much somebody warned them.
Outside of Psalm 53, Solomon Defined Fools
Solomon wrote over thirty references defining fools throughout the book of Proverbs. Chapter 17 contains the nicest thing he had to say about them.
Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent. Proverbs 17:28
Jesus taught a lesson about building a house on a firm foundation. In that lesson He rendered a definition of a foolish person.
But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. Matthew 7:26
Psalm 14:3 continued by saying all have turned away and become corrupt. Not a single person does good! We can look at corruption in two distinct ways. First is our sinful nature.
After Adam and Eve sinned, sin became the nature of every person born. So, we can call that an unconscious corruption within us. Both the Apostle Paul and Isaiah the Prophet addressed it.
- We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind. Isaiah 64:6
- For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23
In this Psalm, David wrote about corruption, which we consciously choose to partake in—often fueled by selfish desires only to receive temporary satisfaction.
Will those who do evil never learn? They eat up my people like bread and wouldn’t think of praying to the Lord. Terror will grip them, for God is with those who obey him. Psalm 53:4-5
People think they can get away with their selfish desires. And maybe they can here on Earth, but eventually, their fate will result in their destruction.
From Heaven, the Lord Looks Down to Us
Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. Galatians 6:8
Fortunately, when Paul wrote that verse in Galatians, he didn’t stop with that thought. He continued by saying the following.
But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. Galatians 6:8
The Close o Psalm 53
As Psalm 53 comes to a close, it says that God will put your enemies to shame, for He has rejected them. But the Lord will protect his people. Paul wrote God’s final word for us.
So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Galatians 6:9
Lord, as you look down from heaven, thank you for keeping your eye on me. Most of all, thank you that your Son Jesus made it possible for me to come boldly to your throne.
Check out these related posts about heaven.
- Neither Wealth nor Works will get Anyone to heaven
- Will There Be More Democrats Or Republicans In Heaven?
- Store Your Treasures In Heaven
- Our Citizenship Is In Heaven
- The Throne Room In Heaven
- The Lord Looks Down From Heaven
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