Psalm 14 & 53 Similarities but different emphasis
What a beautiful morning it has been. The sound of the birds, the stillness
of the water, and now a light rain. God must have had the time of His
eternal life during creation. I still can't fathom how He did all of
this...what depth, what creativity, what beauty...and yet I long for the new
earth, without the sin.
While journeying through the Psalms I came across and interesting
phenomenon. First, Psalm 51:17 and 34:18 are almost identical. I love when
God repeats something...you know that He is placing a special emphasis for a
reason:
"The Lord is near to them that are of a broken heart: and saves such
as be of a contrite spirit." 34:18
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O
God, you will not despise." 51:17
Then as I entered Psalm 53 I realized that I had read this Psalm
before...in fact it is almost identical to Psalm 14. BUT upon closer
inspection, I have learned they are very different! First, the names for God
are different. In Psalm 14 the Hebrew word is Yahweh (3 times) and in 53 is
it Elohim (7 times). One possible reason for this is that the earlier Psalm
reflects upon God's personal relationship with Israel as his people and 53,
represents God of the nations.
Second, Psalm 14 is a song, Psalm 53 is a sermon set to music. Note
the differences in the footnote at the top of each Psalm.
One thing is for certain, God gives us a reminder that the fool has
said in his heart that there is no God; there is no one who seeks him, and
no one who understands; none that does any good. God sees this point as so
important that he not only repeats it in the Psalms but brings it back in
the NT in the book of Romans.
If you enjoy a deeper study of the Word, I would recommend reading
the commentary by Phillips through the following link:
of the water, and now a light rain. God must have had the time of His
eternal life during creation. I still can't fathom how He did all of
this...what depth, what creativity, what beauty...and yet I long for the new
earth, without the sin.
While journeying through the Psalms I came across and interesting
phenomenon. First, Psalm 51:17 and 34:18 are almost identical. I love when
God repeats something...you know that He is placing a special emphasis for a
reason:
"The Lord is near to them that are of a broken heart: and saves such
as be of a contrite spirit." 34:18
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O
God, you will not despise." 51:17
Then as I entered Psalm 53 I realized that I had read this Psalm
before...in fact it is almost identical to Psalm 14. BUT upon closer
inspection, I have learned they are very different! First, the names for God
are different. In Psalm 14 the Hebrew word is Yahweh (3 times) and in 53 is
it Elohim (7 times). One possible reason for this is that the earlier Psalm
reflects upon God's personal relationship with Israel as his people and 53,
represents God of the nations.
Second, Psalm 14 is a song, Psalm 53 is a sermon set to music. Note
the differences in the footnote at the top of each Psalm.
One thing is for certain, God gives us a reminder that the fool has
said in his heart that there is no God; there is no one who seeks him, and
no one who understands; none that does any good. God sees this point as so
important that he not only repeats it in the Psalms but brings it back in
the NT in the book of Romans.
If you enjoy a deeper study of the Word, I would recommend reading
the commentary by Phillips through the following link:
http://books.google.com/books?id=oQf_Yxkq-ZUC&pg=PA419&lpg=PA419&dq=why+is+P
salm+14+and+53+the+same%3F&source=web&ots=7wJKIfi8hJ&sig=pzsEabhDi1tKW3j9_hU
j1ed4FQY&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=7&ct=result#PPA420,M1
posted by Mark Hamby | 9:15 AM
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