Psalm 14:4
Will the workers of iniquity never learn? They devour my people like bread; they refuse to call upon the LORD.
Will the workers of iniquity never learn?
The phrase "workers of iniquity" refers to those who actively engage in sinful behavior. The Hebrew word for "iniquity" is "אָוֶן" (aven), which implies trouble, wickedness, or sorrow. This term is often used in the Old Testament to describe actions that are morally wrong and cause harm to others. The rhetorical question "never learn" suggests a stubborn refusal to understand or change one's ways. Historically, this reflects the persistent rebellion against God seen throughout Israel's history, where despite numerous warnings and consequences, many continued in their sinful paths. This phrase challenges readers to reflect on their own lives and consider whether they are heeding God's teachings or persisting in wrongdoing.

They devour my people like bread
The imagery of devouring "like bread" is powerful, suggesting something done with ease and regularity. In ancient times, bread was a staple food, consumed daily. The Hebrew word for "devour" is "אָכַל" (akal), meaning to eat or consume. This metaphor indicates the exploitation and oppression of God's people by the wicked, as if it were a routine, thoughtless act. Historically, this can be seen in the oppression of the Israelites by surrounding nations and even by corrupt leaders within Israel. The phrase serves as a stark reminder of the ease with which the wicked can harm the righteous, and it calls for vigilance and reliance on God for protection.

they refuse to call upon the LORD
To "call upon the LORD" is to seek God in prayer, worship, and dependence. The Hebrew word "קָרָא" (qara) means to call out, proclaim, or summon. This refusal indicates a deliberate choice to ignore God and rely on one's own strength or false gods. In the historical context of Israel, this often led to idolatry and moral decay. The phrase underscores the root of the wicked's problem: a rejection of a relationship with God. For the believer, it serves as a reminder of the importance of seeking God in all circumstances, acknowledging Him as the source of wisdom, strength, and salvation.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Workers of Iniquity
This term refers to those who commit evil acts and live in opposition to God's will. In the context of Psalm 14, they are characterized by their lack of understanding and their oppression of God's people.

2. My People
This phrase refers to the people of God, often understood as the Israelites in the Old Testament context. They are depicted as victims of the wicked's actions.

3. The LORD
The covenant name of God, Yahweh, who is the object of true worship and the one whom the wicked refuse to call upon.
Teaching Points
Understanding the Nature of Wickedness
The "workers of iniquity" are characterized by their refusal to acknowledge God. This highlights the spiritual blindness that accompanies sin.

The Consequences of Ignoring God
The refusal to call upon the LORD leads to moral decay and societal harm, as seen in the devouring of God's people.

The Importance of Calling on the LORD
True wisdom and understanding begin with seeking God. Believers are encouraged to cultivate a life of prayer and dependence on Him.

God's Care for His People
Despite the oppression by the wicked, God is aware of the plight of His people and will ultimately bring justice.

Living as God's People in a Fallen World
Believers are called to stand firm in their faith and trust in God's deliverance, even when surrounded by those who reject Him.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the description of the "workers of iniquity" in Psalm 14:4 challenge us to examine our own lives and attitudes towards God?

2. In what ways can we ensure that we are not "devouring" others, but instead building them up as part of God's people?

3. How does the refusal to call upon the LORD manifest in today's society, and what can we do to counteract this trend?

4. Reflect on a time when you felt oppressed or marginalized. How can Psalm 14:4 encourage you to trust in God's justice and care?

5. How do the themes in Psalm 14:4 connect with the message of Romans 3:10-12, and what does this reveal about the need for Christ's redemptive work?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 53
This psalm closely parallels Psalm 14 and reiterates the themes of human corruption and the folly of denying God.

Romans 3:10-12
Paul quotes Psalm 14 to emphasize the universal sinfulness of humanity and the need for salvation through Christ.

Isaiah 1:4
This passage describes a sinful nation that has forsaken the LORD, similar to the workers of iniquity in Psalm 14.

Proverbs 1:7
Highlights the importance of fearing the LORD as the beginning of knowledge, contrasting with the ignorance of the wicked in Psalm 14.
A Fool IndeedA. Roberts, M. A.Psalm 14:1-7
An Infidel SilencedA. T. Pierson, D. D.Psalm 14:1-7
AtheismJ. H. Hitchens. D. D.Psalm 14:1-7
Atheisms and AtheismsGeorge Dawson, M. A.Psalm 14:1-7
Belief in the Being of GodR. Palmer, D. D.Psalm 14:1-7
Conflict Between God and the WickedC. Short Psalm 14:1-7
Infidelity IllogicalThe Young ManPsalm 14:1-7
Is There a GodW. R. Graham.Psalm 14:1-7
On the Atheism of the HeartJ. Jamieson, M. A.Psalm 14:1-7
Practical AtheismF. Wayland.Psalm 14:1-7
Practical AtheismS. Charnock, B. D.Psalm 14:1-7
Practical AtheismN. W. Taylor, D. D.Psalm 14:1-7
Religion and MaterialismR. N. Storey, D. D.Psalm 14:1-7
Right Views of God's GovernmentW. Forsyth Psalm 14:1-7
The Being of a GodT. Mortimer.Psalm 14:1-7
The Character Reasonings, and Folly of the FoolGeorge Townsend, M. A.Psalm 14:1-7
The Creed of AtheismD. Merson, M. A.Psalm 14:1-7
The Depravity of a Godless World, Viewed by GodC. Clemance Psalm 14:1-7
The Existence of GodS. Charnock, B. D.Psalm 14:1-7
The Folly and Impiety of InfidelityR. Shittler.Psalm 14:1-7
The Folly and Wretchedness of an Atheistical InclinationJ. Balguy.Psalm 14:1-7
The Folly of AtheismR. South, D. D.Psalm 14:1-7
The Folly of the FoolJ. O. Keen, D. D.Psalm 14:1-7
The Fool's Denial of God's ExistenceJohn N. Norton.Psalm 14:1-7
The Heart Speech of a FoolF. Tucker, B. A.Psalm 14:1-7
The Moral Condition of MankindHomilistPsalm 14:1-7
The Practical AtheistJ. J. Stewart Perowne, B. D.Psalm 14:1-7
The Practical Denial of God the Root of All EvilA. Maclaren, D. D.Psalm 14:1-7
The Unreasonableness and Mischief of AtheismW. Talbot, D. D.Psalm 14:1-7
The Withered HeartJoseph Parker, D. D.Psalm 14:1-7
Theoretical AtheismF. Wayland.Psalm 14:1-7
ConscienceW. L. Watkinson.Psalm 14:4-6
People
David, Jacob, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Bread, Consuming, Devour, Eat, Eaten, Eating, Evil, Evildoers, Iniquity, Learn, Prayer, Wickedness, Workers, Working
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 14:4

     4438   eating
     8640   calling upon God

Psalm 14:1-4

     8616   prayerlessness

Library
Are You Mocked?
"Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his refuge."--Psalm 14:6. GOD'S Word divides the whole human race into two portions. There is the seed of the serpent, and the seed of the woman--the children of God, and the children of the devil--those who are by nature still what they always were, and those who have been begotten again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. There are many distinctions among men, but they are not much more than surface-deep.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 62: 1916

Letter Xliii a Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey.
A Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. There is no reason to mourn a son as lost who is a religious, still less to fear for his delicacy of constitution. 1. If God makes your son His son also, what do you lose or what does he himself lose? Being rich he becomes richer; being already high born, of still nobler lineage; being illustrious, he gains greater renown; and--what is more than all--once a sinner he is now a saint. He must be prepared for the Kingdom that has been prepared for him
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

The Knowledge of God Stifled or Corrupted, Ignorantly or Maliciously.
1. The knowledge of God suppressed by ignorance, many falling away into superstition. Such persons, however, inexcusable, because their error is accompanied with pride and stubbornness. 2. Stubbornness the companion of impiety. 3. No pretext can justify superstition. This proved, first, from reason; and, secondly, from Scripture. 4. The wicked never willingly come into the presence of God. Hence their hypocrisy. Hence, too, their sense of Deity leads to no good result. 1. But though experience testifies
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Luther's Fourth Preface
To Valentine Bapst's Hymn-book, Leipzig, 1545. The xcvi Psalm saith: "Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth." The service of God in the old dispensation, under the law of Moses, was hard and wearisome. Many and divers sacrifices had men to offer, of all that they possessed, both in house and in field, which the people, being idle and covetous, did grudgingly or for some temporal advantage; as the prophet Malachi saith, chap. i., "who is there even among you that would shut
Leonard Woolsey Bacon—The Hymns of Martin Luther

Communion Broken --Restoration
Cant. ii. 8-iii.5 "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that were heard, lest happly we drift away from them."--Heb. ii. 1 (R.V.). At the close of the first section we left the bride satisfied and at rest in the arms of her Beloved, who had charged the daughters of Jerusalem not to stir up nor awaken His love until she please. We might suppose that a union so complete, a satisfaction so full, would never be interrupted by failure on the part of the happy bride. But, alas,
J. Hudson Taylor—Union and Communion

Introduction. Chapter i. --The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers.
St. Hilary of Poitiers is one of the greatest, yet least studied, of the Fathers of the Western Church. He has suffered thus, partly from a certain obscurity in his style of writing, partly from the difficulty of the thoughts which he attempted to convey. But there are other reasons for the comparative neglect into which he has fallen. He learnt his theology, as we shall see, from Eastern authorities, and was not content to carry on and develop the traditional teaching of the West; and the disciple
St. Hilary of Poitiers—The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers

Second Sunday after Epiphany
Text: Romans 12, 6-16. 6 And having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of our faith; 7 or ministry, let us give ourselves to our ministry; or he that teacheth, to his teaching; 8 or he that exhorteth, to his exhorting; he that giveth, let him do it with liberality; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness. 9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

Of the Way to Attain Divine Union
Of the way to attain Divine Union It is impossible to attain Divine Union solely by the activity of meditation, or by the meltings of the affections, or even by the highest degree of luminous and distinctly-comprehended prayer. There are many reasons for this, the chief of which are as follow:-- First, According to Scripture "no man shall see God and live" (Exod. xxxiii. 20). Now all the exercises of discursive prayer, and even of active contemplation, while esteemed as the summit and end of the
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer

Covenanting a Duty.
The exercise of Covenanting with God is enjoined by Him as the Supreme Moral Governor of all. That his Covenant should be acceded to, by men in every age and condition, is ordained as a law, sanctioned by his high authority,--recorded in his law of perpetual moral obligation on men, as a statute decreed by him, and in virtue of his underived sovereignty, promulgated by his command. "He hath commanded his covenant for ever."[171] The exercise is inculcated according to the will of God, as King and
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Exegetic.
(i) As of the De Spiritu Sancto, so of the Hexæmeron, no further account need be given here. It may, however, be noted that the Ninth Homily ends abruptly, and the latter, and apparently more important, portion of the subject is treated of at less length than the former. Jerome [472] and Cassiodorus [473] speak of nine homilies only on the creation. Socrates [474] says the Hexæmeron was completed by Gregory of Nyssa. Three orations are published among Basil's works, two on the creation
Basil—Basil: Letters and Select Works

Perhaps There is no Book Within the Whole Canon of Scripture So Perplexing and Anomalous...
Perhaps there is no book within the whole canon of Scripture so perplexing and anomalous, at first sight, as that entitled "Ecclesiastes." Its terrible hopelessness, its bold expression of those difficulties with which man is surrounded on every side, the apparent fruitlessness of its quest after good, the unsatisfactory character, from a Christian standpoint, of its conclusion: all these points have made it, at one and the same time, an enigma to the superficial student of the Word, and the arsenal
F. C. Jennings—Old Groans and New Songs

For which Cause Our Lord Himself Also with his Own Mouth Saith...
4. For which cause our Lord Himself also with His own mouth saith, "Cleanse what are within, and what are without will be clean." [1813] And, also, in another place, when He was refuting the foolish speeches of the Jews, in that they spake evil against His disciples, eating with unwashen hands; "Not what entereth into the mouth," said He, "defileth the man: but what cometh forth out of the mouth, that defileth the man." [1814] Which sentence, if the whole of it be taken of the mouth of the body,
St. Augustine—On Continence

Excursus on Usury.
The famous canonist Van Espen defines usury thus: "Usura definitur lucrum ex mutuo exactum aut speratum;" [96] and then goes on to defend the proposition that, "Usury is forbidden by natural, by divine, and by human law. The first is proved thus. Natural law, as far as its first principles are concerned, is contained in the decalogue; but usury is prohibited in the decalogue, inasmuch as theft is prohibited; and this is the opinion of the Master of the Sentences, of St. Bonaventura, of St. Thomas
Philip Schaff—The Seven Ecumenical Councils

"They have Corrupted Themselves; their Spot is not the Spot of his Children; they are a Perverse and Crooked Generation. "
Deut. xxxii. 5.--"They have corrupted themselves; their spot is not the spot of his children; they are a perverse and crooked generation." We doubt this people would take well with such a description of themselves as Moses gives. It might seem strange to us, that God should have chosen such a people out of all the nations of the earth, and they to be so rebellious and perverse, if our own experience did not teach us how free his choice is, and how long-suffering he is, and constant in his choice.
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

But Concerning True Patience, Worthy of the Name of this virtue...
12. But concerning true patience, worthy of the name of this virtue, whence it is to be had, must now be inquired. For there are some [2650] who attribute it to the strength of the human will, not which it hath by Divine assistance, but which it hath of free-will. Now this error is a proud one: for it is the error of them which abound, of whom it is said in the Psalm, "A scornful reproof to them which abound, and a despising to the proud." [2651] It is not therefore that "patience of the poor" which
St. Augustine—On Patience

The Manifestation of Holy Love.
"And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us." --1 John iv. 16. The question which now presents itself is: In what way is the divine, majestic act of making man a partaker of true love accomplished? We answer that this is-- 1. Prepared by the Father in Creation. 2. Made possible by the Son in Redemption. 3. Effectually accomplished by the Holy Spirit in Sanctification. There is in this respect, first a work of the Father, which the Heidelberg Catechism designates, "Of God the Father
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
Text: Romans 13, 8-10. 8 Owe no man anything, save to love one another: for he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not covet, and if there be any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor; love therefore is the fulfilment of the law. CHRISTIAN LOVE AND THE COMMAND TO LOVE. 1. This, like the two
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

Second Sunday Before Lent
Text: Second Corinthians 11, 19-33; 12, 1-9. 19 For ye bear with the foolish gladly, being wise yourselves. 20 For ye bear with a man, if he bringeth you into bondage, if he devoureth you, if he taketh you captive, if he exalteth himself, if he smiteth you on the face. 21 I speak by way of disparagement, as though we had been weak. Yet whereinsoever any is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am bold also. 22 Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

Second Sunday after Easter
Text: First Peter 2, 20-25. 20 For what glory is it, if, when ye sin, and are buffeted for it, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye shall take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. 21 For hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22 who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23 who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, threatened not; but committed
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

The Being of God
Q-III: WHAT DO THE SCRIPTURES PRINCIPALLY TEACH? A: The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man. Q-IV: WHAT IS GOD? A: God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. Here is, 1: Something implied. That there is a God. 2: Expressed. That he is a Spirit. 3: What kind of Spirit? I. Implied. That there is a God. The question, What is God? takes for granted that there
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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