A tragedy begins in joy but ends in pain. By contrast, a comedy begins in pain but ends in joy. The comedy moves upward, the tragedy downward. In that sense, the psalm before us is a comic one. It ends with joy. But it sure doesn't begin with joy. It begins with the pain, the tragedy, of evil and folly. The world was made to be a place of joy for those who live in it with wisdom. For those who don't, for those fools who deny the existence and attributes of God, the world is a terrible place. It is a terrible place for terrible people. The world is a tragedy to fools, but a comedy to the righteous. Indeed, I want to be sure that we consider our entire text this evening in light of its final verse. The fool may be committing the sin of heart atheism and working that out in practical atheism left and right, but Jacob needs to rejoice, and Israel needs to be glad. In the face of the bad news that no one seeks God, I want us to remember the good news that God seeks and saves corrupt, abominable, no-good sinners. The king teaches us the utter depth of folly, but also teaches us to respond to the world's universal wickedness and folly with faith, steadfastness, prayer, and even joy.
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Caleb Nelson grew up in Ft. Collins, CO. Born into a Christian home, where he eventually became the eldest of 11 children, he has been a lifelong Presbyterian. He professed faith at the age of six, and was homeschooled through high school. He then attended Patrick Henry College...
