Psalm 53 begins: “The fool says in his heart there is no God.” Nothing is more dangerous for human life and society than the belief that there is no God. Foolishness does not merely refer to a trivial silliness here. It carries the sense of treachery to the highest order. To have no fear of God in your heart is to be void of any objective moral compass. It is to be governed by nothing more than selfish desire and lust for personal power. Under that regime, society crumbles into a chaotic state where “there is no one who does good”.

Sadly, however, this is an increasingly popular worldview. In the name of progress, God has been reduced to a mere concept worthy of nothing more than ridicule. And with the bridle removed, individuals now run wild in so-called freedom. Power-hungry God-haters dominate the landscape.

It feels hopeless for those of us who do believe in God. The world around us so often seems to have the upper hand. But our God is neither ignorant nor powerless. “He looks down from heaven on all mankind.”

Because of the perfect goodness of his sovereign oversight, we can be confident that he will subdue the wild beasts of a godless culture. When their evil ways come face to face with the purity of his goodness, they will have no option but to fall on their face before him. The fear of God will come to them in due course.

In this context, the hope of Psalm 53 is that salvation will radiate out from Zion, the city of righteousness and God’s Saviour King. Psalm 53 looks forward to the day when this king will emerge from Jerusalem’s gates to deal with the evil in the world.  It looks forward to the day when restoration and rejoicing will ride in the wake of his glory.

Amazingly we see that hope fulfilled in Jesus. As he came out of Jerusalem with a crossbeam strapped to his back, and as he ascended the hill of Golgotha to be crucified at the hands of godless men, he showed himself to be God’s own Son, defeating sin and destroying death. Salvation has indeed come out of Zion. His promise is sure. And so we look forward to Christ’s triumphant return when he consummates that salvation once and for all.