God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. … There is none who does good, no, not one. (Psalm 53:2-3)
Like David, the prophet Zechariah acknowledged that, “The eyes of the Lord scan to and fro throughout the whole earth” searching for those who do what is good and upright (Zechariah 4:10). But as David reveals, He has a hard time finding anyone. In fact, there is no one inclined to seek God or to do what is pleasing in His sight. In fact, the Hebrew wording hints that, He looks upon the children of men as if He were looking for gold, but sees nothing but dross and impurity.
We could argue that this is what He finds when He looks upon “the children of men” as opposed to the “children of God.” In another psalm David said, “The eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy” (Psalm 33:18). It is also written of God’s people: “He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, nor has He seen wickedness in Israel” (Numbers 23:21). So are we to conclude that David’s words, “There is none who does good, no, not one,” do not apply to those who hope in His mercy? Of course not; why would we need mercy if we did what is right? The reality is, we have all sinned because we were all born with an inclination to sin. In fact, these same verses were used by Paul to make this very point: everyone — even those chosen by God — are in need of a Redeemer. Speaking on this issue, Paul said:
What then? Are we (Jews) better than they (Gentiles)? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one. There is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable. There is none who does good, no, not one.” (Romans 3:9-12)
It’s pretty clear: whether one was born into the family of Israel or not, no one has escaped sin’s reach. And yet, the Bible says that He doesn’t observe iniquity in His people: how do we reconcile this? Perhaps it is because He chooses to view His people, not as they presently are, but as they are to be according to His purpose. In other words, those who fear Him and who hope in His mercy have the benefit of His favor, His grace and His forgiveness. To those who acknowledge their shortcomings and need for a Savior, He bestows mercy and forgives their sins. He knows that we are not inclined to do good, but He helps those with contrite hearts to do good — not by our might, but by His Spirit.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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