Psalms 14:7, commentary and pictures

Psalm 14:7 is a longing cry for the salvation of Israel to come out of Zion, when the Lord will bring back His captive people and Jacob shall rejoice and Israel shall be glad. It follows the psalm's dark picture of human wickedness, and voices the captive church mourning its loss of Jerusalem and the joy of worship in God's presence. The captivity is the oppression and martyrdom of God's people under pagan and papal rule, and Israel embraces Gentile Christians as Jews inwardly, so that Jews and Gentiles share equally in the restoration. That deliverance from cruel Gentile bondage is the release of God's people from their enemies at the end of the gospel dispensation, fulfilled before and in immediate connection with Christ's second advent in preparation of a people ready for the Lord. The awaited Deliverer from Zion is the Desire of all nations, whose last-days coming to bring salvation and restore His people is that described in Isaiah 59.

Setting and Plain Meaning

The psalm stands in the Tehillim, the praises set to music that served as the hymn book of the Jews arranged for temple service. It belongs to Book I, the first forty-one psalms written by David, the greatest of the sweet singers of Israel. As Hebrew poetry it is elegant and elevated in style without rhyme or appreciable rhythm, an outpouring of lamentation, prayer, praise and thanksgiving often uttered in prophetic language. It is a mirror of the faith, love and hope of the true Israelite, given for devotion so that man may speak to God in words God inspired, and precious psalms in the collection are prophetic of Christ.

In historical setting the verse belongs to the time of the Babylonian captivity, amid the distress and persecution of the Hebrew captives. There it assures them of divine help and final deliverance. The plea for salvation follows the psalm's portrayal of humanity's wickedness.

It expresses longing for the salvation of Israel to come out of Zion and for the Lord to bring back His people from captivity. When He does, Jacob shall rejoice and Israel shall be glad. It shows the captive church mourning what it has lost and anxiously awaiting the Deliverer. Especially mourned was the loss of Jerusalem and the joy of worship in God's presence.

Prophetic Deliverance and Timing

The deliverance longed for is the release of God's people from their enemies and from their rule at the end of the gospel dispensation, when Jacob rejoices and Israel is glad. The captivity to be ended is the oppression and martyrdom of God's people under pagan and papal rule, and its ending is their deliverance and restoration. Israel in this promise includes Gentile Christians, who are Jews inwardly, so that Jews and Gentiles share equally in the light of that restoration.

The turning of Jacob's captivity comes when the Lord breaks the yoke of bondage and redeems and ransoms Zion, or Jacob, bringing rejoicing and gladness to Israel. This turning is placed at the end of the 1290 prophetic years, when the curse upon rebellious Israel ceases. It is deliverance of the church from the cruel tyranny and bondage of Gentile dominion, followed by its triumph and prosperity. That deliverance is fulfilled before and in immediate connection with Christ's second advent, as part of preparing a people ready for the Lord. It concerns God's people of the present generation, not a temporal millennium after the Jews return.

The longing for deliverance from Zion also marks the beginning of the church's travail, which lasted until Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The verse points to the Redeemer coming out of Zion in the last days, when truth has failed and the world is marked by injustice, lies, and rebellion against God. His coming out of Zion to bring salvation and restore His people is linked with the last-days coming described in Isaiah 59.

Scripture Links and Application

Psalm 14 together with Psalm 53 supplies the source for Paul's words in Romans 3:10-19, which are addressed to the Jews as those under the law. The plea follows the portrayal of humanity's wickedness and belongs to God's work in response to men making His law void. It is longing for the salvation of Israel to come out of Zion with the restoration of His people from captivity, when Jacob shall rejoice and Israel shall be glad.

It expresses Israel's longing in captivity for salvation to come from Zion and for the Lord to bring back His people. It shows the captive church mourning what it has lost, especially Jerusalem and the joy of worship in God's presence, and anxiously awaiting the Deliverer. That awaited Deliverer from Zion is the coming Desire of all nations. The Lord's turning the captivity of His people is giving victory after great discouragement when His workers hold on, with a few deciding for the truth and a goodly number becoming interested.