Verse 1: The first words of the psalm: The fool has said in his heart. We usually think of a fool as someone who acts ridiculously: "You drank too much last night and made a fool of yourself." But that's not what the word means biblically. In the Old Testament a fool is someone whose priorities and values are out of whack. And out of whack means those values which make no room for God and God's thoughts and ways.
Notice too in this verse that the psalmist hones in on the true and first place of religion: it is the heart. We often forget that, so busy with the outer do-ings of religion we neglect the work of the soul, our inner person, which is worlds more than the two-second pause at the start of Mass or sleepy check-list examination of conscience.
Verses 1-3: The psalmist takes a dim view of human kind in this regard. He sees those who live without sharing God's values as corrupt and depraved. He says depraved twice. He thinks things are so bad, he imagines God scanning the earth unable to find even one good person remaining. Wisdom gone. God sees into hearts
Verse 4: You see, the issue is understanding. Being a fool doesn't mean NOT believing in God - in the ancient world everyone believed in one god or another. The psalmist is more concerned with those who "don't pray" which means make no inclusion of God or who have no regard for God's suffering people. A kleptocrat is a ruler or person with political power who steals or exploits - politicians who only take and accrue for themselves or their think-alikes and who don't serve the ones who are most vulnerable. "They eat up my people as though they were eating bread."
Verses 5 and 6: These people have reason to fear - God is on the side of the poor. In the very midst of their voting sessions, speeches, deliberations and rallies, while they leave others oppressed - if they looked up to see where God stands, they would be terrified. "Religion belongs in the sanctuary" not a few believe. These verses seem to grow out of an ancient society sorely divided: haves and have nots, powerful and powerless, evil-doers and righteous. Still?
Verse 7: Some scholars say this last verse with the happy ending was added after Israel got free from the oppression of other nations. God restores. The verse might be better expressed as a question: "Who will save us from Zion?" Of course, the answer is GOD. Despite what the fools do and say - God is the helper. But this calls to mind the words of St. Teresa of Avila: God has no hands but my hands, no back to bear his burden to feet to walk his errands.
Finally, we must never think that the word fool applies to everyone else but me. In some sense we're all fools. I'm thinking of the Sunday when I was a young boy and three Christian neighbor-men came to our door to ask my father to join them in buying a house on the block from under a black family who had looked into it for themselves. We can all be fools - acting as if God doesn't know, see or care.
