psalm 53: A Solitary Person Standing Before God

"Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!" (Psalm 53:6)

While most psalms have the poet accusing their enemies before God, the speaker of Psalm 53 is accusing themselves as the enemy. The poet portrays the foolish ones who say "There is no God" as a third party before pleading for salvation from God in the final verse. Like the prophet Isaiah, the speaker laments "Woe to me, I am ruined" (Isaiah 6:5), and like the apostle Paul, asks "Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?" (Romans 7:24)

Psalm 53 and Psalm 14 are twins, sharing the same content. Why did the editor of the psalms not omit one of them? Perhaps the editor saw the duplication as an opportunity to magnify the significance of the speaker's self-reflection and confession of sin. Thus, the unique significance of each speaker's reflection remains intact, for both speakers are solitary persons standing before God.

Finally, where does the speaker get the power to self-reflect? The speaker knows they have no power to confess their sins. The force is probably external, usually thought of as divine discipline, but ultimately the speaker's self-awareness comes through God's faithful grace.  Because a raging storm cannot strip away the garments of the divine, but gentle sunlight can remove the speaker's outer garments.