It’s getting really hard to find information, advice, even services, or products that we can trust. Given that, why is it that we forget — or don’t want to — turn to the only person whom we can fully trust to keep His Word and His Promises? In this next Psalm, David has a similar problem, yet He finds he can put his trust in one thing. Let’s dig in…
Psalm 12
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by an eight-stringed instrument.
1 Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing!
The faithful have vanished from the earth!
2 Neighbors lie to each other,
speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts.
3 May the Lord cut off their flattering lips
and silence their boastful tongues.
4 They say, “We will lie to our hearts’ content.
Our lips are our own—who can stop us?”5 The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless,
Psalm 12 NLT
and I have heard the groans of the poor.
Now I will rise up to rescue them,
as they have longed for me to do.”
6 The Lord’s promises are pure,
like silver refined in a furnace,
purified seven times over.
7 Therefore, Lord, we know you will protect the oppressed,
preserving them forever from this lying generation,
8 even though the wicked strut about,
and evil is praised throughout the land.
Digging Deeper
I love the first line, “Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing! The faithful have vanished from the earth!” It seems so even today. Now, can you imagine what it will be like when the godly and faithful really disappear from the face of the earth in the Rapture? What a mess that will be! You don’t want to be Left Behind!
Everyone lies or has lied at one point or another. Have you ever “stretched the truth”? Or told a “white lie”?
I was watching a show that took place in a dystopian future where if you talked too much, talked back, lied, or spoke against the powers that be, your tongue was cut off. Another had her lips sewn together. Punishment was harsh. Imagine if your only sin is lying.
I had a friend in college who used to make up stories about herself and her family so she could be popular. The problem was that her cousin also was in the same dorm and she would follow with, “That isn’t true.” The liar became known as untrustworthy. No one believed ANYTHING she said even if she was telling the truth. Yes, your lips are your own, but you should mind what you say. Unless you repent of your sin of lying, you won’t get into Heaven.
God, Himself told us who would NOT enter Heaven…
8 “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Revelation 21:8 NLT
God Sees EVERYTHING!
The Lord replied that He is aware of all the violence done to the helpless. That makes me think of what Russia is doing to Ukraine. In the end, Jesus will triumph over Satan and all that is evil.
Verse 6 is where David shares 4 statements about God’s Word. It’s…
- True and pure
- Tested by the refining fire
- Trustworthy
- Timeless — Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.” (Matthew 24:31)
The Words of God are completely opposite to the words of men. Then we have the transition word, “therefore”. Whenever we see the word “therefore” we need to ask, “What is it there for?” and look at the preceding passage. The passage before it states that God’s Word is pure and trustworthy, so, with confidence, we can trust that He will protect the oppressed even though “evil is praised throughout the land.” That is a promise and God keeps His promises!
Today, evil is everywhere. I can’t even check out the local TV station’s weather report on their app without reading about a shooting somewhere. When the government took the Bible out of schools and subsequently, both parents AND the church failed to teach God’s Word, that’s what we got — an evil world full of sin, violence, hatred, immorality, pride, and vanity.
Where’s Jesus?
The folks at Spoken Gospel sum it up nicely…
When the New Testament reflects on God’s word, it says, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways” (Hebrews 1:1). God’s pure voice and words came to us through people like David. But this verse goes on to say that “in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:2).
Jesus is the Word of God in the flesh (John 1:1). All the trustworthiness and purity of God’s spoken word is perfectly demonstrated in Jesus. During his life, Jesus frequently called out the hypocritical tongues of the Pharisees while defending the rights of the poor (Luke 20:46-47).
Eventually, the evil words of Jesus’ enemies would surround him, just like they surrounded David. The Pharisees believed Jesus was lying when he said he was God (John 8:58). So they told lies of their own (John 18:33-34). Jesus was subjected to a sham trial filled with planted evidence and false witnesses (Matthew 26:59-60). As judge, Pilate denied truth was even relevant in his case (John 18:38). Jesus died surrounded by lies and evil speech.
But God used the deceit of the Pharisees to prove who Jesus was. Jesus died because of their words, but the Word-made-flesh rose from the grave. There is no fine print. It is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18). If we trust in the true words of Jesus, every lying word spoken against us will never ultimately succeed. God is true—and every man is a liar (Romans 3:4).
Spoken Gospel
So, how do you know what is the truth or twisted lies?
- You MUST read the Bible daily for yourself. Moreover, the more you familiarize yourself with the Word of God, the better you’ll be at discerning what is true and what is a lie.
- Rely on the Holy Spirit. If you are born again, you have the Holy Spirit in your heart. He is there to guide you and to help you discern what is truth and what is false teachings.
- Attend a true, Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church. In this digital media world, most churches stream and/or record their services. Watch a few of them to determine which one is teaching from the Word of God. Furthermore, don’t choose a church just because it’s close to you. I did that not knowing any better and it prolonged my salvation.
Jesus didn’t suffer torture and die so we could have religion!
He died so He could have a Personal Relationship with YOU!
Isn’t it about time you let Him in?
