Psalm 12

Have you ever been abandoned and felt all alone?  That is the situation that David finds himself in.

Psalm 12 (NIV)

A psalm of David. For the director of music. According to sheminith.

 Words Matter

1 Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore;
    those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.

 1. David calls for help.

Why?   Loyal friends have abandoned him and he believes himself to be all alone.

2 Everyone lies to their neighbor;
    they flatter with their lips
    but harbor deception in their hearts.

3 May the Lord silence all flattering lips
    and every boastful tongue —
4 those who say,
    “By our tongues we will prevail;
    our own lips will defend us — who is lord over us?”

 2. Words of the Wicked

a. lies:  How do you feel when people lie to you?

b. flattery:  To gain an advantage. Jude 16

c. deception:  Knowing one thing but saying another thing.  Romans 3:10-13

d. boasting:  They actually think that they can get away with whatever lie or deception they come up with.  They live as if there were no God to answer to, as if God will not hold them to account.

5 “Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan,
    I will now arise,” says the Lord.
    “I will protect them from those who malign them.”

3. Words of the Lord

Why does God answer David’s call for help?

“Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan”

God cares for his children and will protect them.  James 1:26-27
6 And the words of the Lord are flawless,
    like silver purified in a crucible,
    like gold refined seven times.		 4. Words of the Lord are flawless

Like pure silver and pure gold, God’s words are a lamp and light that teach understanding.  Psalm 119:105
7 You, Lord, will keep the needy safe
    and will protect us forever from the wicked,
8 who freely strut about
    when what is vile is honored by the human race.		 5. David has confidence in God

Even though the wicked “freely strut about” honoring “what is vile” the Lord will keep you safe.

We can agree with David that there are times when it seems that we are all alone in the world.  We clearly see that the wicked embrace and honor things that are vile.  Things that Paul told the Ephesians … “It is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.”  Ephesians 5:12

“The modern world demands that we approve what it should not even dare to ask us to tolerate.”   – Nicolas Gomez Davila

But rest assured God sees through the lies, flattery, and the deception and is not fooled by any boasting.  Call out to God, he will both protect you and he will “silence all flattering lips and every boastful tongue.”

Does this sound like any song that you sing in church?  If not, why not?

This is the inspired Word of God, given to us to teach us how to sing, pray and think about God!

By Richard Loper