Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Reflections on Psalms 12

 Psalms 12(Contemporary English Version)
  1. (A psalm by David for the music leader.) Please help me, LORD! All who were faithful and all who were loyal have disappeared.
  2. Everyone tells lies, and no one is sincere.
  3. Won't you chop off all flattering tongues that brag so loudly?
  4. They say to themselves, "We are great speakers. No one else has a chance."
  5. But you, LORD, tell them, "I will do something! The poor are mistreated and helpless people moan. I'll rescue all who suffer."
  6. Our LORD, you are true to your promises, and your word is like silver heated seven times in a fiery furnace.
  7. You will protect us and always keep us safe from those people.
  8. But all who are wicked will keep on strutting, while everyone praises their shameless deeds.

Again in this Psalm, as in Psalm 11, David expressed confidence in God's deliverance. In this case it is deliverance from those who have no scrupples and who take pleasure in oppressing others through the use of their tongues. Such people had become so prevalent David felt that "no faithful one remains; the loyal have disappeared from the human race." (12:1) The loyalty to which David refers is loyalty to God's covenant with His people.

Through their tongues these people felt powerful to the point they asked, "who can be our master?" (12:4) With their tongues they lied and deceived through false flattery. It was not only God and those faithful to God for whom they had no loyalty, they were not even loyal to one another for they lied to each other. If one is not loyal to God is there anyone to whom they will be loyal?

In contrast, David pointed to the Lord whose words are pure, "like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times." (12:6) God's word can be trusted! "Because of the oppression of the afflicted and the groaning of the poor," God said, "I will now rise up. "I will put in a safe place the one who longs for it." (12:5) God said He would make safe those who longed for it, and unlike the words of the deceivers, God's word could, and can, be depended on. It might be noted that in verse 5 despite the fact that some translations of the Bible say, " I'll rescue all who suffer," the verse actually says God will put in a safe place "the one who longs for it." The point being, that God will deliver those who look to Him and "moan" for His deliverance. However, that deliverance is not guaranteed if we look elsewhere for it.

No doubt every generation has felt that David's words in verses 7 and 8 applied also to their generation, and our generation is no exception. God will protect us "from this generation" in which "The wicked wander everywhere, and what is worthless is exalted by the human race." (12:8)

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