Sermon for MHBC (27 February 2022). You can watch on our website or on Facebook or YouTube. Live at 11:00am on Sundays. Also available as a podcast here or by searching “Monument Heights Baptist Church” in your favorite podcast app.
This morning we are looking at Psalm 12. One of the easiest ways to start thinking about this psalm is to notice the first verse and the last verse. They are like brackets. They set the picture. Both verses highlight the background to the psalm: there is a great deal of wicked activity in the world. Look at v. 1: Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man. There is a need for deliverance because the world is wicked. Now look at the last verse, v. 8: On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man. In both verses, we are told that the present situation is wrong. Isn’t that true? Sometimes everything in our world just seems wrong.
It may be cultural shifts or political decisions or things happening around the world or something more local, more personal, someone that you are having trouble with or someone you’re worried about. Whatever it is, when you look around, you don’t see much hope.
The psalm continues to mourn the state of the world. Look at v. 2: Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. Truthfulness and trustworthiness are not present. Instead, everyone is lying, everyone is full of falsehood. They are deceptive and insincere. Instead, they charm and coerce and manipulate. That’s the idea of flattering lips. The root behind this word translated flattering refers to something that is smooth. So, these are smooth-talkers. They know how to say what you want to hear. They draw you in with their words. But they speak out of double hearts. That is, they aren’t sincere. There’s a motive. Calvin writes on the double heart, “This doubleness of heart, as I may term it, makes men double and variable in their speech, in order thereby to disguise themselves in different ways.”[1]
The corruption of the world is such that people don’t speak with truth or sincerity. This is, according to the psalm, a symptom of a world gone wrong.
What do we do in a world gone wrong? Here’s the answer according to this psalm: When everything is wrong, focus on the LORD. I want to develop what I mean by focusing on the Lord and how this psalm instructs us to do that. Here’s the point this morning: Because the LORD is always faithful, we have hope for the future. So, the object of our focus is the Lord’s faithfulness. And I’ll show you that from this psalm, but first I want to talk a little bit about the situation raised by this psalm—a world gone wrong.
We’ve looked at the first two verses, but just take quick note of the state of society according to the whole of Psalm 12. The godly and faithful ones are gone according to v. 1. Deceptive and insincere speech is the norm in v. 2. Those same flattering lips show up in v. 3 along with a tongue that loves to boast. And at the core of this boasting is rebellion. Notice v. 4: those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master over us?” Their tongue is their weapon. Their manipulation, coercion, and falsehood gives them power. And they say, “Who is our lord? Who is our master?” In their view, they are in control—the masters of their own fate—the arbiters of their own lives.
Do you see how this open rebellion against the Lord? This is precisely what we see in Psalm 2. We are told that the power players of the world are meditating not on God’s Word but on how they can rebel against God.
Now there’s a story in the OT that illustrates all of this perfectly. And it’s a story that at least some Christian interpreters have connected to Psalm 12. The story is in 1 Samuel 22. It’s about Saul who is resisting David becoming king. Saul is in open rebellion. He is effectively saying, “Who is master over me?” When Saul discovers that the priests had prayed on behalf of David and offered guidance, Saul is enraged. He summons Ahimelech and all the priests of his family. The conversation doesn’t go well, and Saul says to Ahimelech, “You will certainly die and all of the priests associated with your name.” Then Saul turns to his guard and says, “Kill the priests of the LORD” (1 Sam 22:17a).
This is huge. Just let the words Scripture uses sink in. “Kill the priests of the LORD.” Saul has taken matters into his own hands. He doesn’t want a master. He is in rebellion, so much so that he is willing to kill the priests of the Lord. Here’s the next part in that story: But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord (1 Sam 22:17b).
So Saul instructs the whistleblower, not an Israelite, but an Edomite, to kill the priests and he does so. We have Saul acting corruptly, ordering the killing of the priests, and others join in that same corruption.
This story is striking because it illustrates a reality of our world. Our world is wicked. Corruption is rampant and that’s nothing new. And the Lord doesn’t always intervene even for His people. One of the most interesting elements in this story is the fact that the priests are unjustly killed. They are not spared.
A lot of people’s primary objection to the Christian faith is this very issue: When God doesn’t intervene. I have to admit to you that I have long struggled with the so-called “problem of evil.” The problem of evil is popularly put this way: If God is good and powerful, why do bad things happen? In struggling to answer that question, many people have found it easier to conclude that there is no God.
As I said, I’ve always struggled with this, and because I have an academic bent, I’ve done a great deal of research on this question. But I don’t want to come at this clinically (or philosophically) this morning. I’ve alluded to this a few times, but I haven’t explained it fully (and I won’t this morning either), but in the Fall of 2020, I experienced a mental anguish at a level I’ve never experienced before. Frankly, it flattened me. Much of my anguish was being utterly broken by the state of the world and struggling with the problem of evil. I recall during this time weeping on the floor of my office over the death of a 7-year-old. And that weeping turned to anger, or perhaps more accurately, frustration, at the situation of being human. And I’m not telling you this to try to celebrate my empathy. I’m telling you this because I want you to know that I have often looked at this world and struggled for answers. I feel the weight of this world more deeply than I want to most of the time. It is sad and painful and frustrating. And maybe you resonate with that.
What do we do with that? The first thing we can do is turn our attention to someone who is capable. Look at v. 3: May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts. This is a prayer. It’s a request. It’s asking the King of the universe to do something about the injustice in the world.
Then we come to the central verse of the psalm. That’s v. 5. It’s the central verse because the LORD Himself speaks in it. Verse 5: “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.” The LORD says that because of the injustice being done, He will arise. Picture a capable king, standing from his throne to take action. That’s both a fearful and hopeful image. It’s fearful for those who oppose the king, but for those who are waiting for the king nothing could be more hopeful.
Look closely at the words of this verse. He says, “I will now arise.” The word now may seem insignificant but there’s something to note. Calvin suggested that this little word confirms that the LORD does not promise immediate delivery, but He does promise delivery. Remember the story in 1 Samuel. Those priests were not delivered from the hand of Saul, but the LORD’s promise still holds true for them. Calvin wrote this beautiful line on this verse: “And then, however small may be the number of the good, let this persuasion be deeply fixed in our minds, that God will be their protector, and that forever.” That’s the promise in this verse—that the LORD will protect His people forever.
Here’s what we can say about the LORD so far. (1) He is capable to deliver. That is why this psalm petitions the LORD for deliverance. (2) He is willing to deliver. He says in v. 5: “I will arise … I will place him in the safety for which he longs.” What makes a good deliverer? Well, firs to be a deliverer, one must be capable. They must be able to deliver. But that’s not enough is it? In fact, we might even say that one who is able to deliver but doesn’t is committing a great evil. So, to be a good deliverer, one must not only be capable, he must be willing. And that’s precisely what we see in this verse. The LORD is willing to act.
But there’s one more piece to this that provides the hope we need. See, a deliverer who is capable and willing must also be trustworthy and reliable. His words and promises must be worthy of our trust. A deliverer who is capable and willing is still not a stable source of hope. Why? Because we don’t know if we can rely on someone who is only capable and willing. There’s too much uncertainty. Hope is completed when we know the deliverer will do what he says.
Let’s look at v. 6: The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. His words are pure. The word translated pure basically means “not mixed with other things.” Pure words are words not mixed with deception and error. They are not mixed with manipulation and coercion. The words of the LORD are exactly the opposite of the flattering lips and lying tongues of this psalm.
There’s another aspect of the word pure. When we talk about something that is, say, pure gold or pure silver, we are talking about something that is especially valuable, unique, good, and beautiful. When we talk about the LORD’s words as pure, we are also talking about their beauty and goodness and power and wisdom. Notice the image of silver being refined in a furnace. The finished product is not only clean but lovely, beautiful, and enticing. Think about the psalm. The falsehood of the world is enticing, but it leads to chaos and destruction and disunion with the Creator. But the words of the LORD are enticing in a way that stirs the heart and soul (i.e. affections) and promotes goodness and peace and beauty and joy and hope.[2]
We find the hope clarified in v. 7: You, O Lord, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever. The LORD is capable, willing, and trustworthy. He will do what he promises to do. Notice the words keep and guard in this verse. They are synonyms. But both say something about the Lord’s oversight of the world. He is the stabilizing and upholding factor behind all things.[3] His purposes will be accomplished. And He is the eternal protector of His people. Because the LORD is always faithful, we have hope for the future.
Jude is one of those overlooked books in the Bible, but it has a powerful message about the Lord keeping us. Jude addresses his letter to those who are beloved in God the Father and kept in Jesus Christ. Now this opening is really important because it’s Jude’s way of setting up his whole letter. It’s as if he saying, “Look I’ve got something serious to talk to you about, but first, you have to know who you are.” You have to know that God set his affection on you and by his own good pleasure called you to Himself and He is keeping you in Christ. Then Jude talks about the state of the world and how the church has been infiltrated by deceptive people. And Jude warns us to contend for the faith. It’s a huge task—to stay faithful.
But throughout the letter there is this underlying theme of God keeping us. And then Jude hits us with the beautiful benediction at the end of the letter: “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” He reminds us that God is faithful. He will keep you from stumbling. He will keep you from abandoning holiness. He will make you blameless. He is able, willing, and trustworthy. Here lies our hope. And thus, as with all of life, we owe Him our praise forever.
[1] Commentary on the Psalms, s.v.
[2] See the beautiful line about Scripture in the Westminster Confession that was also adopted by the 1689 London Baptist Confession: “And the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, and the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole (which is to give all glory to God), the full discovery it makes of the only way of man’s salvation, and many other incomparable excellencies, and entire perfections thereof, are arguments whereby it does abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God.”
[3] Cf. Col 1:16–17; Heb 1:3
Ancient scripture so relevant to the world today!
Comments are closed.