September 7, 2016 (Wednesday)
Today’s blog is a study of Psalm 12. At Bethel Baptist Church, Ingleside, we are studying the Psalms, in order, on Wednesday evenings. Today I’m trying a little different presentation, printing each verse in three versions of the Bible. Perhaps this approach will enable the reader to interpret more easily each verse.
David was concerned that many were lying about him. This may have happened when he was still in Saul’s house, but could have taken place during his years as a fugitive from Saul’s attempts upon his life. David prayed and told God what people were saying. David heard the answer from the LORD and wrote it down in Psalm 12.
OUTLINE of the Psalm: 1. David’s Plea for Help (1-4) 2. God’s Promise of Help (5-8)
Three translations, verse by verse
NIV = New International Version
MSG = The Message Translation
EE = Easy English
1 Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race
Quick, God, I need your helping hand! The last decent person just went down, All the friends I depended on gone.
LORD, give help! There are no more kind people. Nobody is faithful anywhere.
2 Everyone lies to their neighbor; they flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts.
Everyone talks in lie language; Lies slide off their oily lips. They doubletalk with forked tongues.
Everybody tells lies to his neighbour. Their words sound good, but they are not.
3 May the Lord silence all flattering lips and every boastful tongue–
Slice their lips off their faces! Pull The braggart tongues from their mouths!
LORD, cut off every tongue that tells lies. Shut every mouth that boasts.
4 those who say, “By our tongues we will prevail; our own lips will defend us–who is lord over us?”
I’m tired of hearing, “We can talk anyone into anything! Our lips manage the world.”
Do this to everyone that says: what we say will make us powerful. We will say what we like. Who will stop us?
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.”
Into the hovels of the poor, Into the dark streets where the homeless groan, God speaks: “I’ve had enough; I’m on my way To heal the ache in the heart of the wretched.”
The LORD says, “Now I will do something. This is because bad people attack the poor. They make the poor cry. So, I will make the poor safe. They will be safe from all that scorn them”
6 And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.
God’s words are pure words, Pure silver words refined seven times In the fires of his word-kiln, Pure on earth as well as in heaven.
The words of the LORD are beautiful words. They are like silver. People refine silver 7 times in a very hot fire.
7 You, Lord, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked,
God, keep us safe from their lies, From the wicked who stalk us with lies,
LORD, you will keep the poor safe. You will never let bad people hurt them.
8 who freely strut about when what is vile is honored by the human race.
From the wicked who collect honors For their wonderful lies.
The godless are winners when people say that “Wrong is right”.
1 Lord! Help! Godly men are fast disappearing. Where in all the world can dependable men be found? 2 Everyone deceives and flatters and lies. There is no sincerity left.
3-4 But the Lord will not deal gently with people who act like that; he will destroy those proud liars who say, “We will lie to our heart’s content. Our lips are our own; who can stop us?”
5 The Lord replies, “I will arise and defend the oppressed, the poor, the needy. I will rescue them as they have longed for me to do.” 6 The Lord’s promise is sure. He speaks no careless word; all he says is purest truth, like silver seven times refined. 7 O Lord, we know that you will forever preserve your own from the reach of evil men, 8 although they prowl on every side and vileness is praised throughout the land.
David is not unique among those who serve God amidst a wicked generation. Others have had the same complaint, like Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, and don’t forget Elijah who felt so alone he prayed for death. We should learn as much as possible about David’s historical situation, but the conditions he described fit our generation as well. Immorality and unbelief, violence and dishonesty, lying and cheating, and such things are present in abundance. We sometimes feel overwhelmed by godless behavior. We therefore ask God for help, assured by our Lord that his desire is that all people everywhere would repent and be saved.
What are we to do? Perhaps this old hymn offers food for thought:
Trying to walk in the steps of the Savior,
Upward, still upward, we follow our Guide;
When we shall see Him, “the King in His beauty,”
Happy, how happy, our place at His side.