Psalm 12:1 ¶ «To the chief Musician upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David.» Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. 2 They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. 3 The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: 4 Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us? 5 For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. 6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. 8 The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.
David laments that there seem to be fewer and fewer people trying
to do right in the world. People are deceitful and proud boasters much as it is
today. Perhaps, if this was written in Saul’s reign there is a general bad
temperament of the people as is often the case when there are rotten leaders.
But David is dependent and trusting in God’s word and here and
elsewhere confirms that God’s word will never fail. There is some controversy
over Psalm 12:6-7. The argument is over whether this refers to God’s
preservation of the poor in verse 5 or an assurance of the preservation of
God’s word from verse 6.
Different commentators in history have had different opinions. You
will read some modern commentators who will say that the idea of verse 7
referring to God’s words is a new fundamentalist interpretation and that it is
the poor of verse 5 who are promised preservation.
However, the context suggests that it is God’s words that are
being preserved and this is affirmed elsewhere by David matching this sentiment
in verses 6 and 7. Throughout history commentators have acknowledged that it is
God’s words that are promised preservation.
People like John Wesley in the middle of the 1700s, John Calvin in
the middle 1500s, and Jewish rabbi Ibn Ezra in the middle of the 1100s and many
others all believed that Psalm 12:6-7 was referring to the preservation of
God’s words.
And David believed in the preservation of God’s words.
Psalm 119:89 LAMED. For
ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
There are other verses in the Bible that suggest preservation of
God’s words in heaven and earth.
Psalm 119:152 ¶ Concerning
thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever… 160
¶ Thy word is true from the beginning:
and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
Psalm 89:2 For I have said,
Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the
very heavens.
Matthew 24:35 Heaven and
earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
1Peter 1:25 But the word of
the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is
preached unto you.
And we know from experience in our reality that the poor are not
always preserved and often are the victims of their own sin and wastefulness
and of the oppression of others. Even well-meaning poor Christians are murdered
daily in many parts of the world; raped, tortured, burned alive for example and
more today than in the heyday of Rome’s emperors’ persecution.
Seven is a number in the Bible that seems to signify completion.
Think of the seven days of creation and other references to seven. You can make
early English Bible versions fit the number seven but that sort of thing is far
too easy to fake, including and excluding to suit your point. Some extreme
KJV-only adherents say the KJV is the seventh in a line. Be careful doing
things like that.
Prophetically, this speaks to the future time of the tribulation
of believers. The end of history will be a curious time. Notice the parable of
the unrighteous judge.
Luke 18:1 ¶ And he spake a
parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
2 Saying, There was in a city a judge,
which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3
And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying,
Avenge me of mine adversary. 4 And he
would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not
God, nor regard man; 5 Yet because this
widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary
me. 6 And the Lord said, Hear what the
unjust judge saith. 7 And shall not God
avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long
with them? 8 I tell you
that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh,
shall he find faith on the earth?
Notice also how the religious history of mankind plays out, wicked
from the beginning.
Romans 1:16 ¶ For I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to
every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God
revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from
heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth
in unrighteousness;
19 ¶ Because that which may be known of God is
manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the
creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are
made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified
him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations,
and their foolish heart was darkened. 22
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible
God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and
fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to
uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own
bodies between themselves: 25 Who
changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature
more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile
affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is
against nature: 27 And likewise also the
men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward
another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in
themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God
in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things
which are not convenient; 29 Being
filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness,
maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God,
despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding,
covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they
which commit such things are worthy of death,
not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
2: 1 ¶ Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man,
whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou
condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. 2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is
according to truth against them which commit such things. 3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest
them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the
judgment of God?
For us personally we might have this same lament. Let us not,
however, talk about a fictional time in American history when people were good
and righteous.
Ecclesiastes 7:10 Say not
thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou
dost not enquire wisely concerning this.
There have always been liars, adulterers, murderers, and deceitful
people in this country. There have always been homosexuals, people who pretended
to be the opposite sex, and many others with lifestyles and impulses we would
find offensive as Christians. Let us not look back but forward. How do we live
in a world that, like David’s time or Christ’s time, that generally rejected
God’s call on them?
What we do not have today is homosexual and heterosexual temple
prostitutes in temples to pagan devils as was abundant in David’s day and
Christ’s day. So, maybe things are not as bad or maybe they are worse in other
ways.
But, in our country today vile men are exalted and raised to
positions of power and authority which command our respect and even obedience.
How can the nation survive such folly? Still, we have been warned that this is
the natural state of affairs.
Daniel 4:17 This matter is
by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to
the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of
men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of
men.
Luke 4:5 And the devil,
taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the
world in a moment of time. 6 And the
devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them:
for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
7 If thou therefore wilt
worship me, all shall be thine.
A
famous quote made about leadership in history was; “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men
are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority:
still more when you superadd the tendency or the certainty of corruption by
authority. There is no worse heresy than that the office sanctifies the holder
of it.”[1]
As long as we elevate bad people
to positions of authority, we will have bad people emboldened in our society,
to its downfall.
[1] John
Dalberg-Acton, “Letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton, April 5, 1887” published in Historical Essays and Studies,
edited by J. N. Figgis and R. V. Laurence (London: Macmillan, 1907).
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