Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Ps 12:1-2 and following. Indeed, this psalm reflects the suffering of a soul overwhelmed by the feeling of injustice that surrounds it. David who composed it had had many opportunities to experience it personally. Saul’s duplicity and jealous hatred (1 Sam 18:17-19), the cowardly intentions of the inhabitants of Kehila (1 Sam 23:7-13), the double betrayal of the Ziphians (1 Sam 23:19-20 and 1 Sam 26:1-2) and the even more treacherous betrayal of Doëg the Edomite (1 Sam 22:9-10), nabal’s contemptuous ingratitude (1 S 25:4-11), all this could not leave David indifferent. Certainly each time he was also able to experience the precious divine answer: “I will put in safety he against whom one blows” (verse 6; Ps 10.4-6). But his own measure of truth was not perfect (1 Sam 20:5-7; 1 Sam 21:1-4). While the holiness of the Lord Jesus made him fully sensitive to the falsehood and cunning of his adversaries (Luke 20:20-26 gives us an example). The more a Christian stands in the light, the more he will suffer from the corrupt atmosphere of this world. How much then his painful experience of the lying, hypocritical and proud language of men (verses 3, 4) will make him taste by contrast the purity and practical value of the words of his God (verse 7). “Your word is the truth” (John 17:14-19; Ps 119:140).
To the leader of the cantors. The conjecture of some, that this was the beginning of a song, does not seem as likely that it refers to the melody, and was intended to indicate how the psalm was to be sung. In the beginning, David complained that the land was so covered with wicked men and people who had committed all kinds of wickedness, that the practice of justice and justice had ceased, and no one was found to defend the cause of good; in short, that there was no humanity or fidelity left. It is likely that the psalmist is talking here about the time when Saul persecuted him, for then everything, from the highest to the lowest, had conspired to destroy an innocent and a grieving man. It is a very painful thing to tell, and yet it was perfectly true, that justice was overthrown among God’s chosen people, that all, with one consent, of their hostility to a good and just cause, had broken off acts of indignation and cruelty.
David does not accuse strangers here, but informs us that this flood of iniquity has prevailed in God’s Church. Let the faithful, therefore, not be unduly discouraged by the melancholic sight of a very corrupt and confused state of the world; but let them consider that they must bear it patiently, for their condition is exactly like David’s in the past. And it is to be noted that when David invokes God to rescue him, he encourages himself in the hope of obtaining him from this, that there was no righteousness among men; that from his example we may learn to surrender to God when we see only despair around us. We must be fully convinced of this, that the greater the confusion of things in the world, God is all the more ready to help and rescue his people, and that it is then the most propitious season for him to interpose his help.
The merciful man has failed. Some believe that this is a complaint that the righteous were unjustly put to death; as if the psalmist had said so, Saul cruelly cut off all those who observed justice and fidelity. But here one would understand that there is no more beneficence or truth among men: He has expressed what true justice consists of. As there are two kinds of injustice, violence and deception; thus men live in righteousness when, in their relations with each other, they have refrained from harming or hurting themselves, and cultivate peace and mutual friendship; when they are neither lions nor foxes. However, when we see the world in a state of disorder as described here, and are afflicted by it, we must be careful not to howl with wolves, nor to suffer from being swept away by the dissipation and flood of iniquity that we see prevailing around us, but should rather emulate David’s example.
We tell each other falsehoods. David in this verse exposes that part of iniquity that is contrary to the truth. He says that there is neither sincerity nor righteousness in their speech, because the great object they are looking at is to deceive. He then describes how they deceive, namely that each man tries to trap his neighbor out of flattery. It also points out the source and the first cause of this, They speak with a double heart. This duplicity of heart, as it canbe called, makes men double and variable in their discourse, in order to disguise themselves in different ways, or to make themselves appear to others different from what they really are. As those who are determined to act honestly in their dealings with their neighbors, they freely and naively open their hearts; such treacherous and deceptive people keep part of their feeling hidden in their own breasts, and cover it with the veneer of hypocrisy and a beautiful exterior; so that from their speech we cannot gather anything certain as to their intentions. Our discourse must therefore be sincere so that it is like a mirror in which the righteousness of our heart can be seen.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
The Lord’s pure words:
· Divine Promises to the Poor
-Divine protection Ps 12:6 Because the unfortunate are oppressed and the poor groan, Now, says the Lord, I rise, I bring salvation to those against whom one blows.
-Protective Providence Esa 25:4 You have been a refuge for the weak, a refuge for the unfortunate in distress, A shelter from the storm, A shade from the heat; For the breath of tyrants is like the hurricane that hits a wall.
Answer to the prayer Isa 41:17 The unfortunate and the destitute seek water, and there is none; Their tongue is dried out by thirst. I, the Lord, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.
-Heavenly Inheritance Jas 2:5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has Not God chosen the poor in the eyes of the world, that they may be rich in faith, and heirs to the kingdom that He has promised to those who love Him?
· Corruption, bad weather
Gen 6:12 God looked at the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way on earth. Ps 12:2 Save, Eternal! for pious men go away, The faithful disappear among the sons of man. Isaiah 59:14 And deliverance has withdrawn, and salvation stands apart; For truth stumbles in the public square, and righteousness cannot approach. 2 Tim 4:3 For there will come a time when men will not endure sound doctrine; but, having the itch to hear pleasant things, they will give themselves a crowd of doctors according to their own desires,
· Words of men, evil
-Vain Jb 16:3 When will these speeches in the air end? Why this irritation in your answers?
-Hurtful Pr 15:1 A gentle response calms fury, but a harsh word excites anger.
-Thoughtless Pr 29:20 If you see a thoughtless man in his words, there is more to be expected from a fool than from him.
“Disrespectful” Ml 3:13 Your words are harsh against me,” said the Lord. And you say: What have we said against you?
-Seductive Col 2:4 I say this so that no one deceives you with seductive speeches.
-Flattering 1 Thess 2:5 Never, indeed, have we used flattering words, as you know; never have we had greed as our motive, God is a witness.
-Deceptive 2 Pet 2:3 Out of greed, they will deceive you by means of deceptive words, which have long been threatened by condemnation, and whose ruin does not lie dormant.
-Grandiloquent 2 Pet 2:18 With speeches swollen with vanity, they begin with the lusts of the flesh, with dissolutions, those who have just escaped from men who live in bewilderment;
-Bad 3 Jn 10 That is why, if I go to see you, I will recall the acts he commits, making wicked remarks against us; not content with this, he does not receive the brethren, and those who would like to do so, he prevents them from doing so and drives them out of the Church.
· Seven times, to indicate accomplishment
-The blood sprinkled Lev 4.6 he will dip his finger in the blood, and he will sprinkle seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil of the sanctuary.
-The leper sprayed Lev 14.7 He will spray it seven times on the one who must be purified of leprosy. Then he will declare it pure, and he will release the living bird into the fields. Nb 19:4 The priest Eleazar will take blood from the cow with his finger, and he will sprinkle it seven times on the front of the assignment tent.
-The priests around Jericho Jos 6:4 Seven priests will carry seven resounding trumpets before the ark; on the seventh day you will go around the city seven times; and the priests will sound trumpets.
-Elisha’s servant waits for the rain 1 Kings 18:43 and said to his servant: Go up, look to the side of the sea. The servant went up, he looked, and said: There is nothing. Elijah said seven times: Go back.
-Naaman washes himself in the Jordan 2 Kings 5:10 Elisha had him say by a messenger: Go, and wash seven times in the Jordan; your flesh will become healthy, and you will be pure.
-Praise seven times a day Ps 119:164 Sep t times the day I celebrate you, Because of the laws of your righteousness.
-The righteous rise after his fall Pr 24:16 For seven times the righteous falls, and he rises, But the wicked are thrown into misfortune. Dn 3:19 On which Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and he changed his face as he turned his gaze against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed Nego. He spoke again and ordered the furnace to be heated seven times more than it was appropriate to heat it. Mt 18:21 Then Peter came to him and said, Lord, how many times will I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Will it be up to seven times?
From all of the above, we note that thisis both a new meditation and a prayer of a righteous placed in the midst of an overflow of evil. This evil is obviously the one that must mature and reach its peak in the last days, as the previous psalm announces. The mockery of the unbelievers (as described in advance as characterizing the last days – 2 Peter 3) is the most salient feature. The afflicted, however, hears in spirit Jehovah’s answer to his prayer, then celebrates the faithfulness of his words, recognizing that they were all refined and tried words, and finally affirms his certainty that God’s faithfulness will prevail even in the darkest time. “This generation” referred to in v.7 is described in v.8, and therefore the word has a moral meaning. In fact, this is the meaning that must be given to it according to the scope of the expression “forever”. The people or generation with whom the Lord Jesus and the remnant dispute in their respective days, is one and the same generation, from the moral point of view. This allows us to interpret Matthew 24:34 in a moral sense: Perhaps there is an implicit reference to this psalm in this last passage. “Save, Eternal! for pious man is no more”; the Lord will remove flattering lips and proud tongue, for such is the wicked. The villain knows neither resistance nor brake on his will; he said, “Who is lord over us?” But, because he oppresses the debonair, because of this very fact, the Lord rises. The word of God in which the faithful had placed their trust, and which promised them help, as a necessary witness to the character of Jehovah to which they looked, this word of God is pure, tested seven times; it will infallibly bear its promised fruit; there is nothing misleading about it. Jehovah will preserve his poor from the generation of the wicked; but the wicked have free careers when vile people are raised among the sons of men. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow ” Prayer of Oppressed Israel.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Lord of Hosts.