Stability In An Unstable World

Psalm 12:1-8

To the chief Musician upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David.

This psalm was intended to be played on the eight stringed lyre. 

Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.  They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. ” (Psalm 12:-2)

In II Timothy 3:12-13, Paul warned Timothy, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.”   A thousand years earlier David observed the same thing,  that moral and ethical behavior seemed to be declining.  As David said, those with an attitude of doing what was right or being trustworthy were disappearing.   Without the Lord’s help men who wanted please God would be pulled into the same attitudes.  People would tell whatever lie was necessary to get people to give them what they wanted because there was nearly always a hidden agenda.   

“The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?” (Psalm 12:3-4)

God will judge and destroy all those who use flatteries and boast of what they will do.  All those who think they can solve all the problems with words and that God has no authority over them are in for a rude awakening. 

“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. “ (Psalm 12:5)

God is aware of the suffering of the poor and the cravings of the needy.  He promises to take care of them, coming to their deliverance and protecting them from those who threaten them, puffing in and attempt to frighten them. 

“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.  Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” (Psalm 12:6-7)

God’s words are absolutely pure, like silver that has been through the refining process seven times to eliminate all impurities.  He will keep his promises and preserve his standards forever.  Contrary to what many believe they will never be outdated or superseded.    In a world of planned obsolescence, they are something permanent.    It is a wonderful thing because the world tries to destroy God’s standards.

 

“The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.” (Psalm 12:8)

The people we pick as heroes determines the standards of our culture.  By setting a person as a hero, we tell people around us this is what we want them to be like.  If drug pushers or gang bangers are viewed as heroes, drug pushers and gangbangers will overrun the community.   If crooked cops are the heroes , crooked cops will become the norm.   In modern society, the heroes shown in our movies and television programs are really pretty terrible people.  While the writers insist they are just being realistic, they tend to promote the hero’s bad behavior as acceptable.  The worse the leaders and heroes are, the worse the culture becomes, because the wickedness is portrayed as acceptable and even desirable.

 It is important to understand that cultural attitudes are the result of choices by a culture, not of racial characteristics.  They can be changed, while genetic things cannot.

Fortunately God is still on his throne and will still keep his word.   Man’s wickedness will not overthrow him.