Welcome and Worrisome Words
Notes
Transcript
Words have a way of staying with us. Whether it’s words that we’ve said or words that we’ve heard. Words are a daily part of our lives. It’s through words that we often give and receive information. It’s through words that we find a way to express ourselves. It’s often through words that we articulate our deepest affections for those that we love or anger toward those that hurt or disappoint us.
The writer of Proverbs reminds us that:
The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.
Open your Bibles to Psalm 12. This is on page 424 in the pew Bibles.
This is another psalm of David that seems to have been intended for corporate worship as it is addressed to the choirmaster. The title notes that this is “according to the sheminith.” A few weeks ago, Allen Bandela led us through Psalm 6 - the only other psalm that is according to the sheminith. Both of these psalms seem to be laments. Based on verse 1, I almost wonder if David is reflecting on the death of a trusted advisor. As David expresses his concern to God, one of the things that seems to weigh heavily on him is words.
David begins by expressing…
Words of woe (1)
Words of woe (1)
Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
I think today is an appropriate day for us to consider this psalm, especially in light of Jim’s passing. Here was a godly man, who loved God well, loved his wife well, loved his family. He seasoned so much of his speech with godly, biblical counsel. The godly one is gone. For those closest to Jim it may feel like the faithful have vanished.
Whatever incident inspired this psalm, David certainly seems to be in a low place. He feels alone and maybe even abandoned by the death or absence of this “godly one.”
David is in good company feeling this way. The prophet Elijah got so low that he felt like he was all alone. In a moment when he was running for his life from the wicked queen Jezebel, Elijah cried out to the Lord
He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”
He felt alone.
And yet feelings can be fickle. They communicate some truth, but not the whole truth.
God responded to Elijah
Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
Elijah may have felt alone as he contended with the prophets of Baal and the King and Queen of Israel, but there were 7000 other faithful believers.
I wonder, how often do we feel like this? Do you even feel like you are alone as a follower of God in the midst of a secular society? Students, as you head back to school in a few weeks, you may feel like none of your classmates share your faith and as a result feel alone. The number of the faithful may be small, but you are not alone.
Even when we do feel alone, we can follow David’s example and cry out to God - “Help, O Yahweh.” We can do this because we know that He hears us.
David cries out to Yahweh because he seems to be surrounded by…
Words of the wicked (2-4)
Words of the wicked (2-4)
David continues:
Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts,
those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master over us?”
As David cries out to God, he references several different kinds of words that mark the speech of the wicked. In many ways, all of these words of the wicked are similar. David begins by noting..
Lying words
Lying words
From his perspective, it seems like “everyone utters lies.”
Again, we don’t know what circumstance prompted David to respond in this way. Maybe it was a false report from a trusted advisor or a close friend. Whatever the case, the lying is a source of pain and frustration and it feels universal.
James Montgomery Boice commented,
Psalms, Volume 1: (Psalms 1–41): An Expositional Commentary They Lie
To us a lie means falsehood, a distortion of truth. The Hebrew word, while it includes this idea, actually means “emptiness,” thus including also the additional ideas of insincerity and irresponsibility. Our best expressions for this are “empty (or vain) talk” and “vanity.”
Why do people lie?
Some lie to blatantly deceive others. They simply want to trick someone else.
Others lie to make themselves look better. Have you ever noticed a sort of pecking order in conversations? One person says something, and then someone else responds with something similar but slightly better. On and on things go. There may be some truth, but some fiction - all in the hopes of being seen in a better light.
Some lie to exaggerate a situation - The fish so much bigger. The meal was so much tastier. The problem was so much worse.
So people may lie for any number of reasons, but I think we need to ask…
What does lying do?
Distorts the truth - Like a blurry photo or a wet smudge on a piece of paper, lying keeps us from understanding the truth of a situation or truth about a person.
Weakens a relationships - when anyone lies and gets caught in it or the lie gets discovered, then everything that person says begins to be called into question. Trust is broken.
Undermines credibility - We see this in politics a lot. A politician may report or state one thing knowing full well that it’s not true in order to tell people what they want to hear. Until trust is rebuilt, the hearer may be left with the mindset that if the person’s mouth is moving then they must be lying and therefore can’t be trusted.
Lest we think that undermining credibility happens only with the so-called “wicked,” we are not immune from lying. Whether it’s covering our own sin or failing to think deeply or seriously about things that we come across on the internet, we are prone to lie to ourselves and to others.
A few years ago, Crossway published the book Scrolling Ourselves to Death. This is an edited collection of essays that reflect on how the Internet and social media are affecting us. In many ways, it’s an update and a response to Neil Postman’s Entertaining Ourselves to Death from the 80s. In a chapter entitled “Telling the truth about Jesus in an age of incoherence,” Thaddeus Williams shares a scenario that threatens us.
Imagine a social media user named Norm. On Thursday. Norm posts "Definitive Proof That the Apollo 11 Moon-Landing Was Filmed on a Hollywood Stage." On Friday, he reposts "University of Minnesota Study Finds That Chocolate Eclairs Contain Encomio Dioxine, a Proven Factor in Major Weight Loss.” On Saturday, he shares a link to a music store that is "Going Out of Business and Must Sell All Inventory by Midnight," including Fender Lonestar Stratocasters for "Just 50 Bucks Apiece!!!" Then comes Easter Sunday. Norm posts a graphic with the text "He Has Risen!" in an italic, somehow-more-unserious-than-Comic-Sans font over an animated GIF of a luminescent white Jesus glimmering outside the garden tomb.
Do you see how posting disinformation—a mistake just a finger-push away—can undermine someone's attempt to share the gospel's truth with credibility?
We can and should cry out to God when lying words are levied against us, but we also should cry out to God in confession when those lying words come from our lips or our fingers.
David not only cries out about lying words of the wicked, but also…
Flattering words
Flattering words
These are words that are designed to puff someone up in order to get something from them. They are insincere.
Solomon discussed the danger of flattering words…
A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin.
The Hebrew word that is translated flattering can also be rendered “smooth.” It’s as though people are trying to grease relational skids in order to get something else.
It seems like this is why David notes that this kind of language reveals that these speakers are…
Double Hearted
Double Hearted
In Hebrew, this is literally “a heart and a heart.” It’s as though every motive has an ulterior. Deception is at the heart of these adversaries.
In addition to lying and flattering words, David cries out to God about…
Boasting words
Boasting words
It’s as though these people are so proud that they feel like their words have power. In many ways, words have that kind of affect on others. Someone who speaks boldly can silence the timid or humble. Their words may or may not be true, but the volume or attitude of the language creates an environment of control.
Where David may have been dealing with verbal speech and yelling dissenters, our society is full of boastful half-truths and braggadocious lies. Finding the fact in the face of so much confidently flung fiction makes discernment difficult.
While there is much perceived power in words, we, like David, must be constantly reminded of the…
Words of Yahweh (5-6)
Words of Yahweh (5-6)
David continues:
“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 words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.
Notice how different Yahweh’s words are here. The One being in the universe who could boast and brag, comes to the aid of the weak and needy. He brings hope.
Yahweh’s words bring hope because they are just
Yahweh’s words bring hope because they are just
Rather than taking advantage of the weak and abused, Yahweh comes to help. Justice, holy justice is part of God’s character.
When God revealed a bit of his character to Moses on Mt. Sinai, He communicated His love and His justice.
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
Throughout the OT, we see God’s justice as He judges wickedness, but also hears the cries of His people and responds.
In the NT, the Apostle Paul noted how Jesus’ power is made perfect in our weakness (1 Cor. 12:9-10).
But I think we see God’s justice most clearly displayed on the cross of Christ.
It is there that Jesus comes to our aid where we are most week. It’s there that God demonstrates His holiness and justice as He judges our sinfulness.
But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
Last week, Brian noted some of the actions of the wicked - stating that he himself had been party to those actions. I think that’s ultimately where we all have to get. We may be tempted to point to others and label them as wicked, and yet, like Paul says here in Romans, we are wicked too. Our sinfulness makes us to fall short of God’s glory. In many ways, we are helpless in this regard. We can’t do enough good to be made right with Him. That’s why God sent Jesus to do something about that. He paid for our sin with His perfect life. He imputed His righteousness to us and imputed our sinfulness on Himself. In these, he demonstrates His justice through Jesus Christ and fairness by not holding our sins against those who would put their faith and trust in Jesus.
Oh, may we rejoice that God saw us in our sin and made away for us to be accepted.
But, I think we also have to realize that God does not simply cover us for eternity - as if that wasn’t enough. He will demonstrate His justice in judgment for those who reject His gracious offer of forgiveness.
I think we also have to recognize that God sees our needs and will come to our aid that the proper time. We don’t need to fight or wrestle or go our own way. We simply need to trust in Him and rest in His perfect timing. We can and should cry out to Him. We can and should seek wisdom and aid from others. We should continue to walk uprightly before Him.
The fact that Yahweh will rise up and take action is a great source of comfort and hope. But David notes that…
Yahweh’s words bring hope because they are pure
Yahweh’s words bring hope because they are pure
Because there are so many words around us - true words, false words, glib words, serious words - there is almost an overload of words. As the old adage says - talk is cheap.
But David notes that God’s words are different. They are pure. Some translations render “pure” as “absolutely reliable” or “flawless.” The Hebrew word there also refers to things being ceremonially clean or ethically clean.
Beyond that, David describes God’s words as being so pure that they are like silver that has been refined in a furnace 7x. God’s words have value, meaning. God’s words can be trusted. They are reliable and flawless.
What words? We experience God’s hope filled words because he speaks in different ways.
God speaks generally in His creation.
God speaks generally in His creation.
As we saw when we studied in Psalm 8, taking time to slow down and observe creation gives us an opportunity to see God’s handiwork in the world around us. Because He spoke the universe into existence, the universe speaks of God’s glory, beauty, creativity, perfection.
God speaks specifically in His Word
God speaks specifically in His Word
In God’s kindness and grace, God has given us His inspired written word as a means of helping us to understand Him, His will, and His plan. As we make time to read His word, we allow Him to communicate about what He has done in the past and what He plans to do in the future. We get to sit at His feet and learn directly from Him.
God speaks personally by His Spirit
God speaks personally by His Spirit
As believers, God’s Spirit dwells within us. Through His Spirit He speaks, often by a still small voice (1 Kings 19:12, Psalm 46:10). He will bring to our minds the things that He has taught us (John 14:26) and will guide us (John 16:13). In September, we are going to begin a study in the book of Acts. As the church expands, we will get to learn how the Spirit of God speaks, guides, teaches and so much more!
Beloved, God is speaking in a variety of ways. I guess the question becomes, are we listening? Have we tuned our senses to the sound of His voice? Or is His voice getting drowned out by the lying, flattering, and boasting words around us?
As David cries out to God, he expresses his own words of woe regarding the words of the wicked and then reminds himself of the welcoming words of God. Finally, David concludes this psalm with…
Words of recognition (7-8)
Words of recognition (7-8)
You, O Lord, will keep them;
you will guard us from this generation forever.
On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among the children of man.
David seems to acknowledge two points of recognition.
The reality of God’s presence and protection
The reality of God’s presence and protection
David notes that God will guard His people. God will not allow anything into our lives that He does not ordain. He will protect us from eternal harm. What’s more, He is our “very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
When God was commissioning Joshua to lead the people of Israel, He reminded him…
No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.
When Jesus commissioned His disciples to bear witness about Him to the world and to make more disciples, He reminded them…
…And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Beloved, recognize the reality of God’s presence and protection. The situation may seem grim around you, but God is with you and will protect you.
Even as David reminds himself about the reality of God’s presence and protection, he resigns himself to…
The present reality
The present reality
The fact is that, for David, the situation hadn’t changed from the beginning of the Psalm to the end. The godly one was still gone. The wicked were still waging a war with words. What’s more, he notes in the final lines that they “prowl” and exalt every kind of vileness.
We see that reality in our day as well. Our society seems to celebrate all sorts of corrupt activities. So much of that corruption finds its way into our lives through the phones that are in our hands.
Recognizing the present reality helps us to honestly face the truth that our work is not done. The transforming work of the gospel happens individually. It begins with you and me.
Let’s pray.
Benediction
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Questions for reflection and discussion
Questions for reflection and discussion
Read: Psalm 12
1. If you could use one word to describe your current week, what would it be and why?
2. What specific issues or statements in Psalm 12 stood out to you, and what do you think the psalmist is expressing about the nature of the words of people versus the words of God?
3. In Psalm 12, the psalmist contrasts the deceitful words of people with the pure words of God. What do you think this reveals about God's character and His relationship with truth?
4. What spiritual practices help you discern truth in a world filled with conflicting messages like those described in Psalm 12?
5. How might meditating on the themes of Psalm 12 help you grow in your personal faith journey?
6. What specific steps can you take to promote honesty in your relationships this week, inspired by the message of Psalm 12?
7. In what ways can the affirmations of God's sovereignty in times of distress found in Psalm 12 encourage you to share truth and hope with others?
Sources:
Sources:
Boice, James Montgomery. Psalms 1–41: An Expositional Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005.
Coughenour, R. A. “Silversmith.” In The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988.
Coughenour, R. A. “Refine.” In The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988.
Crossway Bibles. The ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008.
Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994.
Ross, Allen P. “Psalms.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.
Smith, J. Josh, and Daniel L. Akin. Exalting Jesus in Psalms 1–50. Edited by David Platt, Daniel L. Akin, and Tony Merida. Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2022.
Wessel, W. W. “Blessed.” In New Bible Dictionary, edited by D. R. W. Wood, I. H. Marshall, A. R. Millard, J. I. Packer, and D. J. Wiseman. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996.
Wiersbe, Warren W. Be Worshipful. 1st ed. “Be” Commentary Series. Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries, 2004.
Wilcock, Michael. The Message of Psalms 1-72. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001.
