6-21-2020 Faithful Father Psalm 12
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Today is “Father’s Day”.
Statistics said a decade ago that if both father and mother go to church, 72% of the children will also go to church after they grow up. If only the father goes to church, the percentage drops to 55%. However, if only the mother goes to church, only 15% of those children will go to church when they are grown. I would think that the percentages today have dropped, but are still likely proportionate.
The Bible gives us some information concerning faithful fathers. The Apostle Paul says that we as men must prove ourselves faithful. He tells Timothy that faithful men must endure hardness. It takes strong intentional fortitude to be a faithful man for the Lord today. If there were more faithful men willing to serve God in any and all areas there could be much more done for the cause of Christ.
As we continue our expository journey through the book of Psalms, it would behoove us to take a look at Psalm 12 which is relevant especially on a day like Father’s Day.
Psalm 12 indicates an individual lament in just the first couple verses, the cause clearly being the lack of the faithful and righteous, and also the occupation of society by liars and deceivers.
Psalm 12 fills out the picture of the scenario outlined in Psalm 11: “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” [(Ps 11:3)]
When the foundations are destroyed what can the righteous do?
Those social/ethical foundations, badly crumbling in Psalm 11, have been obliterated in the religious world of Psalm 12
Save, O Yahweh, for the pious have ceased to be; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of humankind.
Transition:
The psalm this morning divides into two halves, the first half describing the lies and falsehood of the wicked (12:1–4), and the second, divine intervention (12:5–8), based on and motivated by God’s “flawless” word, “like silver purified in a crucible” (12:6). The two halves correspond to each other, with the first part opening with a description of the morally depleted time and the second part closing with a summary of the times:
Scripture Reading:
Psalm 12
For the music director; on the Sheminith. A psalm of David.
1 Save, O Yahweh, for the pious have ceased to be; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of humankind.
2 They speak falseness to each other. With flattering lips, with a double heart they speak.
3 May Yahweh cut off all flattering lips, the tongue speaking great boasts—
4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail. Our lips are on our side. Who is master over us?”
5 “Because of the oppression of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the poor, now I will rise up,” Yahweh says. “I shall put them in the safety for which they long.”
6 The words of Yahweh are pure words like silver refined in the crucible on the ground, refined seven times.
7 You, O Yahweh, will protect them. You will preserve him from this generation always.
8 The wicked prowl about when vileness is exalted among the children of humankind.
Psalm 12 could have a specific historical era as its background, but the oppression of the poor (12:5) and the faithless conditions expressed by the psalm are rather general points of critique in the Prophets, as well as the Psalms. That means many eras, depleted of the godly and repopulated with liars and deceivers, could qualify as the backdrop. Absalom’s rebellion, however, the likely background of Psalms 3–5, could also qualify, based on this rebel son’s use of deceptive words to steal the hearts of the people of Israel for his insurgent aspirations (2 Sam. 15:1–6). Nevertheless, we cannot be as confident about the historical setting as we can about the fate of truth (12:2) and the bloated self-assurance of truth’s clients, however unjustified. Judging from Psalm 14 and other texts from the Prophets and the historical books, we may say that in Israel’s long history there were other times that qualified for this dubious distinction. At the same time, there are no good reasons why the psalm could not be Davidic.
Transition:
Much like the other Psalms we’ve already looked at, this one is addressed to the Music director to sing of his Problems, God’s Purity, and His Protection, so let’s start singing of:
I. The Problems (12:1–4)
I. The Problems (12:1–4)
David cries out to God with his concern. The godly seem to be disappearing (v.1) & then everyone is lying to each other (vv.2–4).
Save, O Yahweh, for the pious have ceased to be; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of humankind.
“Save/Help LORD”
That’s a good prayer right there! The strength of a prayer rather than its length is what matters (Matthew 6:7, 8). When Peter found himself going underwater, he prayed a prayer of three words: “Lord, save me.” And the Lord responded by reaching out His hand and plopping Peter back in the boat (Matthew 14:30, 31).
Save, O Yahweh, for the pious have ceased to be; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of humankind.
“the pious/faithful … the faithful/ those who are loyal”
The “faithful” (hasid) are those who keep God’s covenant and fulfill their religious duty. The term for “those who are loyal” parallels “faithful” and comes from the Hebrew verb that gives us the word “Amen,” implying affirmation. This is for the Faithful Fathers of today!
This psalm/song is about Israel, to be sure (in the title “A psalm of David”)—all the Psalms are—but its extension is beyond Israel to the world communities
Save, O Yahweh, for the pious have ceased to be; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of humankind.
“children/sons of man/adam, humankind”
where words so often get turned inside out and their meanings upside down. This hymn song is about how human beings use words to get their own way (not God’s). This is a song about David’s time and our time today as “the generation of the lie.”
They speak falseness to each other. With flattering lips, with a double heart they speak.
“speak falseness to each other”
Illustration:
The propensity to lie
The propensity to lie
Statistics: Based on a 2002 study, University of Massachusetts psychologist Robert S. Feldman concludes, “People tell a considerable number of lies in everyday conversation. It was a very surprising result. We didn’t expect lying to be such a common part of daily life.”14 The study was based on ten-minute conversations and found that 60 percent of people lied at least once during the conversation with an average of two to three lies per conversation. That’s in just ten minutes! Surveys find that 31 percent of people admit to lying on their resumes, and 30 percent of people admit to lying about their diet and exercise regimens.
Sadly, lying has become a part of our culture and, depending on the circumstances, has become an acceptable sin in the church. We must recognize the contrast between the impurity of our words and the purity of God’s word (12:6).
Before you are quick to dismiss yourself from this category, consider this: as a general rule, many of your probably consider yourselves to be honest. But first consider how you might respond to the following scenarios:
The struggle for truth
The struggle for truth
Your best friend is making a poor choice, and you know that she is very defensive about her decision and not open to any criticism. She asks you what you think, and you know the truth will heart her & put your friendship on the line. Would you still tell her the truth? — “Does this make me look fat?”
You are invited to a church party, but just need a night at home to rest and relax. Will you make up an excuse or tell the truth?
Your mother gives you a shirt for your birthday that you really don’t like. She asks you what you think about the gift. How would you respond?
It’s World War II, and you are living in Poland. You are hiding Jews in your basement, and the Nazis come to your door and ask, “Are there Jews in your home?” How would you respond? (This is based on an actual event that led to the arrest of everyone in the home.)
What did King David say about all this?
May Yahweh cut off all flattering lips, the tongue speaking great boasts—
May the LORD silence. The Midrash on the Psalms understands this in the legal sense of being “cut off” from the community (lit., “may the LORD cut off all the lips of division”).
those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail. Our lips are on our side. Who is master over us?”
“With our tongue we will prevail”
There are those who choose to get out of whatever difficult situation they’re in through clever speech, flattery, deceit, and lies. Even in American churches today, there are those who say we can overcome anything through the power of positive words we speak. And while there is some truth to positive thinking having good effects, this ideology goes way too far. They say, “We’ll make a positive confession. After all it was because God said, ‘Let there be light,’ that there was light. He named it & claimed it!” What the proponents of “positive confession” fail to realize, however, is that there was light not because God said, “Let there be light.” There was light because GOD said, “Let there be light.”
those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail. Our lips are on our side. Who is master over us?”
“Who is master/lord/adonai over us?”
Sometimes we treat God like a genie in our insistent, selfish prayer requests, or like the fairy godmother who should rescue us by providing luxurious items to bring us comfort in our pitiful circumstances. Sometimes we ask for the dumbest stuff—me included, I’m guilty as well. But, the Lord loves us enough to say, “I’m not going to honor that request because you don’t understand what you’re asking for.” I’m so glad we serve a God who can’t be ordered around. I’m so glad our Father loves us too much to grant our petitions if He sees they will be harmful to us in the long run.
Transition:
This is some of the problems we can offer as a hymn, but we ought to add the recognition of God’s attributes:
II. The Purity (12:5-6):
II. The Purity (12:5-6):
David recognizes that the Lord’s promises are pure and trustworthy.
“Because of the oppression of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the poor, now I will rise up,” Yahweh says. “I shall put them in the safety for which they long.”
“the afflicted/plundered/poor… groaning”.
The word for “plundered” refers to the exploitation of the oppressed, which elicits the groaning of the needy. The word for “groan” references moaning and weeping, like that of Malachi 2:13, where the suppliants cover the altar with weeping and tears (NIV: “wail”) because the Lord no longer accepts their sacrifice. This sounds much like the oppressed servant who cries against the oppressor to the Lord (Deut. 24:15; Prov. 21:13). The Septuagint translation (stenagmos) is used by Paul in Romans 8:26 to refer to those “groans” or “sighs” in prayer that are too deep for words. When God hears the groans of the oppressed, he is moved to compassion and action, and Paul’s words suggest the same response as the Spirit intercedes for us with “wordless groans.”
“Because of the oppression of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the poor, now I will rise up,” Yahweh says. “I shall put them in the safety for which they long.”
“I shall put them in the safety for which they long.”
Who are these oppressed and afflicted? who are these “them?” It is the faithful! And you know a faithful, faith-filled person when you see him.
I know of a father who is a great display of faith!
Some of you already heard and know this about me, but it’s worth repeating because it is true and a great example of faith. Seven years ago, I received an injury that was the straw that broke the camel’s back—near literally— it was my back. It got so bad that I could not walk more than a few feet at a time without needing to sit down. I was very literally stuck bent over. Naturally, I go to my doctor for help and physical therapy was ordered alongside an MRI. As I was going to this physical therapist, he saw the results of my MRI and sat me down and said something close to, “I am so sorry, there is nothing I can really do for you. You will be disabled for the rest of your life with this injury.” He went on to say that surgery might not even help and then, “It is possible we can decrease the pain you’re having just a little bit but don’t expect much.” I was destroyed, defeated. I left his office crying! Disabled at the age of 29! Well, then several of my church family encouraged me to get a second opinion, so I did. I walk into another private PT clinic and meet with a Doctor who looks at me and says, “Hey don’t sweat it we’ll get you fixed up in a couple weeks, you’ll be back to as good as new in no time.” This optimistic guy is Dr. Chris Moore, who I think actually has joined us this morning via our YouTube live stream—Dr. Moore, you can chime in through the live chat if you want. Now it might have taken a couple more weeks then what he first told me, but his optimism and his enthusiasm was a contagious natural outpouring of his own faith. Faith in what? Well first he is a Christian, so his faith in God and God’s ability to heal me. Plus, of course, his abilities he has attained as a doctor in physical therapy over the years. He is a humble guy so he’s likely to deflect this attention of a shameless plug for Back In Motion, but no really, it was his faith and faithfulness that meant everything to me and I so desperately needed in that low moment—he is a true friend. Thank you Dr. Moore! Happy Father’s Day!
Now moving along, the Lord’s words are placed in contrast to those of the wicked:
The words of Yahweh are pure words like silver refined in the crucible on the ground, refined seven times.
This is a testimony to the purity of God’s words. They are expressions of his character, as sterling as refined silver, and verses 7 and 8 attest that his character and actions are of a single piece. While some construe this statement as an Old Testament expression of a doctrine of Scripture, it is hardly equivalent to 2 Timothy 3:16. Even when speaking of the divine word(s), the Old Testament is basically concerned with the character of God behind the word, as Isaiah 55:11 indicates. God’s word is his envoy sent out to do his bidding, and because God is sovereign, this mission will not fail (Isa. 40:8; 45:23).
The words of the Lord are compared to flawless silver. Silver was used as currency and in jewelry. Before the advent of coins, payments of silver were made by cutting off appropriate-sized pieces from coils such as the one shown here.
Silver was known in very early biblical times (e.g., Gen. 23:15), both as currency and as jewelry. Psalm 12:6 describes the Lord’s words as “flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.” The metallurgical process included smelting the ore, then refining it by heating it in a crucible with a baser metal, like lead. The impure properties of the silver combined with the lead, resulting in a purer metal.3 Repeating this process “seven times”4 would greatly purify the silver, a most appropriate metaphor for the “flawless” word of God, and the number seven itself being a symbol of perfection. The metaphor, however, should not be taken to imply that the Lord’s words were impure and had to be refined; it is the product, not the process, that constitutes the analogy.
Transition:
With the Problems & Purity, it is only natural to sing of the protection:
III. The Protection (12:7–8)
III. The Protection (12:7–8)
David trusts that the Lord is aware of the situation and will defend the godly.
You, O Yahweh, will protect them. You will preserve him from this generation always.
“You, O LORD, will protect THEM” What or Who is them? is the “THEM” the words of Yahweh from verse 6, OR is it from verse 5 referring to the oppression of The afflicted?
Verses 6 and 7 here have been abused to argue that the King James Version (KJV), which was first produced in 1611, is the only accurate English translation of the Bible. This is indeed dangerous because it usually leads to heresy by adding to the gospel that you must be saved from the King James Version and no other version contains the gospel—This is adding to the gospel, and it is true heresy. Some of these heretics likely arose because of a misunderstanding of the KJV’s wording of these verses:
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.
David is referring to the authority of God’s words, not to a Bible translation in a language (Eng) that did not even exist in his day. The KJV remains popular today and for good reason, but many people have a hard time understanding the old Elizabethan, archaic English. Language constantly changes. Supersize and blog, for instance, did not become words until the twenty-first century! Today there are dozens of English translations, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Because there is no perfect translation, scholars continue their efforts to make the Bible accurate and understandable to modern readers.
So back to the “Them” The Hebrew has “them” as the direct object of the verbs, referring to the poor and needy of verse 5.
The wicked prowl about when vileness is exalted among the children of humankind.
“vileness/what is vile”
This is a “hapax legomenon” (a word that occurs only once) seems to mean “triviality” or “worthlessness” and one commentator captures what may be the true sense of the sentence in these words: “They turn things upside down, treating the insubstantial as if it counted, the worthless as if it were valuable, and the despicable as if it were honorable.… And as they do so they are able to walk about, head held high, because their inversion of standards is accepted within the community as a whole. Today’s liberalism seem to fit this bill perfectly!
We might observe that this development described by the psalmist often happens subtly and, at first, almost undetected, and its effect is the eventual reversal of social norms,
The wicked prowl about when vileness is exalted among the children of humankind.
“exalted among the children of humankind”
Even though the wicked walk on every side and the vilest men are exalted, the fact is that the Word of the Lord will stand.
Illustration:
Highly esteemed atheist philosopher, Voltaire, said: “In twenty years, Christianity will be no more. My single hand shall destroy the edifice it took twelve apostles to rear.”
Twenty years later, the house in which he penned those words was purchased by the Geneva Bible Society and was used to publish and distribute the Word of God. Voltaire was exalted for a season, but he faded away. Not so the Word of the Lord. It remains this day and will remain throughout eternity.
So What?
So What?
Just like David, we live in troubled times. But just like David, we should pray about it, believe what God has said, and live like a man or woman after God’s own heart. One day, the Lord will return and deliver us from this wicked world, and punish those that rebel against him, but until that day, we should live as godly and blamelessly as we possibly can, trusting Him to keep His Word.
God is not so much looking for men and women of faith as He is looking for faithful men, FAITHFUL Fathers, and yes, women too. If you’re faithful in the little things—in morning prayer, in daily Bible study, in your desire to know the Lord better each day—you will gain spiritual strength over the long haul that will give you stability over the years and decades.
A point that grows out of this psalm is the question, “What happens to a society when truth is merely an anomaly, and no longer the standard by which institutions and individuals operate?”
In those days there was no king in Israel, and each one did what was right in his own eyes.
This is repeated a few times:
In those days there was no king in Israel; each one did what was right in his own eyes.
Psalm 12 is the picture of a society whose foundations have crumbled (11:3), where “everyone lies to their neighbor” and they “harbor deception in their hearts” (12:2). But the picture of God, who hears the groans of the poor and swings into action (12:5, 7–8), is as sharp and greatly reassuring. To that picture believers must cling.
In Conclusion:
Key Themes of Psalm 12
▪ God’s word and God’s actions are of a single piece.
▪ God’s pure word stands in contrast to human lies and falsehood.
▪ Human speech has the power to deceive.