Psalms. Who You Gonna Trust? Psalm For the director; upon the eighth. A psalm of David.

Transcription

1 Psalms Who You Gonna Trust? Psalm 12 S 1 For the director; upon the eighth. A psalm of David. 2 Help, O Yahweh, for the devoted man has ceased, faithful men have disappeared from the sons of men! 3 Falsehood they speak, each with his neighbor, with pernicious lips and a double mind they speak. 4 May Yahweh cut off all pernicious lips, every tongue that speaks distortions, 5 Those who boast, By our tongue we are powerful, our weapon is our lips, Who shall master us? 6 For the sobs of the poor, the groans of the needy, Will I now arise, says Yahweh, I will give my help to him who longs for it. 7 The promises of Yahweh are promises unalloyed silver purged in a crucible, of clay refined seven times. 8 You, O Yahweh, have protected us, you have guarded us from everlasting, O Eternal One. 9 On every side the wicked prowl, digging pits for the sons of men. 1 ometimes it is frustrating being a pastor, not that I personally get frustrated. One of the problems that really concerns those who are committed to an accurate handling of the word, is the number of people that come in to the Church having been burned by some other church. Their needs have been ignored, or they have been taught badly, or in some cases, they have even been lied too. If your can t trust your church, who you gonna trust? Frequently, I have counseled individuals who have been abused in one way or another by family members including parents. As children their trust was violated by the actions of the adults around them. Now they are dealing with the pain of this abuse and its consequences to their approaches to life. If your can t trust your family, who you gonna trust? Often when a couple comes for marriage counseling their problems relate to unfulfilled expectations. They desire that their spouse meets certain standards. It may be that these desires 1 Dahood, Mitchell, The Anchor Bible, Psalms 1, Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1978, pg. 72.

2 are appropriate. Some how one spouse often fails the other. If you can t trust your spouse, who you gonna trust? This morning we return to the psalms. In Psalm 12, we will endeavor to come up with the final answer to the question: Who you gonna trust? Not unexpectedly, we will see the only one who is totally trust worthy is the Lord. First, let s examine the possible context of the Psalm. Next, we will look at the text of this specific piece. Finally, we ll ask how we can apply it to ourselves. The three areas on which we will focus here are: first, the importance of our walk as testimony for the Lord. Second, His concern for the helpless and oppressed. Finally, we will be reminded of the confidence which we can place in God and His promises for us. First then, looking at the context, Delitzsch believes the primary focus of Psalm 12 to be a prayer for the deliverance of the poor and miserable in a time of universal moral corruption, and more particularly of prevailing faithlessness and boasting. 2 Leupold feels the psalm was most likely written during the period when David was facing persecution from Saul, generated at least to some extent by those who may have been trying to poison his mind against David. 3 The psalm may be broken down into two sections. The first represents the feeling of the author of being alone in an evil and hostile world. In the second, we see one thing which will cause God to cast His judgment down on men. Here then we see the contrast between the righteous and the unrighteous. The sense of the separation of the believer, from all around, is nothing new. These words are reminiscent of Elijah s: I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too (1 Kings 19:10). Don t you sometimes feel that you re in a very small minority? Verse 1: David felt as if there were no godly left. Those who stand firm for the Lord seem to be among the missing. Keep in mind, Israel, during the time of Saul that overlapped the appearance of David, was moving from being a persecuted people to a major power. Never-the-less, David was well aware of the spiritual corruption among the leaders and the people. His seemingly excessive negativism is easy to understand. It was a time when the one 2 Delitzsch, F., Commentary on the Old Testament, Psalms, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1975, p Leupold, H. C., Exposition of Psalms, Baker Book House, 1969, p ) 2 (

3 who stood for God felt nothing but rejection and persecution. What is important here is that even in the midst of hyperbole, of depression, the writer appeals to the Lord for help. He hadn t totally lost his perspective. Verse 2: The specific symptom, which the psalmist believed typified the fallenness of those around him, was the prevalence of lying and deceit within society. In fact, the unrighteous boasted of success of their machinations, through the use of the tongue, in misleading others. These sinners were entirely self-centered individuals, believing their success came from their actions, and with Henley were convinced that, It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. 4 They had become their own gods. Just remember when you go to New York to see the arch over Madison Ave. on which are engraved the words, Thou Shalt Lie! More to the point though, these unrighteous people sound like a lot of the cults today, those which teach that we become our own gods, and are accountable to none but ourselves. Verses 3-4: David understood it was really God who was in charge. The Lord will judge those whose lives are grounded in lies. The psalmist uses a graphic illustration of this by calling on God to cut off the lips and cut out the tongue of the liar. But in spite of feeling overwhelmed by the sin of the people, David still never lost sight of the fact God would not be patient forever. He would demand justice and He would bring it. Verse 5: The second symptom which typifies the unrighteous, along with the rejection of all truth, is the abuse of the weak, the oppression of the helpless. It is this type of behavior that riles God and causes Him to once again arise and to bring aid to the sufferer. The Lord said, I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering (Exodus 3:7). God will protect those who are unable to protect themselves. Keep in mind though this will occur in the Lord s way, in the His time. These definitions show that the unrighteous are typified by a total self-centeredness. They live for themselves. They believe that all the world revolves around them. This being the case, all they do to please themselves is acceptable. They believe others are placed in the world to be taken advantage of. People are there to provide for the needs and comfort of the unrighteous. Verse 6: But unlike the words of the unrighteous, God s are like the purest silver. His words are totally with out corruption or dross. The dictionary defines dross as: 4 The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 1980, p ) 3 (

4 1. A waste product or an impurity, especially an oxide, formed on the surface of molten metal. 5 Silver is continually refined, up to seven times in the furnace, until all impurities are removed, until free of dross and pure. God s words are pure, without corruption, therefore, they can be trusted in all things. Verse 7: David knows God protects the oppressed and will bring judgment down on the unrighteous. Those who suffer can have confidence that their suffering will not continue forever. God will bring relief and vindication. God s word can always be trusted. As one definition of faith puts it, God said it, I believe it. It is the knowledge that God s words are trustworthy that allows David to have confidence in the Lord s protection, specifically in this case, from the liar and oppressor. The confidence of the righteous is in God s word, because of the nature of God. Just as people can should be able to trust us because we claim the name of Christ, so we can trust God s words because He is God. Verse 8: We can trust God s words and have confidence in them though the wicked go up and down the land arrogantly believing they decide what is right and they will go unchecked by any consequences. And so homosexuality becomes an alternate life style. The murder of the pre-born becomes the removal of an unwanted burden. Putting yourself ahead of all others is enlightened choice instead of vile of sin. But beware world, for the Lord s judgment is only temporarily postponed, a heart beat away, and will not be put off forever! There are times when it seems to us the wicked have won the victory and been given free reign to carry out their abuses and vile works. But, God has promised this will only be for a little time and then He will come and set things right. Praise the Lord! Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14-15). So what of us? We need to demonstrate David s confidence in the Lord. We need to be testimonies to His standards. And if lying and oppression are the behaviors of the lost then our behaviors should reflect something entirely different. One of the qualities that has been lost in this society is honesty. There was a day, when the Judeo-Christian ethic was the norm, when agreements didn t need one hundred page contracts, but could simply be settled by a hand shake. This certainly isn t the case any longer. Now you can t conduct any business without an army of lawyers. If we are to be an illustration of the power of God for society, then we must live in a way that is contrary to the social trend. We must be counted trust worthy so we being glory to the Lord. This, a requirement for being an Elder, 5 The American Heritage Electronic Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, ) 4 (

5 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap (1 Timothy 3:7), and should be a requirement for all. After all as Jesus said, we must Simply let our Yes be Yes, and our No, No ; anything beyond this comes from the evil one (Matthew 5:37). While we aren t completely trustworthy, because we still carry the old nature, as we allow ourselves to be led by the Father and controlled by the Spirit, we can be honest. This is what the Lord expects, so that in this way the unrighteous will be confronted by His righteousness. God is glorified by His working through us. Let us allow Him to do so. we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12). God is glorified in us, as men can see His power conforming us to the image of His son. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:1-2). Another way in which we can be a testimony for the Lord is by expressing His love and concern for the oppressed, the helpless. It is these individuals that are the greatest victims of a society, actually a world, that can only exist on lies. Swindoll once noted that if for one day everyone told the truth, world war three would probably break out. We need to show God is not only just, and will therefore bring down judgment, but He is also merciful and compassionate. In fact it is this quality that causes Him to set aside special judgment of the oppressor. Therefore, this is what the Holy One of Israel says: Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant. It will break in pieces like pottery, shattered so mercilessly that among its pieces not a fragment will be found for taking coals from a hearth or scooping water out of a cistern (Isaiah 30:12-14). Having said all this, in the final analysis the only One who is totally trustworthy, who is totally honest is God Himself. As we continue to deal with the difficulties in our lives, we must never loose sight of the fact God loves us and cares for us, and we can believe this because God is trustworthy. He never breaks His word. ) 5 (

6 For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does (Psalm 33:4). I know life is often difficult and made the more so by our commitment to be obedient to the Lord and to live as He wants us to. But we are told He loves us and that He will care for us, that all we suffer is to make us more Christ like. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). We are told one day we will receive relief and rest. We can believe this, not blindly because it is something we desire, but because these are the promises of our Father who is in heaven. Christian faith isn t a leap of faith, a leap in the dark, but trust in a God who as Schaeffer puts it, dwells in time and space, a God who is trustworthy. Praise the Lord, blessed be His name. We don t have to live our lives dependent on the words of men, or even the best intentions of those around us, even ourselves. We can depend on the one true and stable One in this Universe. For when all else falls around us, we can depend on the Lord, the rock of our salvation and the one unchanging truth in the world around us. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold (Psalm 18:2). We can, as we depend on the Holy Spirit, live in total confidence that the Lord loves us and cares for us, and will eventually take us to be with Him. Praise the Lord! Blessed be His Name! Benediction Now may the joy of our salvation, and the hope of heaven, the gifts of our Lord Jesus Christ, carry us through the week and cause us to desire these same gifts for others. Amen - Geoff Kragen ) 6 (