You shall keep them, O Lord, You shall preserve them from this generation forever. Psalm 12:7
Man’s Treachery and God’s Constancy
Psalm 12, starts with a focus on the power of the wicked’s perverse mouth. David cries out in despair (12:1-3), but his confidence is restored by God’s words of promise (vv. 4-8). It concludes powerfully with an assertion of the power of the pure and truthful words of God. We can be confident in God’s commitment to protect the righteous from those who lie about and malign them.
12:1, 2 godly man ceases: David wonders if there are any righteous people left. Speak idely: This psalm charges the wicked for using words to destroy and hurt others.
1 To the Chief Musician. On an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David. Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. 2 They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; With flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
12:4 With our tongue: Because the wicked do not submit to any authority over them, much less God Himself, they believe they can say anything they want.
4 Who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail; Our lips are our own; Who is lord over us?”
12:5-7 Now I will arise: With these dramatic words, God speaks to David and reveals His righteous character. He will not linger; He will judge the speech of the wicked. Pure words: in contrast to the idle words of the wicked, the words of God are altogether trustworthy. The eternal and steadfast nature of the Lord Himself stands behind His words. He will establish justice just as He has promised to David.
For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, Now I will arise,” says the Lord; “I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.” 6 The words of the Lord are pure words, Like silver tried in a furnace of earth, Purified seven times. 7 You shall keep them, O Lord, You shall preserve them from this generation forever.
12:8 The wicked prowl: Even with God’s words of judgment, there are still wicked people looking for those whom they might destroy. One day there will be full punishment (10:16-18). For now, we still struggle with the help of the Holy Spirit against the evil in our own souls and the pervasive wickedness in our world.
The wicked prowl on every side, When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.
A Prayer for Help against the Wicked
12 1 To the Chief Musician. On an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David. Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. 2 They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; With flattering lips and a double heart they speak. 3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, And the tongue that speaks proud things, 4 Who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail; Our lips are our own; Who is lord over us?” 5 “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, Now I will arise,” says the Lord; “I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.” 6 The words of the Lord are pure words, Like silver tried in a furnace of earth, Purified seven times. 7 You shall keep them, O Lord, You shall preserve them from this generation forever. 8 The wicked prowl on every side, When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.
Words (Heb. ‘imrah)
This Hebrew word, based on the common verb meaning “to say,” occurs mainly in poetry. Over half of its appearances are in Ps. 119, where it refers to what God has said. It is also used to refer to the prophetic warning of Isaiah (Is.28:23), the humble prayer of the psalmists (17:6), or even the prideful boast of Lamech (Gen. 4:23). In Ps. 119, the term is used in parallel with “statute,” “commandment,” “judgment,” “precept,” and “testimony.” The psalmist describes treacherous people as not keeping God’s word, but the psalm himself treasures God’s word in his heart as a guide for life, that he might not sin against the Lord (119:11, 67, 133, 158).
