Reflections On Psalm 12
THEMES:
1.Lack of confidence in men.
2.The Integrity of God’s word.
In verse 1, David cried out to God for help,” HELP, LORD; for the Godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.”
Here ,David went on and on to express his utter disappointment in the lives and the types of people he found around him.
David wrote this Psalm during Saul’s reign, when there was a general decay of honesty and piety both in court and in country which he complained to God because of how he felt about the treachery he suffered from his false friends and the insolence of his sworn enemies.
This is the time in David’s life when he was in the court of King Saul but was a target for the mad jealousy of the king. One can easily imagine a vicious whispering campaign against David among those who wanted to gain favour with the misguided king.
These false friends and David’s apparent enemies conspired against him and told lies against him to the king.
In all his oppression, David put his trust in God alone knowing that as he calls upon Him that God will deliver him from the lying tongues as seen in verse 5.
Having seen the deceitful nature of men, he concluded that only God’s words are reliable according to verse 6; “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”
Other Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 1:20 : God’s words are ” Yes and Amen.”
Numbers 23:19: “God is not a man that He should lie, neither a son of man that He should repent.” and Hebrews 6:18 :”God cannot lie…”
Verse 8 says, ” The wicked walk on every side when the vilest men are exalted.”
This is just to buttress what Proverbs 29:2 says, ” When the righteous is on the throne the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”
This shows that there were many people who mourned when King Saul was on the throne.
Lessons
1.It is not good to put your trust in man.
2.God’s words are eternally true. Verse 6.
3.God has promised to help and deliver His people from the oppression of their enemies and He will. Verse 5.
PRAYER
Thank You Father, because You are not a man that You should lie! As You delivered David from all his enemies, so will You deliver us from all our enemies in Jesus Christ’s Mighty Name! Amen!
Father, deliver our nation Nigeria from the hands of wicked rulers and send us righteous people to rule in Jesus name
Reflections on Psalm 14.
The Psalmist declares assertively that “Only a fool thinks and declares in his heart the non existence of God” – therefore exhibits callous behavior, corrupt practices and in fact, nothing good comes out of this kind of degenerated soul.
This ‘Big Fool’ is an oppressor of the lowly and the righteous for his own selfish reasons. His thoughts are far from God, – vs 1& 4.
God sees and knows the limitations of man, no man can stand before him righteous and free of sin and guilt – vs3.
Therefore, He made a way of escape and because of his loving kindness and mercy, His son , Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, became a man on earth had to die in man’s stead to provide the righteous standing for reconciliation between God and man.
(Jn 3:16,1Jn 4:10, 1Jn2:2.)
The godless might assume their victory over the oppressed and bask in their wickedness but God will arise in Judgement against the wicked vs 5 & 6, and bring Justice to righteous in every sense of it and restoration will come for God’s people vs 7.
There is great hope & comfort for God’s people in this trying times. What He has promised IN HIS WORD, He will do it. Amen.
(1 Thessalonians 5:24, Philippians 1:6., 2 Tim.2:13. Heb. 10:23)
