When Evil Speech is Everywhere:
A Study of Psalm 12
by Joel Stephen Williams
Are we living in the decline or the twilight of Western civilization? Even if we are not living in times quite that desperate, we may feel like evil is everywhere. We may feel like the apostle John during a time of persecution who declared that the “whole world is under the control of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). One part of society’s rebellion against God is the inappropriate use of speech and communication. Words are powerful, and their untruthful or deceptive use is all too common. Are the advertisements we are bombarded with every day truthful? Are the statements of the political leaders of the world always full of truth with no distortion? Are the attacks of militant atheists against belief in God fair and balanced? Do people speak the truth, and nothing but the truth, to one another each day? No! Instead, God’s people are surrounded on every side with hypocrisy, meanness, bullying, falsehoods, equivocation, fabrication, misrepresentation, and duplicity. But this is not new. Our society is very similar to the one in which David lived when he wrote Psalm 12.
“Help, LORD, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men” (Ps 12:1).
David said the godly were a small minority in a manner similar to what the prophet Micah declared in his day: “The godly have been swept from the land; not one upright man remains” (7:2). Likewise, God challenged Jeremiah to search the streets of Jerusalem: “If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city” (5:1). The prophets often warned that goodness seemed to be in danger of extinction (Hos 4:1; Isa. 57:1; 59:14ff; Jer 7:28; 9:2ff; Kirkpatrick, Psalms, vol. 1, p. 61). These statements are not those of pessimists, but of realists, and they are found sprinkled throughout history. One ancient Egyptian document provides us with a parallel: “The gentle man has perished…Goodness is rejected everywhere…There are no righteous. The land is left to those who do wrong” (ANET, 406; cited by Anderson, Psalms, p. 124).
“Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception. May the LORD cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue that says, ‘We will triumph with our tongues; we own our lips—who is our master?’” (Ps 12:2–4).
Worldly talk is false, empty, insincere, and deceptive. Words are used to manipulate others in order to take advantage of them. “The tongue is no longer for sharing, but for snaring” (Ash, Psalms, p. 64). Deception and duplicity are common. David speaks of those who have "a heart and a heart," that is, they have a "double heart" (12:2), just as some had two sets of weights in order to practice deception in the marketplace (Deut 25:13). David wrote during a time when truthful speech was uncommon. Flattery, false witness, untruths, proud boasts, and lies ruled the day (12:2–4). Many were using smooth talk to take advantage of the poor and the uneducated (12:5). What David experienced was what we still see today. It may occur in social media or in everyday conversations, but it is the same—evil speech.
“‘Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,’ says the LORD. ‘I will protect them from those who malign them.’ And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times” (Ps 12:5–6).
David declares God’s viewpoint regarding social injustice. God is always on the side of those who are wrongly oppressed by the wicked. The actions and words of sinful man are contrasted with the standard for right speech and deeds, namely, God himself and his words. David proclaims that God’s words are like refined silver that has been purified seven times, that is, completely and perfectly. There is no mixture of untruth in what God says.
“O LORD, you will keep us safe and protect us from such people forever. The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men” (Ps 12:7–8).
Even though wickedness seemed to prevail, and despair was an attractive option, David trusted in God's protection (12:7). Yet, he ends the psalm on a negative note. Why did David end his psalm in this way? Perowne declares, “This return to gloom and doubt is, I believe, without parallel at the conclusion of a Psalm” (Psalms, p. 178). Some Bible scholars have suggested that the text ought to be emended (critically edited) by changing the order of the final verses in this psalm. There is no evidence to support this in the manuscripts, however. So, my opinion and the view of most scholars is to leave the text in the order we have received it.
How do we explain the sober ending of Psalm 12? At the time David wrote the words of this psalm, dark clouds due to mankind’s sinful speech must have still been everywhere. The ultimate victory was certain, because God is Lord, but it seemed distant. David was not naïve. His realism is certainly much better than, for example, a faith healer who gives false hope to desperate people by proclaiming, “Isn’t God great? We are going to see some miracles here tonight.” After the revival meeting, people in wheelchairs return home still unable to walk and those with terminal cancer are still not in remission. As it was in David’s day, it is evil, boastful speech.
Although David was discouraged by the seeming dominance of evil, he does not express any doubt. God is still the Almighty One. He could and would keep his people safe and protect them forever. Similarly, the Son of David, Jesus Christ, our Lord, was surrounded by wickedness and false accusations that precipitated the events that led to his crucifixion. Nevertheless, he knew God would keep him safe, and the ultimate victory came in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Safety and protection obviously do not mean we will never suffer any disease, pain, or heartache. But God will always be the Savior who freely offers forgiveness and salvation, preserving our souls. Even though we are nothing compared to him (Ps 8:3–4; Isa 40:15), he cares for us. He even knows the number of hairs on our head (Matt 10:29–31). So, we should not fear, because nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:35–39).
God’s people “must put off falsehood and speak truthfully” to one another (Eph 4:25). Even though God may seem to be absent while evil appears to reign supreme, we need to continue in trust and faith, not in skepticism, cynicism, or despair. As J. A. Froude reminds us, “One lesson, and one lesson only, history may be said to repeat with distinctness, that the world is built somehow on moral foundations, that, in the long run, it is well with the good, and, in the long run, it will be ill with the wicked” (Barclay, Romans, p. 18). That was the conclusion of the Teacher’s philosophy in Ecclesiastes: “Though sinners do evil a hundred times and prolong their lives, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they stand in fear before him, but it will not be well with the wicked, neither will they prolong their days like a shadow, because they do not stand in fear before God” (Eccl 8:12–13). Gandhi agreed: “When I despair, I remember that all through history, the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and, for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall—always.”
Originally published in a slightly briefer version as “Psalm 12, When Evil Prevails.” Gospel Light 81, 2 (February 2011): 29. From time to time in Christian Ministry and Missions, we hope to provide articles which will not only be helpful to all readers but also be content that can be useful in the preparation of Bible class lessons or sermons.
This lesson was flat out inspiring! There is so much meat. I'm going to use it for the next few days to study more to ponder and to heed. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind response. Glad the study of this psalm could be helpful to you.
DeleteJoel Stephen Williams