Psalm 12
What do you
think? How do you express it?
Enough!
Kate had met her
friends, Jake and Beth, for a double date to the poshest restaurant in town, but her boyfriend had never arrived. She pulled out her phone and gave him a blast.
“You stood
me up! You rotten sod!”
“Get
lost.” The line clicked shut.
“Now you’ve put your foot in it!”
Beth's reaction hit home and she squirmed, but the guy had gotten under her
skin. Could she stop the damage, or would she make it worse? Part of her thought
he deserved a tongue lashing because his mouth often ran ahead of his brain.
“He
thinks he’s kingpin, always promising me something, but he never turns up, and
when you finally track him down, he dismisses you with the weakest of excuses. He’s
as slippery as an eel.”
She’d
vented, but it hadn’t solved the problem.
We’re all
familiar with blusterers, or perhaps we’ve caught ourselves boasting. When David
endured the company of godless men, he complained to the Lord, rather than gossiping to all and sundry.
Psalm
12:1.
Help,
Lord, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men.
Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception.
When I
read that, I stopped in my tracks.
What does it mean to be godly? Does my Christian
walk align with my words? If a friend appreciates my efforts, do I boast or do
I deflect the glory to the Lord who called me to serve him?
Australians love to cut down a tall poppy, anyone
who outshines their mates. We also recoil from boasters, feeling uneasy in
their company. Jesus warned against an inflated ego and James exposed the
dangers of an unbridled tongue. What we say reflects who we are.
David prayed to God to cut off all flattering
lips. When we encourage each other, let’s be honest by affirming our
achievements, but not ignoring our faults. Galatians
6:1-2. Gentle correction may bless and guide, while every success is a gift
from God. No matter how hard we’ve worked or how much thought we have spent on
a project, we must realize God made us for his pleasure, purpose, and glory. We
owe him everything.
At the
tower of Babel, men tried to claim equal status with the Creator. God stopped
them by confounding their speech. Look around the world today and you’ll soon
find boasters who claim victory by their clever words, believing they can
control the world.
“The
tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider
what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a
fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole
body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on
fire by hell.” James 3:5-6.
“Because
of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise.
I will protect them from those who malign them.” Psalm 12:5.
And
so we turn to the Lord, whose words are flawless because he is flawless. The
silversmith melts and purifies his metal seven times until no dross remains,
but God’s words have stood the test of time and eternity. We may place our full
trust in him, praising his superiority, perfection and love. He deserves our adoration.
Twenty-first century society openly defies
God. Despotic rulers, oppressive laws, persecution, and lax morality have caused
broken lives, ironic symbols of a so-called progressive society. Homosexuality,
gender alteration and gay marriage are celebrated and upheld at law while the
natural world suffers pollution and decimation of rare species. Humanity struts
the globe, honoring vile practice and corrupting the foundations God has laid
to preserve our well-being. Despite our rejection of God,
he loves us and he calls everyone to accept a fresh new life grounded in his peace and security.
Jesus challenged his disciples about
commitment. John
6:60-68. If they wanted to follow Jesus, they would need to “eat his flesh
and drink his blood.” While this sounds grotesque, Jesus meant their loyalty to
him would lead to suffering. If being Jesus’ disciple may be life threatening,
is it worth the sacrifice? As Simon Peter listened to Jesus and witnessed the corruption
of the Pharisees, he realized Jesus’ teachings were the gold standard of truth
and demanded his loyalty.
“Lord,
to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know
you are the Holy One of God.”
Buddha and Mohammed have held sway over
millions, but they were never God because they have died. Jesus Christ has
risen as he promised. He lived perfectly, keeping every promise except those
yet to be fulfilled. He’s the one friend who sticks closer than a brother, the
eternal, sinless God who carried our sin and conquered death. We may receive his
gift of an eternal, sinless life. John
3:16.
Who can
you trust? Politicians promise the earth, or our friends and family may harbor brilliant
intentions, but let us down. Although trust is necessary, we’re all fallible, and
some failure is inevitable.
I’ll finish with a quote from John 1:1.
“In the beginning was the word, and the word
was with God and was God. He was with God in the beginning.”
Listen to Jesus,
the Word of God.
Whenever
we listen to our family, friends, pastors or the media, let’s compare their
words to the Bible and emulate Simon Peter’s trust in the Lord Jesus. He
never leaves us or forsakes us and always speaks the truth.
The Psalmist was right: The words of the
Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a clay furnace, purified seven times.
Psalm 12:6.
Do you trust the
Lord Jesus? I urge you to listen to him today.
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