Psalm 12

To the choirmaster: according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.

 1 Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone;
    for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
2 Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;
    with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
    the tongue that makes great boasts,
4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,
    our lips are with us; who is master over us?”
5 “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
    I will now arise,” says the Lord;
    “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”
6 The words of the Lord are pure words,
    like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
    purified seven times.
7 You, O Lord, will keep them;
    you will guard us from this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl,
    as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

“Where have all the decent people gone?” That’s the question David is asking as Psalm 12 opens, and the rest of the psalm is his way of dealing with the problem.

To the choirmaster: according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.

Remember, though many of the psalms were clearly used in Israelite worship, there are many musical terms we do not understand, and “The Sheminith” is one such example.

1 Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone;
    for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.

Where are all the decent people? That’s what the psalmist is asking here. This psalm is 3,000 years old, and as current as this morning’s headlines. Some things never change.

2 Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;
    with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

Part of the problem is just a general dishonesty between people, says the psalmist.

3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
    the tongue that makes great boasts,
4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,
    our lips are with us; who is master over us?”

People are also arrogant and believe that they will never be held accountable for their lies. The psalmist wants the Lord to cut off their lips! See, the psalms give us language for every emotion! Remember—we pray through our emotions when we read the psalms.

5 “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
    I will now arise,” says the Lord;
    “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”

But, the psalmist knows that the sufferings of the vulnerable are not being ignored by the Lord. God will act on their behalf!

6 The words of the Lord are pure words,
    like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
    purified seven times.

The psalmist has confidence because of what the Lord has said, and compares the Lord’s words to purified silver—both beautiful and 100% genuine. I love this verse, and underlined it in my Psalms book this morning.

7 You, O Lord, will keep them;
    you will guard us from this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl,
    as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

Despite the wickedness that prowls around the decent people, the Lord will keep them safe.