Psalm 12
Longing for Truth in a Post-Truth World
Ever since the snake whispered, “Did God really say…?” in the Garden, humanity has lived in a Post-Truth World.
And right in the heart of this, the church along with her King calls on God to establish the truth and save those wounded by lies.
For the director of music. According to sheminith. A psalm of David.
1 Help, Lord, for no one is faithful any more;
those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.
2 Everyone lies to their neighbour;
they flatter with their lips
but harbour deception in their hearts.3 May the Lord silence all flattering lips
and every boastful tongue –
4 those who say,
‘By our tongues we will prevail;
our own lips will defend us – who is lord over us?’5 ‘Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan,
I will now arise,’ says the Lord.
‘I will protect them from those who malign them.’
6 And the words of the Lord are flawless,
like silver purified in a crucible,
like gold refined seven times.7 You, Lord, will keep the needy safe
and will protect us for ever from the wicked,
8 who freely strut about
when what is vile is honoured by the human race.
You will know the old saying, “A lie is halfway round the world before the truth has got its boots on.” And isn’t that especially true in the age of the internet.
But why does the lie gain ground so much quicker than the truth? King David would say that it is because of the human heart. In the opening verses of this Psalm, David looks around the world and does not see people concerned with truth but concerned only with advancing their own desires. They use words, not as a way to serve God and others but to serve themselves as they are their own lord (v4).
David describes them as “flattering with their lips” and having “flattering lips”. The word flattering could also be translated as smooth. They know how to smooth out their neighbours with their words. These smooth words win people but they deceive by disguising the true intention (v2).
You can paint an apple with glitter, but while it sparkles, it only conceals the rotten core.
False teachers tickle the ears of their listeners (2 Tim 4.3). They promise and persuade but only offer something rotten. It is only the liars who prosper. Those who get caught up with the promise of roses get caught by all the thorns. This is like the prosperity gospel. It is only those on the stage, twisting the Scriptures who prosper. Those who eat it up eat a rotten core.
The King sees all this flattery and deception and calls on God to silence the soothsayers (v3).
And here we hear God speaking.
God will act. Because the God of truth is the God of compassion.
God acts because he has seen. He sees the deception in their hearts. But he has also seen the suffering of the downcast and downtrodden (v5). The liars think they have now lord over them and now the LORD will rise up above them.
And see what he does? The focus is not on how he deals with the oppressors but his tender care for the oppressed. He will protect and shield them. He will rescue and deliver them. For when the LORD arises over liars, he carries his own with him into his safe refuge.
That same compassion is seen in the Son of God. When he looked on the people, he felt compassion for them, for the Father of lies had led them astray and away from their Shepherd (Matt 9.36). And so all those who believe in the gospel are seated with the risen Christ, who is over and above all the deceivers (Ephesians 1.20-21; 2.6).
The King’s confidence in his God is rooted in his trust in God’s trustworthy word. They are pure. Silver and gold that have been refined have no dross. There is nothing polluting it. It is 100% silver and gold. God’s word is pure because there is only truth in it.
The problem with lies is that they are mist. There is nothing solid to them. It is like trying to catch your breath. But the word of God is solid and stable. We can bank and build our lives on them.
And so this is where David closes this Psalm. It is note of quiet and confident assurance (vv7-8). Even in the world influenced and shaped by the Father of lies, God’s word is sure and so his people will be protected.
In a world so deeply stained by lies, this Psalm invites us to trust in God’s good, beautiful and true word, knowing that the promises of God have found their Amen in the resurrected Christ.
Glory be to the Father, the foundation and source of Truth.
Glory be to the Son, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Glory be to the Spirit, who shines the light of the truth in our hearts.