시편 Chapter 12

Translation: ESV

1

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

Key Message

In the face of a social crisis in which truth and faithfulness are disappearing, seeking help from God is the believer's proper response.

▸The psalm begins with a lament that the godly and faithful are disappearing from society.

The psalm begins with a lament that the godly and faithful are disappearing from society. This goes beyond a mere decrease in the number of believers — it describes a moral crisis in which truth and faithfulness are vanishing from society. 'Save' acknowledges that in such a situation God alone is the solution.

Related Verses

The godly has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind.
2

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

Key Message

Double-tongued language — kind on the outside but harboring malice within — is the characteristic of a morally corrupt society.

▸'A double heart' (lev valev) literally means 'a heart within a heart' — referring to the duplicity in which what is said outwardly differs from what is thought inwardly.

6

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

Key Message

Unlike corrupted human language, God's words are completely pure like silver refined seven times — this is the basis for trusting God's word.

▸In contrast to human language full of lies and flattery (vv.

7

You, O LORD, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever.

Key Message

Even in a corrupt generation, God guards the godly and preserves them forever.

▸This is a declaration of assurance that God guards and preserves the godly even in a corrupt age.