Have Godly men ceased!? (Part I)

“Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases!

For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
² They speak idly everyone with his neighbor;
With flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

³ May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
And the tongue that speaks proud things,
⁴ Who have said,
“With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are our own;
Who is lord over us?”

⁵ “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,
Now I will arise,” says the Lord;
“I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.”

⁶ The words of the Lord are pure words,
Like silver tried in a furnace of earth,
Purified seven times.
⁷ You shall keep them, O Lord,
You shall preserve them from this generation forever.

⁸ The wicked prowl on every side,
When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.” Psalm 12

Psalm 12 is a short Psalm, but it’s packed with comfort and encouragement for people who try to do right. David was looking around, and it seemed that the righteous people were disappearing but evil was rampant.

It’s not completely clear as to when he may have written this Psalm. There is a likelihood that he was writing it during the time he was at Saul’s palace. God picked Saul years earlier, but over the years he had changed. Saul wasn’t a righteous king anymore. He disobeyed God and also mistreated David. There were times that he called David his son and at other times he tried to kill him!

In any King’s quarter, there are those who will flatter him and try to make themselves look loyal all the while not having a desire to do what is right and just. A great example of this was Haman in the court of King Ahasuerus. Haman seemed to be doing everything for the benefit of the king while he was really trying to feed his own passion and pride by annihilating the Jewish nation.

This situation happens in any sphere of society including the church. Some people are skilled in flattery and have the right answers to every question or issue at hand. There are those who know how to use their words to their own benefit regardless of its negative impact on others. They can influence with their subtle innuendos and create an atmosphere of “us” against “them”. David was very familiar with this; he even experienced this with his own son Absalom trying to take his throne.

Sometimes, those who try to speak the truth or do right get discouraged because it seems like truthful people are diminishing. Elijah experienced this when he was faced with Jezebel. Those kinds of spirits can be vexing on honest and righteous people who seek to do God’s work. The good news is that God sees all things and this psalm gives encouragement to the weary souls in regards to these issues. God will rise up to take care of the poor and the needy!

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.