Psalm 12

A good Psalm for God's help against a world that is saturated with deceit, falsehood, wickedness and depravity. This is a Psalm of dependence on God and trust in God, not a Psalm to cause the Christian to go self-righteous, because we are not like the world, but this is a Psalm of deliverance and security in God.

God, a Helper against the Treacherous.
For the choir director; upon an eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm of David.

1Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases to be, For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.

2They speak falsehood to one another; With flattering lips and with a double heart they speak.

3May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, The tongue that speaks great things;

4Who have said, "With our tongue we will prevail; Our lips are our own; who is lord over us?"

5"Because of the devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy, Now I will arise," says the LORD; "I will set him in the safety for which he longs."

6The words of the LORD are pure words; As silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.

7You, O LORD, will keep them; You will preserve him from this generation forever.

8The wicked strut about on every side, When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

I believe that verse 8 is really evident amongst us today. It seems to me that there is much 'strutting' taking place at this time among those that are against God. The word vileness in verse 8 means 'exaltation of wickedness and depravity'. There is much 'strutting' everywhere with those who are against God, because there is much exaltation of wickedness and depravity.

It is depraved and wicked when we seek to exalt man over God and 'strut about' when we do it. It is depraved and wicked when we kill the unborn and 'strut about' when we do it. It is depraved and wicked when we begin to believe a lie for the truth and the truth for a lie and 'strut about' when we do it.

To those of you who may find yourselves fearing this culture of depravity, please remember that it is God who always keeps for Himself a remnant. It is God who is our refuge and strength and a tower of righteousness that we may run into it and be safe. Let us not fear the one who can kill the body only, but fear the one who can kill the soul as well. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind (Romans 11.4-5, Matthew 10.28, Proverbs 18.10, 2 Timothy 1.7).

This is neither a time to retreat from the world, nor a time to go self-righteous. It is a time and will always remain a time for us to depend solely on God and take our refuge, our peace, our safety, and even our joy in Him and in Him alone.

"As the mountains surround Jeursalem, So the Lord surrounds His people From this time forth and forever." ~ Psalm 125.2