Psalms 12:1-8: a reflection

1Help, LORD; for the godly man ceases. For the faithful fail from among the children of men. 2Everyone lies to his neighbor. They speak with flattering lips, and with a double heart. 3May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that boasts, 4who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail. Our lips are our own. Who is lord over us?” 5“Because of the oppression of the weak and because of the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the LORD; “I will set him in safety from those who malign him.” 6The LORD’s words are flawless words, as silver refined in a clay furnace, purified seven times. 7You will keep them, LORD. You will preserve them from this generation forever. 8The wicked walk on every side, when what is vile is exalted among the sons of men.

Psalm 12 laments a world drowning in deceptive speech: Everyone lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. The godly seem to be vanishing, and everywhere words are used to deceive, flatter, and manipulate. But against this backdrop of unreliable human speech, the psalm sets a striking contrast: The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times.

Notice the contrast the psalm draws. Human words, in the psalm's dark picture, are full of flattery, falsehood, and double-dealing, spoken to deceive and manipulate; you cannot trust them. But God's words are the opposite: pure, refined, without falsehood or hidden agenda, as trustworthy as silver purified again and again until every impurity is gone. In a world where words are so often unreliable, God's word stands utterly reliable, flawless, to be trusted completely.

That is a great comfort in a time when words are cheap and truth is hard to find. Surrounded by flattery, spin, deception, and double-talk, where it is hard to know whom or what to believe, we have one word we can trust completely: the word of the LORD, pure and refined, without deceit. When human words fail you, when you are surrounded by falsehood and unsure what is true, anchor yourself in God's word, which is pure, tested, and reliable. His words are trustworthy when all others are suspect. Hold onto the pure word of God in a world of unreliable words.

Lord, the psalmist saw a world full of flattery, lies, and double-hearted speech, and against it set your pure words, refined like silver seven times over. In a time when words are cheap and truth is hard to find, when I am surrounded by spin, flattery, and deception, thank you that your word stands utterly reliable, pure and without deceit. When human words fail me, anchor me in your trustworthy word. Help me hold onto the pure word of God when all other words are suspect.