OceanSide church of Christ

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NOW WILL I ARISE, SAITH THE LORD

Psalm 12

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.    Our theme for 2022 is:  “Seeking and Serving the Needy in 2022.”

 

B.    The needy have always had a special place in the heart of God.

 

C.    Psalm 12 reveals this to us. 

1.     It is a short psalm of only 8 verses.

 

Help Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.

They speak vanity every one with his neighbor:  with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.

The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that shall speak proud things:

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

For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.

The words of the Lord are pure words:  as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.

 

2.    We have divided the psalm into four parts for this lesson.

 

i.             THE ABSENCE OF GOOD (v. 1)

ii.            THE ANTAGONISM BETWEEN GOD AND THE WICKED (vs. 2-5)

iii.          THE ASSURANCE OF GOD’S PRESERVATION (vs. 6-7)

iv.           THE ASCENSION OF THE WICKED (v. 8)

 

3.    The key verse of the psalm is verse 5.

 

For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.

 

I.             THE ABSENCE OF GOOD (v. 1)

 

A.    The Petition (v. 1a)

 

Help, Lord…

 

1.     The Request

a.    The request is for “help.”

b.    It is a cry for freedom, for liberation, and for salvation from troubles.

2.    The Recipient

a.    The cry for help does not go out to a king.

b.    The cry for help does not go out to the friends and allies of the psalmist.

c.     The cry goes out to the “Lord,” that is, the ultimate ruler of the Universe.

d.    There is no one higher upon whom the psalmist can call.

 

B.    The Problem (v. 1b)

…for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.

 

1.     The godly are the saints of the earth.

a.    They are the holy ones.

b.    They are the ones who have been set apart for a special purpose for God.

2.    The psalmist reveals that they have ceased, that is, they have come to an end on the earth.  They are no longer in positions of power and influence.

3.    Too, the faithful fail.

a.    The faithful are the steadfast, the loyal, and the firm servants of God.

b.    They have disappeared from the among the children of men

4.    LESSON:  When godly and faithful people disappear from any place, problems arise.  These problems can only be corrected with the help of God.

 

II.           THE ASCENSION OF THE WICKED (v. 8)

 

The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.

 

A.    Instead of the godly being in power, evil men have been exalted.

 

B.    They are described with two words by the Holy Spirit.

1.     Wicked:  morally wrong, bad people, criminals, guilty of sin

2.    Vile:  worthless

 

C.    Lessons: 

1.     If godly men will not lead, evil men will.

2.    The plight of the poor in society will reveal the character of those who are in charge.  (NOTE:  This will be seen in the remainder of the psalm).

 

III.         THE ANTAGONISM BETWEEN THE WICKED AND GOD (vs. 2-5)

 

A.    The Palaver of the Wicked (v. 2)

 

They speak vanity every one with his neighbor:  with flattering lips, and with a double heart do they speak.

 

1.     Palaver is defined as “profuse and idle chat.” 

a.    Notice the psalmist tell us that the wicked speaks “vanity” with his neighbor. 

b.    Some of the definitions of “vanity” are:  “uselessness, emptiness, nothingness, emptiness of speech.”

2.    Part of their empty talk involves “flattering lips.”

a.    The word “flattering” means smooth.

b.    The false teachers are smooth talkers.

c.     They know how to lay on the compliments thick and heavy.

3.    The problem with their flattery is that is proceeds from a “double heart.”

a.    They compliment and build others up in a big way.

b.    However, they have evil motives behind their words. 

c.     NOTE:  Their flattery strokes the ego of the one to whom it is given, but it is intended for their own evil schemes.

 

 

 

B.    The Punishment by God (v. 3)

 

The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things.

 

1.     The psalmist mentioned the flattering lips of the wicked in the previous verse.  He did not address the proud tongue.  He will do this in the verse that follows.

2.    The inspired penmen reveals that God is opposes the palaver of the wicked.  He will cut them off.

a.    The words “cut off” are strong words.

b.    They carry the meaning:  “to eliminate, to destroy, to kill, to permit to perish.”

 

C.    The Pride of the Evil Men (v. 4)

 

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

 

1.     The word “pride” is not found in the verse, but the boasts that are mentioned show the arrogant nature of their hearts.

2.    Three boasts

a.    They boast of victory:  “With our tongue will we prevail.”

b.    They boast of control:  “Our lips are our own.”

c.     They boast of freedom:  “Who is lord over us?”

3.    Remember to go back to verse 3.  “The Lord shall cut off…the tongue that speaketh proud things.”

 

D.   The Protection of the Needy (v. 5)

 

For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.

 

1.     Two actions of the evil toward the needy.

a.    They puff at the poor and needy.

1)    Remember, the evil men speak a lot of promising, but empty, words. 

2)   Too, they flatter with their lips. 

3)    But, they have double hearts.  

4)   The psalmist reveals that all that these evil men do is “puff” at the needy.  They blow a lot of hot air at them.

b.    They oppress the poor and cause the needy to sigh, literally to shriek and cry.

1)    These are the lowest class of individuals.

a)    They are in want and are needy.

b)   Their condition causes them to be afflicted, wretched, and depressed.

2)   These evil men do not help them, instead they oppress them.  They bring destruction, devastation, and ruin to their lives.

2.    The Lord, however, will not allow this type of treatment to continue indefinitely. 

a.    There comes a time when the Lord says:  “Now will I arise!”

b.    When He does, He “will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.”

1.     He will deliver him.

2.    He will bring prosperity to him.

3.    He will bring victory to him.

c.     NOTE:  These words are a promise from the Almighty God.

IV.         THE ASSURANCE OF GOD’S PROTECTION (vs. 6-7)

 

A.    The Purity of God’s Word (v. 6)

 

These words of the Lord are pure words:  as silver tried in a furnace of the earth, purified seven times.

 

1.     The psalmist assures the poor and needy that God’s words are pure.

a.    Pure:  free from toxins, pollutants, clean

b.    The word “true” could be substituted for the word “pure.”  “These words of the Lord are true words.”

c.     Since they are pure, God will bring them to pass.  A person does not have to doubt whether He will or will not.

2.    The psalmist then brings forth a picture of just how pure God’s words are.

a.    Those living in Old Testament times were familiar with the refiner’s fire.

1)    Precious metals were passed through the fire in order to purge them of all impurities. 

2)   On the other side of the fire, was the precious metal free from any mixture of other materials.

b.    The psalmist assures his readers that God’s words were pure for they were like unto silver that has passed through the furnace of the refiner seven times.  The number 7 indicates the absolute perfect purity and truthfulness of God’s words.

 

B.    The Promise Affirmed (v. 7)

 

Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

 

1.     Definition of terms:

a.    Keep them:  to put a hedge about, to watch, to keep, to take care of , to protect, and to save life

b.    Preserve them:  to watch, to keep close, to guard with fidelity from all danger

2.    God does not want the poor and needy to misunderstand or disbelieve His words. 

a.    He will watch them and guard them.

b.    Too, He will do exactly what He promised to do.

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.    There are needy and oppressed individuals in all societies.

 

B.    The care these individuals receive reflects the character of the leadership over them.

 

C.    God is deeply concerned for the poor and needy. 

1.     He will arise on their behalf.

2.    He promises to set them in safety, keep them, and preserve them from the evil ones.

 

D.   If God cares for the destitute, the struggling, the wretched, and the depress, WE MUST DO SO ALSO!  Thus, our theme for 2022:  “Seeking and Serving the Needy in 2022.”