March 29, 2021 -- Psalm 12 -- Addressing the double-minded and double-hearted
/Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone;
for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
2 Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;
with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips,
the tongue that makes great boasts,
4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,
our lips are with us; who is master over us?”
5 “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
I will now arise,” says the LORD;
“I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”
6 The words of the LORD are pure words,
like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.
7 You, O LORD, will keep them;
you will guard us from this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among the children of man.
Psalm 12
Enough said. It is like “mic drop” and walk away, that is how powerful and direct today’s psalm is. This is so relevant, it is like it was written with the whole Covid crisis in view. You can read how people tear against one another in this Psalm. Those who promote church-going over obedience to the government cry out “the faithful have vanished”. Those striving to obey their conscience and the government cry out against those who do not agree. Together Christians who disagree on various issues are united anyway in their crying out against the faithfulness of these times. Even while speaking out, Christians are prepared to ignore our own sins, and so our own heart’s double-speak is exposed, as we are agreeing with this one, fake agreeing with the other because it is not worth the argument that would follow
Notice that the LORD has His eye on His people (Psalm 11 taught us His eyelids test men—the merest blink of His eyelid is stronger than the greatest powers arrayed against Him!). He is, in this time, the Protector of the poor, the plundered, the needy and the displaced. Note, Christians, in these Covid times, are you offering your home and your finances, your heart and your surplus to those who are caught up in the maelstrom of these times? If not, hmm, ask yourself how can I be numbered among the faithful (James 1:26-27)?
The LORD’s word is pure. You can read it. You can argue against it. You can test it. You can hold it up and every. single. time. it holds up as true and faithful and excellent—it withstands the test of time. The words of the LORD cannot be thrown down—in every generation they rise up again as praise-worthy and noble in ignoble times. This is why the government seeks to silence the church in the Covid times, the believers of God have the words that are pure, are true, are refined and are life.
As in every generation, so in our generation, the righteous and the faithful will face fines and prison. Those who oppose the murder of pre-born children are counted as vile in our generation. Yet Christians I call on you to honour those who defend life. Christians, like the Delta Hospice in B.C., where the government confiscated private property because the hospice refuses to allow Medical Assistance in Dying. A person coming to the hospice knows in advance it is a Christian centre, but the B.C. government hates to allow the LORD to be master over them in this area. Do not be distracted and allow Covid to be the only hill to test one’s faithfulness. Are you, dear Christian, keeping yourself from being stained by the world? Are you actively praying for those who disagree with you? Are you eating up the word desiring to be fed on all its delicacies so that you are growing up into maturity in Jesus Christ?
The psalm ends with a plea—to the LORD Who is pure and Protector—keep us from our own sins and keep us from the sins of this generation. Wickedness, when it is a constant drumbeat in our society and in our world, can drag us down—guard us O LORD.
Who is a god like You O LORD God Almighty? Puny as we are, it is easy for Christians to cheer a multi-tasker, who can juggle several things at once. But the greatest among us who can do many things does not even begin to approach Your infinite power and might, Your dominion and gracious activity on behalf of the cosmos, Your creatures and all flesh. You care for the widow and orphan. You plant governments and overthrow leaders. You know the names of the starving in Yemen and the distraught pleas of the board of governors of the Delta Hospice. You, faithful One, oversee the lives of the seven and a half billion (a number which is second by second increasing) people. You know every child in the womb. You know the conflicts in the minds of border security guards and police who may on the one hand personally disagree with the edicts of the government while on the other hand are required to uphold justice. O LORD, our Protector, You know the cries of our own hearts even as we confess we are double-minded and torn in various directions. Lead us by Your Word. For the glory of Jesus Christ, place us in His safety. Send Your Spirit so that in our sphere of influence—at work, at home, in politics, in church, in our circle of friends, in our nursing home or from our hospital beds—we will place our trust in You alone. Amen.
