Psalm 12: The Godly One Is Gone

To the choirmaster: according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.

Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone;
for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.

Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;
with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
the tongue that makes great boasts,
those who say, "With our tongue we will prevail,
our lips are with us; who is master over us?"

"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."

The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.

You, O Lord, will keep them;
you will guard us from this generation forever.

On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Tell about a time when you felt alone in a group of people, whether family or friends, who scorned or mocked you, people who felt proud and victorious over you. Was it easy to feel hatred or depression? Was it easy to pray for God's help?

Depressed, poor and needy people are rescued by God, but often only after they've experienced being plundered with painful groaning. How is God glorified by delaying His intervention in human tribulation?

In what way are the words of the Lord are like silver? What are some practical ways you've found that help you treat Scripture as a treasure?

"Keep" means to hedge about, as with a fence of thorns. "Guard" means to protect or conceal. "Safety" means liberty, deliverance and prosperity. In what ways this week have you felt kept, guarded and safe by God? In what ways does it seem that God's security fence around you has holes?

"Generation" means a revolution of time, an era or period of history. In what generation do you believe we are in right now, and what generation is next?

Digging Deeper

THE SHEMINITH: sheminit "shem-ee-NEETH" (probably an eight-stringed lyre); from shemini (eight)

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