The Power of Words: Help for the Moral Minority (Ps 12)

Read Psalm 12:

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. 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.

Understand Psalm 12:

Words are important. They are the building blocks of communication and the lifeblood of our relationships. Words also reveal the heart (Luke 6:45). Boastful, deceptive, and self-serving words reveal the heart of the wicked, whereas pure, effective, and life-giving words reveal the heart of the godly. Words also have consequences. They have the power to heal or to harm, for “death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov 18:21). The book of Proverbs details the negative consequences which arise from wicked or foolish speech (see 15:1-2, 4, 28; 17:27; 18:6–8, 21; 19:5; 20:20; 21:23, 28), but also the blessings which words can deliver (23:15-16). Psalm 12 demonstrates how we must counteract false words (vv. 1-4) with faithful words (vv. 5-8).[1]

I. The Harmful Power of False Words (vv. 1-4)

The righteous in Israel constitute the moral minority, so David feels alone (v. 1). He then describes three kinds of false words people may speak against us (v. 2). Some boast with “empty talk” to make themselves look better. Instead, believers must speak with both honesty and humility (Eph 4:15). Next, some speak slippery words with “flattering lips” to “tickle the ears” of those they’re trying to please (2 Tim 4:3). Instead, believers must speak the truth in love for the purpose of building up (Eph 4:25, 29). Lastly, some speak deceptively from “a double heart.”[2] We might say, “They talk out of both sides of their mouth,” or “They say one thing, but mean another.” Double-hearted speech harms both the speaker and the listener (Jas 3:5). Thus, David calls down judgment on the wicked (Ps 12:3-4) who declare themselves greater than God and seek to prevail by the power of their words.

II. The Healing Power of Faithful Words (vv. 5-8)

God answers David’s plea directly and moves to save him (v. 5). So also, the Lord sees our present trials and hears our painful groaning. Our God of truth (Ps 31:5; Isa 65:16) will never lie (Num 23:19) when he promises to act. Unlike the empty, boastful, deceitful words of the proud, his words are as pure as silver refined seven times (Ps 12:6). Thus, God’s Word is both precious and perfect. It contains no errors (19:7) and retains absolute authority (119:160). It is life-giving (119: 25, 107) and effective for growth in godliness. As Jesus prayed for his disciples, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). Charles Spurgeon also commented on this passage:

The Bible has passed through the furnace of persecution, literary criticism, philosophic doubt, and scientific discovery, and has lost nothing but those human interpretations which clung to it as alloy to precious ore. The experience of the saints has tried it in every conceivable manner, but not a single doctrine or promise has been consumed in the most excessive heat.^[3]

God promises to keep his words (Ps 12:7). Therefore, our confidence moves from God’s Word to God himself. God’s Word reveals his character.

• It speaks to his sovereignty: He has the right to his children’s obedience.
• It speaks to his wisdom: He knows more than we do.
• It speaks to his love: His commands are for our good.
• It speaks to his justice: He will bless and curse accordingly.
• It speaks to his power: He is able to accomplish all that he says.
• It speaks to his trustworthiness: He keeps his promises.
• It speaks to his eternality: He is the same God yesterday, today, and forever.
• It speaks to his immutability: He does not change.
• It speaks to his faithfulness: His Word will stand forever.

God has given us even more than just his written Word: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). In the fullness of time, God sent his Son to be the embodiment of his Word and the revelation of God’s character. Thus, Jesus Christ put on human flesh and tabernacled (“dwelt”) among us. He ate and drank; talked and laughed; taught and did miracles. He lived a perfect life, then died upon a Roman cross. He was buried in a grave, but on the third day he rose to life again. Believers speak the truth in love because our Lord Jesus was full of grace and truth. We anticipate future glory because we have seen Christ’s glory. We know the Father because the Son was made known to us. And we trust that we will one day dwell in heaven because Jesus dwelt on earth.

In Psalm 12, David bolsters our confidence in the Word of God. Yet surprisingly, we come to verse 8 and none of his circumstances seem to have changed. David is still surrounded by his enemies and the wicked are just as rampant as ever: “Vileness [or worthless speech] is exalted.” Yet David is able to write this psalm with joy because his heart has been transformed. So also, it is not a change in our circumstances which fills us with confidence, but the conviction that God’s Word is always pure and true. We can trust it when life is scary and seems to be falling down around us. We can trust it when we’re the moral minority and the wicked are speaking falsely. We can trust it because God’s Word is firmly grounded in God’s character.

Apply Psalm 12:

1. In what ways do you feel like the moral minority—seeking to do right when the world around you is doing wrong? What trials are you facing as a result? Cry out to God for help!
2. Which false words do you struggle with the most: empty boasting, flattering speech, or double-talk? Ask God to help you confess and turn from those sins today.
3. God’s Word declares itself to be inerrant, authoritative, and effective for training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Pet 1:3). How does faith in Scripture’s self-attesting truths equip you for everyday challenges?
4. What do you learn about God’s character through his self-revelation? List five attributes of God which he displays in Psalm 12 and meditate on them throughout the week.

Pray Psalm 12:

• Lord, help me when I feel alone (vv. 1, 5)
• Shut up the mouths of the wicked (vv. 2-4)
• Thank you for your pure and precious Word (v. 6)
• Grant me a greater love for Scripture (v. 7)
• Teach me to trust you in troubling times (v. 8)

Counsel Psalm 12:

People talk. And very often your counselees have been wounded by the sharp words of others (Prov 12:18a). Offer them your own healing words of compassion and God’s healing truths from Scripture (v. 18b). Teach them how wicked words are rooted in the heart (Luke 6:43-45) and show them how to speak words which build up instead of tearing down (Eph 4:29).

[1] A chiastic structure appears to emphasize this contrast.

[2] Literally, “they speak with a heart and a heart.”

^[3] C. H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, vol. 1a, Psalms 1–26 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1968), 143.