12:1Living for God in a deceitful world can be difficult and lonely. At one time the great prophet Elijah felt so lonely he wanted to die. But God told him that there were 7,000 other faithful servants (1 Kings 19:4, 14, 18). We are never alone in our battle against evil. When you fee! alone, seek out other believers or strength and support.
Life Application Study BiblePsalmsChapter 12
Psalm 12
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 853, 854
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
12Psalm 12
1Help, O LORD, for the godly are fast disappearing!The faithful have vanished from the earth!
2Neighbors lie to each other,speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts.
3May the LORD cut off their flattering lipsand silence their boastful tongues.
4They say, “We will lie to our hearts’ content.Our lips are our own—who can stop us?”
5The LORD replies,
6I have seen violence done to the helpless,and J have heard the groans of the poor.Now I will rise up to rescue them,as they have longed for me to do.”12:TITLE Hebrew according to the sheminith.
6 The LORD’s promises are pure,like silver refined in a furnace,purified seven times over.
7Therefore, LORD, we know you will protect the oppressed,preserving them forever from this lying generation,8 even though the wicked strut about,and evil is praised throughout the land.Theme: Praying for relief from despair. We must continue to trust God.he doesn’t answer us immediately.
Author: David
13 For the choir director: A psalm of David.
Life Application Notes 4 notes
12:2-4We may be tempted to believe that some lies are relatively harmless, even useful at times. But God does not overtook lies, flattery, deception, or boasting. Each of these sins originates from a bad attitude that is eventually expressed in our speech. he tongue can be our greatest enemy because, though small, it can do great damage (James 3:5, 6). Be careful how you use yours.
12:5God cares for the helpless and the poor. Here he promises to protect the downtrodden and confront their oppressors. We should identify with God's attitude. His work is not done until we care for the needs of the poor.
12:6Sincerity and truth are extremely valuable because they are so rare. Many people are deceivers, liars, flatterers; they think they will get what they want by deception. As a king, David certainly faced his share of such people, who hoped to win his favor and gain advancement through flattery. When we feel as though sincerity and truth have nearly gone out of existence, we have one hope—the Word of God. God’s Word is as pure and flawless as refined silver. So listen carefully when he speaks to you through his Word.
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