For example, if you want to know something about:
• LAW AND GRACE, the apostle Paul would be the one you would want to talk to.
• SUFFERING AND AFFLICTION, Job would be the one you would want to talk to.
• ESCHATOLOGY, you would want to consult John, the revelator.
• But, if you wanted to know something about DECEPTION, you probably would want to turn to the book Psalms, and talk to David.
Why? Because he was a man who was deceived MANY TIMES, by MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
From the time David was a young man, he had to deal with deception. This explains the fact that we see so much sorrow in his life as we read through the book of Psalms. For example:
• When he was in King Saul's court, many lies were told to King Saul about him. Some of those who told the lies were people David had thought were his friends.
• When he was fleeing for his life from King Saul, we read in 1 Samuel 23, that David saved the people of Keilah from the Philistines. But those same people were ready to turn David over to King Saul. We read in 1 Samuel 23:12, "Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said, They will deliver thee up." That must have been a big disappointment, to be DECEIVED by the people of Keilah, after he had saved them from the Philistines.
• Also, in this same chapter, Ziphites tried to profit financially by selling David into the hands of Saul.
• Absalom, David's own son, conspired against him to try to take his own throne from him.
• Ahithophel, David's long-time friend and counselor, literally sold him out lock, stock, and barrel.
• When David was king, many came and deceived him so they could get special favors from him.
No one can tell you any more about deception than David. In fact, he knew so much about deception that it motivated him to write Psalm 12.
We want to look at THREE things in this Psalm. First let’s look at -
I. HIS PETITION
Through all the deception that David had been through, he was hurt many times.
There are people who have been hurt so badly in relationships, that they find it very difficult to believe that there is anyone they can trust. For example-
• There are people who have come out of a nasty marriage relationship, and now they are afraid to enter another relationship.
• There are people who at one time had been active in a church, and they were so wounded spiritually by those who claimed to be spiritual, that they are now afraid to become active in a church again.
• There are pastors who have been so hurt by the people they ministered to, that they are reluctant to ever take a church again.
• There are a lot of hurting people in our society who have been seriously injured emotionally, and now they feel they have been forced to live alone in a small world, because they cannot trust anyone!
David, who was battered by so many, came close to being destroyed this way. We can see that in Psalm 12. We see in verse one that he had reached the place where he thought...
A. THE GODLY MAN IS DEPARTED FROM THE EARTH
Look at verse 1, David said, "...Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men."
Notice, David began the Psalm by crying out, "HELP." We can almost visualize David looking up to heaven, and saying, "...Help, LORD..."
Illus: David was like a drowning man who was going down for the last time, and he screamed out to God for assistance - "...Help LORD..."
WHY DID HE SCREAM FOR HELP? We do not have to depend on conjecture. He said it was because, "...the godly man ceaseth..."
As we look around us, many times it seems that we are surrounded by the UNGODLY, in great numbers.
In fact, there are so many UNGODLY compared to the GODLY, at times it seems there are no godly.
Illus: In the Old Testament, we read of another great man named Elijah, who felt the same way David felt - that there were no more godly men left on the earth. He was talking to the Lord about the situation and said, "I, even I only am left."
David had been DECEIVED BY SO MANY, that he was convinced that at this time in his life, NO MORE GODLY MEN EXISTED ON THE EARTH.
That was why he told the Lord, (Paraphrase) "THE FAITHFUL MEN OF GOD ARE DEPARTED FROM THE EARTH." Also, look at...
B. THE GODLESS MAN DEFINED ON EARTH
After being repeatedly deceived, David did not have a good opinion of mankind.
How did David see evil man? He saw...
1. THE EVIL MAN'S DECEITFULNESS
Look at verses 2-4, we read, "They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.”
Notice, they speak with flattery.
Illus: “Flattery is usually a lie about you, told in such a way that
you'd like to believe it." - Unknown
Listen, if you believe everything you HEAR and WANT TO HEAR, you are in trouble.
Illus: Someone said, "It is better to fall among crows than flatters; for those devour only the dead -- these the living." (Antisthenes - Instant Quotation Dictionary , p. 135.)
David said that the deceiver could be best described, as he saw it, as a man who...
(A) SPEAKS WORDS OF VANITY
Look at verse 2, we read, “They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.”
In our society, many people have learned how to speak words of vanity.
WHAT ARE WORDS OF VANITY? They are words that are considered WORTHLESS!
• They may tell you they will be at a certain place at a certain time, but they will not be there. Their words are worthless!
• They may promise to pay you money they borrow from you, but they will not. Their words are worthless!
• They make marriage vows to be faithful to their marriage partner, but they will not be faithful. Their words are worthless!
• They may join a church and promise to faithfully support it financially, and with their attendance, but they will do neither. Their words are worthless!
• They may dedicate their children to the Lord, and promise to raise them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord, but they will not, because their words are worthless!
David had been DECEIVED many times by those who spoke worthless words!
Notice, David said they speak with “Flattering lips”. Why? It is because they have a purpose.
Illus: A Fox once saw a crow fly off with a piece of cheese in its beak, and settle on a branch of a tree. He very much would like to have that same piece of cheese.
He came up with a plan. He said to the crow, "How well you are looking to-day: how glossy your feathers; how bright your eye.”
He knew he had the crows attention as he further said, “I feel sure your voice must surpass that of other birds, just as your figure does; let me hear but one song from you that I may greet you as the Queen of Birds."
The Crow lifted up her head and began to caw her best, but the moment she opened her mouth the piece of cheese fell to the ground, only to be snapped up by Mr. Fox who then ran off through the woods.
DO NOT TRUST FLATTERERS. They use words to accomplish their evil goals. In other words, their words are worthless.
The deceiver will tell you anything you want to hear, so long as it accomplishes what he wants to accomplish, but there is no truth in his words. THEY ARE WORTHLESS!
That is, he will say one thing to your face that sounds good, but he is not thinking good things about you, and he will say something entirely different behind your back.
Also, the deceiver is a man that...
(B) SPEAKS WORDS OF DECEPTION
The psalmist says they speak with a DOUBLE HEART.
Illus: Remember, the Indians used to say the person who did this spoke "WITH A FORKED TONGUE."
In other words, such a person might as well have two tongues in his mouth, because he says two different things! And David, no doubt, had placed his faith many times in the words of a person who had SAID ONE THING, but who later SAID JUST THE OPPOSITE!
David saw that wicked men carried out their DECEPTION through words of VANITY, through FLATTERY, and DECEPTION.
David saw THE EVIL MAN’S DECEITFULNESS, but David also saw...
2. THE EVIL MAN'S DOWNFALL
Look at verses 3-4, we read, "The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?"
Look at the arrogance of sinful men. They say, "We will use our tongues to lie and speak words of VANITY and FLATTERY as long as we want to. We can do this, and no one is smart enough, or powerful enough to stop us!"
Sinful man has looked North, East, South, and West for someone to stop him, and there is no one! But, his mistake is that he has forgotten to look above, into heaven.
Look at verse 3, and notice, "The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things."
David recognized that there was nothing he could do about the DECEPTION of the tongue, except PETITION the Lord.
But God has PLEDGED that these will not continue. Look at...
II. HIS PLEDGE
Look at Psalm 12:5-6, "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."
In these two verses God pledged two things:
A. HIS ASSISTANCE
Look at verse 5, He promised, "...now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him."
One thing most adults know is that a person can say some of the most atrocious and scandalous things they can imagine about us, and there is not much we can do about it.
We are at the mercy of those who have no mercy.
Illus: In our judiciary system, when people are accused of doing wrong, they are taken to court and before they can be convicted of what they have been accused of, there is a trial where they can defend themselves, and there has to be enough evidence to prove guilt.
BUT, NOT SO WITH THE UNGODLY!
Without any evidence, they will put our reputation on public display, and without a shred of evidence, pronounce us guilty of all kinds of evil when there is not a thing we can do about it, even though we are innocent.
Look at the words, "...puffeth at him." They remind us of the story of the THREE LITTLE PIGS.
Illus: Remember, two of the little pigs lost their houses, because the big bad wolf huffed and puffed until he blew their houses down.
The ungodly will HUFF and PUFF until their evil tongues have destroyed the character of people that they do not like.
God has pledged HIS ASSISTANCE to stop them. No one else can, but God can.
Look at something else we see in God's pledge...
B. HIS ASSURANCE
What is HIS ASSURANCE?
He assures us that the UNGODLY speak WORTHLESS WORDS, but that His Words are not worthless!
You see, God can promise us ASSISTANCE, but if His word is worthless, like mankind’s, then we have no ASSISTANCE!
But God’s Word is not like evil man.
Look at verse 6, God says, "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.."
The psalmist was referring to the most severely purifying process known to the ancients. Through this process, all the waste matter is consumed and the only thing left is pure silver.
One day, all the WORTHLESS and DECEPTIVE words that man has spoken will vanish, but the Word of God will ENDURE.
WHAT A CONTRAST!
• The words of sinful men are worthless.
• The Words of God are like silver that has been tried seven times!
God's Word is pure truth, and He assures us that He will take care of those who are deceitful!
Conclusion:
David, who opened the psalm by crying out for help, found the help he needed in the God he served.
Look at Psalm 12:7-8, "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."
David was saying that even though we are surrounded by the most vile men, God shall preserve us!
• In verse 1, David was pleading for God's help.
• But notice in verses 7-8 that the wicked were still very much a part of his life, yet his attitude is different.
WHAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE?
In verse 1, he could only see HIS PROBLEM. By the time he got to verses 7-8, he could see the PROBLEM SOLVER, and he was no longer afraid.
We can see a trend as we read through the Psalms. That is, when David kept his eyes on the Lord, he was not afraid, but like Peter in the New Testament, who took his eyes off the Lord as he was walking on the water and he became afraid, so it was in David's life, and so it is in our lives too.
He said in Psalm 56:3 “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.”
I. HIS PETITION
A. THE GODLY MAN IS DEPARTED FROM THE EARTH
B. THE GODLESS MAN IS DEFINED ON THE EARTH
1. THE EVIL MAN'S DECEITFULNESS
2. THE EVIL MAN'S DOWNFALL
II. HIS PLEDGE
A. HIS ASSISTANCE
B. HIS ASSURANCE
