Psalm 12: A description of today's Christians

Psalm 12:

Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases!
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.

2 They speak idly everyone with his neighbor;
With flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
And the tongue that speaks proud things,

4 Who have said,
“With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are our own;
Who is lord over us?”

5 “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,
Now I will arise,” says the Lord;
“I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.”

6 The words of the Lord are pure words,
Like silver tried in a furnace of earth,
Purified seven times.

7 You shall keep them, O Lord,
You shall preserve them from this generation forever.

8 The wicked prowl on every side,
When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

This Psalm is increasingly becoming a correct description of our world today. This Psalm is not focusing on the sin of man, but something much more sinister and dangerous. It focuses on our respect, reverence and attitude toward God. Romans 3:23 tells us, “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”. We are all sinners and live in a way which is not of God. John 15:25 Jesus states, “…they hated me without cause.” 

There has always been those who believe and those who do not. As Christians Jesus instructs us to go and preach the gospel (Matthew 28:19), to seek and save those that are lost (Luke 19:10). However, today the distinction between those which are saved and those who are lost is becoming increasingly unclear.

Today the very people who claim to love God hold the very views that are against Him. They may be open about their faith or go out in God’s name to do His work, yet they do not preach that which is of God. 

Matthew 7:21-23 says, “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you: depart form Me, you who practice lawlessness!”

Many Christians today pick and chose what to believe. They take the parts they enjoy and leave the parts which are not in line with today’s world. They are happy to accept that they are saved, they are happy to accept that Jesus died for their sin, yet they refuse to accept what God commands, they refuse to acknowledge that God is a God to be feared who sees sin as grave and serious and hates it in its totality, they refuse to separate themselves from the world.

“The godly man ceases!”

People speak idle, flattering words. They are no longer preaching the truth of Christ, they preach the unoffensive and that which flatters peoples ears. The fools do not realise that by replacing God’s Word and views with what they believe to be best they are ceasing to preach the truth at all. They are false, promoting a God that does not exist.

We must be vigilant in this time and be sure not to fail to acknowledge the true God. We must be sure to stay close to what His Word states, rather than substituting it for our own views, which can so easily be done.

There may be things within God’s Word which we do not like or agree with, but this does not mean that we can ignore them or change them. Our faith is based upon that which we know from the Word of God. It does not change with the times. It is the independent standard on which we base our belief. Without an unchanging objective standard to base our faith upon our faith becomes worthless.

“With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?”

How familiar this verse sounds today. Those who claim to be Christians, claim to follow God but then turn Him into something which they are comfortable with. They speak their own opinions and claim they are God’s. If they are challenged they become offended and defensive. “How dare there be a God who does not stand for what I think is right” they say. They are both deceived and deceivers. They exalt the vileness among the sons of men and use God's name to do it. They claim that God condones sinful acts. They do not know what they say. They do not understand the blasphemies they speak. They constantly underestimate the might and perfection of God.  They fail to see that the Words of the Lord are pure and right, like silver tried in a furnace, purified many times. We must remember that it is us who are sinful, not God. If there are things in the Bible which do not add up with our life, that is because our life is not as God intended it to be. However, so many people today are arrogant and refuse to accept this, therefore they turn God into something which they can agree with.

There are very few who are faithful today. There are very few who a reverent today. We all fall short of God's glory, and we all continue to make mistakes for it is in our nature. We can be confident in the knowledge that we can be forgiven in Christ Jesus our Lord. But, to claim the forgiveness of Jesus, and then proceed to act in a way completely irreverent to Him is despicable. How dare we, as human beings attempt to change God into something that He is not.

Jeremiah 5:22: “Do you not fear Me? Says the Lord, “Will you not tremble at my presence?”

There is no longer any fear of God among His people. We are irreverent of his awe and might. Philippians 2:12 states that we should “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.” I see very few meek people who are working out what is right and good. Instead I see arrogant and flippant people who are quick to speak  (James 1:19). They all too easily describe God in a way which is acceptable to the world.

We need to fear the Lord. We need to be reverent of the Lord. We need to be respectful and obedient to His Word. 

John 14:15 Jesus states “If you love me then you would keep my commandments”.

The state of the church is a sad sad scene currently. We need to wake up and ask ourselves who we wish to follow. If it is the world, then God has blessed us with freewill so that we can live how we want. If it is God then we must keep His commandments. But how dare people declare to love God and then publicly speak views that are not of Him. How dare people blaspheme His name and lower Him and debase Him by using His name to speak their own views and opinions. You are liable to be vomited out of His mouth (Revelation 3:16). You are liable to be told “I never knew you!”

I see so few Christians who are faithful to who God is and what He stands for.

The Bible tells us to cease from sin and to do and seek that which is good. (Amos 5:14). But not only that, it tells us to “purify our hearts” (James 4:8). Let us cast off our worldly minds and hold faithful to that which is right and true, whether it is popular with the world or not. Whatever we do, let us make sure that we do not blaspheme the name of Almighty God and debase Him by claiming Him to be something that He is not. He is the Lord God Almighty, to be feared more than any man (Matthew 10:28). Let us give Him the respect and honour He deserves. 

Do not put man's slant on God.

-BACChristian