Psalm 12 is another Psalm of
David, again addressed to the chief musician, again leading
the voice of the congregation of gods to bring their praise
unto God and the Saviour as one company. It's titled to the chief
musician upon Shemineth, a Psalm of David. We encountered Sheminith
previously in Psalm 6 to the chief musician on Neginoth upon
Sheminith, a Psalm of David. These different instruments that
are occasionally mentioned convey meaning. And this is one of those
Psalms that begins with a cry, Help Lord. And the depth of meaning
within is very much that cry of the Saviour. at the cross,
in his time of greatest need, when he was rejected of all men,
cast out, taken away, crucified. And where not only was he rejected
of man, but being crucified as the substitute of his people.
and bearing the sins of His people in His own body on the tree being
made sin being made that sacrifice which was offered up unto God
for the sin of His people being judged by Almighty God by His
own Father He was cast out by His own Father and as He passed
through the fires the fires of death as He was tried as it were
in a furnace In the depths He cries out, help Lord! And the people of God crucified
with their Saviour who know by union with Him the depths to
which He went for them. Whenever they know trial, whenever
they know persecution, whenever they see their father's face
turn aside when they know chastisement when they know what their sins
have brought they have some inkling of what their saviour suffered
in the furnace for them and they bring their praise to the chief
musician upon Sheminith with the cross firmly in their gaze
Psalm 12. To the Chief Musician upon Shem
and Iphos, Psalm of David. Help, Lord, for the godly man
Ceciph. For the faithful fail from among
the children of men. They speak vanity every one with
his neighbour. With flattering lips and with
a double heart do they speak. 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? 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. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord. Thou shalt preserve them from
this generation forever. The wicked walk on every side
when the vilest men are exalted. The words of the Lord are pure
words. As silver tried in a furnace
of earth purified seven times. The words of the Lord are pure
words. Now it's the contrast between
the pure words of the Lord and the wicked words of men. which permeates this psalm. But
as I've said the psalm is another which sets the gaze of his people
upon the saviour in the furnace of God's fires at the cross. And we will see as we consider
verse 6 in particular why a psalm which contrasts the words of
man with the words of God as a focus upon the cross. And how? Help, Lord, for the godly man
Ceciph, for the faithful fail from among the children of men. They speak vanity, every one
with his neighbour. With flattering lips and with
a double heart do they speak. 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? You see, the cry of David, he
of the Psalmist, and the cry of Christ, of whom he's a figure
in his hour of need. is one in which they feel their
isolation amidst the people in this world, the children of man
who speak with flattering lips and a double heart, whose tongues
speak proud things, Who think that with their words and their
speech and their tongue they will prevail. Who think that
their lips and their mouth and their words are their own. And
they can say what they like. They can speak their hateful
things. They can speak their hateful
things of fellow men and their hateful things of Almighty God
with impunity. This people says, with our tongue
will we prevail, our lips are our own. Who is Lord over us? And David, surrounded by such
people, cries out, help Lord, for the godly man sees it. I am surrounded by those who
say, whose Lord over us will do and say what we like and no
harm will come. And when Christ entered this
world of darkness, this world of sin, This world full of the
children of men. That's what he met with too.
They spake their hateful things of Christ and his people. They
spake their hateful things of Christ and his God and the Father. They boasted of who they were
and what they had done. and they thought that with their
speech and their wisdom and their words they would prevail and
this isn't just the irreligious primarily it is the religious. The scribes, the Pharisees, the
Sadducees, the religious of Christ's day flattered one another with their
lips and they spake proud things and they said we're God's people,
God blesses us, he has blessed us, he will bless us. They thought that no harm could
come their way, they thought that they were the one that did
God's service and whilst they spake of God
as Lord in reality their hearts as it were said who is Lord over
us because they felt that they were equal with him they felt
he was on their side he would do them no harm they felt they
could say what they like when in reality They had set
God aside and his truth, put their own ideas, their own ways,
their own thoughts in his place and worshipped those. These are
the people among whom David walked, among whom Christ walked. Which
moves him to cry out, help Lord, for the godly man, Ceceph, however
religious they may appear all around me. Whatever they may
say of God, whatever they may say of worship, whatever they
may say of their birth, and their origins, and their lineage. Whatever they may say of their
church, and their pastor, and their history, and their creed,
and their orthodoxy. Whatever they may say, they are
not godly. They hate the godly. when I walk
in their midst and speak of my Lord they turn and hate me they
flatter one another and with a double heart do they speak and they're full of their proud
ways and their proud thoughts and they say God is over us God
is our God yet when I speak of God they are moved to hatred
they worship another god another saviour another lord they worship
their own hearts have you done that with religion? by nature
you are born like this as all men and women are born you speak
vanity with your neighbour You have a flattering mouth. You have flattering lips and
a double heart. You have a tongue that speaks
proud things. You're hateful and hating. When
people do what you want, you will speak nicely of them. When
the same people get in your way, then you're turned to hatred.
You have a double heart. You say you love this one when
in reality you only love those that do what you want. And as it is with us by nature,
with no thought for God, so it is with us when we adopt religion. So it is when the natural man
takes the things of God and uses them for his own end. He may
take the scriptures upon his lips, but it's the same lips
that speak the words and the same double heart. It's the same tongue and the
same pride. And David cries out, help Lord,
for the godly man Ceciph. for the faithful fail from among
the children of men. I'm alone. I come amongst these
people and I speak thinking that they will agree, thinking that
they worship the same God, thinking that they know the God I know.
I come to the scriptures that they pick up and I speak of what
I see in the scriptures and I think I'll receive an amen from them
and instead I see their stern faces looking at me like I'm
a madman. And rather than finding myself
in the company of friends I find myself in the company of enemies.
I find myself feeling poor and needy in their midst alone. Help
Lord. but having cried out and having
described both the natural man and the natural man in religion
David writes in verse 5 the Lord's response the Lord's wonderful
response an undeserved response because when the Lord looks upon
this world and sees the great masses who every single one,
every single one of them, he looks upon the millions of people
and every single one of them has flattering lips and a double
heart and speaks proud things and says, with our tongue will
we prevail. Who is Lord over us? Every single
one of them. And every single one of them
is full of hate. both for their neighbour who
gets in their way and for the God whose righteousness condemns
them. Though God looks and sees the
world full of wickedness, full of sin, though He looks at you
and I and sees our hearts within and sees us for how we are, whatever
appearance we might put out on the outside when he looks at
us and looks within us and sees how filthy are our imaginations
and how wicked our thoughts are and how double-hearted our words
are when he sees how proud we are you might imagine that when
he looks upon us all that he would simply be moved to judge
and to destroy to cast us all out for that's what we deserve
and that's what we earn every day that's what the wicked deserve
that's what they earn every day and yet God looks upon this world
and in amongst the people He sees those whom he has chosen. He sees a great company scattered
amongst the multitudes. One here, one there. As wicked
as the rest. But he sees them in his son. And he says I chose that one.
And I will save that one. and I will cause that one to
grieve over their sin and to grieve over the iniquity I will
turn their hearts I will turn them from the words of man and
I will put a desire in their heart to cry out unto me and
when he puts that desire in their hearts when he turns them when
he sends forth his spirit to draw them they begin to turn
from the ways of man, turn from the wisdom of man, turn from
the words of man and begin to look for the Word of God and
to cry out that God should speak to them and that God should hear
them and they become grieved with the words of men all around
them and grieve with their own hearts and grieve with their
own iniquity And they begin to cry out, help Lord, have mercy
upon me Lord. I know what I am, I know what
I've done, I know what I've said, but Lord help me. And they feel
poor and they feel needy. They feel poor because they know
they've got no righteousness before such a God. They begin
to discover there's a God before whom they must stand and they've
got no righteousness. Their words are as wicked as
their neighbour's words. Their hearts are as double-hearted
as anyone else's. They know they're no better than
their fellow man. They look upon others in fact
and think that they're worse than others. They know they're
poor. They've got nothing. nothing
to commend themselves before God and they've got a great need
a great need of righteousness they begin to hunger and to thirst
after righteousness Lord give me righteousness else I die wash
me in the blood else I die Lord have mercy upon me give me water
to drink and food to eat and they cry and God looks upon such
needy He looks upon those in whose heart He has began to work
those to whom He has sent His Spirit those to whom He has began
to speak those to whom He has spoken words of forgiveness those
to whom He has begun to call and He looks upon them and says
of them 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 have you been brought there? do you know that you are poor?
not just poor but having nothing do you know that you are needy
not just needy but having a great need having nothing have you
cried out unto the God who has said for your need for your poverty
will I arise I will arise, I will go and I will deliver this people
from their sins. This people who with their lips
have cursed me. This people who with their mouths
have decried me and despised me and hated me. This people
who have spoken evil against my son. this people who have
spoken evil against those who love my son for this people who
have nothing I will arise and I will go and I will take their
words and take their hearts and take their sins and I will judge
it and I will take it all away and I will deliver them from
the iniquity from the sin within. I will deliver them from the
wrath which they have earned. I will deliver them from the
judgment which they deserve because I love them, because I have chosen
them in my Son. from all time from eternity from
before the foundations of the earth I loved them despite what
they are despite what they've done despite their words against
me I loved them and I will change them and I will deliver them
and I will draw them and they will follow me they will hear
me they will hear my words and they will follow me and so God
sent forth his son and sent his son the word of God into this
world that he might deliver his people from their sins. He sent
forth the word of God into the darkness to deliver his people
and he began to speak. The Word of God, the Son of God,
Jesus Christ, came into this world and began to speak. he had spoken before he was made
man by the prophets he had spoken from the very beginning it was
his speech which brought the world into being and it's his
speech which keeps the world in existence but he came as a
man and as a man he began to speak and to preach and to speak
words unlike any words that come from men There were no flattering
lips on this man. There was no double heart in
this man. His words spake of no proud figs. He never said, who is lord over
me? Well he knew his Lord, he knew
his God, he knew his Father, his Father sent him. And he came
to declare his Father unto a people that knew him not. He came to
preach unto a people who sat in darkness. He came to speak
that those who were in captivity should be set free. and his speech
went forth and goes forth and goes forth to this hour to this
day until the end of time. Have you heard his word? Have you heard his speech? If you hear this man speak, you
will live. The words of the Lord are pure
words. as silver tried in a furnace
of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord,
thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever. The
words of the Lord are pure words, so different from the words of
man. What words are your head full
of? What words today are your heads
full of? Every day you make a meal and
you eat it, three times a day perhaps and at other times. Every day you take food and it
enters into you and it causes you to grow. Well every day you
do the same with words. Every day you consume words and
they enter into you and those words will either cause you to
grow or they will cause you to die because they're poison. Now
you take care with your food to eat that which does you good
and many there are today who are increasingly concerned about
what they eat that they should eat healthfully. But do you take
the same care and concern with the words that you consume every
day? Because every day you take in
words. You heard the words of men all
around you. You read the words of men in
books. And what do those words do? Every day You may also read the
words of the Lord in his scriptures and hear the words of the Lord
in the gospel. And those words, God says, are
pure. How many words that go into your
diet every day are pure words? that strengthen you and cause
you to live? And how many words are those
laced with poison which bring you down to the grave? The words
of the Lord are pure words as silver tried in a furnace of
earth purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord. Thou shalt preserve them from
this generation forever. The wicked walk on every side
when the vilest men are exalted. Pure words. Yes, this is a psalm
in which we see the words of man. The words of the wicked. the flattering lips, the double
heart, the proud lips. The words of man, the speech
of man, contrasted with the words and the speech of God. We see the words that come from
the old man Adam and the word of God in the new man. the last Adam, Christ. We see
the Word of God Himself. Not only did Christ come and
speak, not only did He preach the Gospel, not only were all
His words pure and perfect, not only did He declare the wondrous
nature of His Father, and of salvation and of the righteousness
of God. Not only did He come speaking
of the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God, not only
were all His words pure words, but He Himself is the very Word
of God. When God the Father speaks, He
speaks by His Son. His Son Himself in all He says
and all He does and all He is, is an expression of the thoughts
and the words of God Himself. Christ is the embodiment of God's
speech. So if you have Christ, if you
hear Christ, if you know Christ, if Christ lives within your heart
by faith, then his very presence is the presence of the Word of
God. God's pure words within. Everything
we know of Christ, everything we see of Christ, everything
we hear of Christ, every conveyance of Christ to our soul is the
conveyance of the very Word of God. Now here David felt himself
alone. And when Christ was rejected
and went to the cross, he felt himself alone, surrounded by
the ungodly, surrounded by the wicked, surrounded by the words
of men, who cried out away with him, crucify him, who mocked
him, who scorned him, who spat at him, who derided him, who
rejected him, who said, if thou be the Son of God, if thou be
the Son of God, come down from the cross, save thyself. They
spat at him, they hated him. And all the words were evil words,
intent on killing, intent on slaying, intent on bringing to
nothing. And all our words by nature are
the same words, we've pierced him through with our words and
he felt surrounded by this. And where were his disciples,
where were his friends, where were his people? At a distance. And so many times in his ministry
he had spoken and he had preached the truth, he had declared the
pure words of God and so many times he had seen those who once
followed him, those who once professed him, those who once
called themselves his disciples become offended. and depart and
go away and say this isn't hard saying, we cannot take it. They left, they went, they went
so far they'd heard so much but there came a point where something
he said, some of the pure words of God cut them to the quick,
cut them to the heart and they said no more. Are you offended
at Christ's words? There was that day When many
left Christ they were offended. And Christ said to those few
disciples who remained, will ye also go away? And he will
say to you today, when you walk in this world, who hates Christ
and hates his God and hates his people and where you're surrounded
by those who have turned against him and turned against his gospel
where they mock any who serve God and any who speak of Christ
you are living and walking in such a world and he says to you
this day Though you may be on your own, though you may be two
or three, though you may be just a few who profess Christ's name,
he says to you, will you also go away? Do my words offend you? Would you rather have the flattering
words of men in this world for company, who tell you all is
well and tell you you're wonderful and boost your ego, Would you
rather be boosted up now and no judgement to come in the end?
Or will you suffer with me now? Will you be identified with the
Lord Jesus now? Will you hear His words now?
Even if it means being alone, even if it means being cast out,
even if it means suffering, will you stay with Him? Or will you also go away? He said that to his disciples.
And Peter said, Lord, to whom else shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life. We can go, but if we go, we go
into the darkness. We can go, but if we go, we walk
off into certain death. Our natural man says go. Our
flesh says go. Our natural wisdom says go. Be done with this suffering. We'd rather have the flattering
of men than suffer this pain and persecution. The natural
man says go. But the Spirit said unto Peter,
The Spirit revealed under Peter, God revealed under Peter, that
if he went, he'd be walking away from life itself. To whom else
shall we go? Thou, Lord. That's the words
of eternal life. Then to whom else will you go?
Will you listen to the words of men? The words of men which
say, Lo, follow here. Come here. Be rich. No pleasure. Go with the crowd, go with this
company. Will you follow the words of
men in religion that says, go to this meeting, go to that meeting.
Meet with us, be with a company of hundreds. Worship our God. Worship our Jesus. God blesses
us. Have a wonderful time with us.
Will you learn, listen to their deceptions and listen to their
false gospel and be led astray? Or will you hear the hard saying,
of the truth of a Saviour who died for a particular people,
His chosen people, who redeemed a particular people, who were
elect and chosen by God His Father before the foundation of the
world. Will you hear the words of the Saviour that says there
is no good in man, no righteousness? but I have come for those who
have nothing I have come for the poor and the needy for the
oppression of the poor for the sign of the needy I have come
and I have arisen and I have entered this world to give my
life at the cross for sinners will you hear his words or man's
words his words or man's words Oh how we need these words. How
we need the godly man in the midst of an evil generation.
Help Lord for the godly man sees it. Truly there was only one
truly godly man. Godly men are only godly as they're
united to Christ. There was only one truly godly
man and that godly man Christ Jesus. was rejected by the children
of men, and taken and crucified. Help, Lord, for the godly man
Ceciph." What will we do, the disciples thought, if Jesus is
slain? What will we do now? They have
taken our Saviour and they have crucified Him. The women came
to the tomb. where they'd laid the saviour
where they'd laid his body and they grieved what will they do? what will we do? they have taken
our Lord help Lord for the godly man ceases all around we hear
the speech of men who say he's dead he's dead, he's gone Today
they say to your soul, Jesus Christ is dead. It's as though
he never was. Why follow him? Who follows him
today? He's dead. And yet, the Lord has said that
his words are pure words. and though you slew my son though
he was tried in the furnace of the earth purified seven times
he has risen again he is seated on high His words I will preserve
from this generation forever. I will declare my son to the
four corners of this earth. To this generation, to the generation
when David wrote, to the generation when Christ was crucified and
rose again, to the generation of the apostles, to this generation
today, God declares His words. His word is preserved throughout
all generations. His word is pure and He will
make sure all for whom Christ died hear his words. This people said, with our tongue
will we prevail, O will they? You may say, with your tongue
I will prevail, O will you? who is Lord over us, you may
say. But one day, one day, you will
have to confess as they had to confess that Christ is Lord. For it is written, as I live,
saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall
confess to God, Romans 14, 11. Philippians 2 10 to 11 says the
same thing. At the name of Jesus every knee
should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things
under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Your tongue today
might say in pride, in arrogance, who's Lord over me? Not my employer. not my teacher, not my parents,
not my brother, not the police, not the government, there's no
Lord over me and certainly not God and one day, one day, you
will bow the knee, if not to man, you will bow the knee to
Almighty God and to the Son of God and you with every tongue
will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Don't be the fool. Don't be the fool. Don't follow
the iniquity of the speech of man. James has a great warning
about the tongue of man. Even so the tongue is a little
member and boasteth great things. Behold how great a matter a little
fire kindleth and the tongue is a fire a world of iniquity. So is the tongue among our members,
that it defileth the whole body, and seteth on fire the course
of nature, and is set on fire of hell. O what the tongue says! For every kind of beast and of
birds and of serpents and of things in the sea is tamed and
have been tamed of mankind. But the tongue can no man tame. It is an unruly evil full of
deadly poison, isn't it? You can't tame your tongue. When
you lose your temper, what things come out of your mouth? Oh, you
may regret them one day. You may wish you hadn't said
it to that person on that day, but you can't tame it. The poison
that flows forth. Therewith with our tongue bless
we God, even the Father, and therewith curse we men, which
are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth
proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought
not so to be. Oh, what a member the tongue
is, what it does, what it does, what anger it brings, what poverty
it brings, how it brings death. how the hatred of the tongue
puts people to death with your own heart and that hatred and
that poison that death that came from your tongue and my tongue
your double heart and my double heart is ultimately what took
the Son of God the Lord Jesus the Word of God and put him to
death. Put him to death upon a tree.
It's our tongue, our words which slew him. The words of the Lord
are pure words as silver tried in a furnace of earth. Why was
the Son of God crucified? Why did he pass through the fires
of God's wrath? Why was he tried as silver in
a furnace of earth? Why was he purified seven times
in that furnace? because of what our tongues and
our words did to him because of the sin that flowed forth
from our hearts and our mouths because of the hatred and the
hateful words that you and I have spoken because our hatred said
crucify him and because he being crucified bore the sins and the
sinful words and the hateful tongues and the hateful hearts
of his people. Those hateful hearts that said
crucify him, he bore them and he bore the rougher God against
them. For the oppression of the poor,
for the sign of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord.
I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. How
will God arise? How will he set the poor and
needy in safety? by taking His pure Son, by taking
His pure words, by taking the Word of God and plunging Him
in a furnace, purifying Him seven times at the cross, taking their
sin, taking the sins of the poor, the sins of the needy, the sins
of His people and placing them upon His Son and crucifying His
Son and burning His own Son in a furnace. that all the evil
words might be burnt up, that all the sin might be taken aside
in the furnace, that all the dross upon the silver might be
taken away, that the silver, the pure silver of Christ, the
pure word of God might arise perfectly. That's how. That's how. Have you looked into that furnace
and seen one like unto the Son of Man walking in the midst? Have you looked and seen as it
were three children of God thrown into a furnace for their stand
for God as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were in Babylon? when the king threw them into
the furnace. Have you seen the witnesses of
God thrown into a furnace, but seen alongside them their saviour,
the Son of Man, the Son of God, walking in the midst, who took
their iniquity? and burnt it up for them, that
he might deliver them, and that the other side of death, he with
them, might arise victorious. Have you heard his words? Have
you heard His words calling out unto you from the midst of that
suffering? Have you heard His words calling
unto His God, Help Lord, for the godly man Ceciph? Have you
heard the word of God speaking to His Son in the midst, This
is my beloved Son, hear ye Him. This is my Son in whom I am well
pleased. Have you heard the Lord God the
Father looking upon His Son and being well pleased with Him because
of what He would do, because of His priesthood, His sacrifice,
His suffering, His death? Have you heard the words of Christ
in the Gospel saying unto you, I came into this world to save
sinners. I, my name is Jesus. because
I shall save my people from their sins. Have you heard his pure
words? For the word of God is quick
and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing
even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the
joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of
the heart. This Word, the Son of God, will
cut through your false appearance of godliness. He'll cut through
your pride, he'll cut through your flattering, he'll cut through
your arrogance. He can divide soul and spirit,
joint and marrow, and he can discern the thoughts and intents. of even your evil heart. Have you heard this word? Have
you heard the pure words? Have you heard the living words?
The hour is coming and now is, when even the dead in the graves
shall hear the voice of the Son of God and live. The wicked walk
on every side, when the vilest men are exalted. You may be surrounded
by the wicked. Your own heart may be enveloped
by an old man of iniquity who wars against anything of God
within. Believer, you may know the old
man warring against the spirit, the flesh and the spirit's battle.
The wicked may be on every side and the vilest may be exalted.
for have you heard the pure words within that come from the Saviour
that say all is well God's Word is preserved from this generation
forever thou shalt keep them O Lord thou shalt preserve them
from this generation forever both His words and His people
who are united to His Word the Word of God the Son of God He'll
keep His words and He'll keep His people and men can no longer
destroy, they cannot destroy God's people any more than they
can destroy His words. Child of God, man can do nothing
to you no matter what he may say or do and he will say many
things and do many things. There have been many atrocities
throughout time but this week various atrocities are remembered
in this century. Hitler put millions of Jews to
death in this century. The Ottoman Empire put millions
of Armenians and Christians to death and many have suffered
for the sake of their profession and because of the depravity
and evil of man. That depravity and evil which
springs forth from the words and the wisdom of men. Men may
say many things. They may even put you to death. But in the end, if you're gods,
you will rise with the Saviour, if you have heard His word and
followed Him. Will you also go away? To whom
else shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life. The words of the Lord are pure
words. A silver tried in a furnace of
earth purified seven times. Whose words are you hearing? Whose words have you heard? Which
words will bring you life? Which words will do you good?
Which words will save your soul? The word of man or the word of
God? Amen.