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God calls us to take Him at His Word which is most clearly seen in Jesus.

“The Psalm begins from a similar situation to others that appear in the Psalter. It again presupposes a society where the social order is near collapse. There seems to be no one you could trust; no committed people, no people who are true and on whose word you can rely. People speak smoothly and plausibly, and in regular circumstances you would trust them, but you suspect there is no substance to what they say and to the undertakings they give you.” (John Goldingay)

Psalm 12:0-8 (ESV)
Psa. 12:0 To the choirmaster: according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.
Psa. 12:1 Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone;
for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
Psa. 12:2 Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;
with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
Psa. 12:3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips,
the tongue that makes great boasts,
Psa. 12:4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,
our lips are with us; who is master over us?”
Psa. 12:5 “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.”
Psa. 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words,
like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.
Psa. 12:7 You, O LORD, will keep them;
you will guard us from this generation forever.
Psa. 12:8 On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

Point 1: Taking God at His Word…Means Making Him the Priority, and Not Man (Vv. 1-4)

Psalm 12:1 (NLT)
Help, O LORD, for the godly are fast disappearing! The faithful have vanished from the earth!

Psalm 12:2 (ESV)
Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

Psalm 12:3 (ESV)
May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts.

Psalm 12:3 (Message)
Slice their lips off their faces! Pull the braggart tongues from their mouths!

None of this talk, unfortunately, is mere hot air. It can have considerable effects. Destructive gossip, undemocratic legislation, language devalued by political correctness, the media’s drowning of quality in quantity, are all examples. All such words abuse the precious gift of communication. It is one of the ‘foundations’ which are being destroyed. So serious a matter is the abuse of words that a society which lets it happen must be one from which the faithful have vanished. (Michael Wilcock)

Point 2: Taking God At His Word…Ensures Protection for the Humble and Needy (V. 5)

Psalm 12:5 (ESV)
“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.”

Romans 8:26 (NLT)
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

Isaiah 66:2 (ESV)
But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

Philippians 4:7 (NLT)
Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Point 3: Taking God at His Word…Means Resting In What is True and Perfect (Vv. 6-8)

John 1:14 (NLT)
So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

Hebrews 1:1-2 (NLT)
Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2 And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son.

Suffering is unbearable if you aren’t certain that God is for you and with you. - (Tim Keller, Walking With God Through Pain and Suffering)

Psalm 12:7-8 (NLT)
Therefore, 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.

John 16:33 (NLT)
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.