Psalm 12
The title reads, To the Chief Musician. On an eight stringed harp. A Psalm of David. As with many titles in this section of the Psalter, it identifies the intended musical direction, the instrument, and the human author. The mention of an eight stringed instrument suggests a carefully arranged liturgical setting. This is not a private journal entry, but a psalm designed for public worship. David brings before the congregation a theme that is painfully relevant in every generation, the corruption of human speech contrasted with the purity of God’s Word. The psalm exposes the destructive power of sinful words and exalts the absolute reliability of divine revelation.
A. The Problem of Flattering Lips
Psalm 12:1–2
“Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; 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.”
David begins with a direct cry for intervention. “Help, LORD” is abrupt and urgent. The Hebrew construction emphasizes desperation. He does not first strategize, retaliate, or gather allies. He appeals to the covenant name of God. The spiritual decline he observes is not merely social decay, it is covenant unfaithfulness.
“For the godly man ceaseth” reflects David’s perception that the faithful remnant had diminished. This does not mean that no believers remained, but that righteousness had become rare and marginalized. Similar language appears in Micah 7:2, which states, “The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men.” Such seasons arise when truth is unpopular and compromise is rewarded.
“They speak vanity every one with his neighbour.” Vanity here means emptiness, falsehood, or deceit. Speech has become detached from truth. Instead of being a vehicle of righteousness, words are hollow and manipulative. Scripture consistently reveals that speech reflects the heart. The Lord Jesus Christ declared in Matthew 12:34, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” Corrupt speech is evidence of corrupt affections.
“With flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.” A double heart literally means “a heart and a heart,” divided loyalty, duplicity, hypocrisy. This is not mere politeness but calculated insincerity. Proverbs 26:28 states, “A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.” Flattery does not serve others, it serves self interest. It tells people what they want to hear to gain advantage.
The dispensational framework does not alter the moral principle. Though Israel and the Church are distinct in redemptive history, the ethical corruption of fallen humanity remains constant. Daniel 11:32 warns of the coming Antichrist, stating, “And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries.” Flattery becomes a political and spiritual weapon in the last days. David’s experience anticipates patterns that will intensify in eschatological rebellion.
Psalm 12:3–5
“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.”
David calls for divine judgment. “The LORD shall cut off” is not personal vengeance but appeal to righteous justice. The imagery of cutting off reflects covenantal discipline. Psalm 101:5 similarly states, “Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off.”
The offenders are characterized by pride. “With our tongue will we prevail.” They believe speech is power and that narrative control guarantees victory. This arrogance is rooted in autonomy. “Our lips are our own: who is lord over us?” This is the essence of rebellion, practical atheism. Psalm 14:1 declares, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” Even when not verbally denying God’s existence, they deny His authority.
Scripture teaches clearly that the tongue is not autonomous. James 3:8 states, “But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” The believer recognizes that the tongue must be surrendered to divine lordship. First Corinthians 6:20 affirms, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” That includes speech.
In verse 5 the voice shifts dramatically. “Now will I arise, saith the LORD.” Human arrogance cannot silence divine authority. When God arises, history changes. Isaiah 33:10 declares, “Now will I rise, saith the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself.” Divine intervention is often delayed, but never absent.
The reason for God’s intervention is moral, not merely personal. “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy.” Flattering speech is not harmless. It produces injustice. Lies distort judgment, corrupt leadership, and crush the vulnerable. God’s character as defender of the oppressed is consistent throughout Scripture. Psalm 146:7 states, “Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry.”
“I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.” The phrase “puffeth at him” suggests scornful contempt. The wicked treat the righteous with derision. Yet divine protection overrides human contempt. Proverbs 18:10 declares, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”
David identifies himself with the needy. He is king, warrior, and national leader, yet spiritually he stands among the afflicted who depend entirely upon God. The contrast between human words and divine Word becomes increasingly clear. Human speech is unstable, manipulative, and proud. God’s speech is decisive, righteous, and protective.
B. The Words of God and the Wickedness of Men
Psalm 12:6–7
“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 for ever.”
The contrast is deliberate and sharp. After exposing the corruption of human speech, David now magnifies the perfection of divine speech. “The words of the LORD are pure words.” The term pure signifies moral cleanness, freedom from corruption, and absolute reliability. In a world of vanity and duplicity, God’s speech is flawless.
The imagery of silver refined in a furnace intensifies the thought. Silver in ancient metallurgy was heated repeatedly to remove all dross. “Purified seven times” conveys completeness. Seven in Scripture often signifies perfection or fullness. Proverbs 30:5 affirms the same truth, “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.” There is no admixture of falsehood in divine revelation.
Psalm 19:8 declares, “The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.” God’s Word is not merely accurate, it is life giving and illuminating. Human words confuse and manipulate, divine words clarify and sanctify.
The reliability of God’s promises stands in contrast to the instability of man. Second Corinthians 1:20 states, “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” Where man speaks “yea and nay,” God speaks certainty. His covenant commitments do not fluctuate with political climate or public opinion.
David continues, “Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” Within a Baptist, high view of Scripture, this is a powerful affirmation of divine preservation. God not only inspired His Word, He superintends its preservation. Isaiah 40:8 declares, “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” The endurance of Scripture is not accidental, it is providential.
The Lord Jesus Christ confirmed this in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Empires collapse, philosophies shift, cultures decay, but the Word of God remains intact. Persecution, higher criticism, philosophical skepticism, and scientific challenge have not overthrown it. Instead, each assault has ultimately demonstrated its durability.
Psalm 119:89 further reinforces this doctrine, “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” The Word is eternally fixed in the divine decree before it is ever printed on a page. Because it originates in the unchanging character of God, it shares in His immutability.
There is also pastoral comfort in the promise of preservation. Whether one emphasizes the preservation of the Word or the preservation of the faithful remnant, the theological principle remains consistent, God secures what belongs to Him. First Peter 1:23–25 states, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” The permanence of Scripture guarantees the permanence of the gospel.
Thus David anchors his confidence not in shifting human loyalty but in unchanging divine revelation.
Psalm 12:8
“The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.”
The psalm closes with sober realism. The existence of pure Scripture does not automatically eliminate wickedness. “The wicked walk on every side.” The imagery suggests boldness and visibility. Evil is not hiding, it circulates freely.
“When the vilest men are exalted.” The word exalted indicates promotion to places of influence. When moral corruption is celebrated, wickedness multiplies. Proverbs 29:2 states, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.” Leadership shapes culture. A corrupt people elevate corrupt leaders, and corrupt leaders reinforce corruption.
Isaiah 5:20 describes this moral inversion, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness.” When vileness is praised, moral confusion spreads. David does not deny this reality. He acknowledges it without surrendering to it.
The psalm therefore ends not in despair but in contrast. Wickedness may prowl, but it does not possess ultimate authority. Human speech may dominate headlines, but divine speech governs history. God’s Word remains pure, preserved, and powerful.
