1 Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing!
The faithful have vanished from the earth!
2 Neighbors lie to each other,
speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts.
3 May the Lord cut off their flattering lips
and silence their boastful tongues.
4 They say, “We will lie to our hearts’ content.
Our lips are our own—who can stop us?”
5 The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless,
and I have heard the groans of the poor.
Now I will rise up to rescue them,
as they have longed for me to do.”
6 The Lord’s promises are pure,
like silver refined in a furnace,
purified seven times over.
7 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.
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What a contemporary Psalm. We live in a culture built on lies, and it seems like the godly are rapidly being outnumbered. I love the honesty of verse 4: “We will lie to our hearts’ content. Our lips are our own–who can stop us?” Sounds like politicians.
But I am more struck by the last part of verse 5 where God acts as “we have longed for him to do!” The longing suggests a long wait between the cry of the people and the action of God. I need to be patient for God is not ruled by time. For him it is only a useful thing. My confidence must always be–in spite of the circumstances–God is faithful and he will act!