beyond oppression and lies

“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.”

Psalm 12:5

God will keep His true word to His faithful people. Psalm 12 is a lament, where David decries the way in which flattery and lies have advanced the wicked, oppressing the neediest people in the process. David had plenty of occasions in his life to know this firsthand. While on the run from Saul, he managed to gather broken and displaced warriors in the cave of Abdullam (see 1 Samuel 22, 2 Samuel 23). He knew by experience just how the poor were plundered and he heard the groans of the needy.

During several episodes of his life, David longed for safety. So these words coming back to David from the Lord are a personal comfort, answering David’s lament with the sure Word of God. The psalm ends in confident assurance in God’s words gaining victory over the flattering lies of sinful oppressors.

God’s Word is pure (Psalm 12:6). God keeps His promises as He protects His people (Psalm 12:7). This helps us live in a world surrounded by a society that rejects God and exalts what is wrong (Psalm 12:8). Our hope in God’s faithfulness in His Word will help us to survive the lies and oppression around us. God rises against it. God protects His people even as they are misused and exploited. God will bring justice with truth to prevail. This has already happened because Jesus endured the worst lies, died at the hands of flatterers, groaned in His suffering need, and rose again to bring us to the safety for which we long!