Psalm 12:6-7
Thoughts from Allie Gardner
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“The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. You, O Lord, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever.”
Psalm 12:6-7
Behind the Scenes
Psalm 12 was penned by David, but the timing of when it was written is not certain; although it was likely that David wrote it during Saul’s reign as king. What scholars do agree upon is the purpose of his writing: to encourage himself and others when the world around him felt like it was falling apart. In the first two verses we hear the desperation in David’s voice as he cries out to God about the sin around him: “Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man. Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.”
Continuing with this psalm, verses 3-4 reflect David’s plea to God to shut the mouths of those who lie: “May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts, those who say, ‘With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master over us?’” David yearned for hearts to be turned back to the Lord, and therefore he wanted the lies to be silenced around him. And God responded to David’s prayer: “’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’” (verse 5).
Which brings us to today’s verses, words that bring so much hope and comfort because they help root us in the truth of God’s word. David had faith that God’s word was THE Word, and he could put his hope in the promises of the Lord. He describes the words of the Lord as “pure words, like silver refined in a furnace…purified seven times.”
What is the significance of the silver refinement process and why is seven times relevant? I love MDiv William Funkhouser’s summary of its importance. “He [David] compared them to silver, refined in the fire seven times. Each time silver is refined, more and more of the impurities are burned away. Also, the words seven in the scriptures denotes a complete or perfect number. The sense is, that the words of the Lord are ‘perfectly pure.’ There is no deception in His promises. There is no flattery in what He says. Men’s words cannot necessarily be trusted, but God’s words can always be trusted.”
Perfectly pure. Always trusted. David did not see anything else around him that he could so confidently “hang his hat on”. But when God promised that He would “arise” and “place him in the safety for which he longs” David could boldly proclaim, “You, O Lord, will keep them [His words]; you will guard us from this generation forever.”
Make It Real
I can’t help but resonate with David’s desperation and pain stemming from the ungodliness I observe in the world around me. Murder, hate, injustice, fear, manipulation, and lying are just a few of the ungodly behaviors and emotions that often bombard us from all angles – work, social media, the news, and even sometimes churches, family, and friend groups. If we take a moment to trace these feelings and behaviors to the root, oftentimes we’ll see that they stem from a little but impactful untruth whispered to us by the enemy and now loudly broadcast by our society: you define your truth.
How many times have you been dismissed by someone with the comment “Well that’s your truth”? How many times have you witnessed someone justify a sinful behavior because it’s “their truth”? Truth today is considered relative, and what is scary about this is that relative truth can change based on which way the wind is blowing. If a truth can change based on opinion or circumstance, it certainly has not been refined like the word described in Psalms 12; it has not burned away impurities of doubt, confusion, and fear. So what is our anchor? What truth can we hold on to as real and certain when life becomes tumultuous?
“The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.” We have the Word of God – the Bible – tried and true, refined and tested. And unlike David, we have the complete Bible including hundreds of fulfilled prophecies to support its infallibility. (See Hailey’s devotion on Tuesday for some statistics surrounding this!)
In a world swirling with hatred, hurt, and untruth, I want to choose to have faith like David, that “You, O Lord, will keep [your words]; you will guard us from this generation forever.” I have faith that God has provided the Truth, and I would rather trust a tested and proven Truth over any truth that I can construct on my own, because let’s be real, I’m imperfect which means “my truth” will be imperfect and fallible. Proverbs 12:15 says, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.” Today, I’m choosing to listen to the advice and truth of the Lord. Whose truth are you choosing to rely on today?
Kristen Krimmel
ACF Devo Team
End in Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for your promise of protection in a world full of chaos and confusion. Thank you that in the midst of the darkness, your Truth shines like the beacon from a lighthouse, leading and guiding us to your protection. Help me to put my faith in the Truth of your Word, remembering that your Word is pure, holy, and infallible. You are my anchor Father, and I cling to you. In your heavenly name I pray, Amen.