Psalms 12 · The Lantern

O save Yahweh, for the man of lovingkindness, is no more, for the faithful, have vanished, from among the sons of men.

Deception, speak they, every one with his neighbour,—with lips uttering smooth things—with a heart and a heart, do they speak.

First the righteous fail, then the truth is diminished. Not only is there no truth among the righteous, there is no holiness among honest people. Now, since the righteous have failed, truth is diminished. Perhaps the poverty of righteous people is the reason why so many heresies have shot up.

Regard for truth is in danger of being snuffed out, with everyone, you might say, suffering from distrust in one another.… They pretend friendship and perform the actions of enemies.… Some use their lips to direct falsehood into their neighbor's heart; others return the compliment.

Then when he says, "vain things," he sets forth the sign of the failure of holiness; and it is twofold, namely vanity and deceitfulness. The first sign of failure is vanity; and with regard to this he says, "they have spoken vain things," etc. That is vain which has no substance. True things, therefore, under which no vanity lies, are firm. Hence 1 Tim.

May Yahweh cut off All the lips that utter smooth things,—the tongue that speaketh swelling words;

Them who say—With our tongue, will we prevail, our lips, are our own, who is our master?

Because of violence done to the poor, because of the crying of the needy, Now, will I arise! O may Yahweh say,—I will place [him] in safety—let him puff at him!

"Because of the wretchedness of the needy and the sighing of the poor, now I will arise, saith the Lord" [Psalm 12:5]. For so the Lord Himself in the Gospel pitied His people, because they had no ruler, when they could well obey.

"I will arise" is a metaphor to indicate that the one who is not familiar with the human need to lie down out of weakness does in fact rise up. But he says I will arise, I will appear and be manifest in the Son. For the strength and majesty of the Father and of the Son are one and undivided.

"Because of." Here, third, he sets forth the hearing of the prayer. And first he sets it forth; second, he establishes its certainty, at "the words of the Lord"; third, he sets forth his own belief, at "you, O Lord." He says therefore, "because of the misery," that is, the manifold need, "of the needy," that is, of those lacking resources, "and the groaning," that is, the sighs…

The words of Yahweh, are words, that are pure, silver refined in a crucible of earth, purified seven times!

Although they may be beautiful, the words of those who stand apart from Christ are not pure but interspersed with innumerable lies; the words of the Lord alone are pure, in which there is no lie mixed, and they are true as silver purged and proven in the furnace. When anything is declared with them, it is never to be rejected in doubt.

Since he said that the Lord's sayings are pure and unmixed with falsehood, he goes on to say that as silver brought into contact with fire is found to be purified of every defilement, so also such commands of God emerge sincere and unaffected by falsehood. The phrase "seven times" means repeatedly, his meaning being that it is exceedingly pure and untainted with falsehood.

Then he sets forth the certainty of the promise: "the words of the Lord are pure words" -- not adulterated by admixture of anything foreign; or purified of superfluity; or incorrupt, because one is called chaste before experience, but continent after. Not vain, but firm. Mt.

Thou, O Yahweh, wilt keep them,—Thou wilt guard him, from this generation unto times age-abiding.

On every side, the lawless, march about,—when worthlessness is exalted by the sons of men.

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