THE WORDS OF THE LORD … AS SILVER TRIED

Peter was once told, ‘Your speech betrays you’, Matt. 26. 73 NKJV; this pithy statement describes most people. Matthew chapter 12 verse 34 demonstrates the disclosing power of words, saying, ‘Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh’. Speech is a faculty that is notoriously difficult to control, as James chapter 3 verse 2 colourfully points out, ‘If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body’. Psalm 12 depicts the ongoing battle between evil words and good words.

As the psalm opens, wicked speech depresses David and elic­its a heartfelt cry for deliverance from his lips, v. 1. Vanity, flattery and hypocrisy characterized the utterances of many in his day, v. 2. However, the king affirms that their evil speaking will be swiftly silenced by God, asserting that ‘the Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things’, v. 3. Their verbal iniquity will promptly end and, in its place, truth will be uttered.

In contrast to unbelievers’ wicked words, the Lord’s words are held up as the paragon of purity, v. 6. They are compared with the precious metal silver, which has its impurities burned away in an earthen furnace. Of course, there is no unclean­ness to be found in God’s speech. Instead, the similarity between the Almighty and this metal lies in the end result of the smelting process. Silver which is purified seven times is completely free of dross; likewise, the Lord’s word is utterly devoid of any error. Like the speaker, the speech is perfectly pure in every respect.

When God speaks, His words are true and may be trusted implicitly. His utterances are eternal, and are divinely ‘preserved from this generation forever’, v. 7. Though ‘this generation’ of people opposes the Lord’s sayings, He will maintain His words against His enemies. Throughout history, God’s written word, the Bible, has been viciously and incessantly attacked. Due to its perfection, however, it has withstood every assault of infidelity. Evil speech is transient, but what God says will never pass away, Matt. 24. 35.