The psalmist is articulating a message on behalf of others. And he’s voicing a sense of weary despair with the culture. These words are not directed to other nations or marauding invaders, but rather to his own people. 

His complaint is not born out of nostalgia but is directed against values and attitudes that are corrosive. Lying is widespread, accompanied by flattery and deception (vs 2,3). It’s the poor who are suffering the most from this attitude of supremacy (v 5), and God promises to come to their aid (v 5). 

It’s impossible to understand the cultural conditions against which the psalmist is railing, but these words resonate with our own. We too are all too familiar with inflammatory speech and poisonous tweets. One can sense the relief of the psalmist when he considers God’s words; they are pure, fine and worth our attention (v 6). 

In the eighteenth century, the great abolitionist, William Wilberforce, was part of a movement that called for the reformation of manners. It called for more humane values and discourse in public life. Is that what we need now?

Reflect on what James says about the tongue being a fire.¹

My most frequent arrow prayer is ‘Help me, Lord!’ So I’m in good company with the psalmist! For him, the outlook was bleak indeed; he couldn’t see anyone who cared tuppence about God. The situation is full of menace, focusing on the use and abuse of words. Lies are emptiness, which Derek Kidner describes as embracing falsehood with overtones of insincerity and irresponsibility ‘which cheapen and corrode all human intercourse’.² This is naturally followed by flattery and boasting. Sadly, there are many people like that today; people who think they’re clever in what they say, yet exploit the poor and needy (v 5) for their own gain. 

The psalmist prays for an end to such words and vile actions. Help, Lord! Cut it out of our society and our world! It comes as no surprise that God is happy to hear such prayer and promises to act (v 5). We may wonder, though, why God sometimes delays his interventions. The promises are there. They are ‘flawless’ (v 6). He will protect and guard his people. We know from other examples in Scripture, however, that such action may take a lot longer than we would like.³ As we read psalms like this one, therefore, we need to persevere in prayer and trust, knowing that God’s timing is perfect and that he knows what he is doing.

The enemy still prowls about openly (v 8). Kidner warns us, ‘The battle of words is no side-issue; a weakness here, and the enemy is in.’⁴ Peter urges us to resist him, steadfast in our faith.⁵ We need to read James on the subject, too.⁶ Things are not yet right in our world and it’s just as important to ensure that we are not part of the evil as it is to trust God to protect us (v 7).

In your current context, can you identify with the psalmist? What are you doing about it?

¹ James 3:6  ² Kidner, Psalms 1–72, Tyndale OT Commentaries, 1973, p75  ³ Eg Exod 1:13,14; 2:23–25; 3:7–10  ⁴ p76  ⁵ 1 Pet 5:8,9  ⁶ James 3