Psalm 12 is a nice companion to the Psalms of Lent series we began together on Sunday. Psalm 12 bemoans the corruption and decadence of the world around the psalmist—the helpless feeling of being in the midst of deceit and betrayal, disobedience and disorder. We might be tempted to raise our fists and proudly shout our agreement with such a conclusion about the moral condition of our time and place. And while there is certainly a time to call out evil, to point out wickedness, and to speak the truth about such things, we should be sure we don’t miss the subtlety of this psalm. Look at verses 2-4:
2 Everyone lies to their neighbor;
they flatter with their lips
but harbor deception in their hearts.
3 May the Lord silence all flattering lips
and every boastful tongue—
4 those who say,
“By our tongues we will prevail;
our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”
The psalmist is drawing our attention to what we say and how we speak. I want to suggest that we can take this observation further and say that the psalmist is interested in what we mean by what we say—how and why our words and what we say matters. (Forgive the philosopher in me.)
Why is this relevant to the Psalms of Lent?
In the first place, it places us all, every one of us, in the category of those-who-need-God’s-help (v. 2). We have all spoken, from time to time, out of both sides of our mouths, either through willful ignorance, ulterior motives, or perhaps even deliberate deception. We like to think of ourselves as the psalm author but forget that there is also a way of reading the psalms as giving us an insight into the damage we inflict upon others through our sin and brokenness (more accurate and in accord with our humanity than even the best psychology diagnostic manual).
In the second place, and rather uncomfortable to think about, is the unspoken and unacknowledged belief that sometimes creeps in during Lent if we aren’t careful. Look at verse 4 again:
“By our tongues we will prevail;
our own lips will defend us.”
Lord help us if we think the mere act of confessing our sins has the power of salvation! Confessing and acknowledging our wandering and waywardness, our deceit and conceit, is certainly a good and necessary part of a life of repentance. But we must remain diligent in the conviction that it is not the act of confessing or acknowledging or sharing our struggles that, ultimately, heals or redeems or saves. No, it is the hope the psalmist invokes when he turns to the “flawless words of the Lord” in verse 6.
Perhaps, to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance,” sometimes what we need is less talking not more, less flattering lips, less self-assured finger pointing, less performative handwringing, less psychological mumbo-jumbo and introspective gobbly-gook. Sometimes what we need is to be quiet and listen to the Lord and let him have a word. It seems that Lent, even with its emphasis on confession, invites us—perhaps more than ever—to listen.
- Chaz H.