Perception Matters

I am going to share a passage of Scripture. I want you to read it and honestly ask yourself who (if anyone) comes to mind.

Psalm 12 (CSB)

For the choir director: according to Sheminith. A psalm of David.

¹ Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains;
the loyal have disappeared from the human race.
² They lie to one another;
they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts.
³ May the Lord cut off all flattering lips
and the tongue that speaks boastfully.
⁴ They say, “Through our tongues we have power;
our lips are our own—who can be our master?”

⁵ “Because of the devastation of the needy
and the groaning of the poor,
I will now rise up,” says the Lord.
“I will provide safety for the one who longs for it.”

⁶ The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in an earthen furnace,
purified seven times.

⁷ You, Lord, will guard us;
you will protect us from this generation forever.
⁸ The wicked prowl all around,
and what is worthless is exalted by the human race.

Okay, did anyone specific come to mind? Did you picture a politician or a specific political party? I confess, when I read this in my daily reading this morning several individuals popped into my mind. While that is probably understandable, I believe we have to be very cautious when doing so. We (especially preachers) are often guilty of taking certain passages and reading our own personal beliefs into them. It’s a nasty habit called eisegesis and it does serious damage to Scripture. Our goal is to read and determine what the text says in its original context (exegesis).

A lot of Christians are especially guilty of taking some Old Testament passages and applying them to not only the Church but to modern political situations. While I do believe that there are broader applications that can be found in those passages, we have to understand who they were directed to and what they meant for those people. In regards to Psalm 12, we know that it was written by King David and served as a plead to God for victory of Israel’s enemies. It was not written about those of us living now. It was written by a king addressing the issues of his day.

We also need to recognize that it is a song. There is even a musical notation (sheminith) in the title giving the director instructions on how to perform it. The words are lyrics meant to be sung aloud. As is common in all poetry, there is figurative language. The words aren’t understood to be 100% literal. That doesn’t mean there isn’t truth and wisdom contained in them. David is reaching out to God with the understanding that He will bring about justice and cut off the ungodly. That was the original intent of the song.

This is where perception comes into play. As hard as we try it is difficult (maybe impossible) to not let our own biases and beliefs crawl into the text and take over. As I said, I believe that there are universal applications to be found in Scripture. One takeaway from this psalm is that God is Sovereign and in control regardless of what men do here on earth. I also believe it shows us that God is concerned about the affairs of men and how we treat one another. The danger comes in when we apply that to those who we do not agree with.

I would guess that many Americans read this psalm and immediately picture a current politician who they do not like. Remember, I have already confessed that some individuals popped in my mind this morning. The problem with this is that pretty much every politician today (regardless of the letter next to the name) is guilty of some of the offenses mentioned. Are we honestly going to say OUR candidate isn’t boastful? When we attribute passages like this to one side (the one we don’t agree with) and don’t hold those on the other accountable, we are being dishonest.

David is speaking out to injustice everywhere it is found and whether we want to admit it, that is just a Democrat or Republican problem. We haven’t even taken in account the 2.2 billion Christians who do not live in the United States of America. Does Psalm 12 only apply to King David and us? Is Psalm 12 even referring to politcial leaders in the first place? Go back and read it again. David doesn’t meantion world leaders. He indicts the entirety of the human race. We are all guilty on some level.

I think a better way to read passages like this (once we’ve determined the original context) is to first ask, “How does this apply to me and what should I do about it?”

Grace and peace.