September 8, 1991
Flattery, prosperity, wealth, and superficiality are in vogue; we are fascinated by the rich and famous, and we may even seek the same kind of praise and attention for ourselves. In contrast to this worldly mindset, Alistair Begg examines the words of the psalmist, who declares that God sustains, delivers, and sets His saving love on those humble enough to admit their need of His protection and grace.
1Save, O Lord, for mthe godly one is gone;
for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
2Everyone nutters lies to his neighbor;
with oflattering lips and pa double heart they speak.
3May the Lord cut off all oflattering lips,
the tongue that makes qgreat boasts,
4those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,
our lips are with us; who is master over us?”
5“Because rthe poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
sI will now arise,” says the Lord;
“I will place him in the tsafety for which he longs.”
6uThe words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.
7You, O Lord, will keep them;
you will guard us2 from this generation forever.
8On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among the children of man.
Copyright © 2024, Alistair Begg. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.