The Heart of God: Introduction (1)

And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Luke 24.27

Read and meditate on Psalm 12.
We are about to embark on a whirlwind tour of the Bible. In a day such as ours, where increasingly, half-truths, exaggerations, flattery, deception, and outright lies are becoming more the lingua franca of a generation, we need to make sure we are well-anchored in the truth of God.

For reflection
1.  In Psalm 12, David connects a rise in autonomy – people acting as a law unto themselves (v. 4) – and ungodliness (v. 1), to people turning their backs on truth (vv. 2, 3). Can you see this process reflected in our own day? Explain.

2.  What does David want God to do about this (v. 3)? Meditate on Psalm 12.5. Why might we expect God to “arise”? What should we expect Him to arise to do? For whom? Who are these people? (Hint: The word which NKJV translates safety in v. 5 is closely related to salvation.) Taken together with what’s lacking and what’s present in verses 1-4, what was David wanting God to arise and do?

3.  According to Hebrews 4.12 and Psalm 149.5-7, what does the Lord use, and in whose hands, in order to “cut off” (Ps. 12.3) the lies and flatteries of an autonomous and godless age? What are the implications of this for you? How well prepared for this calling are you?

4.  God’s Word is “pure” (v. 6), like silver refined seven times. What does it mean to say that something is pure? How should the emphasis on seven refinements of that pure Word bolster our confidence in it? How could you tell if someone had such confidence in the Word of God?

5.  To what does “them” refer in v. 7 (look back to v. 6)? Should we expect to adjust God’s Word to suit the times in which we live? Why not? But (v. 8) we should be realistic: Will we ever be able to relax our guard against lies, flatteries, deceit, and half-truths? How does this warning make finding safety in the Word of God all that much more important?

Summary
God does not sit idly by while people oppress and take advantage of one another through lies and deceit. He is always preparing a response, always readying His people to wield the Sword of Truth into a world of vileness (v. 8), in order to establish His salvation (v. 5) more firmly among those He comes to save. Is your present approach to the Word of God adequate to enable you wield that Word in the way God intends?

Closing Prayer
Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases!
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
They speak idly everyone with his neighbor;
With flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
May the LORD cut off all flattering lips,
And the tongue that speaks proud things,
Who have said,
“With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are our own;
Who is lord over us?”
“For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,
Now I will arise,” says the LORD;
“I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.”
The words of the LORDarepure words,
Like silver tried in a furnace of earth,
Purified seven times.
You shall keep them, O LORD,
You shall preserve them from this generation forever.
The wicked prowl on every side,
When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

Psalm 12

Next steps – Preparation: If you have not mapped out your Personal Mission Field, watch this video (click here), download the worksheet and do so. Here is your field of battle for wielding the Sword of God’s Word. Begin praying daily for the people in your Personal Mission Field.

T. M. Moore

Two books can help you gain a fuller understanding of the terrain we will be covering in this series. Kingdom Documentsprovides a concise overview of the primary teaching of the Old and New Testaments, and shows, through early Church creeds, how our forebears understand the primary teachings of God’s Word. (click here to order). I Will Be Your Goddevelops more fully the idea of God’s covenant and leads us to consider the practical implications of our covenant relationship with God (click here).

Visit The Ailbe Seminary, where our course, Introduction to Biblical Theology, offers a parallel study of our theme in this series, using brief video presentations and the workbook God’s Covenant: An Introduction. All courses at The Ailbe Seminary are available without charge.

We are happy to be able to offer each week’s Scriptorium studies in a free weekly PDF, suitable for personal or group use. You can download all the studies in this series by clicking here. Please prayerfully consider sharing with The Fellowship of Ailbe through your giving. You can contribute to The Fellowship by clicking the Contribute button at the website or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.