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Illustration of young King David standing apart in quiet confidence, gazing toward the heavens, while two men lean together behind him whispering and pointing with sly, doubtful expressions, illustrating Psalm 12's cry against deceitful lips and flattering tongues.

Psalm 12

A Cry for Help

When AfraidComfort

David notices that people around him are lying and saying mean things. He prays to God to help because honest, good people seem so rare. God promises that His words are pure and true — like silver tested in fire seven times!

  1. 1Help, LORD, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from the human race.
  2. 2Everyone lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
  3. 3May the LORD cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue—
  4. 4those who say, "With our tongues we will prevail; our lips are our own—who is our master?"
  5. 5"Because of the oppression of the poor and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise," says the LORD. "I will place him in the safety he yearns for."
  6. 6The words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace, like gold purified seven times.
  7. 7You, O LORD, will protect us; You will guard us from this generation forever.
  8. 8The wicked strut about freely when vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

What it means

We live in a world full of fake words and broken promises. But God's words are perfectly pure — like silver that has been refined again and again. We can trust every single thing He says, and He stands up for those who are pushed around.

A little prayer

Lord, the world is full of lies, but Your words are completely pure and true. Help me to trust Your promises and to speak truth myself. Protect those who are treated unfairly. Amen.

Memory verse

“The words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times.”

Psalm 12:6 (BSB)

It sets God's words against everyone else's, and says which ones you can build on.

Talk about it

Questions with no single right answer — for a family table or a Sunday-school circle.

  1. David notices that people around him say things they do not mean. What does that do to a friendship?
  2. The psalm says God's words are like silver refined seven times. What does refining do to silver?
  3. How can you tell whether someone means what they say?
  4. Is there something you have said this week that you would say differently now?

Try this

Pure silver

Clean a tarnished coin or a piece of cutlery until it shines. It takes longer than you expect. Read verse 6 while you work, and talk about why the psalm says seven times and not once.

You will need: A dull coin, a cloth, a little polish or lemon juice.

Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB)