Psalm 12: Verse 1 (Both the NLT and the NIV translation)
Help, O LORD, for the godly are fast disappearing!
The faithful have vanished from the earth! (NLT Translation)
Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race. (NIV translation)
I like both translations of this verse – each seems to focus on two qualities, and one in each verse jumps out at me. 1. What does it mean to be godly? 2. What does it mean to be loyal?
When he wrote this psalm David felt that the godly were in the minority. There are those who would say that this is definitely true today. If you look at some of the dictionary definitions of the word godly, they infer a pious, strict religious behaviour which could be seen as very negative. I don’t think that’s an accurate reflection of what it means to be godly. According to collinsdictionary.com, the biblical meaning of the word is “conforming to the laws and wishes of God.”
I think that its definitely not popular in modern, western culture to want to conform to the laws and wishes of God which are set out for us in the Bible. Just as it was in David’s time, many people either want to do their own thing, or to conform to what popular culture demands. But just because something is unpopular doesn’t mean it isn’t right. God is good, and He is faithful even when we are not. His laws and wishes are right and just. Surely, we would be better to conform to those than anything else?
Today loyalty can be seen as both good and bad. In commercial terms we know that some firms encourage loyalty by offering loyalty schemes that offer their customers gifts and discounts, whilst on the other hand we are often encouraged to switch our custom regularly and take advantage of the savings and discounts that are only available to new customers. Mixed messages indeed. But if you ask someone to give you an example of true loyalty, dogs may well be cited as a great example. Their affection and love, is unconditional and long lasting, and they show it often.
But God is even more loyal than the best example we can think of. He sticks close to us, even when we pay no heed to Him at all. And He never gives up on us; all we ever have to do is turn to Him. And another sign of God’s loyalty to us is that He will never let us down. Why would we not want to emulate these characteristics which we see so evident in the life of Jesus? He cultivated these characteristics by conforming to the laws and wishes of His Heavenly Father, and if we want to be like Jesus then so must we, even if that makes us unpopular.
Dear God,
Thank You that You are always faithful, even when I’m not. Help me to conform to Your laws and wishes in order to grow more like Jesus, even if that makes me unpopular with others. I ask in Jesus’