“His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.” Psalm 10:7
September 21, 2022
Imagine singing a hymn that would take you through a vivid description of the morally corrupt elements in our society. Yet this is what we find in almost half of Psalm 10 (a hymn). It is a profile, not of courage, but of what could be called practical atheism. This is the kind of atheism prevalent in our own nation. It’s not a direct denial of God’s existence but is one that lives as if God did not exist. We will see manifestations of it in our upcoming elections and in the endless chatter of the political class. One feature of corrupt character is vile and destructive speech. The psalms reveal this in a number of places, especially focusing on lying and deceit (e.g., Psa. 15:3; 34:13; 50:19; 62:4; 78:36; 120:3). C. S. Lewis throws the spotlight on this evil: “. . .in reality the psalmists mention hardly any kind of evil more often than this one, which the most civilized societies share. . . .It is all over the Psalter. One almost hears the incessant whispering, tattling, lying, scolding, flattery and circulation of rumors. No historical readjustments are here required, we are in the world we know” (Reflections on the Psalms, p.75). Do your own calculations, if you dare, in totaling the cursing, lying, threatening, deceiving and evil speech running through our cultural discourse. Interestingly, the apostle Paul quotes verse 7 in Romans 3:14 as part of his documentation of the depravity that condemns the corruption of the total human nature. How easily Christians sign on to lying by affirming in word and writing (e.g. social media) things that bear no resemblance to the truth. The best protection against drowning in a sea of deceptions is the life-jacket of divinely revealed truth in the Bible. H
A time to meditate and pray: “Lord, open my eyes and ears to the worldview lies and deceptions that seek to take the place of your truth.”