Preparing For Exile

Psalm 12 “Preparing for Exile” How would you survive a zombie apocalypse? Well, you will need a large stock pile of food, an emergency bunker, multiple weapons to defend yourself, and of course, The Complete Guide to Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse. In recent years, zombies and the idea of a zombie apocalypse have found their way into a good number of books, films, and TV shows. And I won’t comment on whether or not a supposed zombie apocalypse is actually possible. But some people believe such an event will actually occur, or perhaps some other catastrophe, like a nuclear war, the collapse of the American government, or an invasion by Russia. They literally stock pile weapons, food, and have elaborate escape plans and hidden bunkers. They are called preppers…sometimes doomsday preppers. While we may not be facing a zombie apocalypse anytime soon, it seems like we are facing a moral apocalypse in our society. Truth and morality are crushed in the streets, sin is celebrated, and Christianity is increasing marginalized or considered evil. This may be very alarming to some Christians. But, as well saw in Psalm 11 two weeks ago, it is quite normal for the righteous to be persecuted by the unrighteous. Psalm 12 takes this idea further, and points us to what we should do when “vileness is exalted” among people. In other words, how do we prepare for a moral apocalypse? How do we prepare for exile as God’s people? Living on the margins of society has never been abnormal for Christians. God’s Word is very clear that we are exiles, and guides in how we should respond. We are not exactly sure of the historical context of this psalm. Perhaps it is when David is being chased by King Saul. Or when he is chased out of Jerusalem by his son Absalom. When we think of the history of Israel, we think of David’s reign as one of the high points. In some ways, that is true. But, look at what’s happening during HIS reign! There is all sorts of craziness happening. Everyone lies. Vileness is exalted. If this could happen during David’s reign, what about when Israel was not following the Lord? We have go to realize that in the history of Israel, the nation is constantly veering off course, and following everything but God. But there is always a believing remnant who follows him. To think otherwise is to deny the reality of indwelling sin. The same is with church history. There has been times where the church has been prominent in the culture. But however “Christian” a society may be, there is always evil exalted. To deny this, is to deny the reality of sin. This psalm breaks nicely into 3 sections. 1-4- Humanity’s problem 5-6- God’s promise 7-8- God’s protection 1. Humanity’s problem (1-4) A. No good guys left If you are a Star Wars fan, you will remember the beginning of the Episode IV, A New Hope. The rebellion against the evil Galactic Empire is struggling. The only 2 good Jedi left are Obi-wan Kenobi, who lives in the desert as a hermit, and the very short green guy Yoda, who lives in a swamp on a little-known planet. The Emperor and his evil side-kick Darth Vader have hunted down all the other good Jedi. The question is: where are all the good guys? Are there any left? The same is here with David. The godly are gone. The faithful have vanished. It seems like he is the only good guy left. Sometimes, we can look around our neighborhoods, around the corridors of our government, flip on the news, and wonder: is there anyone good left? Think of Elijah after his victory over the evil prophets of Baal and Asherah. The people had said: “The LORD, he is God. The LORD, he is God.” Things were looking up for the people of God and for Elijah, God’s prophet. But then Queen Jezebel threatened his life, and ran away like a startled groundhog. He says to God: “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” –I Kings 19:14 Then God reminds him: Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” Vs 18 Living in this evil world may lead you to feel like that there are no good guys left. But that is not true. B. Everyone’s a liar It gets worse- everyone’s a liar. They flatter. They have evil in their heart, yet they say good things with their mouth. This is the idea behind a double heart and flattering lips. In Psalm 11, we saw that the wicked lurk in the dark waiting to shoot evil words like arrows at the righteous. Not just untruth, but twisting words to their advantage and their neighbor’s harm. These people couldn’t find truth with a bucket in the ocean. Things are bad. It’s a wild, Wild West when it came to the truth. Nothing new here. It happened thousands of years ago, and still happens today. People lie. Politicians lie. People don’t care about the truth. The truth is squashed and hidden. People say whatever helps them get ahead. C. Who’s my master? David prays for God to stop all this lying, because it is really bad. They say: -We will prevail with our words: We will win with our words -Our lips are our own, or our lips are with us- we own them. This is explained by the last line in verse 4: -who is lord/master over us? We belong to ourselves. We have no ruler, no God. We acknowledge no authority except ourselves. Yep, they pretty much sums up our culture. I belong to no one except myself. I am the master of my own fate. I say what I want, do what I want, and make myself into whatever I want. I can chose my gender, I can chose who I sleep with, I can chose to keep or kill the baby in my womb. Don’t tread on me! We think it is strange and alarming when people say this. But it has been happening for thousands of years. Because all humans are sinners. 2. God’s Promise 5-6 We can’t win. Everyone’s a liar. Everyone’s their own master. But God can stop them in their tracks. He can protect the righteous from wicked. The action of God is the only answer to the overwhelming evil. A. God will provide safety The second half of verse 5 is a bit complicated. The KJV has “I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.” The ESV has “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.” The verb in question probably means something like “he will blow at him.” The NIV and the KJV take it as the attacks of the enemies- like the big bad wolf that will huff and puff and blow the house down. The NKJV, NASB, and the ESV take it as the sighing or longing of God’s people for safety. I can’t add any clarity except this: God WILL give safety to his people. He will work on their behalf. B. God’s Word are pure How can we trust God’s words that he will protect his people? Can we rely on his words that he will arise and help us? Absolutely! That’s why verse 6 is here. It shows that God’s words are absolutely pure, unlike the words of all the liars that surround David. God’s Word is a firm foundation to stand on as everything around us crumbles. God’s words are like silver refined in a furnace…purified 7 times. In the OT, 7 is the number of perfection. It’s like saying God’s Words are uber-pure or very, very, very pure. We find hope in God’s promise, but also find hope in 3. God’s Protection 7-8 A. God’s will keep his people David now reminds himself of the truth. God will keep and guard his people from this evil generation. God’s protection continues forever, and will never cease. The evil people have not gone away. But the psalmist has shifted his perspective. We need this protection! Why? B. Wicked prowl David is surrounded by the scheming wicked and the vileness of children of men. Remember that the term “children of men” is speaking about humans in their stupidity and sin. We have got to realize that it is a dangerous world out there. When we lived in Guyana, they had these poisonous centipedes. I don’t mind spiders and lots of bugs, but centipedes unnerve me. Especially poisonous ones. They would grow quite large and could inflict a painful sting. One morning, my dad stepped out of bed right on one, and it bit his foot. He got a sore foot and a fever. One time, I had one drop out of shed right on my neck. Scary. Going around normal life is dangerous, because we are surrounded by evil people, not to mention the evil power of the devil and his demons. But never fear, the Lord will keep us and guard us. That is his promise. And he does not lie. Application: how does this Psalm prepare us to live in exile? I mentioned before the history of Israel. Even though they were God’s chosen people, they often strayed from God. In Israel, there were people who followed the LORD, but many did not. Throughout its long and sordid history, Israel rejected the LORD, and worshiped idols. But God always had a remnant. God protected this remnant from the evil around them. In the same way, the church has always been in exile. God’s people are called out from the world to Christ and are protected by from the evil people around them. They are protected from the devil and all his legions of demons. We as American Christians especially struggle with this idea of exile. We sometimes are shocked by evil around us and by the decline of Christian values in our society. But the problem is us, not our culture, is we are surprised by the evil we see. I believe that we as American Christians have a false idea of social progress unrooted from the doctrine of human depravity and unhinged from the truth that Christ’s church is a church in exile. [Repeat] Let me explain. When the pilgrims came over in the 1600s, many were Puritan Christians fleeing religious persecution in Europe. They imagined this new land as a new Israel. The Promised Land. The saw themselves as God’s chosen people and this land as God’s inheritance to them. They would be blessed if they followed God and cursed if they forsook him. Just like Israel. This idea, that we are somehow God’s chosen nation still prevails in the minds of some today. The founding fathers built our nation upon sound principles taken from the Christian worldview, for which we are thankful. We as a nation, experienced the scientific and industrial revolutions. We carved out a society for ourselves in this rugged land. We fought for independence and drove off the British…twice. We discovered flight, mass produced cars, pioneered development in radio, electricity, and film. We helped win two world wars, then built highways across our vast nations, spanning mountains, valley, and plains. We fought for civil rights, and defeated communism…kinda. We put a man on the moon. We have the internet, cell phones, and an explosion in technological growth. Its going to keep on getting better, right? Undergirding much of this was a biblical morality and work ethic. Throughout much of America’s history, the church has been prominent in the culture, and Christians have enjoyed material prosperity and cultural respect. In recent years, as biblical values have been trampled, immorality celebrated and legislated, and Christians marginalized, many have wrung their hands and cried in disbelief. Throughout much of our history, American Christians have experienced what one pastor called “the distortion of dominance and prosperity.” Our identity as exiles has been stolen by the two thieves of social progress and the prominence of Christianity. Even though America has certainly received many material blessings from God, we are not God’s chosen nation. The church is God’s holy nation, his chosen people according to I Peter 2. Even though we are very grateful for the positive effects Christianity has had on our nation, we must realize that we have often been blind to this fact: we are strangers. We are exiles. We don’t belong here. In Psalm 12, and in the history of the church, God’s people have been marginalized and attacked. As I Peter 4:12 says- “Don’t be surprised by the fiery trial that comes upon you.” Don’t be surprised when Psalm 12 is happening in our nation, in our state, and in the house next door. David was surprised when everyone around him was a liar and vileness was exalted among people. In Israel, God’s chosen nation. As God’s people in an evil world, we will see vileness exalted and hear lies everywhere. We would certainly be thankful if American churches experienced a revival from God and if the moral conscience of our nation was awakened. That would be amazing! But that is not to be our hope. Our hope is in God and in his Word. As David did: -Trust the promises of God. They will never fail. -Ground yourself in the pure words of God, not the lies of sinners -Find refuge in the safety that God offers Don’t put your trust in our nation, in our leaders, in your neighbors. Don’t put your trust in American Christianity and the hope that it often roots in this world. Trust in God. Are you prepared to face exile? The most valuable thing we need is not a nuclear fallout shelter, freeze-dried beans, or guns and ammo. What we most need is God’s pure Words. A faith grounded in the Words of God. He will not fail. His Words will not fail. He will protect us. He will be our shelter forever.