PSALM TWELVE 

PURE TRUTH 
 
  In the twelfth psalm the psalmist indicates that he has a sense of
the powers of evil that surround him.  Lying - deceit - and evil were
all around.  We also are living in such an age and under such
conditions.  Where can the Truth be found?  This is the great question
posed in this psalm. 
  Only in God's words can pure truth be found.  His words are like
silver purified seven times, having no trace of alloy in it.  There is
no flattery, no falsehood, no ulterior motive, in the words of God. 
  The Christian Bible does not contain the word of God.  It IS the
word of God.  God's words are bitter against nothing but evil.  His
words are convincing words.  His words are subduing words.  His words
are strengthening words.  For nearly 2,000 years evil has tried to
swamp God's words.  Yet they remain available for us to read today. 
  All the contradictions of unbelief have railed in vain against God's
words.  It is said of Jesus Christ, the prophet, the Living Word, that
he endured the contradiction of sinners.  Let God be true and every man
a liar.  It doesn't matter who ranges himself against the words of God,
even though he be the greatest person in the world.  The more they try
God's words the purer those words become.  Let the higher critics and
the Darwinites teach their philosophy, the fact still remains that
God's words are pure words. 
  Just as God's words are tested by the contradiction of men, so also
are they tested by counterfeit utterances.  There are many paraphrases
of God's words in existence.  Men without faith quote the words of God
to serve their own purposes.  Often  men keep the true words of God in
the background and load it with dogma and useless ceremonial.  We may
water it down with useless comment, but the Word of the Lord remains
pure. 
  Endless arguements destroy the truth.  Some people today say they
prefer not to have doctrine because it is divisive.  Truth is only made
divisive by argument; it is the introduction of their own opinions that
brings division.  Pure truth is a blinding revelation and we almost
always want to cover our eyes with some masking argument. 
  Conviction is established by God's words.  The Apostle Paul
declared, "I know in whom I have believed."  We must love the words of
God.  Our knowledge of them increases our conviction of the Truth.  WE
KNOW.  This is not a statement of academic excellence, but of spiritual
understanding.  Our knowledge of the words of God promotes spiritual
growth.  MAN DOES NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT COMES
FROM THE MOUTH OF God. 
  A great Christian, Gottham Ephraim Lessing, who lived some 200 years
ago, left us with this observation:- 
"Absolute truth belongs to God alone." 
Only God knows the whole truth.  Truth is with Him. 



Copyright (c) 1995, Hedley Palmer. All rights reserved.



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