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Save me, Lord!


I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me.
Save me, Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.
What will he do to you, and what more besides, you deceitful tongue?
He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows, with burning coals of the broom bush.
Woe to me that I dwell in Meshek, that I live among the tents of Kedar!
Too long have I lived among those who hate peace.
I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war. (Psalm 120)

            The first of the songs of ascent is Psalm 120. Eugene begins his discussion of this passage by saying, “A person has to be thoroughly disgusted with the way things are to find the motivation to set out on the Christian way.” (p. 25.)
            We live in a society that is thoroughly disgusted, and thoroughly disgusting. All around us, there is nothing but lying lips and deceitful tongues. Toxicity and Narcissism abound. Sometimes, I think it abounds especially in those who get wound up about it. They hate toxicity. They hate Narcissism. But they aren’t willing to give theirs up or put it down.
            Every now and again, I see a meme on social media to the effect that if you don’t like X, don’t do X. One version goes as far as to advise us to bless those who either do or like X. Other times, I’m told that people who believe Y have the right to advocate for Y in society, but they don’t extend the same courtesy to those who believe Z. 
            Today’s passage begins with the psalmist calling on the Lord in his distress. This should be our first step, as Christians. It doesn’t matter what the sin is, our first task is to call on the Lord. Express our grief.
            Next, the psalmist asks to be saved from that which distresses him. Notice, however, that he doesn’t say to save him from their lying lips and their deceitful tongues. It doesn’t matter whose lips are lying, or whose tongues are deceitful. The psalmist wants to be saved from them all. At the same time, he doesn’t ask God to make the whole world honest. He warns the world of the fate of those who are dishonest, but he laments his fate, not theirs, and he doesn’t demand the world change to suit his needs, his preference, or his will.

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