Introductory Thoughts
If you have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you are no longer appointed to God’s wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9); however, it helps to fully understand God’s hatred for sin. By understanding sin from God’s viewpoint, we can seek to emulate His love for righteousness while never abandoning His abhorrence of wickedness. In the days of king David, the Bible tells us that every man spoke vanity with his neighbour (Psalm 12:2). Men spoke with a double heart and with flattering lips (Psalm 12:2). They claimed that their lips were their own and that they possessed freedom to spew forth anything they chose to say (Psalm 12:4). God promised to rise up in judgment and “cut off all flattering lips” (Psalm 12:3).
Devotional Thoughts
-
(For children): Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel by telling them that if he were king, he would help them with their problems. In his heart, Absalom knew he was only trying to win their love so that they would help him steal the throne from David, his father. God stopped him from doing this evil (2 Samuel 18:9).
-
(For everyone): Why do you suppose that we so often love to do the things that God hates? How can we learn to love what God loves and hate what He hates? Why is this so very important?
-
Do you ever find the pride of Psalm 12:4 rising up within your own heart? Do you think that God has no right to tell you what you can or cannot say? Do not forget that judgment is inevitable and will soon come!
Prayer Thoughts
- Ask God to show you His hatred for flattering tongues.
- Ask the Lord to show you the pride of flattery.
Song
STOP, POOR SINNER! STOP AND THINK
