Help, Lord, for no one loyal remains; the faithful have vanished from the children of men. 3 They tell lies to one another, speak with deceiving lips and a double heart. 4 May the Lord cut off all deceiving lips, and every boastful tongue, 5 Those who say, “By our tongues we prevail; when our lips speak, who can lord it over us?” 6 “Because they rob the weak, and the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord; “I will grant safety to whoever longs for it.” 7 The promises of the Lord are sure, silver refined in a crucible, silver purified seven times. 8 You, O Lord, protect us always; preserve us from this generation. 9 On every side the wicked roam; the shameless are extolled by the children of men.
The Psalmist laments to the Lord about how the wicked hurt the poor and needy with their words and there is no longer anyone who is faithful or Godly. The wicked lie and deceive the poor and the needy (vv. 2-3). The Psalmist curses the boastful evildoers and prays that the Lord cut off their lips and tongues (vv. 4-5). The Lord has promised to rise up and protect the weak and the needy because the weak are robbed of their possessions and the needy groan so he will grant them the safety for which they long (v. 6). The Psalmist concludes with a confident prayer for the Lord to protect the poor and needy from the wickedness of the current generation.
Almighty God, we are totally dependent on your protection and
mercy. Amid the turmoil and trials of life,
we ask you to deliver us from all that is evil and protect us from those who
seek to do us harm. This we pray through
Christ our Lord. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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