Tehillim | 11–12

Psalm 11: The psalm opens with an address to the wicked. The poet places his trust in God, and as a result, he cannot understand the logic behind the actions of the wicked: “In the Lord I take shelter – how can you say to me ‘flee your mountain like a bird’”. In the previous psalm, the starting point was the wicked’s lack of fear of God, which led to the poet’s fear. In this psalm, the structure is reversed: the starting point is the poet’s trust in God, and therefore the wicked’s blindness to God’s providence in the world is not frightening — it merely reflects an absurdity that will soon be exposed.

Psalm 12: The theme of psalm 12 is trust. The poet begins with deep frustration toward human society. He feels there is no one left to rely on: “For the faithful have faded from humanity” (12:2). An entire culture has been built on people flattering one another and gaining economic, security, and social power through such behavior. A deep gap exists between the words spoken aloud and the malicious intent harbored within the people’s hearts: “They are smooth talking and two faced” (12:3).

The poet prays for God to save him from this society of falsehood and deceit. He highlights trustworthiness as the key distinction between human beings and God. Unlike the surrounding society, which is built on deception and betrayal, God’s words are pure, reliable, and precise: “The Lord’s words are pure words, like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times over” (12:7).