Psalm 12:8—”The wicked prowl on every side when vileness is exalted among the sons of men.”
Kinda hard to argue with David’s words. When “vileness” is “exalted,” as is happening in America today, we shouldn’t be surprised, in the least, that “the wicked prowl on every side.” Our “leaders” preach godlessness, not godliness, and so that is exactly what we are getting.
We bemoan, and rightly so, the horrible evil we see all around us in the world, especially in our own country. And it is unquestionably getting worse. But wickedness, and the exaltation of vileness, is not new. David wrote the above about 3,000 years ago. Times haven’t changed much.
We often wonder why God puts up with the mountains of evil that exist. I don’t know the answer to that, and I probably wouldn’t understand it if I did. I do know that God, through Isaiah, told us that His thoughts and ways are not our thoughts and ways, and indeed, His thoughts and ways are as high above ours as heaven is above the earth (Isaiah 55:8-9). How high is heaven above the earth? Can’t be measured, can it. Well, that is how much smarter God is than you and I. Humans don’t like being humbled like that, and that is a major reason they exalt vileness. But there it is.
In one sense, it is comforting to know that we aren’t alone, I mean, that humanity has always been vile and wicked. There is nothing new under the sun. Only 8 people escaped the flood in Noah’s day. We aren’t quite that bad—yet.
We are saved by grace, through faith (Ephesian 2:8). “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). Jesus is the “author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:9). Comforting words. Trust and obey, for there’s no other way.