Psalm 12
I'm a dork; y'all know that. But I bet you didn't know it was this severe. Oy, I am fascinated by the history of words. Words that we use everyday and we just take their meaning for what they are. But frequently there is a good story for how the word came to be what it means. Like 'groggy' for example. Did you know that until 1971 the men of the British Royal Navy were entitled to a daily ration of rum? It's true! In 1740 Admiral Vernon Grog started to issue rum to the sailors. Those who couldn't handle their liquor or perhaps those that stole others would end up feeling "groggy."
In the 12th Psalm we again find King David lonesome. The exact circumstances are unknown but it's clear that he was surrounded by unrighteous people. The poor are oppressed, the needy groan, the proud brag, the wicked strut and shameless deeds are praised. All of those who were faithful and all who were loyal have disappeared. Everyone tells lies and no one is sincere.
Sincere. What does that word mean? It's something we put at the end of a letter to signify that we mean what we say. The dictionary tells us that to be sincere means we are free from pretense or deceit and that it means our feelings are genuine and not dishonest or hypocritical. But doesn't even that sound like nothing more than a bunch of words? Doesn't it feel like the meaning gets lost in the definition sometimes? When David wrote 'sincere' what did he mean?
In David's time there was a great market for sculptures, marble and pottery. Some of it was brand new and some of it was used. As was accepted and anticipated, new pieces tended to have less damage and therefore would fetch a higher price. Because of this there were frequently attempts to make old pieces look new so they could raise the price. Makes sense right?
The most common practice was to fill the cracks and holes with wax. It was easy to match colors, form it to whatever shape was needed, match textures and smooth lines when needed. The problem of course is that on a hot day, wax melts. When the wax melts, the flaws are revealed and the buyer instantly knows that he was ripped off. The Latin word for wax is cera. The Latin sine means without. Sincere refers to those sculptures that are without wax, honest in their presentation. David's complaint that "everyone tells lies, and no one is sincere" is still valid today. But so is his solution. Always remember Psalm 12:When the words of men are questionable, the Words of the Lord are Flawless.
In the 12th Psalm we again find King David lonesome. The exact circumstances are unknown but it's clear that he was surrounded by unrighteous people. The poor are oppressed, the needy groan, the proud brag, the wicked strut and shameless deeds are praised. All of those who were faithful and all who were loyal have disappeared. Everyone tells lies and no one is sincere.
Sincere. What does that word mean? It's something we put at the end of a letter to signify that we mean what we say. The dictionary tells us that to be sincere means we are free from pretense or deceit and that it means our feelings are genuine and not dishonest or hypocritical. But doesn't even that sound like nothing more than a bunch of words? Doesn't it feel like the meaning gets lost in the definition sometimes? When David wrote 'sincere' what did he mean?
In David's time there was a great market for sculptures, marble and pottery. Some of it was brand new and some of it was used. As was accepted and anticipated, new pieces tended to have less damage and therefore would fetch a higher price. Because of this there were frequently attempts to make old pieces look new so they could raise the price. Makes sense right?
The most common practice was to fill the cracks and holes with wax. It was easy to match colors, form it to whatever shape was needed, match textures and smooth lines when needed. The problem of course is that on a hot day, wax melts. When the wax melts, the flaws are revealed and the buyer instantly knows that he was ripped off. The Latin word for wax is cera. The Latin sine means without. Sincere refers to those sculptures that are without wax, honest in their presentation. David's complaint that "everyone tells lies, and no one is sincere" is still valid today. But so is his solution. Always remember Psalm 12:When the words of men are questionable, the Words of the Lord are Flawless.