(Psalm 12:1) “A Psalm of David. Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.”

King David calls upon the LORD (Jehovah) to “help” the present situation in Israel. The problem that David could see was two-fold:

1. “…the godly man ceaseth;”
2. “…for the faithful fail from among the children of men.”

Who is the godly man? The Godly man is the man who is a righteous man; one who does right according to the Word of God; a man who loves God supremely. His love to, and for, God is the motive for all his attitude, actions and attire; a man that loves his neighbor as himself – this love is the outworking of the love to and for God. When the Godly man “ceaseth” (or is not preeminent in society); then, the standard is not seen. The example is not before the eyes of the public. God is not honored; and His law of love is not the guide for the society. When the law of love is not the guide or standard or example; then, lawlessness becomes prevalent, and finally it become preeminent. When this happens, society breaks down; and greed, covetousness, and violence become the norm, or the accepted manner of behavior.

Who is the faithful man? The faithful man is the man who walks by faith, or by the way of Christ, or in the manner Christ walked on this earth. Christ walked in Surrender to the Sovereign Father. (Heb. 10:7) “Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.” The fact of the incarnation of Christ coming to the earth robed in flesh, yet without sin, proves this point. Christ walked in Submission to the Will of the Father, which is proven by Christ’s statement to the Father in the Garden, (Lk. 22:42) “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” Christ obeyed the Word of God, which is proven by (John 17:4) “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” (This work was culminated on the Cross.) Christ also endured unto the end, (John 19:30) “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” Jesus is our Pattern of a faithful man; for Jesus is The Faith Himself. The faithful man is the man that walks as Christ walked, (1John 2:6) “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” When men do not walk in faith in society; then, men walk in darkness. Jesus said He was the Light; and when men walk in Him, there is no darkness. But, when men walk in the flesh and not in the Light; then, they walk in darkness. When this is the rule of a man’s life; he is walking by sight; by emotions; by lust of the flesh, lust of the eye and the pride of life. When this happens, various and sundry things begin to go wrong in his life. He has no real peace; he depends upon his own intelligence, his own strength, and his own selfish preferences. His eye is not on pleasing God or his neighbor; his motives are not of love; his goals are for self, and right and wrong become blurred to the point that he begins to call darkness light, evil good, and good evil. When the faithful fail to be seen and heard in the land; it is a sad day for the man, his family, and society as a whole.

David is not saying to God that there are none whatsoever in the land; but, that the Godly and the faithful are not the norm (or the guide) anymore; but, rather the ungodly and the unfaithful are in control of Israel.

David further identifies the attitude and actions of the so-called godly and faithful men of his day as:

(Psalms 12:2, 4-5) “They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak…

(4)  Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?

(5)  For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.”

Not only is this where the United States of America is; but more sadly, this is the state of most of the so-called churches in America today. The title question repeated, ‘Where have they gone?’ The better question may be, ‘Why are they as they are now?’ Why are the men, those who claim Christ as Savior and Head, speaking with a double heart, or a heart full of hypocrisy? Why are they in so much rebellion to God and say, “…With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?”

The answer to the first question is answered in the second question of ‘Why?’ The where they have gone is found in the why. They have turned from walking in the Spirit, living in the Spirit, and being led of the Spirit – because of their pride; which leaves them walking in the flesh. Men who profess faith in Christ, who do not need Christ today because of prosperity, desire to be politically correct more than Scripturally correct; they compromise truth with error; and are suffering no persecution for the truth’s sake. The church is more affluent than ever before; it is accepted, as long as compromise is the standard, so as not to be different than the world. Therefore, the light the church puts off is not the Light of Christ; but is the light of compromise. The Light of Christ is a divider of what is sin, and what is truth, and what is true holiness; and the Bible identifies whichever path a person is following. When the church does not make love of God, grace, discipleship, and holiness the standard; then, the world is not upset with the church, for the world sees no difference between them and the church. In other words, the Light of the Church does not bring conviction upon the world; but rather, allows the world to feel good about their sin.

The prayer of every Godly and Faithfull child of God should be, “Help Lord, For the Godly Man Ceaseth; For the Faithful Fail From Among the Children of Men.” Reader, Child of God, Church member, if God does not hear our prayer – defeat and destruction lie ahead for the future. Now, more than ever, Christians must stand in the Gap and not let the Hedge down.

Help us O God; bring us back to Bethel, and cause us to confess our transgressions, and cause us to put away our sins and forsake them. Revive us again, and let righteousness reign in the House of God. Let the men of God stand in the pulpits, and preach line upon line, and precept upon precept unashamedly; but with boldness of the Holy Spirit, and without compromise. Let every person who claims to be a child of God, be Godly in their attitude, action, and attire. Let them walk by faith, or by Christ, Who is the Faith and The Pattern (Gal. 2:20).

Now is the time for all Christians to wear the name tag of Christian in their thoughts, walk, and work. It is time to stand up in our homes, and in the work place, and in our Churches; for the Church is the Pillar and Ground of Truth (1 Tim. 3:15). The Church is God’s Light in this world. Let the Christian attend an assembly that preaches the truth of God’s love, grace, and mercy; where the assembly is exhorted to walk in peace and holiness; where the love of God is supreme, and love of the brethren is the expression of the indwelling presence of Christ; and where the desire and action of the assembly is the spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all peoples of all races, of all creeds, and of all doctrines. Let the Church of Jesus Christ Stand Up and be a Living Witness of The Grace of God to Sinners; and of the Change in All Manner of Behavior in Holiness and Righteousness that Takes Place in a Person who is Born from Above. The Church is to be a Preaching/Teaching, baptizing, and discipling station (Mt. 28:19-20). Then the baptized and discipled converts are to go out to the world and be Ambassadors of the Reconciliation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:20).