“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.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 12:5 Mean?
God speaks in response to the oppression David has described: for the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, NOW will I arise. The now is emphatic — the timing has arrived. God has heard enough. He is rising.
The trigger is specific: oppression and sighing. Not elaborate prayers. Not theological arguments. The raw sound of the poor being crushed and the needy sighing is what moves God to action.
"I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him" — God provides safety from those who despise the vulnerable. The puffing is contemptuous — blowing at someone dismissively, treating them as nothing. God responds to the contempt with protection.
The verse reveals God's sensitivity to the suffering of the powerless. The poor do not need to make a formal case. Their oppression and sighing are sufficient to trigger divine intervention.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What triggers God to arise — and what does that reveal about what moves him?
- 2.How is the 'sighing of the needy' sufficient to activate divine intervention?
- 3.What does 'puffing at' the poor describe — and why does it provoke God?
- 4.Where are you either sighing for God's help or contributing to someone else's oppression?
Devotional
For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise. Now. God hears the oppression. He hears the sighing. And the response is immediate: I will arise.
The trigger is not elaborate prayer. It is the sound of suffering — the grinding of oppression, the involuntary sighing of people who have been crushed. God does not need a formal petition. The suffering itself activates his response.
I will set him in safety. The God who arises provides safety. The poor person who had no protector now has one — the LORD himself, who arose because the sighing reached his ears.
From him that puffeth at him. The contempt of the powerful — the dismissive blowing, the sneering at the vulnerable — provokes God's protective response. The person who treats the poor as nothing has just provoked the attention of someone who treats them as precious.
If you are poor, oppressed, sighing — God hears. The sighing you thought disappeared into empty air reached the one who rises for the needy. The arising has been triggered. The safety is being provided.
If you are the one puffing — dismissing, despising, treating the vulnerable as nothing — the arising is aimed at you. The God who hears sighing also sees contempt. And he rises against both the oppression and the oppressor.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
For the oppression of the poor,.... The servants and people of God, who, for the most part, are poor in a temporal…
For the oppression of the poor - That is, on account of the wrong done to the poor in the manner specified above - by…
This psalm furnishes us with good thoughts for bad times, in which, though the prudent will keep silent (Amo 5:13)…
The Psalmist hears God's answer, and affirms its trustworthiness.
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture