Save, Lord, for the godly man has vanished, and the faithful have diminished from among the sons of men.
David cries out to the Lord at a time when godliness and faithfulness among people had greatly diminished. The words “vanished” and “have decreased” do not necessarily mean that no righteous person remained at all. They express the painful condition in which true and trustworthy people become so few that they are almost nowhere to be seen. The moral decline of society is felt most heavily when sincerity disappears from people’s speech and faithfulness from relationships. In such a crisis, David’s first response is to turn to the Lord: “Save, Lord.” He understands that deepened moral corruption cannot be removed by human means alone. A believer, too, may feel alone amid lies, hypocrisy, and unfaithfulness. Yet he must not think that God no longer has a faithful people, or that he is free from the duty to remain faithful to the truth. Even when the godly seem few, the Lord knows and preserves those who belong to Him. This verse calls us, even in such an environment, to remain faithful to the truth and to wait in prayer for the Lord’s salvation.