**The Cry of the Faithful and the Promise of the Lord**
In the days when wickedness seemed to flourish like weeds in a neglected field, the righteous found themselves surrounded by deceit. The land was filled with smooth words—tongues that dripped with honeyed lies, lips that boasted of their own strength, and hearts that plotted treachery beneath a mask of friendship. The faithful, those who clung to the ways of the Lord, grew weary, for truth had stumbled in the streets, and honesty was nowhere to be found.
Among them was a man named Eliab, a humble scribe who devoted his days to copying the sacred scriptures. He was not a man of great wealth or influence, but his heart burned with love for the Lord. Night after night, he knelt upon the rough stones of his small chamber, lifting his voice in prayer.
*”Help, O Lord, for the godly are no more! The faithful have vanished from among men!”* His cry echoed the anguish of the psalmist, for he saw the corruption around him—the merchants who cheated with false scales, the judges who took bribes, and the neighbors who whispered slander behind smiling faces.
One evening, as Eliab walked through the marketplace, he overheard two men speaking in hushed tones.
*”We will prevail with our tongues,”* one said, his eyes gleaming with cunning. *”Our lips are our own—who can master us?”*
Eliab’s spirit grieved, for he knew their words were empty, their promises as fleeting as the morning mist. He returned home with a heavy heart and opened the scroll of the psalms, his fingers tracing the words of David: *”The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that speaks proud things…”*
That night, as he prayed, a deep stillness settled over him. And in the quiet, the voice of the Lord whispered to his spirit:
*”Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise,”* says the Lord. *”I will protect them from those who malign them.”*
Eliab’s heart swelled with hope, for he knew the Lord had not abandoned His people. Though the wicked strutted in their arrogance, their time was short. The words of man were frail, but the words of the Lord were pure—like silver refined seven times in the furnace.
Days turned into weeks, and the schemes of the deceitful began to unravel. The merchant who had cheated his customers was exposed, his wealth crumbling like dust. The false witnesses who had conspired against an innocent man were caught in their own lies. And the proud boaster who had declared, *”No one rules over me!”* found himself humbled by sudden misfortune.
Eliab watched in awe as the Lord proved faithful. The words of the wicked had perished like chaff in the wind, but the promises of the Lord stood firm. He gathered the children of the village and taught them, saying:
*”The words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in the crucible. Though the world may lie and deceive, He guards the faithful. Trust not in the boasts of men, but in the One who sees all and will never forsake His own.”*
And so, even in the midst of a crooked generation, the light of truth shone. The Lord had arisen, and His justice prevailed. The righteous took refuge in His word, knowing that though men may fail, the Lord’s promises would endure forever.
