PSALM 119: 137- 144 TZADHE
Righteous God gives upright standards verse 137
Righteous are YOU – O LORD – and upright are YOUR judgments
Righteous God gives righteous and faithful standards verse 138
YOUR testimonies that YOU have commanded are righteous and very faithful
Righteous God is disregarded by psalmist’s enemies verse 139
My zeal hath consumed me
BECAUSE mine enemies have forgotten YOUR words
Righteous God gives pure standards verse 140
YOUR word is very pure – THEREFORE YOUR servant loves it
Righteous God has faithful servant verse 141
I am small and despised – yet do not I forget YOUR precepts
Righteous God only gives the TRUTH verse 142
YOUR righteousness is an everlasting righteousness
and YOUR law is the truth
Righteous God has servants that delight in HIS Word verse 143
Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me
yet YOUR commandments are my delights
Righteous God has servants who want understanding verse 144
The righteousness of YOUR testimonies is everlasting
give me understanding – and I shall live
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
:137 “Righteous are You, O LORD, And upright are Your judgments.” The
New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
Righteous – 6662 צַדִּיק [tsaddiyq /tsad·deek/] adj. From 6663; TWOT 1879c; GK 7404; 206 occurrences; AV translates as “righteous” 162 times, “just” 42 times, “righteous man” once, and “lawful” once. 1 just, lawful, righteous. 1A just, righteous (in government). 1B just, right (in one’s cause). 1C just, righteous (in conduct and character). 1D righteous (as justified and vindicated by God). 1E right, correct, lawful. James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: The character of God and the words of God go hand in hand and testify to His unchanging attributes. We can trust His word because His word does not fluctuate from His person! As His person is righteous and just so his word is also. The testimonies of our God is consistent whether it is about his person, speech or activities. C.H. Spurgeon stated, “Their characteristic is that they are like the Lord who has proclaimed them, they are the essence of justice and the soul of truth.”
As we are called to conform to His image and to be like Him, how are you doing? Can people trust us because our words and character are so alike that when we state something people know it will be accomplished? Our testimonies in deed need to match our testimonies of speech! We need to be people of righteousness and faith.
CHALLENGE: Today is a great day to begin being what we proclaim to be! Be Christ-like because you claim to be a Christian! Stop being like everyone else and imitate Christ. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 138 YOUR testimonies that YOU have commanded are righteous and very faithful. (530 “faithful” [‘emuwnah] means honesty, steadfastness, trustworthiness, the quality of being faithful, firmness, fidelity, security, reliability, duty, conscientiously, or truth.)
DEVOTION: One characteristic the LORD wants to find in those who are genuine believers is that we should be reliable. HE wants to have a testimony where people will know that we are genuinely trying to be obedient to the teachings of the Bible.
HE is righteous and with the help of the Holy Spirit we can be righteous in our actions as well. We are still sinners that are saved by grace and the LORD knows that we are not 100% in all of our actions each day. Our goal should be 100% but that is not what reality has for us as believers.
All of us have to daily go to the LORD to ask for forgiveness when we are not obedient. HE is one hundred percent faithful to us while we are trying to be faithful to HIM. HE never gives up on genuine believers who are willing to admit and confess their sins HE is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness each day.
Our responsibility is to trust the LORD to help us each day as we try to keep our lives obedient to HIM. Confession is an action that should always be done with a willing heart. HE knows us better than we know ourselves. Don’t ever think that you have arrived at perfection before you are standing before HIM at HIS judgment seat.
CHALLENGE: We have to realize that we are sinners that are saved by grace and the LORD gives us grace each as we try to live a life of holiness to HIM.
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: 139 My zeal has consumed me, because mine enemies have forgotten YOURwords. (7068 “zeal” [qinah] means ardor jealousy, passion, strong desire, or deep devotion.)
DEVOTION: This is the eighteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. We are a people of deep desires. When we want something bad we do everything in our power to get it. Here we find the Psalmist having a strong desire to know and understand the Word of God.
He states that his enemies have forgotten the Word of God. It seems to imply that they knew them once but didn’t think them important enough to follow. They were heading in a different direction.
Could these enemies have been fellow Israelites who knew the Word of God but didn’t want to follow their directions? They were people who knew the truth but walked away from it.
We have individuals in our life that we consider friends who know the truth of the Word of God but have gone in a different direction. They think they can do better without living the Christian life. Some even believe that there is no life after death, so they eat, drink and have a merry time while there on this earth.
Our responsibility is to be like the psalmist. We are to understand that the LORD is righteous and HIS word is upright. We need to acknowledge that the LORD only tells the truth. We can share the fact that HE is faithful to HIS word.
CHALLENGE: Are we consumed with a deep devotion to the LORD that causes us to share the truth of HIS word with others. We are called to be witnesses. Please witness!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 140 YOUR word is very pure: therefore YOUR servant loves it. (6884 “pure” [tsaraph] means to be worthy of trust or belief, conceived of as being refined or pure, to refine, to smelt, to examine, to purge, or to be purified.)
DEVOTION: One of the things that I love is honey that is pure. It tastes so good when you add it to something that needs sweeting. It gives it a special taste that only honey can add to the favor.
Now we see that God’s word is worthy of our trust and belief because we have tested it through the help of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We try to live a life that is pleasing to the LORD and it takes the application of what we learn from the Bible to help us to live that life.
We know when we are not measuring up to the standard that the Bible has for those who are followers of the LORD. Salvation is first but after that we have to learn to live the life that the Bible teaches.
We need good instructors in our life to help us understand what the Christian life is all about. They have to help us understand the words that are used in the Bible that cause us to think right about all of our actions.
As we grow in our Christian life we learn to love the teachings of the Word of God and learn how to apply them to our walk each day.
People can tell if we love the Word of God or not. It is in our voice and in our actions. We are always looking for ways to please HIM and show the world that we are obedient to HIM.
CHALLENGE: We have to study to show ourselves approved of God. Sometimes we will not please all those around us but it should be first and foremost in our thinking to please HIM!
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: 143 Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delight. (4689 “anguish” [matsowq] means straitness, straits, distress, or stress.)
DEVOTION: We are dealing with the fact that those who are followers of the LOR
are usually small, despised, having trouble and stress. We have doctors who measure our
stress levels. There are events that take place in our lives that cause more stress than
others. If we lose a loved one, get a divorce, move, change jobs, or have a new child are
events that cause stress.
They are giving medicine out today for all kinds of “so called” cures for stress. The psalmist has a cure for stress – the commandments of the LORD. Sounds like the wrong kind of cure to most. If we find something to delight in – it can cause us to lessen our stress level. Do we find delight in the Word of God? If we studied the Word of God would we ease our stress level?
The psalmist thinks so. Reason he thinks so is that the Word of God is righteous, pure, faithful and everlasting. When he turns to the LORD, he moves his focus from his troubles to his delight in the Word. We can do the same. It will not end our trouble and stress but we can transfer it to HIM.
CHALLENGE: Love the LORD your God who is revealed in the Word of God. Delight in HIM and HE will bring your through every storm in your life.)
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Prayer for understanding verse 144
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Judgments verse 137
Testimonies verse 138, 144
everlasting
Words verse 139, 140
Pure verse 140
Precepts verse 141
Law verse 142
Truth verse 142
Commandments verse 143
Rightness of Word of God verse 144
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Righteous verse 137, 138, 142
Everlasting verse 137
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)
Upright verse 137
Faithful verse 138
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Enemies verse 139
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Forgotten Word of God verse 139
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Zeal verse 139
Servant verse 140
Love Word of God verse 140
Remember the Word of God verse 141
Trouble verse 143
Anguish verse 143
Delight in Word of God verse 143
Understanding verse 144
Live verse 144
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
I am small and despised verse 141
Do not forget God’s precepts verse 141
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
137–44 The strophe begins on an affirmation of the Lord’s righteousness (“righteous [ṣaddîq] are you,” v. 137) and ends on an affirmation of his word (“your statutes are forever right,” ṣeḏeq, “righteous,” v. 144). In between the psalmist laments his troubles (vv. 139, 141, 143). The excellence of the Lord and his word is adversely affected by the troubles and disgrace of his saints. The psalmist calls attention to his need, praying that the Lord will establish righteousness in his world.
The Lord is “righteous” in the distribution of rewards and punishments, as well as in his vindication of the godly (v. 137; cf. 116:5–6; 147:17–20; Isa 11:4; Rev 16:5, 7; 19:2). Everything reveals that he is “righteous” and that therefore his revelation is just and true; likewise they guarantee that the Lord will be just and true: his “statutes” (ʿēḏôṯ) are “righteous” (ṣeḏeq, vv. 138, 144; cf. v. 7), “right” (yāšār, “upright,” v. 137; cf. v. 7), “trustworthy” (ʾemûnāh, v. 138; cf. vv. 75, 86), “tested” (ṣerûp̱āh, v. 140; cf. 12:6; 18:30), “true” (ʾemeṯ, “faithful,” v. 142; cf. vv. 151, 160; 19:9; John 17:17), and “everlasting”/“forever” (leʿôlām, vv. 142, 144; cf. Matt 5:17–18).
Trust in the reliability of God’s word is directly proportionate to one’s trust in the Lord himself. The conviction that the Lord is righteous and faithful, as is his word, evokes a response of great devotion (“zeal,” qinʾāh, v. 139; cf. 69:9). The “zeal” increases as the adversities increase so that it wears one out (cf. 69:9). The psalmist takes seriously the presence of sin in this world (cf. v. 136). His adversaries “ignore” (š-k-ḥ, v. 139) God’s laws, whereas he does not “forget” (š-k-ḥ, v. 141) them. Instead, he “loves” (v. 140) and finds his “delight” (v. 143; cf. vv. 16, 24, 47, 70, 77, 92, 174) in them. Yet he feels himself to be insignificant and rejected by men (“lowly and despised,” v. 141; cf. Judg 6:15; Ps 22:7). Moreover, his loyalty to the Lord and his devotion to godliness have been unrewarded. Instead, troubles have come his way (v. 143).
In his anguish the psalmist holds on to faith in the Lord. He is able to help and has confirmed it in his promises (v. 140). Though he does not yet see the outcome of his present troubles, the psalmist knows his God to be “righteous,” his word to be “righteous” and “faithful,” and his promises to have been tested over and over again in redemptive history. He knows in whom he has put his trust. Therefore, he does not challenge the Lord’s integrity but prays humbly that he may “understand” (v. 144; cf. v. 125) so that he may be revived in his inner being (“live”; cf. 116). (VanGemeren, W. A. (1991). Psalms. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol. 5, pp. 758–759). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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119:137–144. The psalmist declared that because the Lord is righteous His Word is righteous (vv. 137–138). He testified of his own zeal for the Word, which was pure (vv. 139–142). He found comfort in God’s righteous laws when he was in affliction (vv. 143–144; cf. v. 92). (Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 882). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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God’s Word is trustworthy no matter how long you live (v. 144). When we read the Word to ourselves, we see words in ink on paper. When we read the Word aloud, we hear puffs of sound that quickly disappear. Paper and ink and puffs of sound may not seem very lasting, but the Word of God is eternal and fixed forever (vv. 89, 160). To build your life on God’s Word means to participate in eternity (Matt. 7:24–29; 1 John 2:17). It is not the length of life but the depth of life that counts, and depth comes from laying hold of God’s Word and obeying it. Jesus spent only thirty-three years on this earth, and His public ministry lasted only three years, yet He accomplished a work that is eternal. (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be exultant (1st ed., p. 135). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)
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Ver. 144. The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting, &c.] Or, for ever. The righteousness which they require, or which they publish; the righteousness revealed in the Gospel, which is the righteousness of Christ; see the note on ver. 142. Give me understanding, and I shall live; an understanding of the testimonies of the Lord, of the word of God, the law of God, and Gospel of Christ; an understanding of divine and spiritual things; a clearer and larger understanding of them, which is the gift of God; both that itself at first, and an increase of it here prayed for, the end, issue, and effect of which is life. Such live spiritually, and by faith; they live cheerfully and comfortably, and for ever, as Aben Ezra and Kimchi repeat from the former clause: for this is life eternal to know the only true God and Jesus Christ; or to have a spiritual understanding of them, and of those things which relate to spiritual peace and comfort here, and eternal happiness hereafter, John. 17:3. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 4, p. 235). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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144. “The righteousnesss of thy testimonies is everlasting.” First he had said that God’s testimonies were righteous, then that they were everlasting, and now that their righteousness is everlasting. Thus he gives us a larger and more detailed account of the word of God the longer he is engaged in writing upon it. The more we say in praise of holy writ, the more we may say and the more we can say. God’s testimonies to man cannot be assailed, they are righteous from beginning to end; and though ungodly men have opposed the divine justice, especially in the plan of salvation, they have always failed to establish any charge against the Most High. Long as the earth shall stand long as there shall be a single intelligent creature in the universe it will be confessed that God’s plans of mercy are in all respects marvellous proofs of his love of justice: even that he may be gracious Jehovah will not be unjust. “Give me understanding and I shall live.” This is a prayer which he is constantly praying, that God would give him understanding. Here he evidently considers that such a gift is essential to his living. To live without understanding is not to live the life of a man, but to be dead while we live. Only as we know and apprehend the things of God can we be said to enter into life. The more the Lord teaches us to admire the eternal rightness of his word, and the more he quickens us to the love of such rightness, the happier and the better we shall be. As we love life, and seek many days that we may see good, it behaves us to seek immortality in the everlasting word which liveth and abideth for ever, and to seek good in that renewal of our entire nature which begins with the enlightenment of the understanding and passes on to the regeneration of the entire man. Here is our need of the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, and the guide of all the quickened ones, who shall lead us into all truth. O for the visitations of his grace at this good hour! (Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 111-119 (Vol. 5, p. 392). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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STORM DUMPS 18 TRILLION GALLONS OF WATER (Friday Church News Notes, September 21, 2018, www.wayoflife.org,fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – Hurricane Florence, which made landfall in North Carolina on September 14, had dumped 18 trillion gallons of water by September 16. “That’s enough to fill the Chesapeake Bay or cover the entire state of Texas with nearly 4 inches of water” (“Florence aftermath,” FoxNews, Sep. 16, 2018). In April 2018, 50 inches of rain fell in a 24 hour period on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. In January 1966, 1.825 meters (6 feet or 71.8 inches) of rain fell in 24 hours in Foc-Foc, La Réunion, an island in the southern Indian Ocean. That was equal to 7.5 tons of rain per acre. These were localized storms of brief endurance. The flood of Noah’s day involved the breaking up of the fountains of the deep and a global deluge of rainfall for 40 days and nights straight (Ge. 7:11-12). Two excellent books on the global flood areIn the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood by Walt Brown and Earth’s Catastrophic Past by Andrew Snelling. These men have Ph.D.s in the earth sciences.
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COURTS AGAIN RULE AGAINST ATHEISTS TRYING TO REMOVE “IN GOD WE TRUST” FROM AMERICA’S CURRENCY (Friday Church News Notes, September 21, 2018,www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The following is excerpted from “Atheists Fail to Remove,” The Christian Post, Aug. 29, 2018: “Atheists who failed to remove the national motto ‘In God We Trust’ from U.S. coins and bills following an appeals court defeat have called their loss ‘utterly revolting.’ The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Paul, Minnesota, upheld in a 3-0 decision on Tuesday a lower court ruling from December 2016 that found that the national motto on money did not violate First Amendment free speech and religious rights. As the New Doe Child # 1 v. The Congress of the United States case explains, 27 individuals who are atheists or children of atheists, along with two atheist organizations, declared that they ‘definitely do not trust in God.’ Circuit Judge Raymond Gruender explained that the motto did not constitute an establishment of religion, however, and rejected the argument that the atheists are being forced to uphold a message that goes against their beliefs by carrying money. Gruender agreed with the Seventh Circuit that the arguments that ‘In God We Trust’ on money transforms a constitutional practice into an unconstitutional establishment of religion is ‘too simplistic.’ ‘The Constitution does not prevent the Government from promoting and celebrat[ing] our tradition of religious freedom, even if the means of doing so–here, adding the national motto to U.S. money–was motivated in part because of religious sentiment.’ Placing In God We Trust on coins and currency is consistent with historical practices,’ he added. Michael Newdow, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, told Reuters in an email that it is ‘utterly revolting…’”
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The world stands guilty before God, and can only be forgiven through Christ.
INSIGHT
There are several commonly held misconceptions about how God evaluates the deeds of men. One idea is that as long as we don’t do anything “terrible,” God will overlook our “little” sins. Another is that God weighs all our good works on one side of a scale and all our bad works on the other. If the good outweighs the bad, we’re okay. A third incorrect notion is that God lines up all the people who have ever lived from the best to the worst and then divides them in half. If you make the cut, you’re okay. The truth the Bible teaches is that God demands sinlessness. And since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, all people are condemned. There is only one way out: Receive Jesus as your personal Savior. Through Him, all your sins can be forgiven. (Quiet Walk)
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CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE
That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:3
The Christian experience is a definite and a certain experience–“that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us.” Now if people do not know what they have, how can they wish for others to share it with them? So that is the starting point “that the Christian experience is not a vague one; it is not indefinite or uncertain. Rather, it is a ell-defined experience, and true Christians know what they have; they are aware of what they possess. They are in no uncertainty themselves as to what has happened to them as to their personal position. “These things write we unto you,” says John, “that your joy may be full”–that you may share what we have. You cannot invite someone to share something with you unless you know exactly what you are asking him to share.
We are dealing with what may be called the great New Testament doctrine of the assurance of salvation, which has been subjected to considerable criticism. People have regarded it as presumption. They have said this is something that is impossible, and that no one should be able to claim such a thing.
But John is a man who tells us that he knows, and it is because he knows and because of what he has experienced that he is writing. Christians are not men and women who are hoping for salvation, but those who have experienced it. They have it; there is no uncertainty. They “know whom [they] have believed” (2 Timothy 1:12); and it is because John has possessed this that he writes about it.
A Thought to Ponder Christians are not men and women who are hoping for salvation, but those who have experienced it. (From Fellowship with God, pp. 57-58, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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The Similitude of God
“Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.” (James 3:9)
Here inserted within a very sober condemnation of the misuse of our God-given privilege of speech is what seems almost an incidental reference to the image of God in man. It is not a trivial reference, however, but very significant.
It tells us that even though the image of God in man has been severely marred by sin, it is still there! That is, man is eternal just as God is eternal, and we will all continue to exist forever, either in the presence of God, or away from His presence. That “image” is not shared with animals, even the higher animals. The latter do have a body, soul (in the sense of mind), and spirit (in the sense of breath), but they do not possess “the image of God” that was specially created in man alone after all the animals had been created (note Genesis 1:21, 27).
Another implication is that the word “similitude” includes the meaning of a physical resemblance. While God in His full essence is omnipresent and therefore invisible to human eyes, it is still true that, when God became man, He took on an actual physical body. Furthermore, our Lord Jesus, God the Son, still is “that same Jesus” and therefore still in that body (note Acts 1:11; 1 John 3:2; etc.).
Since His incarnation and His work of salvation were planned by the triune God “before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:20), man was apparently created in the image of that body that Christ had planned to take on when He would eventually become man.
That being the case, our bodies are even more sacred than otherwise we might have assumed, and it is indeed a serious matter to misuse the tongue or any other member of the body, which is made after the similitude of Christ. (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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