Psalm 119:137-144

TSADDE

137 Righteous are You, O LORD, 

and upright are Your judgments.

138 Your testimonies, which You have commanded, 

Are righteous and very faithful.

139 My zeal has consumed me, 

because my enemies have forgotten Your words.

140 Your word is very pure, 

Therefore Your servant loves it.

141 I am small and despised, 

Yet I do not forget Your precepts.

142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, 

And Your law is truth.

143 Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, 

Yet Your commandments are my delights.

144 The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting, 

Give me understanding, and I shall live.

 

The Hebrew alphabet letter TSADDE makes the ts sound as in bats and it means “a righteous person.” Did you notice how many times in this section the word righteous or righteousness is mentioned? Five times. That’s a lot for just eight verses. Righteousness is a state of being right, or right conduct. It’s used of a judge or king who maintains the right and dispenses justice. With God, it designates the perfect agreement between His nature and His acts. And because there is a standard of righteousness, He will ALWAYS act with holiness, justice, and faithfulness.

For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright (Psalm 11:7).

God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day (Psalm 7:11).

The Psalmist begins by praising God for His righteous judgments and commands and then he expresses passionate anger or zeal against men who have forgotten God’s law. Jesus had righteous indignation when clearing out the money changers from the temple (Matthew 21:12-16). We understand that God is a jealous God and demands first place in our lives. Psalm 89:7 says, God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of he saints, and to be held in reverence by all those around Him. What is the object of our zeal? How do we respond when those around us don’t fear or respect God?

In verses 140-142, the writer goes on to exclaim how God’s word is pure and that he loves it. Here, the word pure refers to the melting process for metal to separate the impurities; figuratively, it means to refine us by afflictions. Psalm 66:10 talks about refining us like silver, and in James 1:2-3, the testing of our faith produces patience. We want to remove any dross that will keep us from growing to be more like Christ, so that we, like Paul, can say, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith…(2 Timothy 4:7-8).

The Psalmist continues with his thoughts of feeling insignificant and how troubles have taken hold of him, yet God’s word is still his delight. God’s word has provided everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). When we feel worthless, He sees our value (Genesis 1:26; Psalm 139:13-14). When anxieties take hold of us, He provides peace (Philippians 4:6-7). When we feel at the end of our rope, He cares (1 Peter 5:7). When we feel there’s no way out, He shows us the way (1 Corinthians 10:13; John 14:6).

He closes with entreating the LORD for understanding so that he can live. For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 2:6). May we increase in our understanding of God’s Word so we can be more like Jesus. Remember, God is ALWAYS there for us. God ALWAYS forgives when we come to Him with a repentant heart. God ALWAYS…you fill in the blank. God ALWAYS does what is right because that’s who He is. He is RIGHTEOUS. His integrity will never change or falter. I love the fact that we can count on Him every single day, anytime and all of the time. 

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

 

By Jena Gumpert