137 Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments.
138 Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful.
139 My zeal hath consumed me, because mine enemies have forgotten thy words.
140 Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.
141 I am small and despised: yet do not I forget thy precepts.
142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.
143 Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delights.
144 The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting: give me understanding, and I shall live.
We appreciate the righteousness of God’s laws and the perfect righteousness of God’s nature.
Our days are filled with trouble and anguish. Turmoil only seems to increase all around us. We are more than ever aware of the world’s persecuting force against Christ. We are marginalized. The wicked seem to be winning every election, and the percentage of Christians who say they like God’s laws is diminishing by the day. Yet, with each passing day we are even more steadfast in our commitment to God’s Word.
Verses 137-138.
Now we come to the basis for the entire Psalm. At this point, it should be clear that the Psalmist loves the commandments of God. In fact, his enthusiasm for God’s Law-Word comes across a little surprising to the first-time reader. This love for God’s Word ties into his love for God, but it is also tied to the nature of God. It is only because the Psalmist appreciates the righteousness of God that he is able to appreciate the righteous laws of God. Righteousness is that which produces good as defined by God. Unrighteousness is that which corrupts and destroys; that which interrupts good relationships with God and man. Unrighteousness lacks integrity, consistency, and fidelity. God is the very essence of what is not evil and corrupting. If we want to understand the definition of good and evil, we have but to read the laws of God and the judgments of God in Scripture. If He destroys Sodom for homosexuality, and if He destroys the world for its murder and violence, then we must conclude that homosexuality and murder are extremely evil things. Therefore, if television programs and movies endorse gladiatorial combat, adultery, and homosexuality, then they are creating a scenario like unto the pre-flood world and Sodom, before its destruction. Next to this stands the testimonies of God laid down in the Ten Commandments. In a world where ethics are constantly fluctuating, we turn back to the ever faithful standard of God’s Word (verse 138).
Verses 139-141.
We learn something of our Lord Jesus’ emotional state from the Gospel writer when He overturned tables in the temple. He quotes the verse, “The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up” (John 2:15-17). Is it appropriate to remain stoic, unbothered, and nonchalant at the sight of innocent babies being torn apart in their mother’s wombs? Must the Christian be entirely without passion when confronted with the deeds of the wicked? It is easy to become deadened to evil if one lives surrounded by it all the time. Some may respond in horror to the sins of others but think nothing of their own sinful habits. Neither of these approaches are right or just. The law of God should sensitize us to evil such that when we are confronted with gross immorality we respond correctly. Why do societies tolerate parents selling their children into sex slavery or aborting their babies in the womb? These pagan tribes have become indifferent to the evil of sin. “Mine enemies have forgotten thy words.”
Verse 140 speaks of the purity, the sheer truthfulness of the Word of God. As his enemies forget about God’s words, the man of God feels marginalized and despised. Anybody who speaks against fornication in the public square will bear the ridicule of the crowd. Yet, he still stands on those truths.
Verses 142-144.
As opposed to the relativism of the present age, nothing changes about God’s standards of righteousness. God’s laws are still in stone after thousands and thousands of years. Take a public stand against evolution, homosexuality, or feminism in our day, and you will experience the mockery, deprecation, and persecution from the media, the mob, and the compromised church. Eventually, your own extended family and friends will be embarrassed of you for your stand. These are the days of trouble and anguish. We are all ourselves subject to temptations. We deal with our own hypocrisies while the world is out there excusing every egregious hypocrisy and sin known to man. Nonetheless, the true believer will vigorously hold on to the standards of God’s laws. Though all abandon him, he will still delight in the commandments of God.
There is comfort in knowing that God’s righteous standards remain the same, in knowing that God is restoring us to righteousness by His Word, by Christ’s blood, and by the Spirit of God working in us. Should God give us the understanding of the principle of grace, whereby this comes about, should God give us the faith and understanding to believe in Christ, should God give us the understanding of His laws, we will begin to take our first baby steps in the light of that Law-Word. Walking in the light is life for us (verse 144).
Let us appreciate the righteousness of God, especially as it is reflected in the righteousness of His laws. Even cannibals will teach their children politeness at the table while they consume human flesh. Homosexuals are often fastidious about their manners and kindly interactions with others. Compared to God’s standards, every individual person’s moral standards are riddled with wicked compromise and evil intentions. Increasingly, let us identify the inconsistencies of our moral standards and replace them with God’s perfect standard of righteousness.
A little passion in the house of God is in order, especially when we are confronted with too much of the glory of man, too much idolatry, pride, or spiritual lethargy and carelessness. If the worship leader ever turns over a few tables in the temple during his sermon (speaking metaphorically), God’s people should respond in support and give the glory to God.
1. What is the basis for the righteous laws of God as described in verse 137?
2. Why did Jesus overturn the tables in the temple? Was He angry?
3. How does the Psalmist view himself in this section?
4. Why is this section of the Psalm so relevant to the postmodern relativism of our day?
5. How do we experience life according to verse 144?
1. How are our days filled with turmoil and anguish? What causes turmoil and anguish in our hearts? What resolves it?
2. How does the world confuse good and evil or right and wrong? Provide a few examples.