Psalm 119: Tsadhe

Hebrew Letter: Tsadhe

Psalm 119:137-144 in Hebrew

What can make us feel small and insignificant?

Failures

Words and actions of others

False standards we can never measure up to

Power of natural disasters

Weight of depression

When we are facing death

Does God make us feel small?

Yes, but not Insignificant.

Genesis 1:26–27 ESV

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Colossians 3:9–10 ESV

9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

This is what the Psalmist is writing about in today’s section of Psalm 119.

Psalm 119:137–144 ESV

137 Righteous are you, O Lord, and right are your rules. 138 You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness and in all faithfulness. 139 My zeal consumes me, because my foes forget your words. 140 Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it. 141 I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts. 142 Your righteousness is righteous forever, and your law is true. 143 Trouble and anguish have found me out, but your commandments are my delight. 144 Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live.

The Core Truth

Psalm 119:137–138 ESV

137 Righteous are you, O Lord, and right are your rules. 138 You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness and in all faithfulness.

Test #1: Zeal for the truth

Psalm 119:139–140 ESV

139 My zeal consumes me, because my foes forget your words. 140 Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it.

I will not forget your Word even though everyone else ignores what you say. They are foolish to ignore what you say because your Word has proven itself over and over again.

Zeal: jealousy, indignation, ardent love,

Consumes me: Wears me out, Silences me, Destroys me

Test #2: Hold fast to eternal truth

Psalm 119:141–142 ESV

141 I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts. 142 Your righteousness is righteous forever, and your law is true.

Though I am overlooked and no one thinks what I do matters, I know your Word and it cannot be overlooked because it is true forever. When I live according to your Word, all that I do matters because it matters to you.

Test #3: Trust in the truth

Psalm 119:143–144 ESV

143 Trouble and anguish have found me out, but your commandments are my delight. 144 Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live.

Zeal in action

Luke 19:1–10 ESV

1 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

What should our zeal look like?

Test #1:

Matthew 22:37–38 ESV

37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment.

Are you zealous for God. Not to fight for Him, but to be with Him. To be His. To know Him

Not to be right but to be right with Him?

Test #2:

Matthew 22:39–40 ESV

39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

John 15:12–13 ESV

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.