THE RIGHTEOUS GOD AND THE RIGHTEOUS WORD- Psalm 119:137-144

Introduction

We can, at times, forget how remarkable God and His Word truly are. If you have grown up in the church, or have been a regular reader of Scripture, the term righteous is not unfamiliar. The concept is easily defined, and we can typically pick out righteous things from unrighteous things.

Like a child who knows his colors, we recognize the differences between good and evil (at least generally speaking). However, this familiarity can also bring with it a failure to appreciate righteousness properly.

I enjoy drinking a cup of coffee while I read the Bible and pray in the morning. And it is rare for me not to enjoy a cup of coffee during my time with God. However, because I enjoy it almost every morning, I can (and have) taken it for granted. On this dark and dismal mornings that I cannot enjoy a sip from coffee, I immediately realize how wonderful coffee is!

This is obviously a minor point, but I think it helps us realize the incredible privilege we have as believers to have God as our Father and His Word at our finger tips. Our passage this evening presents several different thoughts, but they all seem to center on, or at the very least, build on, the idea that God is righteous and His Word is, too.

Our familiarity with God and the Bible can lead us to forgot how precious it is. I hope this portion of Psalm 119 opens our eyes to the wonderful bliss that is God and His Word.

I. GOD HIMSELF IS RIGHTEOUS- 119:137

II. GOD PROVIDED HIS WORD IN RIGHTEOUSNESS- 119:138

III. GOD’S WORD DISCERNS- 119:139

IV. GOD’S WORD ENDURES- 119:140, 142, 144

V. GOD’S WORD ENCOURAGES- 119:143

I. GOD HIMSELF IS RIGHTEOUS- 119:137

The first verse in this section focuses on the righteousness of God. We serve a righteous God. This is a thought that, again, we simply take for granted. But have you ever considered what it would be like to serve an unrighteous god? What is God was cruel. He enjoyed creating things and then torturing them. Or, what if God was unjust. What if, through His divine power, He simply took away everything you own and gave it to someone else. We could spend hours coming up with “what ifs...” that would present many horrific examples. The point the psalmist makes, however, is that God is righteous.

There are two important thoughts in connection with this idea of the righteousness of God.

A. God is righteous, therefore He does what is righteous

God’s nature is righteous. It exudes from His being. It is who He is. He is righteous. There is no iniquity, no duplicity, no hint of evil or of imperfection. He is righteous. But this characteristic, or essence, extends toward His actions and interactions. There has never been an act of God that has not been absolutely perfect. Everything God does is righteous.

Are we overcome with the enormity of that thought? You see, when we say we believe in God as a good and righteous God, but then deny that with our complaints? I am guilty of this. 2020 has been a terrible year. But has it? Does the difficulty or frustration of the year denounce the righteousness of God? Or, am I simply rebelling against what He has brought about? God is righteous, but this leads us to a second thought.

B. God determines what is righteous

The psalmist states in the second half of this verse, “and right are your rules.” This, of course, refers to the Scriptures. But it is an important point to remember, as I mentioned familiarity often leads us to undervalue things.

Particularly in our present day where truth is considered relative and ethics and morality are not solid points, we must remember that God, the righteous God, determines what is righteous. This applies to all areas of life: economics to ethics, church practice to diet, and the list could go on. As we read and study the Scriptures, we must remember that it is God who determines what is right and what is wrong, and not we.

II. GOD PROVIDED HIS WORD IN RIGHTEOUSNESS- 119:138

The second point that I see in our passage is that God provided His Word in righteousness. The psalmist describes God’s appointing of His testimonies by two means: righteousness and faithfulness. Have you ever stopped and considered the wonders of revelation? Of God’s Word? Let’s briefly examine this two tremendous thoughts.

Before we do so, however, I think it might be helpful to keep an analogy in the back of our minds. One day Hannah was folding laundry and was almost ready to put it away. After handling something in the kitchen, Hannah returned to the bedroom to find that one of our children decided to help by placing all the folded laundry back into the basket. This child was extremely proud of helping mommy out. That action was done in righteousness. Now, that is innocent fun, but think about how God has gracious provided His Word, in righteousness and faithfulness.

A. God gave His Word in righteousness

If God were to hold us all accountable for things we did not know was wrong, what would we call God? Unjust, would we not? It would be fair if He had a set of standards that no one knew and then held us accountable anyway. But He hasn’t. Even in the Garden of Eden God communicated His Word to Adam.

But God has given His Word in righteousness. He has provided us with His standards, even though someone may not have direct access to a copy of Scripture (see Romans 2:12-16, cf. 1:21).

But not only has He provided His standards of righteousness, He communicated in a righteous manner. He used a variety of means to communicate His Word, ranging from general creation (what we call general revelation, see Psalm 19:1-6, Rom. 1:21) to all sorts of ways presented in Hebrews 1:1-2. He even used a donkey! All this stems from His righteousness as He communicates righteousness.

But this leads us to our second important focus. And that is His faithfulness.

B. God gave His Word in faithfulness

We commonly (and correctly) view the word faithful as dependable. The golden retriever is a perfect picture of faithfulness. We can count on them to be there when we need some company, when we need that ball, or when we need some snuggles.

But God’s faithfulness is far more glorious. God is faithful, dependable. Consider this summary statement for the London Baptist Confession of Faith, which I believe displays the faithfulness of God in a wonderfully succinct manner,

“The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture...” —LBCF I:6

God was and is faithful in communicated His will. His righteousness, His inherent righteousness, then, extends to His Word. These two verses describe God and His Word as righteous, and the remainder of this portion addresses the extensions of God and His Word.

III. GOD’S WORD DISCERNS- 119:139

We have discussed this aspect of God’s Word before, several times, in fact, but it bears repeating because Scripture repeats it. We must allow the Word of God to determine our deep relationships. We must allow the Word of God to provide a framework for who we determine to be friend and enemy.

Paul provides a real life example of how this works. In 2 Timothy 4:9 and 14 offer a glimpse into how Paul viewed his “enemies.” It was in relation to the submission, or lack thereof, to the Word of God. He did not view people as his enemies who did not think like him, dress like him, or any other peripheral issues. It all centered around their interaction with God and His Word.

Returning to the psalmist, his zeal consumed him because of how his enemies forgot God’s Word. His response was based upon their forgetting of God’s Word.

How do you respond when people who know better neglect the Word of God? That is the type of individual to whom Paul is addressing. These were members of the old covenant who knew better.

How do we apply this to our lives today? We use the Word of God to determine what we consume, who we hang out with, and how we live our lives. This verse addresses our friendships. Have you ever considered the relationships you have in light of God’s Word? Do you ever evaluate your relationships on the basis of God’s Word? This is what we must do, and when we see an individual despise or forget God’s Word we need to be outraged and heartbroken.

IV. GOD’S WORD ENDURES- 119:140, 142, 144

We come next to a wonderful aspect of the God of righteousness: the endurance of His Word. This is another concept that often times I believe we take for granted. In our lives, there are some things that we own that last for a long time. I have a Craftsman tool box from my dad that has endured several moves. Some people purchase nice shoes and keep them for their entire lives.

While these items are enduring, they will not endure forever. Peter, quoting from Isaiah 40:6 and 8 describes almost everything when he wrote, “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower falls...” (1 Pet. 1:24). Almost everything, because Peter goes on to remind us that “The world of the Lord remains forever.”

God’s Word endures, and in these verses we see that it endures in two ways.

A. God’s Word endures testing- 140

The first aspect of the endurance of God’s Word relates to its testing. “Well tried” refers to the process of testing, like a refiner removing the dross out of silver. Now, God’s Word is tested in a variety of ways. For one, men “test” the Word of God by attempting to destroy it. Following their father the devil, these wicked men and women have existed as long as we have been created. Though they try with all their might to rid the world of God’s Word, they die and pass away and God’s Word stands.

There is another aspect of testing, however, and that relates to our experiences. We “test,” not in a tempting sense, but in a good and practical sense, the Word of God. When we read that God is good, we test our belief in the Word of God. His Word says it, do I believe it? And the psalmist “loves it.” It passes the test with flying colors.

B. God’s Word endures time- 142, 144

The second aspect of the endurance of God’s Word relates to time itself. It is eternal, it will never go away. Jesus tells his followers that heaven and earth would just as soon cease to exist as God’s Word would. They endure, just like the righteousness of God, forever.

This provides us with a pillow upon which we can lay our heads. We have an assured Word that, regardless of the developments of our modern world and secular science, will endure. New fashions of thoughts and systems of living develop and go, but God’s Word stands true and sure.

The final aspect that stems from God’s righteousness is that..

V. GOD’S WORD ENCOURAGES- 119:143

His Word encourages. In the midst of “trouble and anguish,” the psalmist finds delight. This goes against human thinking. We think that removing the pain or issues will solve the problem. If I can only get her out of my life, if I could only land that career, if I could only purchase that boat, I would be happy.

The Scriptures teach us differently. Rather than always seeking to escape from the pain, we must learn to view in from the lens of God’s Word. The Scriptures help us to see the true delight: God Himself. And the Scriptures help us see that, regardless of our present circumstances, we can find delight in God. Paul experienced this very point in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. He would rather experience the pain of the Satanic spirit than be delivered without having the power of God.

God’s Word encourages us deeply. We cannot find this type of encouragement in modern psychology. We cannot find this form of comfort in any food. We find righteous encouragement, pure and beautiful encouragement, from the Word of God.

CONCLUSION

We have discussed some incredible truths this evening. I would encourage you to return to our main thoughts and pray that God would encourage you in whatever issue you find most helpful.

In fact, I would recommend going through the verse(s) prayerfully, asking God to help you be aware of any sin that you need to confess, and to show you how you can experience His righteousness in a more real and focused manner.