The Righteous, Just and Faithful One

What are you an “expert in?

Malcom Gladwell in his book “Outliers” suggests that to become an “expert”, in any area we need 10,000 hours of deliberate practice. That seems like a lot but if we think about it, it is attainable for any of us to be an expert in something.

Being an expert is living out the “practice”.

Expertise is not about just knowledge and what we know but what we do with what we know.

Psalm 119 is not about knowledge but about how to live.

Psalm 119 is more concerned with a commitment to live out the commands of the Lord, not just knowing what they are. Yes in order to know how best to live we must “know” some basics.

Proverbs 1:7 NIV

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Psalm 111:10 NIV

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

Scripture reveals God.

In a world which is looking for God and hope and healing in many of places we cannot forget the source of true revelation; Scripture. Yes, our world reveals God in a general sense but Scripture gives us “specifics”.

God is right, always.

There is absolute truth. There is someone who is perfect. There is 1 person is always does right. This is the Lord.

We fail, intentionally and unintentionally.

In verse 176 we see this theme. What is interesting is that some scholars believe that what is remarked here is not the willful wandering away from but the unintentional path of a sheep and the negligence of the shepherd who is to guide. The Psalmist is not saying God was negligent because he is always righteous, but that the sheep has unintentionally focused on other things.

God’s ways are always just.

Closely tied to righteousness is the concept of justice. We live in a world where justice does not always happen. In fact, sometimes I think we forget that justice is not cold and always hard. This trait of God reminds us that he, and he alone, is the judge.

God faithfully carries out his justice.

We can have hope because God does not change his ways nor goes a different way. His faithfulness is present to all of us. I think this is in part why the Jews would remind themselves, and God, of when they said, “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

In Christ, we are made right because of His faithfulness and justice.

This is an announcement of that which is true. The declaration does not make one righteous but state what is true. As in the court of law the verdict does not all the sudden make one innocent of guilty but declares what is already true.

Romans 3:21–26 NIV

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Our hope is found in Christ, our salvation.

Our only hope is that in Christ we can be declared “right” before God, as one not offending Him or His Word. You cannot have this revealed to you from creation but only in His word.

Be an expert in Christ.

How? By living out His commands as found in His Word.