Psalm 119: 137-144, Tested Truths
Introduction: Verses 137-144 are the 18th of the psalmist’s original 22 divisions in “Psalm 119.”
Remember that each section has 8 lines, each beginning with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet,
so this week, we’re at the eighteenth letter ‫ צ‬Tsadhe. The poet continues the theme of the significance
of God’s Word in our lives.
I.Verse 137-138, 142, 144a: “137 You are righteous, LORD, and your laws are right. 138 The
statutes you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy…142 Your righteousness is
everlasting and your law is true…144a Your statutes are always righteous;”
A. We no longer live in a society that accepts absolute truth. In the home, Mom often tells a
different “truth” than Dad, and those in our workplaces hold an array of varying shades of
“truth.” Whether we want to admit it or not, we’ve all been affected by the philosophical
pandemics called relativity and tolerance: what’s right for you is right for you, and
what’s right for me is right for me. These movements not only fly in the face of Almighty
God, they are just downright illogical!
B. I teach ages 14-18, the years when children start questioning if what their parents have
taught them is real. Many have been taken to “church” but very, very few have a grasp of
the Word of God. The psalmist’s commentary on God’s Word in these verses is exactly
what’s missing in their belief system: 1. God is righteous. 2. Therefore, His Word is
righteous. 3. Therefore, we can trust His Word (rather than our “gut” or our corrupt
hearts).
II. Verse 139: “My zeal wears me out, for my enemies ignore your words.” I love the word zeal;
its meaning embraces both passion and action…the kind of action that wears you out! We are not
to meet rejection of God’s truth with a spirit of defeat. Instead, our zeal should grow.
III. Verse 140: “Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.” The
word rendered tested here is translated pure in the KJV. Both carry the idea of a crucible, which
boils gold’s impurities out. The true servant learns to love the Word over time because as he tests
God’s promises, he finds them to be proven true…over and over again.
IV. Verse 141 and 143: “141 Though I am lowly and despised, I do not forget your precepts…
143 Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands give me delight.” Did you
notice those words: lowly, despised, troubled, distressed? Contrary to current popular teachings,
following God doesn’t guarantee that everything will be peachy keen all the time; in fact, read
Genesis through Revelation. The great men and women of the Bible have a couple of things in
common: they all suffered, but they all refused to turn away from God or His Word when the
going got tough.
V. Verse 144b “Give me understanding that I may live.” This is my favorite sentiment in “Psalm
119”: requesting understanding requires humility…an acceptance of our need for His grace.
Perhaps more importantly, the psalmist understood that life was not really life without God
illuminating it with an understanding of His Word.
Amen and Amen.