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Psalm 119
Tzaddi
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.
This is the eighteenth section of Psalm 119. Having
covered a more detailed overview of the Psalm,
it is my intention to go more thoroughly through
each section. Briefly, each section is according to
the letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each letter contains 8 verses that begin with that specific letter.
Tzaddi is the eighteenth letter, so each verse, in
the Hebrew, begins with a word starting with the
letter Tzaddi.
In Hebrew, unlike English, each letter was originally also a word. We do not know the meaning of
every letter today, but we do know most. Tzaddi is
one of the letters there is uncertainty on. Possibly its
meaning is, 'To descend, to bow down, to be prosperous, meat, provision, hunt'. Since the Psalmist
built the Psalm based on the letters, it is likely the
meaning of each letter played in his thoughts as
he composed each section. In this section, though
possible meanings of the letter are good to keep at
the back of the mind, I believe the layout is based
upon a word that starts with the letter Tzaddi. That
is the word for 'righteousness'.
This Psalm is also based upon the usage of a host
of words that are 'legal' terms in the Hebrew. I
have gone into a more thorough definition of each
word, as it has been encountered, in the previous
sections. I would recommend going there to find
those expansions. I will cover additional words as
we come across them.
The Worship of God
137 Righteous art thou, O LORD, and upright are thy judgments.
This section launches with that treasured word
for 'righteous' and continues to run on that beloved
theme. It begins in a direct tie of righteousness and
God. This is the only place the name of Yahweh is
used in this section. For flowing on the theme of
righteousness, it is most appropriate that His holy
name is matched with that pure condition as the
first words of consideration.
In the second half, we find those 'judgments'
which are the 'mishpats'. Those mishpats being
God's just responses to different situations. The
second half flows from the first. Yahweh's judgments are upright because He is righteous.
This verse is a statement of pure praise. It is straight
worship. The focus remains totally upon God. God's
judgments are God's interactions with man.
138 Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful.
Next, we see the confession of God's 'testimonies', being righteous. Since the testimonies are
those laws which show us the character of God, it
is notable it includes the word 'commanded'. God
frequently told Moses to build all things according
to the pattern he was shown. Aaron's two sons died
because they attempted to perform their priestly
duty according to their own ideas. In relation to
testimonies, man has no right to adjust them to
his tastes by so much as a hair. Because they are
righteous, they can only be that which God has
commanded.
The final part of this verse being, 'very faithful',
we find the words literally, 'and faithful (true) exceedingly'. Those laws which show us the character
and nature of Yahweh, bare a perfect witness.
In this verse, the Hebrew has a sandwich formation around 'testimonies'. We find 'righteous'
preceding it, and 'faithful' following. God's testimonies are framed by these clear aspects of their
character, which testimonies reveal God.
This verse is also showing a clear praise of God
and the acknowledgment of His greatness.
On the subject of God's righteousness, we do not
tend to perceive it in its true beauty and glory. All
Christians will have some degree of appreciation
for God's righteousness. We will at least possess
the appreciation from the aspect of having seen
our corruption and condemnation. We have seen
Christ Jesus lived righteously and died as a substitute for us.
We can appreciate what was done, but
we don't really comprehend the exquisite beauty of
his righteousness.
Try to look at it this way: You've seen those fancy
glass punch bowls with all the little diamond cut
patterns and fancy designs. You think, 'how pretty'. Maybe you've seen those
plastic imitations that
also look pretty. You notice the difference when you
knock the side with the ladle, but it is still pretty.
You appreciate both. They both gain some degree of
approval. Finally, you are shown the original leaded
glass bowl they are patterned after. You are allowed
to handle it and examine it. You notice it even has a
special ring the others simply can't produce. After
a close examination of that glassware, you laugh at
how impressed you were with the imitations. Such
is the way we see God's righteousness. Until we have
grown, and had a greater experience and understanding of our LORD,
we won't be able to size up
a proper appraisal. If we read a verse like 137 and
go, 'ho hum', we have never beheld the leaded
crystal original! Maybe that is why we are so easily
impressed by the good deeds of some cults. They
perform some charity and we go ooh and ahh. We
are impressed by the plastic imitations!
As I have gone through these sections, it should
be noted they are progressive. This should help
us to see that the more we grow in our walk with
God, the more our gaze will desire to behold God.
God's righteousness is not only the milk of the
Word for babes. It is part of the meat for the more
mature as well.
This section shows some of that deeper intricate
beauty. In a look at the Hebrew verse, there is a
distinctive intertwining pattern. It is more than
simply words developing a theme. It is composed
more like some mathematical composition. When
you see a glimpse of that, you might begin to grasp
what hidden glory extends beyond our ability to
comprehend. Such is the righteousness of God.
Some of the layout artistry looks like this:
It breaks up into four sections of two verses
each. The first two, as a unit, both focus on God.
Each of the three remaining units have the first
verse primarily 'my' and the second verse 'Thy'.
The very last two Hebrew words of this section
turn back to 'my'. Such a structure will naturally
draw our eyes to examine each as a unit of thought.
That is the flow in the most natural form.
The second pattern is the vertical. If you have
the tract form of this, you may see the left and
right side of each verse. The right repeatedly mentions God's righteousness,
but never on the left.
The left lists many of the 'legal' terms, but never
'testimonies'. On the right we find 'testimonies'
twice, but never on the left. Likewise we find
'words', the term more specifically for speech, on
the right, but not the left. On the left, the word for
'words', is different from that on the right. At the
end, there is what might be a clue to a riddle being
laid here with those words 'give me understanding, and I shall live'.
We will look at more of this
pattern shortly.
We gaze at God's righteousness. The more we
behold, the more we are amazed at the intricacy
we seemed to have missed.
A Gut-Wrenching View Back At Man
139 My zeal hath consumed me, because
mine enemies have forgotten thy words.
In this first 'my/Thy' unit we see this Psalmist
gripped with almost overwhelming jealousy for
God, rage for His honor and paralyzing grief.
A more literal reading being,
'Has put an end to
my zeal (ardor), because have forgotten Your
word my enemies.'
Get a hold of this please! This saint of God cannot help
but have these overwhelming feelings
when he turns from beholding God's righteousness.
The sign of a spiritually sick person, is their
not being gripped when they see the Bible simply
forgotten. We cannot say we are truly seeing God's
righteousness and not be revolted, and I mean
revolted, by the sight of the Bible being treated
like simply another book.
Look at the Psalmist's words, he calls those who
do such, 'mine enemies'. Does our beholding the
man who blasphemes God's holy name, not bother
us? Do we inwardly rise in rage at such dishonor
spat at a righteous God? Maybe it is the opposite,
and such are our dear friends? Remember, Jesus
ate with harlots to minister to them, he did not
hang around the brothel!
From the Messianic aspect, we saw Jesus chase
out the merchants in the Temple. He called them
thieves and that is a direct accusation of forgetting
God's Words in such disobedience. In the Gospel
of John we read:
17 And his disciples remembered that it was
written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me
up.
John 2:17
140 Thy word is very pure: therefore thy
servant loveth it.
After beholding the vile enemies, we can almost
fall back with this man into the comfort and restoration he found.
His soul is comforted and given
strength to go on, when he turns his listening ears
to hear God's 'word'. This being the more commonly spoken word. In verse 139, the enemies
forgot the 'words', being that most commonly for
written. They had the Bible, but could not see more
than written words. These had no hold on them.
The Psalmist, on the other hand, heard more than
simply pen on parchment, he heard the very word
alive in his heart. Those precious words were balm
to his soul. His heart rejoiced in the tender purity
of God's Word.
In this first 'my/Thy' unit, we are given a soul
searching view of the heart response of one who
has truly viewed God's righteousness. We see his
response in the face of looking back from that fellowship, to
behold corrupt humanity. To be totally
baffled to his response, is a warning in itself that
our heart needs God's immediate work.
The Stand of Humility
141 I am small and despised: yet do not I
forget thy precepts.
He knows his stature to be almost not even
worth mentioning, but he still is committed to
remembering what God has commanded. He takes
his stand with God, though he does not claim to be
some mighty trophy God would be proud to display. In fact,
this whole section never once shows
expectation of reward for doing right.
In a Messianic sense, Christ was held to be of
little value, and contemned by the proud of this
world. Consider another Messianic verse that applies to this:
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender
plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath
no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see
him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of
sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid
as it were our faces from him; he was despised,
and we esteemed him not.
Isaiah 53:2,3
142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting
righteousness, and thy law is the truth.
Such a clear statement of glorious divinity. In
the Messianic understanding, we see Christ as
eternally righteous and, 'Your law (torath) faithful' (literal reading)
showing the surety of the
promises. The torath, showing God's directions
to man, point to the Messiah. The promises are
sure.
In this second 'my/Thy' unit, we see the mark
of humility being a chief characteristic of one who
has truly seen God's righteousness.
Desire For More
143 Trouble and anguish have taken hold
on me: yet thy commandments are my
delights.
In the first half of this verse, we see the Psalmist's soul is bound up in
suffering. We are shown
a great distress. The second half, shows us the
opposite. God's commandments (mitzvoth) are his
delight. It speaks of suffering, but delight continues regardless,
because full focus is elsewhere.
For most, when we are bound up in grief and
misery, there is nothing that can really bring us to
delight. The sorrow is an overwhelming torrent.
Not so with this man. God's commandments have
a supernatural power that is more powerful than
the griefs of this life.
This also bears a Messianic description. It
touches on the Gethsemane experience. Notice
these words of Christ:
27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I
say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this
cause came I unto this hour.
John 12:27
Jesus suffered great anguish in the garden, yet
He was committed to following the Father's commandments.
In essence, they were His delight.
Following the will of the Father was His choice.
144 The righteousness of thy testimonies
is everlasting: give me understanding, and
I shall live.
As I had said, the final half is almost a clue to
more being here than initially meets the eye. That
mystery lay in the text, but there is the more important mystery
that is only revealed in Christ Jesus.
Jesus is, most literally, the living testimony of
God the Father. Read that fact into this verse, and
we see that the Lord Jesus Christ is the everlasting righteousness
of God. The Psalmist, receiving that knowledge, in essence is praying, 'God,
grant me more than knowledge. If You reveal
Your understanding to me, I know it will result
in everlasting life.'
Now I wanted to take another look back to the
left and right sides of this section. The twice used
'testimonies' and the word for 'word' being the
only right hand side legal terms used, are instructive.
Both tell of the Messiah. Jesus is the living
testimony of God, and He is the living Word of
God. The agonies in the right hand column are
all Messianic in experience.
The left hand side is giving direct instruction to
man to help the seeker find his way to God. It most
logically concludes with the instruction to seek understanding as a gift
from God to gain the life.
In this last, of the three 'my/Thy' units, we see
the inner battle that must take place. For the godly
man or woman, if we delight in God's commands,
it will mean dieing to self. To the flesh, that is most
assuredly 'trouble and anguish'. This is not something that
happens only once upon conversion. It
is a lifelong walk of carrying the cross:
23 And he said to them all, If any man will come
after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross
daily, and follow me.
Luke 9:23
When we behold the righteousness of God, four
things happen. First, we are dazzled. Second, we
are repulsed by the defilement of mankind. Third,
we are brought low in humility, as we see ourselves.
Fourth and finally, we walk the life of the cross.
Just one final, beautiful word on God's righteousness on our behalf:
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who
knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
2 Corinthians 5:21
Praise be to God Almighty!
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