Psalm 119:129-144 “The Righteousness of God” May 11, 2008
Psalm 119 is not quite a story,
but there is a sort of flow to this prayer,
moving from the opening statement of God’s blessing upon the blameless,
and then the prayer that my way would be steadfast.
Initially the Psalmist spoke as though all of his “problems” were outside him –
my enemies are troubling me –
I’m afflicted by circumstances –
but already by the fourth stanza he recognized that my problem
is that my soul clings to the dust – my soul melts away for sorrow.
I need your word to teach me, strengthen me, lead me,
and incline my heart to your testimonies.
At the center of the Psalm, stanzas Kaph and Lamedh,
we saw a turning point in the prayer of the Psalmist,
as he passes through the dark night of the soul –
“they have almost made an end of me on earth,”
but he endures, holding on to God’s promises.
And then in stanza Lamedh (89-96)
he declares that the word of the LORD is “forever” firmly fixed in the heavens,
and in stanza Mem (97-104)
he adds that your word is “forever” with me.
And we see in Jesus Christ how true this is!
The Word who became flesh and dwelt among us
is indeed forever firmly fixed in the heavens at the right hand of the Father,
and by his Holy Spirit
he is also forever with us!
And so now in the last half of Psalm 119 we are looking at life in the “already” and the “not yet.”
Jesus Christ has established his kingdom.
He is seated at the right hand of the Father
as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
But we do not yet see all things in subjection to him,
rather, “we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels,
namely Jesus,
crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death.” (Heb 2:9)
And in this time in between the resurrection of the Christ and his return in glory,
our hope is in the righteousness of God as it is clearly revealed in Jesus Christ.
The seventeenth stanza, “Pe,” moves from wonder to weeping.
We saw last time that the double-minded are those who claim to worship God,
but are in fact devoted to something else.
And the Psalmist declared his abhorrence of them—and indeed, of every false way—
because God himself spurns “all who go astray.”
And so we saw last time in verses 113-128 how love for God and his word
calls forth a hatred of all that is opposed to God.
The only repeated word in stanza Pe is the word “keep” or “guard” in verses 134 and 136 –
which is used to contrast how God’s redemption enables me to keep God’s precepts,
while the “people” do not keep God’s law.
This is connected to a related word at the beginning of the stanza (in verse 129)
that speaks of how my soul “keeps” your wonderful testimonies.
But the key to understanding stanza Pe is found in the movement from wonder to weeping
that is reflected in the structure of the stanza.
While every verse refers to God’s word,
the first half of the stanza (esp vv 129-131) speaks of what God’s word is or what it does:
Your testimonies are wonderful…
The unfolding of your words gives light, it imparts understanding to the simple.
I
open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commandments.
Verse 132 then concludes the first part of the stanza with an echo of the Aaronic benediction:
Turn to me and be gracious to me…
The second half of the stanza turns to petition:
Keep steady my steps
according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.
Redeem me from
man’s oppression…
Teach me your
statutes…
Before also echoing the Aaronic benediction in verse 135:
Make your face shine upon your
servant…
The Aaronic benediction (from Numbers 6) is
The LORD bless you and keep you.
The LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up the light of his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Psalm 119 began with the statement:
“Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD.
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart.”
And so now the Psalmist prays for the blessing of God’s law to come upon him.
And that blessing comes as you teach your servant your statutes.
In other words, as I become a disciple, and learn the way of my Lord Jesus,
then the face of LORD shines upon me,
and the unfolding of the word of God gives light to my path.
And having spoken of the wonder of God’s law and how it gives light and imparts understanding
the Psalmist then mourns because “people do not keep your law.”
Do you see how many emotions the Psalmist has toward law-breaking?
Yes, there is hatred for the double-minded (v113),
and longing for God to do something (v126),
but there is also weeping (v136).
And for that matter, “my flesh trembles for fear of you,”
because I realize that too often I go astray.
Indeed, the Psalm will end in verse 176,
“I have gone astray like a lost sheep;
seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments.”
Verse 139 sums up the reason for these passionate statements about God’s law:
“My zeal consumes me, because my foes forget your words.”
Is “zeal” the right word to describe how I relate to your word?
Do I weep?
Do I shed streams of tears because people do not keep your law?
There is a second structuring device that the Psalmist uses to help make this point.
Stanza “Pe” has four couplets – each of which includes a different part of the human person:
Verse 129 speaks of “my soul” (which refers to “myself” considered from the inside).
Verse 131 speaks of “my mouth” (which refers not so much to how I speak,
--after all, we are talking about “panting” here – so it is more about how I thirst).
Verse 133 speaks of “my steps” (which refers to how I walk – or how I live).
Verse 136 speaks of “my eyes” (which refers to how I see – and therefore how I weep,
when I see that people ignore you – you, whom I love!)
But please notice that the “my soul, my mouth, my steps” are all in the first line,
but in the last couplet “my eyes” are in the second line,
while “your face” takes over the first line.
And all of these things about me – about my body and soul –
depend on “your face” shining on me.
God’s blessing is at the heart of everything else.
When your face shines on me and you teach me your statutes,
then my soul, my mouth, my steps, and my eyes function properly.
And while every stanza does this,
we should not allow our ears to grow dull and fail to hear all of the other things
in this stanza that are “yours” as well:
“your testimonies,” “your words,” “your commandments,”
“your way,” “your name,” “your promise,”
“your precepts,” “your statutes,” “your law,”
and of course, “your servant.”
Who I am depends upon you, O LORD.
Your word defines me.
If “keeping” or “not keeping” God’s word is the verb at the heart of stanza Pe,
then forgetting or not forgetting God’s word is the verb at the heart of stanza Tsadhe.
My foes forget your words, but I do not forget your precepts.
Are you forgetful?
Let me ask that another way.
What do you tend to forget?
The things that we remember and the things that we forget
say something about us.
So what do you tend to forget?
Do you forget to do what your mother tells you?
Do you forget your anniversary?
Do you forget people’s names?
I won’t pretend to be an expert about what that means.
After all, the statements, “my foes forget your words” and “I do not forget your precepts”
are less about “memory” and more about love and worship.
When we talk about remembering and forgetting,
I am less concerned with your ability to recall names and dates,
and I am more concerned with your love and devotion for Jesus Christ.
When you are at work, do you remember God’s word?
Or are you forgetful of the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us?
If we love the LORD our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength,
then we will not forget his righteous precepts.
But before we get to this theme of righteousness,
there is one more thing that I need to point out.
The first half of stanza Tsadhe starts in verse 137,
“Righteous are you…”
The second half of stanza Tsadhe starts in verse 141,
“Insignificant am I…”
We have seen throughout Psalm 119 that the key to this Psalm
is NOT in understanding the 8 words for God’s law.
The key to understanding Psalm 119 is found in the “you” and the “I.”
You, O LORD, are righteous.
I am small and despised.
I am insignificant!
I don’t matter.
I am not the center of the universe.
NPR recently played an interview with the novelist Ayn Rand
who said that when she died the world would end.
What she meant was that human beings are fundamentally selfish,
and being self-centered means that when you die,
for all practical purposes the world ends!
Obviously Ayn Rand was not a fan of Psalm 119!
Righteous are YOU.
Small am I.
Or to use the language of verse 142,
Your righteousness is righteous forever.
If you are the center of the universe,
then when you die, the world ends.
But if “your righteousness is righteous forever,”
then in one sense it is true, “I am small and despised.”
I am insignificant.
But the One who is righteous forever has promised!
And so at last we come to the word that dominates stanza Tsadhe,
the adjective tsadiq and the nouns tsedeq and tsedaqah,
which together are used five times in this stanza.
What does “righteousness” mean?
For centuries scholars have said that righteousness means “moral uprightness,”
and that the tsedeq word group was an ethical or moral characteristic.
Recently some have been arguing that “righteousness” is more relational –
and that it has to do with being faithful – with covenant keeping.
Without getting into the whole debate here,
I just want to make one point:
it is certainly true that the Psalmist’s delight in the righteousness of God
is all about the fact that God is faithful to his promises.
BUT that does not mean that righteousness means faithfulness.
When we say that God is righteous
we mean that he does what is right.
When the Psalmist says that God’s righteousness is righteous forever
we mean that we can always count on him to be just.
But here’s the problem!
What does it mean that God is just?
Usually when we say that someone is just,
we mean that he acts according to a clear moral standard.
But what standard does God act according to?
When we say that God does what is right,
how does God know what is right?
We cannot say that God “obeys” some standard that is outside himself,
because then there is something greater than God.
God acts according to his Word.
God has ordained what is just and right –
and he has covenanted to do what he has promised.
So when we say that God is just – that he does what is right –
we are saying that he is faithful to his promises;
after all, one who is righteous (one who is morally upright) does what he says he will do!
but we are also saying that his promises themselves are morally upright.
Paul says in Romans 3:21-22 that now
“the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from law,
although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it –
the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.”
In the Law and the Prophets the righteousness of God was manifested in the written word,
both in the justice of God’s statutes and precepts,
and also in the just provision that God made for dealing with sin.
(that he may be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus).
And you can see how Psalm 119 is one of the place where the OT scriptures
bear witness to the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ.
Listen:
Righteous are you, O LORD, and right are your rules. (137)
This clearly sets forth the justice of God’s statutes.
Your rules are right – they are just.
(I should point out that the one Hebrew word “tsedeq” means both righteous and just).
You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness and in all faithfulness. (138)
Here you can see how closely related the ideas of righteousness and faithfulness are.
But you can also see that while they are closely related, they are not identical.
My zeal consumes me,
because my foes forget your words.
Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it. (139-140)
While Jesus’ quotation “zeal for my Father’s house consumes me”
comes from Psalm 69:9,
you cannot help but hear an echo here.
The righteousness of God is revealed not only in his statutes and commands,
but also in his promises!
If God promises to redeem his people from their enemies,
then that, too, is righteous.
I am small and
despised, yet I do not forget your precepts.
Your righteousness is righteous forever, and your law is true. (141-142)
In the second half of the stanza, the key phrase is “righteous forever,”
found in both verses 142 and 144.
Your righteousness is righteous forever, and your law is true.
Trouble and anguish have found me out, but your commandments are my delight. (143)
It is precisely in statements like this that we sometimes wonder:
how could the righteousness of God, and the truth of his law,
be a delight to the Psalmist?
How can the commandments be a cause for joy and celebration?
Doesn’t the law condemn?
After all, as Paul will say,
there is none righteous, no not one!
But Paul was quoting from Psalm 14 when he said that!
God’s commandments were a delight for the Psalmist
because he knew that God’s purpose was to bring his people
through trouble and anguish to glory.
As he concludes the stanza:
Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live. (144)
The testimonies of God are not just a list of rules.
The law of God certainly includes commandments that God expects us to obey!
But the testimonies of God include the promises upon which the law is founded:
“I
am the LORD your God who brought you up out of the
Or “I am your shield, your very great reward.”
The word “testimony” is used more than 30 times in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers
to refer to the ark of the testimony, the veil of the testimony,
or the tabernacle of the testimony.
(That is more than half the usages of this word in the OT)
The purpose of the tabernacle of the testimony
was to provide a place to deal with sin.
The purpose of the veil of the testimony
was to protect
The purpose of the ark of the testimony
was to be the “mercy seat” – the place where the atoning sacrifice would remove sin.
And so the Word became flesh and dwelt (literally, tabernacled) among us (John 1:14).
We now have confidence to enter the heavenly Holy of Holies through the veil –
that is, through the flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:20) –
and his blood is that atoning sacrifice has removed sin once for all (Hebrews 10:12).
Truly “your testimonies are righteous forever.”
As Paul says, Psalm 119 does not manifest the righteousness of God.
Psalm 119 (with all the Law and the Prophets) bears witness to the righteousness of God.
Psalm 119 says, “look, God is righteous forever!”
He is just.
He will do what is right – because he has promised!
He will deal with sin.
After all, look at his testimonies:
Look at how he has established a way of dealing with sin.
A God who commands us to obey him,
and graciously provides a way of forgiveness when we fail,
this God will truly give life to those who cling to him.
And of course, for us who sing of the righteousness of God after the incarnation of the Word,
we have all the more reason to delight in his commandments and testimonies!
Because we see Jesus!
And in Jesus we see the Righteous One who sits forever at the right hand of the Father.
And so we cry with all our heart,
“Your Testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live!”