Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness
And thy law is the truth (Psa 119.142).
The doctrine of the sovereignty of God entails recognizing him as King over all, for a “sovereign” by definition is a supreme ruler. He is a king in his person (office), and he rules as a king (function).
One word characterizes God and his reign more than any other, and that is “righteousness.” He is just in himself and all his ways are justice.
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I am small and despised:
Yet do not I forget thy precepts (Psa 119.141).
“No man is an island,” it has been said. Virtually everyone is involved in a complex web of interpersonal relationships where we influence others, and others influence us—even people we do not know personally, but whose ideas capture the public imagination, or who leave the impress of their perspectives on their works of writing, speaking, engaging in commerce, governing, voting, and even making music. This communal reality is occasionally helpful, but so often in our perverse generation it works insidiously against our trusting and following Jesus Christ.
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Thy word is very pure:
therefore thy servant loveth it (Psa 119.140).
An old advertisement for Ivory soap boasted that it was “99.44/100% pure,” and good sales proved people loved it. Here the psalmist proclaims his love for Scripture because of its purity. However, he uses a metaphor from the realm of metallurgy. Literally, “Your word is very refined, and your servant loves it.”1
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My zeal hath consumed me,
Because mine enemies have forgotten thy words (Psa 119.139).
A man who truly walks with God is subject to all kinds of emotional experiences, sometimes of a very intense degree. These feelings are not only compatible with true religion, but on account of it even raised to a high pitch, especially when he finds himself in particularly provocative circumstances. Such a man was David, and here he candidly declares his religious feelings and a reason for them. Any professing Christian without such feelings, or whose feelings along these lines barely register in his consciousness, has a symptom that something is seriously amiss in his soul.
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Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful (Psa 119.138).
Most people ignore the Bible, assuming it is not trustworthy as the Word of God. This seems to be true, even within the visible church, being mostly composed of mere nominal Christians. When we come to realize Scripture is absolutely trustworthy and then begin to exercise a living faith, we take the first steps on our trek to heaven and our whole lives are altered radically and permanently.
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Righteous art thou, O LORD,
And upright are thy judgments (Psa 119.137).
This verse begins the next eight-verse section of Psalm 119, the one beginning with the 18th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Tzaddi or Tsadhe.
To worship God is to relate properly to him—that is, to be, say, and do that which is according to his nature and his revealed will. Here the psalmist worships in the presence of God by rehearsing his inherent excellence. As the psalms were all intended to be sung by the holy congregation, the human writer is leading them to worship God using the very same words. No exaggeration of God’s glory is possible since it is infinite. The most exalted language is never too high in describing God.
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Rivers of waters run down mine eyes,
Because they keep not thy law (Psa 119.136).
Righteous Lot was vexed, that is, greatly distressed with the filthy conversation or sensual conduct of the wicked Sodomites (2 Pet 2.7 AV, cf. ESV). To an unwarranted degree in my opinion, modern preachers often cast him as the carnal compromiser. For example, that false teacher Charles Ryrie who advocates easy-believism castigates Lot as an “uncommitted believer” who “never seemed to repent of much of anything . . . was selfish . . . lacked character . . . [with a] testimony . . . of little value.” Continue reading
Make thy face to shine upon thy servant;
And teach me thy statutes (Psa 119.135).
Who is the most blessed by God? Is it the one who prospers financially? Not necessarily, for Scripture condemns many of them. “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you” (Jas 5.1). What about those with all kinds of other earthly blessings, like an enjoyable family, good health, and positions of power in this world? Sometimes God’s curse rests upon people like that, too.
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Deliver me from the oppression of man:
So will I keep thy precepts (Psa 119.134).
The gospel of salvation by free grace is easily twisted by our wealthy, hedonistic culture into a heavenly gift of eternal retirement. When carnal laziness is coupled with the mistaken notion that work is an inherent evil, a part of the misery in this fallen and cursed world, the result is a conception of ultimate blessedness which basically amounts a lavish vacation of good eating with plenty of sleep and fun at God’s expense. It is basically a Western, sanitized version of the eschatological Muslim harem.
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Order my steps in thy word:
And let not any iniquity have dominion over me (Psa 119.133).
The slogan for a certain luxury car is “the relentless pursuit of perfection.” This company is tacitly admitting their cars are not perfect, yet their serious and constant aim is to make them so. If that is their genuine commitment, it is no wonder that their product actually attains a high degree of excellence, and are considered very desirable by consumers.
