TSADDE. Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments. Your testimonies, which You have commanded, are righteous and very faithful. My zeal has consumed me, because my enemies have forgotten Your words. Your word is very pure; therefore Your servant loves it. I am small and despised, yet I do not forget Your precepts. Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your law is truth. Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, yet Your commandments are my delights. The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting; give me understanding, and I shall live.

The Lord is righteous and His word is upright. Or we might otherwise say of God, He is just, He is lawful, He is right. Indeed, He is the standard whereby we might understand righteousness. Were it not for Him, and for His ways, we would have no measure to comprehend righteousness. Of His word, we might otherwise say, it is straight, it is correct, it manifests equity. The Lord and His word are the source which reveals to us what is fitting, what we should engage ourselves in, and where we should refrain our feet from going. It is the benchmark for honourable living.

Again, in praise of the Word of God, the Psalmist declares God's word "very faithful." That is, God's testimonies are exceedingly steadfast. God's precepts are secure. They do not sway here and there with the waves of human instability. They are established by One who is higher than all others – the God of all men! Now, that is not to say that the specific laws of God have not changed. Indeed, they have. In times past, God dealt with man through the patriarchs. After the passing of time, His will was brought forth in the Law of Moses and through the words of the prophets. Now, in these last times, "...by His Son..." and those who have "...confirmed to us..." the words which He revealed (Hebrews 1:1; 2:3). But step back and notice the consistency in principle throughout all generations. Notice that what is right and wrong has never teetered and tottered with the Lord. That is because in all ages, His will declares uprightness and is sure.

At verse 139, the writer declared, "My zeal has consumed me..." The word zeal is translated from the Hebrew qin'ah, which bears with it the idea of jealousy or envy. On several occasions, this particular word is used to convey the Lord's jealousy for the faithful attention and service of His people. Whenever Israel turned from God, they provoked the Lord to jealousy. Those who are loyal followers of the Lord likewise have a jealousy or zeal for the Lord. Recall the words of Paul to the Corinthians, "...I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." (1 Corinthians 11:2). But notice in our text what has provoked the jealousy of the Psalmist. It is not that God's people have turned from serving the Lord, but rather "...because my enemies have forgotten Your words." It was a source of frustration to the writer that his enemies did not regard the Lord. He coveted every ounce of praise which could be given to the Lord from men, and begrudged those who had no interest in glorifying his God.

Friend, is that not the attitude that we are to have? Ought we not be consumed with jealousy for God? When people will not exalt the name of God, we shouldn't just shrug it off – it ought to pain us that so many in God's creation refuse to praise their creator. It should burn us up, it should consume us with zeal for the Lord and His way!

In further praise of God's word, the writer speaks of it as being "very pure" and "truth". Pure (Heb. tsaraph) is a term employed by goldsmiths or silversmiths. It is a description of quality. That which is pure has been tested, it is refined, no unwholesome thing is found in something which is pure. The truthfulness of God's word is dependent upon it's purity. If it were not pure, then it could not be truth. Jesus spoke to the Father, "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." (John 17:17)

We have seen in other areas of this Psalm, the writer endured many things on account of his faithfulness to the Lord. In this context, he describes himself as "...small and despised...", and again "...trouble and anguish have overtaken me..." It is not an easy thing to serve the Lord. It is not the way of popularity. It is not the road most often travelled. Those who choose to walk according to the precepts of God will be considered insignificant to the wise of this world. We are counted as worthless, contemptible by those who desire to walk according to their own will. Remember, Jesus summarized the two paths which man will walk. He said, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." (Matthew 7:13-14) It is a narrow and difficult way to serve the Lord, but it is the way which leads to life. Along this road, trouble and anguish will meet us. It is lined with enemies who want to knock us off. There will be times of deep distress. Interestingly, the word trouble in the text is translated from the Hebrew tsar, which is rendered at times "narrow, strait" (Online Bible Hebrew Lexicon). The word anguish in the text is from the Hebrew matsowq, which is rendered "straitness" in other places. These troubles and anguishes are inherent to the path of righteousness. Paul said it in this way, "...all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." (2 Timothy 3:12) But let us also bring to mind the promise of the Lord, "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:11-12)

Though persecutions are intrinsic to Christian living, our declaration needs to be that of the Psalmist. Regardless what others think or say of us, we must "not forget Your precepts." No matter what trials come our way, may we proclaim "...Your commandments are my delights!"

Finally, as we close our study for today, notice the focus on righteousness of God. In verse 142, "Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness...", and in verse 144, "The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting..." Both of the LORD Himself, and of His word, is attributed "everlasting righteousness." We've already commented on the word righteous, and so we need not restate those things. But of this righteousness, the writer affirms it to be from times of old, that which is perpetual in nature, enduring forever and ever. Never has there been a time, nor ever will there be a time when the righteousness of God will cease. On more than one occasion, in other Psalms, the writer has written, "...His righteousness endures forever." It is and always will be! God's righteousness is an innate characteristic of God.

Let us seek to have understanding, let us seek to walk according to the way of God, and thus, we shall live.

Click here for this week's Answering The Atheist
Is Jesus God? Some verses say yes (John 1:1, 14; 10:30-31; Colossians 2:8-9), some verses say no (John 14:28; Colossians 3:1; 1 Timothy 2:5). Is there a contradiction?