When Everything Else Is Wrong, God Is Still Right

Friends,

As I’ve worked through Tsadhe, I notice the psalmist repeats the word “righteous.” The stanza starts, “Righteous are you, O LORD” (v. 137), and it ends, “Your testimonies are

righteous forever” (v. 144). In between, the psalmist speaks repeatedly about God’s righteousness, the righteousness of His Word, and the faithfulness and truth that flow from it (vs. 138, 142). But what makes this important is what’s going on around the psalmist while he says this.

His circumstances don’t look particularly righteous. His foes have forgotten God’s words (v. 139). He is “small and despised” (v. 141). By verse 143, “trouble and anguish” have found him. But none of those circumstances change his confession. God is righteous. God’s rules are

right. God’s promises have been tested and proven true. God’s law is true. God’s testimonies are

righteous forever (vv. 137–144).

I think that’s the great lesson of Tsadhe. The psalmist doesn’t judge God by what is happening around him. He judges what is happening around him by what he knows to be true about God. That can be extremely hard for us, but it is an essential stepping stone to the blessed life. We can’t inherit God’s blessings, nor live blessedly, if we see God incorrectly.

I especially love the opening verse. “Righteous are you, O LORD, and right are your

rules” (v. 137). Notice the order. The psalmist begins with God and then what God says. God’s

rules are right because God is righteous. His Word reflects His character. God never had to

become righteous, decide to be righteous, or work at being righteous. He is righteous, and his character is expressed in his words and actions. That means God is never wrong.

This is another great less in Tsadhe. We may not understand what God is doing. We may experience circumstances that terribly trouble us. We may live among people who disregard His Word. Trouble and anguish may even “find us out” (v. 143). But none of that changes who God is or how He acts toward us. The psalmist anchors himself in something deeper than his own thinking or his circumstances. He anchors himself in God and God’s revealed character throughout the Bible.

So, this is the outline I’m using to study Tsadhe this week.

When Everything Else Is Wrong, God Is Still Right

Psalm 119:137–144

Tsadhe

Big Idea: Because God is always righteous, His Word is always right and can always be trusted, even when life is hard.

First: God Is Righteous in Everything He Says (vv. 137–138)

The stanza begins with God, not the psalmist or his circumstances. “Righteous are you, O LORD” (v. 137). Then immediately, “right are your rules.” Verse 138 continues the thought.

God has appointed His testimonies “in righteousness and in all faithfulness.”

God’s Word is trustworthy because God is trustworthy. His commands don’t arise from arbitrary authority, and they don’t change with my circumstances. They reveal the character of the consistent Person who gave them. Because God is righteous, He can’t ever and never will command wrongly. And because He’s faithful, His Word will never fail us.

Second: God’s Word Has Been Tested and Proven True (vv. 139–142)

Now the psalmist turns toward the world around him. His foes forget God’s words, and his zeal consumes him because of it (v. 139). Yet their rejection doesn’t diminish his confidence in Scripture. “Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it” (v. 140).

I like the expression “well tried.” The idea seems to be something tested and found pure, like metal refined by fire and unlike the unrighteous (119:119). God’s promises aren’t fragile

theories that work only under ideal circumstances. Generations of God’s people have carried them into suffering, disappointment, opposition, grief, and death, and they have found God faithful. Isn’t that glorious?

But as we all must do, as every generation must do, the psalmist has discovered that for

himself. He is “small and despised,” but he doesn’t forget God’s precepts (v. 141). His

circumstances may change. His standing in the eyes of others may change. God’s righteousness

does not. “Your righteousness is righteous forever, and your law is true” (v. 142). God and his Word are an anchor in storms and changing times.



Third: God’s Word Gives Us Life in Trouble and Anguish (vv. 143–144)

I’m particularly drawn to the final two verses. “Trouble and anguish have found me out” (v. 143). He doesn’t minimize what he’s experiencing. Trouble is real. Anguish is real. You and I both know this, and I’m so glad the Bible doesn’t ignore or discount it. But…so is his delight.

“Your commandments are my delight” (v. 143). That’s remarkable. Trouble and delight

occupy the same verse. That’s because, as we all know, they can occupy the same heart. The presence of anguish doesn’t eliminate the possibility of delight when our delight is rooted in something deeper than our circumstances. And the presence of delight doesn’t eliminate the

possibility of anguish when we live in a fallen world. I don’t know about you, but that makes me

feel better about my wishy-washy heart. Instead of trusting in any hope of personal perfection,

I’m always glad to think on Christ’s perfection, and how it makes up for my lack.

Then the stanza ends where it began. “Your testimonies are righteous forever” (v. 144). Forever is the key. Trouble isn’t forever. Anguish isn’t forever. Being small and despised isn’t forever. That’s good news. But the best news is even better. God’s righteousness is forever. Are you shouting ‘glory’ yet?

And so, the psalmist prays, “Give me understanding that I may live” (v. 144). He doesn’t merely want an explanation for his trouble. He wants God to give him the understanding he needs to live faithfully in the middle of it. In other words, he wants to live the blessed life despite his circumstances.

And this is where the gospel meets us. Jesus entered a world where righteousness was rejected (Isaiah 53:3). He experienced trouble and anguish beyond anything we will ever know, yet He perfectly trusted and obeyed His Father, even to the point of death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). And through His death and resurrection, God has demonstrated both His righteousness and His grace, so that He is “just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26). In addition, Jesus has given us His Spirit to trust God in the midst of our difficulties. Do we do it perfectly? No. But again, it’s Jesus’ perfection, and not my own, that is my ultimate trust.

I think the movement of Tsadhe can be remembered very simply: God is righteous. His Word is right. So we can trust Him, even when life feels wrong. The world around us changes. People disappoint us. Trouble finds us. Anguish sometimes overwhelms us. But underneath all of it stands this unchanging confession: “Righteous are you, O LORD” (Psalm 119:137).

Thank you for faithfully shepherding your CG and teaching them these truths week after week. My prayer this week is that you, I, and our people will learn to measure their circumstances by God's character rather than measure God's character by their circumstances.

That’s the view from my study this Tuesday morning after Labor Day. See you on Wednesday night, DV. As the Lord enables, look for the sermon notes late Thursday afternoon.

In the love of Jesus for you and me, Pastor Reggie