Righteousness and Truth

Psalms 119:137-144
צ TSADDE

137 Righteous are You, O LORD,
And upright are Your judgments.

138 Your testimonies, which You have commanded,
Are righteous and very faithful.

139 My zeal has consumed me,
Because my enemies have forgotten Your words.

140 Your word is very pure;
Therefore Your servant loves it.

141 I am small and despised,
Yet I do not forget Your precepts.

142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
And Your law is truth.

143 Trouble and anguish have overtaken me,
Yet Your commandments are my delights.

144 The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting;
Give me understanding, and I shall live.

Righteousness and truth are essential.  God alone is truly righteous, and therefore all His judgments in scripture are just as true and righteous.  His word is commanded to us and all creation inn His faithfulness because of His righteousness.  He is ever so faithful, and so is His word to us; we can certainly and reliably trust all as it is written as being from His will for us.  The grace of God has revealed these things to us, not just with convincing arguments and reasoning to make sense of His word, but with supernatural insight given to us to see the plain and hidden truths there.  Like the psalmist, we zealously are consumed by the scriptures in order to live by them, and are righteously and rightly angered as those commands are disdained and trampled on but those opposed to Him.  The world is God’s enemy because they forget His word and then live in rebellious defiance to Him.  Judgment will satisfy God’s wrath in the end, but that is not for us to exact from them.  Our jealous and passionate ardor is for our God and His commands.  His words are so pure and therefore we love them in our hearts, minds, and with hands and feet set at living them out.  No matter how small and despised we may be to those around us, we live according to His word in willing obedience out of love because He first loved us so very much!  We don’t forget.  And because His righteousness is eternal in the heavens and His word is truth itself, we do not allow troubles and anguish of adversity to run us down, but find comfort and delight in His word.  The righteousness we are found in within Christ is as eternal as His word, for He is the Living Word who has delivered us from God’s wrath in such mercy (Psalm 85:10)!  Righteousness and truth have met mercy and peace in Christ.  Through this God-given understanding, we live in Him according to His word.  Amen!