Psalm 119:138 Trustworthy

The statutes you have laid down are righteous;
 they are fully trustworthy. 

Psalm 119:138

Do you trust them all?

Which ones don't you fully trust?

I know, I know. That sounds like a heretical question.

But there are a number of kinds of Bible verses we tend to try to explain away, ignore, or outright scoff at.

The That's Just an Ideal; God Doesn't Really Expect Us to Do That verses:

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

I Peter 1:15-16

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.

I Peter 4:1

That's pretty extreme! Do you really trust that you can be holy like God is holy? Or that if you suffer like Christ, your body will be "done with sin"?

I can hear you explaining it away already.


Then there's the Wouldn't it Be Nice If Life Really Worked That Way statutes.

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

Proverbs 22:6

I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.

Matthew 19:8

Surely there are exceptions to those rules! Surely!


And my favorite, the Sure, That's a Good Thought, But I'm Going to Take This Into My Own Hands kind of verses.

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

Romans 13:1-2

So.. what's your least trusted statute?

Psalm 119:137 Righteousness

The Hebrew word zedek or ṣad·dîq means to be right, upright, just, righteous. A form of the word occurs 15 times in Psalm 119. Five of those instances are in this octet of Tsadhe (119:137-144).

I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. (Psalm 119:7)

Praise and worship is not righteous because it makes me feel worshipful or fits in with my personal musical or liturgical preferences. True praise comes as I learn God's true and righteous laws.

How I long for your precepts! In your righteousness preserve my life. (Psalm 119:40)

God does not bless my life or preserve my life because I do what seems right in my own eyes. The righteous God preserves my life because he is righteous.

At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws. (Psalm 119:62)

True righteousness (and true rightness) isn't mine because of a house-of-card collection of opinions I cherish, but because I've made it a priority to study God's righteous Word and to pray to God about his righteous laws at all hours of the day, 24-7.

I know, Lord, that your laws are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me. (Psalm 119:75)

Knowing the truth of the righteousness of God's laws comes by faithfully living according to His ways even in the midst of the worst of times. When the world seems to be going mad, I don't resort to my own opinions or react to my own fears or desires. I seek to discover the truth and live the truth in his righteous laws.

I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws. (Psalm 119:106)

When I ask believers what their core political principles are, I get back all kinds of answers, almost all having to do with politics and opinions and platforms. Instead, we should be moved in every aspect of life - including politics - by a personal oath, confirmed by a plan of action, to make every decision based on the core principles of God's righteous laws.

I have done what is righteous and just; do not leave me to my oppressors. (Psalm 119:121)

Another thing I hear from many politically-minded Christians is that we have to vote a certain way in order to protect our freedom of religion and thought and practice.  The scriptures seem to teach a different approach.  Do what is righteous (live in a way that reflects the righteousness of God) and trust God to protect or deliver us from oppressors.

My eyes fail, looking for your salvation, looking for your righteous promise. (Psalm 119:123)

Even when it seems like righteousness isn't enough, even when you're tired of waiting for this godless culture to either turn to God or be punished by God, never stop looking to God for the righteous response.

You are righteous, Lord, and your laws are right. (Psalm 119:137)

I've said more than once in this series of blog posts that the best definition of righteousness I've found is the character of God. Righteousness is that which matches up with and flows from the inherently righteous character of the eternal God. Actions are righteous if they mirror the actions of God. Statements are righteous if they mirror the statements of God. Attitudes, emotions, priorities, missions, purposes, principles, and character are righteous in so much as they reflect the character of God.

The statutes you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy. (Psalm 119:138)

The Word of God can be fully trusted because God can be fully trusted. They are "true truth" because God is the source of truth. Any "truthiness" comes not from God or his Word but from us, when we rearrange the words and ideas to fit our own agendas.

Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness and your law is true. (Psalm 119:142)

Wow! Why would I ever chase after any other definition of truth? All the other truthiness changes with the whims of culture and the daily viral obsessions people grab onto.

Your statutes are always righteous; give me understanding that I may live. (Psalm 119:144)

Always righteous. Not subject to change. All we have to do is look at them from God's perspective, not from our own point of view or the world's fractured opinions. Ask God to help you see the through his eyes. Dare to take a stand for God's righteousness, rather than the principles and politics of the moment.

All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal. (Psalm 119:160)

We like to pick and choose which words of God we're going to fiercely champion and which ones we're going to quietly ignore. How many times have  you posted a meme on Facebook about the evils of homosexuality? How many memes have you posted about the evils of divorce? Is there a difference because your divorced Christian friends might be offended, but you don't really know any gay or lesbian people?

Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws. (Psalm 119:164)

Again, it's important to make pray and praise a priority in your daily life. Schedule times to study God's Word and pray about what you're reading. While you're wrestling with some of God's less culture-friendly laws, praise God for his unfailing righteousness.

May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous. (Psalm 119:172)

Psalm 119:137-144 Tsadhe

You are righteous, Lord,
 and your laws are right
The statutes you have laid down are righteous;
 they are fully trustworthy.
My zeal wears me out,
 for my enemies ignore your words.
Your promises have been thoroughly tested,
 and your servant loves them.
Though I am lowly and despised
 I do not forget your precepts.
Your righteousness is everlasting
 and your law is true.
Trouble and distress have come upon me,
 but your commands give me delight.
Your statutes are always righteous;
 give me understanding that I may live.

Psalm 119:144

During the final decades of the 1900s and the early years of new millennium, many Christian leaders decried the increasing influence of postmodernism.

Postmodernism is a philosophy that, among other things, claims truth is relative. Your truth may not be my truth. Each of us defines our own truth based on how it fits into our individual set of presuppositions, formed by the mixture of our personal experiences and community influences.

For church leaders whose entire theology and philosophy is based on the idea of an absolute standard of truth, a standard defined by God and his Word, postmodernism is problematic. It's important to take into account the varied points of view and presuppositions among the people we interact with. But we need to guard against forgetting the bedrock truth that there is indeed a bedrock truth.

And yet, here in the second decade of the 21st century, a large percentage of Christians who consider themselves religiously conservative or who fit into the general classification of evangelicals, have, in practice, embraced wholly the truthiness of postmodernism.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the arena of politics. When George Bush and Al Gore were faced with a virtual tie in the 2000 presidential election, I heard many of my fellow Christians passing judgment on which of them should be declared the winner, long before the disputed votes were recounted and anything close to true results were determined. The winner, they said,  should be George Bush, because that's who they had voted for.

Throughout Bush's tenure in office, many Christians gave him the benefit of the doubt whenever his decisions or his statements were questioned. Not because of any careful examination of the truth, but because of the truthiness of their devotion to conservative political ideas.

But when Barack Obama became president, those same Christians were quick to question everything he said or did. Again, it was usually not due to any great study of the facts or the truth of the matter, but a gut-feeling declaration of belief that Obama was not to be trusted, mostly because of his non-conservative politics.

This unfortunate Christian truthiness has reached an historic low during the presidency of Donald Trump. Because he is leading his fellow Republicans to make policy decisions that please politically Christian conservatives, they're willing to ignore and even condone Trump's blatantly irreligious and immoral character.  They also ignore his almost daily disregard for any objective standards of truth. Trump has become the chief standard bearer for postmodern truthiness, bending the truth to meet his personal desires, and loudly working to denigrate the news media who dare to report verified truth rather than flattering his ego.

And yet Christian pastors and counselors, people who are trained and experienced in spotting the clear clues that someone is a habitual liar, seem unable or unwilling to speak the truth about the president's obvious habits of murdering the truth.

I'm sure some who are reading this are mad at me now. They probably think I'm obviously a Democrat, spreading "fake news."

Actually, I haven't expressed an opinion about politics at all in this blog post. The truth is, I don't really care who you vote for, or which political party or platform you support.

What's important is this: Christians should stand for truth.

I beg of you to not turn away from examining your own heart on the matter. Does your attitude toward truth have its foundation in the righteousness and rightness of God or are you held captive to the truthiness of your own heart?

One year from this week the next national election takes place. You and I have a whole year, 365 days, to "do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." ( II Timothy 2:15) Instead of arguing over politics, let's spend the coming year learning to cherish the truth.

Psalm 119:136 Both Ways

Streams of tears flow from my eyes,
for your law is not obeyed.

Psalm 119:136

Have you ever read the daily news and wondered where God is in the midst of all the horrible things that go on?

You're not alone.  David wasn't alone either.

Habakkuk is really bent out of shape as he begins the book that bears his name.

How long, Lord, must I call for help,
  but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
  but you do not save?
Why do you make me look at injustice?
  Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me;
  there is strife, and conflict abounds.
Therefore the law is paralyzed,
  and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
  so that justice is perverted.

Habakkuk 1:2-4

The Lord responds with a promise that the sins of the nation will not go unpunished. But then, when God sends a more violent nation to punish God's chosen people, Habakkuk again complains that God seems to not be doing what he should.

Lord, are you not from everlasting?
  My God, my Holy One, you will never die.
You, Lord, have appointed them to execute judgment;
  you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish.
Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;
  you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.
Why then do you tolerate the treacherous?
  Why are you silent while the wicked
    swallow up those more righteous than themselves?

Habakkuk 1:12-13

That's the problem with relying on your feelings as the barometer of whether God is living up to his part of your relationship. It tends to end up in a one-sided, selfish whine session.

God, why don't you pay attention to me?  I need constant reassurance that my needs and desires are the most important thing!

But God, why do you always have to be looking over my shoulder?  Why is it that any time I step out of line and decide to walk on the wild side, you discipline me by letting things go sideways?

Abide in God's Word and abide in him, not in your own self-centered agenda.

Psalm 119:135 Seen

Make your face shine on your servant
and teach me your decrees.

Psalm 119:135

Genesis 16 tells the story of Hagar, the slave/servant who Sarah handed over to Abraham so they could have a child through her. It's not at all surprising to the modern reader that this arrangement did not result in happy faces all around.

It's no surprise that Sarah quickly grew to resent Hagar, treating her badly. Given his history, it's also not at all surprising that Abraham stood by and let Sarah do this. And Hagar, finding herself in a hopeless situation, treated poorly by her mistress and ignored by her master, fled into the wilderness.

Under such extreme oppression, Hagar's emotional state had to have been at rock bottom. She could easily have concluded the God of Abraham and Sarah was obviously on their side and didn't care a bit about her.

But then the angel of the Lord showed up and encouraged her. He spoke directly to her, telling her good news about the child she would have.

All the while she thought God was ignoring her, he was in fact paying close attention.
She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”

Genesis 16:13

When it seems God is ignoring you, turn to the scriptures, where he promises over and over that he does see you.

For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

2 Chronicles 16:9

But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love

Psalm 33:18

Psalm 119:134 Rescue Me

Redeem me from human oppression,
that I may obey your precepts.

Psalm 119:134

Sometimes when we're feeling distant from God, it's not really about God at all.

The things other people do to us can crush our overall emotional state so severely, we're virtually incapable of separating out the true cause of our deep distress.

When ladies in the prison chapel would express their despair at not "feeling" God's presence, what was often really going on had more to do with their general despair about the condition of their daily life. They were dealing not only with the very real oppression of the restrictive rules of the prison system, but also with the grim reality of interacting with hardened inmates and frequent rejection by family and friends.

In such a crushing situation, emotions can be both enlarged and suppressed. People generally react by cycling through times of extreme emotional release and extreme emotional retreat. Tears, anger, violence, and psychological instability; then withdrawal, avoidance of social interaction, despondency, numbness, and self harm.

You don't have to be in prison or living in a totalitarian regime to have your emotions tossed about oppression. I've gone though similar cycles when stuck working under a manipulative and mean boss. Others experience similar reactions when they've experienced a series of financial or personal setbacks, combined with the insensitive and impersonal reactions of people who ought to be helping but only make things worse.

I've learned that when the world is crushing my spirit, the best response is to resist the extreme emotional reactions. They only lead to hurting myself and others, and often end with me blaming God for the mess I've found myself in and the mess I've made of trying to fix it.

The better response is to go to my knees in prayer. Look to him for rescue from the situation. Focus myself on what God wants me to learn from the situation. What experiences is he giving me now that will enable me to help others later?

The wonderful thing about praying is that you leave a world of not being able to do something, and enter God’s realm where everything is possible. He specializes in the impossible. Nothing is too great for His almighty power. Nothing is too small for His love.Corrie Ten Boom

Psalm 119:133 Footsteps

Direct my footsteps according to your word;
let no sin rule over me.
Psalm 119:133

A young wife and mother recently announced she was leaving her home and moving in with another man. There, she says, she can live like she wants, enjoy marijuana and "edibles" with him, and finally focus on what makes her happy.

As of this point, she hasn't yet said whether continuing to be a mother to her children is part of what makes her happy.

There are many people like her. For that matter, there are many who call themselves Christians who are like her - they just haven't reached the same point yet in their chasing after personal happiness. They walk a dangerous path, direct heir footsteps in the direction that feels good to them, rather than according to God's word. Continuing down that road is a sure way to letting sin rule over every decision.

 " If you dwell on your own feelings about things rather than dwelling on the faithfulness, the love, and the mercy of God, then you're likely to have a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Our feelings are very fleeting and ephemeral, aren't they? We can't depend on them for five minutes at a time. But dwelling on the love, faithfulness, and mercy of God is always safe." ~ Elisabeth Elliot