Psalm 119:137-144 צ

צ 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 119:137-144

Type of Psalm

Didactic psalms: These psalms are psalms that are intended to teach. In most cases the psalm instructs us in moral principles.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

“This is a psalm by itself, like none of the rest; it excels them all, and shines brightest in this constellation. It is much longer than any of them more than twice as long as any of them. It is not making long prayers that Christ censurers, but making them for a pretence, which intimates that they are in themselves good and commendable. It seems to me to be a collection of David’s pious and devout ejaculations, the short and sudden breathings and elevations of his soul to God, which he wrote down as they occurred, and, towards the latter end of his time, gathered out of his day-book where they lay scattered, added to them many like words, and digested them into this psalm, in which there is seldom any coherence between the verses, but, like Solomon’s proverbs, it is a chest of gold rings, not a chain of gold links. And we may not only learn, by the psalmist’s example, to accustom ourselves to such pious ejaculations, which are an excellent means of maintaining constant communion with God, and keeping the heart in frame for the more solemn exercises of religion, but we must make use of the psalmist’s words, both for the exciting and for the expressing of our devout affections; what some have said of this psalm is true, “He that shall read it considerately, it will either warm him or shame him.” The composition of it is singular and very exact. It is divided into twenty-two parts, according to the number of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and each part consists of eight verses, all the verses of the first part beginning with Aleph, all the verses of the second with Beth, and so on, without any flaw throughout the whole psalm. Archbishop Tillotson says, It seems to have more of poetical skill and number in it than we at this distance can easily understand. Some have called it the saints’ alphabet; and it were to be wished we had it as ready in our memories as the very letters of our alphabet, as ready as our A B C. Perhaps the penman found it of use to himself to observe this method, as it obliged him to seek for thoughts, and search for them, that he might fill up the quota of every part; and the letter he was to begin with might lead him to a word which might suggest a good sentence; and all little enough to raise any thing that is good in the barren soil of our hearts. However, it would be of use to the learners, a help to them both in committing it to memory and in calling it to mind upon occasion; by the letter the first word would be got, and that would bring in the whole verse; thus young people would the more easily learn it by heart and retain it the better even in old age. If any censure it as childish and trifling, because acrostics are now quite out of fashion, let them know that the royal psalmist despises their censure; he is a teacher of babes, and, if this method may be beneficial to them, he can easily stoop to it; if this to be vile, he will be yet more vile.

II. The general scope and design of it is to magnify the law, and make it honourable; to set forth the excellency and usefulness of divine revelation, and to recommend it to us, not only for the entertainment, but for the government, of ourselves, by the psalmist’s own example, who speaks by experience of the benefit of it, and of the good impressions made upon him by it, for which he praises God, and earnestly prays, from first to last, for the continuance of God’s grace with him, to direct and quicken him in the way of his duty. There are ten different words by which divine revelation is called in this psalm, and they are synonymous, each of them expressive of the whole compass of it (both that which tells us what God expects from us and that which tells us that we may expect from him) and of the system of religion which is founded upon it and guided by it. The things contained in the scripture, and drawn from it, are here called, 1. God’s law, because they are enacted by him as our Sovereign. 2. His way, because they are the rule both of his providence and of our obedience. 3. His testimonies, because they are solemnly declared to the world and attested beyond contradiction. 4. His commandments, because given with authority, and (as the word signifies) lodged with us as a trust. 5. His precepts, because prescribed to us and not left indifferent. 6. His word, or saying, because it is the declaration of his mind, and Christ, the essential eternal Word, is all in all in it. 7. His judgments, because framed in infinite wisdom, and because by them we must both judge and be judged. 8. His righteousness, because it is all holy, just, and good, and the rule and standard of righteousness. 9. His statutes, because they are fixed and determined, and of perpetual obligation. His truth, or faithfulness, because the principles upon which the divine law is built are eternal truths. And I think there is but one verse (it is ver. 122) in all this long psalm in which there is not one or other of these ten words; only in three or four they are used concerning God’s providence or David’s practice (as ver. 75, 84, 122), and ver. 132 they are called God’s name. The great esteem and affection David had for the word of God is the more admirable considering how little he had of it, in comparison with what we have, no more perhaps in writing than the first books of Moses, which were but the dawning of this day, which may shame us who enjoy the full discoveries of divine revelation and yet are so cold towards it. In singing this psalm there is work for all the devout affections of a sanctified soul, so copious, so various, is the matter of it. We here find that in which we must give glory to God both as our ruler and great benefactor, that in which we are to teach and admonish ourselves and one another (so many are the instructions which we here find about a religious life), and that in which we are to comfort and encourage ourselves and one another, so many are the sweet experiences of one that lived such a life. Here is something or other to suit the case of every Christian. Isa. any afflicted? Isa. any merry? Each will find that here which is proper for him. And it is so far from being a tedious repetition of the same thing, as may seem to those who look over it cursorily, that, if we duly meditate upon it, we shall find almost every verse has a new thought and something in it very lively. And this, as many other of David’s psalms, teaches us to be sententious in our devotions, both alone and when others join with us; for, ordinarily, the affections, especially of weaker Christians, are more likely to be raised and kept by short expressions, the sense of which lies in a little compass, than by long and laboured periods.”

Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 119:137 “The Lord is righteous; he is the standard of what is right.”

Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary

My Thoughts

This psalm is not attributed to any author.

These verses start with צ Tsadhe.

Twice, the psalmist praises God as being righteous.

The psalmists loves God’s statutes.

But the psalmist is being pursued by enemies.

There is no thought of cutting corners with God’s Law to even the score with the enemy. The psalmist only asks for wisdom and understanding. What should he do?

Psalm 119:145-152 ק

ק Qoph

I call with all my heart; answer me, Lord,
    and I will obey your decrees.
I call out to you; save me
    and I will keep your statutes.
I rise before dawn and cry for help;
    I have put my hope in your word.
My eyes stay open through the watches of the night,
    that I may meditate on your promises.
Hear my voice in accordance with your love;
    preserve my life, Lord, according to your laws.
Those who devise wicked schemes are near,
    but they are far from your law.
Yet you are near, Lord,
    and all your commands are true.
Long ago I learned from your statutes
    that you established them to last forever.

Psalm 119:145-152

Type of Psalm

Didactic psalms: These psalms are psalms that are intended to teach. In most cases the psalm instructs us in moral principles.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

See 119: 137-144 צ Tsadhe above.

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 119:151 ” Because the psalmist knows that all [God’s] commands are true, he knows that they are established and can never fail.”

Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary

My Thoughts

This psalm is not attributed to any author.

These verses start with ק Qoph.

Again, as in Tsade (above), the psalmist repeats his love of God’s Law. He is still pursued by his enemy, but he meditates on the Word, even through the night. He rises before dawn and cries for help.

And still, the psalmist loves God’s law. God’s statutes will live forever.

Psalm 119:153-160 ר

ר Resh

Look on my suffering and deliver me,
    for I have not forgotten your law.
Defend my cause and redeem me;
    preserve my life according to your promise.
Salvation is far from the wicked,
    for they do not seek out your decrees.
Your compassion, Lord, is great;
    preserve my life according to your laws.
Many are the foes who persecute me,
    but I have not turned from your statutes.
I look on the faithless with loathing,
    for they do not obey your word.
See how I love your precepts;
    preserve my life, Lord, in accordance with your love.
All your words are true;
    all your righteous laws are eternal.

Psalm 119:153-160

Type of Psalm

Didactic psalms: These psalms are psalms that are intended to teach. In most cases the psalm instructs us in moral principles.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

See 137-144 צ Tsadhe above.

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 119:136 “If your Swiss watch stops working, you don’t sit down at home with a screwdriver and start working on it yourself. You take it to a specialist.
“The problem is that the Lord gets all the leftovers after we try to fix our problems ourselves. We make all the mistakes and get things tied into granny knots, then dump it in His lap and say, ‘Here, Lord.’
“No! Right at first, say, ‘It’s impossible; I can’t handle it, Lord. Before I foul it up, it’s Yours.’ He is able to handle it.”

Charles R. Swindoll, Bedtime Blessings

My Thoughts

This psalm is not attributed to any author.

These verses start with ר Resh.

Here, with the past two letters of the acrostic saying the same theme (God’s righteousness and God’s truthfulness), the psalmist states why he is relying on God. There is no salvation for the wicked. The wicked do not hold to God’s statutes. The wicked have no standing before God, but the righteous, at least the one who loves God’s Law and follows it, can call upon the Lord for help.

This is not saying that the psalmist is perfect, but he loves God’s Law. He strives to obey the Law. And his enemies do not.

He knows that God’s deliverance is sure, for God protects those who love Him and His Law.

Some Serendipitous Reflections