Righteous God. Righteous Word.
The world’s a mess, and I know you feel it. Maybe you’re staring at a bank account that’s running dry, or someone you trusted turned their back. Everywhere you look, truth seems to twist. Online arguments spin lies into facts, leaders say whatever keeps them on top, and what’s right today is wrong by tomorrow. In 2025, it’s like trying to build a house on sand. Nothing holds steady. Psalm 119:137-144 is for people caught in that storm. The psalmist is getting hit hard, lies tearing him down, pain pressing in from every side. But he’s not breaking. He’s standing because he’s anchored to God’s righteous character and His Word that never fails.
The Word is righteous because the God who gave it is righteous. (137–138)
“Righteous are you, O LORD” (137). The psalmist starts with God, not his own troubles or what the crowd thinks. That word for righteous, in Hebrew, means perfect alignment with truth and justice.[1] God doesn’t just act good. He is goodness. He is the measure of everything right. You see this in Isaiah 6:3, where the angels shout over and over, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” That triple holy isn’t just emphasis. It’s declaration of God’s perfection, untouched by time or human opinion.
This lands hard today. In 2025, truth is defined by whoever’s loudest. One day, something’s sacred. The next, it’s trashed. You can’t scroll through your feed without seeing people fight over what’s true and right, and it wears you down. But God’s righteousness doesn’t bend. Malachi 3:6 puts it plain. “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.” God is steady. Always has been. Always will be. That’s why His Word doesn’t shift. It’s truth, straight from His heart.
Then he says, “and right are your rules” (137), and “You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness and in all faithfulness” (138). That word for appointed,[2] in Hebrew, paints the picture of a leader giving commands or laying out the way things should go. I picture it like a builder with a blueprint in front of him and directing the build based on that blueprint.
How do you build something that will last? You build it right/correctly and you build with good materials. You don't cut corners. You don't do things your own way. If you're building a house, you dig down deep and lay the footers. you carefully lay the cornerstone, because everything else will follow that guide. You want to build something that will last, not something that will crumble when the storms come. It's the same way in life. God’s Word is that blueprint guiding you on how to build rightly. It’s that cornerstone, set with purpose by a righteous God to hold your life firm. The psalmist doesn’t lean on his own ideas or what’s trending. He holds tight to Scripture because it comes from the God who is righteous and faithful. Think of people who have lived this way. They inspire me. I think of people like Elisabeth Elliot. Her husband, Jim, was killed sharing the gospel in Ecuador. The world said her faith was foolish, but she clung to God and His Word, even going back to serve the people who took his life. God’s Word and God’s faithfulness were her cornerstone, not her grief or anger.
This should change how you see your Bible. It’s not just a book of stories or advice. It’s God speaking, alive and sharp. Hebrews 4:12 says, “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword.” When life hits you, maybe a bill you can’t pay, a kid who’s struggling, or a friend who’s ghosted you, don’t just scroll for answers. Open your Bible. It’s God’s voice, steady when everything else shakes. Ask yourself, is Scripture where you turn first, or are you grabbing for stuff that won’t hold up? It doesn’t matter what the world thinks. That’s what we see next.
Cultural rejection doesn’t cancel biblical truth. (139–141)
“My zeal consumes me because my foes forget your words” (139). The psalmist is burning up inside. That word for zeal,[3] in Hebrew, means a fierce passion, like what drove Jesus to clear the temple in John 2:17. He’s upset they’re throwing God’s truth in the dirt, acting like it’s nothing. The psalmist loves God so much it hurts to see His Word ignored and forgotten. God’s Word doesn’t need a crowd cheering to stand. It’s true because it comes from God.
The psalmist doesn’t give up, though the world has given up on God. He says, “Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it” (140). That phrase well tried, in Hebrew, means purified, like gold melted down until every speck of junk is gone.[4] God’s Word has been through the fire, attacked by kings, mocked by scholars, burned by mobs. But it’s still here, shining brighter every time. First Peter 1:7 talks about faith tested by fire, and Scripture’s the same, proven pure through every fight. People swore the Bible would be gone by now, but it’s in more languages, more homes, than ever.[5]
Then the psalmist gets vulnerable. He says, “I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts” (141). There are no small people when they are living for God and by His Word. That message changed my life, from a sermon by Francis Schaeffer.[6] In it he talks about the staff of Moses and all it did for God because it was consecrated by God and used for His purposes. Yet it was just a stick. Though you may be small and despised, if you don’t forget God’s Word, God will use you in ways you can’t even imagine.
Today, people roll their eyes at the Bible. They call it old, irrelevant, even wrong. You see it at work, online, maybe in your own family. Does that make you second-guess its relevance? Or do you stand with the psalmist, knowing God’s Word has been tested and won’t break? The early Christians got fed to lions for trusting Scripture. They didn’t budge, because they knew the world’s hate can’t touch God’s truth. Jesus said in John 15:18, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.”
When the world turns its back, don’t you turn away. Grab God’s Word like it’s all you’ve got, because it’s enough. The world’s opinions will fade, but God’s truth stays true.
The Word doesn’t shift with the winds of history. (142–143)
“Your righteousness is righteous forever, and your law is true” (142). God’s righteousness and His Word last forever. That word for forever,[7] in Hebrew, means stretching beyond time, like Psalm 90:2 says, “From everlasting to everlasting you are God.” Back then, every new king could rewrite the rules, leaving people lost. You never knew what would be right or wrong and when it would change. Does that sound familiar? That’s the day we live in, right? But God’s Word is different. God’s Word is tied to God’s heart, and God doesn’t change.
This cuts through our mess. In 2025, ideas come and go like seasons. What’s true today is cancelled tomorrow. But God’s Word doesn’t move. Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Psalm 119:160 adds, “The sum of your word is truth.” Truth isn’t what feels good or what’s got the most likes. It’s God’s Word. And it never changes. It’s never up for reinterpretation.
That’s why liberal theology is such a danger. It seeks to reinterpret God’s Word with the times. That puts whatever the current moral climate is as God. That means culture dictates truth. But in reality, it’s the other way around. Truth must dictate culture. Look at history. Culture collapses if it’s not tied to biblical truth. Majority can be wrong. Government mandate can be wrong. History has shown us that over and over. Yet there are still those who want to change the unchanging Word to fit the ever-changing times. Run as fast as you can from such thinking. God’s Word doesn’t change.
Then the psalmist opens up. “Trouble and anguish have found me out, but your commandments are my delight” (143). Even amidst the difficulty, the psalmist has joy in God’s Word. How? Because it’s the one thing that doesn’t shake. This makes me think of people like Joni Eareckson Tada, paralyzed since her teens. Life could’ve crushed her, but she found joy in Scripture, not because her pain went away, but because God’s truth is bigger than her pain.
Only the Word can bring true life. (144)
“Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding, that I may live” (144). The psalmist is after life. He wants to live. And that, in its essence, is the deepest desire every person on this earth has. It’s the one desire every person in this world chases. We all want something that makes us feel alive, something that gives our days meaning, something that lasts. But the world chases it in the wrong things—money, fame, relationships, power. They look in all the wrong places, and it leaves them empty, grasping at stuff that slips away. The psalmist knows better. Life, real life, is only found in God’s Word, in living by its truth. And ultimately, it’s found in the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ. That life will last forever, just like God’s Word never fades.
That life is Jesus. The psalmist’s cry for life lands right at His feet. John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory.” Jesus isn’t just a teacher. He’s God’s truth in human form, showing us what life was always meant to be. John 17:3 puts it plain. “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Life is knowing God through Jesus, letting the Word shape every part of you. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” Everything the psalmist is after, Jesus gives.
This is huge. God’s Word is God speaking, showing you Jesus, the One who died for your sins and rose to make you right with God. Ephesians 2:1 says, “You were dead in your trespasses and sins.” The world’s promises—cash, status, pleasure—are dead ends. They’re like chasing a mirage in the desert. But God’s Word is different. It’s eternal, and it offers a life that’s eternal too. In John 10:10, Jesus says, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Jesus is the only One who can fill your soul. Give Him your life, and everything will change. Not your bank account, but your heart. You will find what you’ve been chasing all along.
The world’s got no real answers. Jesus does. He took your sins on the cross, paid for them with His blood, and rose to offer you true life now and eternal life in heaven. Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” That’s not just a ticket to heaven. It’s the life you were made for, full of God’s love, His purpose, His joy, starting now and never stopping. If you’ve never trusted Jesus, don’t put it off. Tell Him you’re a mess, believe He died and rose for you, and give Him your life. If you know Him but you’ve been drifting, come back. Pray like the psalmist, “Give me understanding, that I may live.” Dive into His Word, live it, let Jesus give you the life that lasts forever. That’s what you’re after. That’s what He has for you. Come receive it today.
[1] https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6662.htm
[2] https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6680.htm
[3] https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7068.htm
[4] https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6884.htm
[5] https://www.wycliffe.net/resources/statistics
[6] https://equip.sbts.edu/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/sbjt_062_schaeffer.pdf
