Psalm 119:137-144 is the eighteenth stanza of this psalm,
and every line or verse begins with the eighteenth letter of the Hebrew
alphabet “TSADHE”, in the Hebrew Bible. The Spirit of God uses the Word of God
to implant faith in our hearts (Rom. 10:17), and the more we live in God's
Word, the stronger our faith will become. Some people have no faith (Mark
4:40), others have little faith (Matt. 8:26; 14:31), and a few have great faith
(Matt. 8:10; 15:28). Like a mustard seed, faith has life in it, and if the seed
is planted and cultivated, it will grow and bear fruit (Matt. 17:20). Jesus
told the two blind men in Matthew 9:29, “…According to your faith let it be
to you." The message in this section of the psalm is that you can
depend on the Word of God, so that you can have faith in God no matter who or
what might be discouraging you.
We can place our faith in God’s Word no matter what
people do (vv. 137-139). The psalmist had worn himself out trying to
convince people to trust God's Word, but they ignored both him and the
Scriptures. He must have felt that his ministry had failed, but he had been
faithful even as the Word is faithful. God and His Word are righteous and what
He says is right. His Word is fully trustworthy. Though intellectual giants may
attack it and even ridicule it, the Word stands and will be here long after
they are dead, and their books have been forgotten. People may sin and die, but
God's righteousness and righteous Word remains (vv. 137, 138, 142, 144).
We can place our faith in God’s Word and trust Him no
matter what people say (vv. 140-141). Over many centuries, the Scriptures
have been thoroughly tested in the fires of persecution and criticism, the way
a goldsmith tests precious metals (Psalms 12:6-7; 18:30), and the Word has been
found pure. One of the joys of the Christian life is to find new promises in
the Word, test them in daily life, and find them trustworthy. The enemy wants us
to forget the Word (v. 139), but we remember the Word and depend on it. The
world may look upon God's people as "small and despised," but
when you stand on God's promises, you are a giant.
We can express our faith and trust and delight in God’s
Word regardless of how we feel (vv. 142-143). We may experience anguish,
trouble and distress, as did the psalmist, but we can still find delight in
God's truth. Our feelings change but God's Word never changes. God's Word is
not only true, it is truth (John 17:17). The Word of God is truth, the Son of
God is truth (John 14:6), and the Spirit of God is truth (1 John 5:6). The Spirit
of truth wrote the Word of truth, and that Word reveals the Son of God. When
your feelings deceive you into concluding that it is not worth it to serve the
Lord, immediately turn to the Scriptures and delight in your Lord.
We can trust in God’s Word and live a full life no
matter how long we live (v. 144). Many people exist and are simply
surviving but they really aren’t living. Jesus said that He came to give life
and to give it more abundantly (John 10:10). Jesus is the eternal living Word
of God. To build your life on God's Word means to participate in eternity
(Matt. 7:24-29; 1 John 2:17). It is not the length of life but the depth of
life that counts, and depth comes from laying hold of God's Word and obeying
it. Jesus spent only thirty-three years on this earth, and His public ministry
lasted only three years, yet He accomplished a work that is eternal.
What matters is not how long we live but how we live! We
don’t have to just exist and survive; we can live a life of significance every
day if we determine by God’s grace to live a life of faith built on the Truth
of God’s Word! “…According to your faith let it be to you."
God bless!
