“Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides.” Psalm 119:89-90
With so many lofty aims in this great psalm, the psalmist and any who desire to mirror his intent must have the strongest of founding principles on which to build such a blessed life. Of course we have many faithful brethren to look to for encouragement, examples worth following, wisdom and insights, etc., but it all comes back to the God who calls us to Himself. Three major characteristics of God are set forth in the psalm that make seeking Him with our whole heart the only rational choice to make.
Any word given can never be more trustworthy than the one who gave it. The dogged loyalty to God’s word displayed in this psalm demands unswerving faithfulness on God’s part to warrant such. As seen in the verses above, the psalmist had absolute confidence in God’s trustworthiness. It is, on his view, unlimited in scope and duration, applying to everyone all the time. This is supported elsewhere in Scripture. He is the faithful one who “…keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations of those who love Him” (Deuteronomy 7:9). Even if we prove unfaithful, He will go right on being faithful because His nature is undeniable by any, including Himself (2 Timothy 2:13).
The elements of His faithfulness are many, but the psalmist focused on two: righteousness and mercy. As stated in Psalm 89:14 and 97:2, righteousness and justice are the very foundation upon which His throne (His right to rule) rests. According to Psalm 119:142, His righteousness has no end, and therefore His testimonies are righteous forever as well (119:144). This righteousness is the core of repeated outbursts of joy, gratitude, praise, and longing for God and His word throughout the psalm (119:7, 40, 62, 75, 106, 138, 144, 172). God’s righteousness is the foundation upon which the gospel of Christ rests as well, so we owe the same debt of gratitude and loyalty as the psalmist (cf. Romans 1:16-17; 3:21-26).
If God were only given to righteousness and justice, we would be in dire straits. If He gave us what we deserve, we would all perish (Romans 3:23; 6:23a). Thankfully, our always righteous God is also continually merciful towards His people (Lamentations 3:22-23). The psalmist leaned into this for salvation (119:41, 58), knowledge of His statutes (119:124), comfort (119:76), and life according to His laws (119:156). All these elements combined to sustain the psalmist in the face of life’s challenges. The same is true for us in Christ. We who were once “…dead in trespasses and sins…” have been made alive in Christ because God is “…rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us” (Ephesians 2:1-5). Not because of our own uprightness but because of His mercy, He saved us through the atoning sacrifice of His Son (Romans 6:23b; Titus 3:5).
As we prepare to conclude this series of studies from Psalm 119, we have brought our focus back to the foundation of it all, the principles without which no one can succeed in faithful service to God. May we ponder His unwavering faithfulness, His unerring righteousness, and His unfailing mercy as we press on in His service.