Tag Archives: Tsadhe

Tsadhe

¹³⁷ O Lord, you are righteous,
    and your regulations are fair.
¹³⁸ Your laws are perfect
    and completely trustworthy.
¹³⁹ I am overwhelmed with indignation,
    for my enemies have disregarded your words.
¹⁴⁰ Your promises have been thoroughly tested;
    that is why I love them so much.
¹⁴¹ I am insignificant and despised,
    but I don’t forget your commandments.
¹⁴² Your justice is eternal,
    and your instructions are perfectly true.
¹⁴³ As pressure and stress bear down on me,
    I find joy in your commands.
¹⁴⁴ Your laws are always right;
    help me to understand them so I may live.

Psalm 119:137-144

Dear God, how should I feel about those who have “disregarded your words?” Is indignation the right emotion? Is it pity? Is it compassion? The dangerous thing about labeling others as “disregarding your words” and judging them harshly is something that Jesus points out when he talks about removing the log from my own eye before I worry about the speck in my brother’s (Sermon on the Mount). I would be fascinated for the psalmist to come across Jesus and his teachings and see how he felt afterward. Jesus just deconstructed all of this theology and philosophy. It’s no wonder the leaders of his own people wanted to kill him. For them, he must have seemed so wrong.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t need to sit with this psalmist in his moment of writing this and see what you might have for me to learn through his experience. Some of the things I write in these prayers to you are wrong. Some of it is terrible theology. I might have already typed something heretical this morning. But it’s there for others to see and judge. I hope anyone who comes across something egregious I’ve written will have mercy on me.

With that said, let’s look at today’s verses.

• ¹³⁷ O Lord, you are righteous, and your regulations are fair. – I don’t know what word he originally used in the Hebrew that was translated to “fair” here, but I find the regulations of yours that I follow are always good for me. There are some Old Testament ones I ignore that I probably shouldn’t. And my life is probably worse for it. Guide me to what I should do.
• ¹³⁸ Your laws are perfect and completely trustworthy. – “Perfect” is a more powerful word that “fair.” Oh, you are so good. You are so good to us. And yes, you are completely trustworthy in both your laws and how you interact with your creation. I might not always like it. Things happen that make me mourn. But in those moments, you are there to comfort me with your rod and your staff. I am a sheep, and I like it.
• ¹³⁹ I am overwhelmed with indignation, for my enemies have disregarded your words. – This is the verse that caught my attention from the beginning. I think I’ve said enough about it.
• ¹⁴⁰ Your promises have been thoroughly tested; that is why I love them so much. – That is true. Your promises were tested. Are tested. And sometimes we are tested by life and you watch how we perform. I think your 100% passing your tests is much better than whatever percentage of tests I’ve passed. Oh, forgive me.
• ¹⁴¹ I am insignificant and despised, but I don’t forget your commandments. – I could be insignificant in your eyes, but I’m not. For some reason, I am 1/7,000,000,000 of the earth and you still sit with me on mornings like this with your Holy Spirit and love one me while I travel life in this earthen body. Thank you.
• ¹⁴² Your justice is eternal, and your instructions are perfectly true. – I like how this Tsadhe section focuses on how good your law is rather than just pledging to follow it. Your laws are good and true. What you tell us to do and how you tell us to live is amazing. You are amazing.
• ¹⁴³ As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands. – As I said before, your rod and your staff comfort me. I lean on you.
• ¹⁴⁴ Your laws are always right; help me to understand them so I may live. – Yes, finally a more humble look at your laws from the psalmist. You are always right. I am not and I cannot live up to all of this. But you can help me. You can help me understand and follow them so that I might live. Please, I give you freedom to make it so.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen