Psalm 119:138

The next verse of this octave of Psalm 119 entitled Tzaddi follows logically from the verse before it.    

Psalms 119:138  Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful.

Since the Lord is righteous, it follows that the testimonies that He has commanded are righteous and very faithful.  Nothing a righteous God commands could be otherwise.

God’s testimonies that He has commanded are righteous.  Therefore, you are always doing the right thing when you keep them.  Never question that!  Even if circumstances do not seem favourable to keeping a commandment of God, keep it anyway.  If doing what God says costs you a valued relationship, a valued position, a valued possession, or even if it costs your life, do it anyway.  Peter and John were so convinced of the righteousness of God’s testimonies that they made this response to the Jewish council when they threatened them to speak no more in Jesus’ name:

Acts 4:19  But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

20  For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

God had commanded them to preach and give testimony of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It was the right thing to do and thank God they did!  Because they obeyed God’s righteous commandment to preach, we have the testimony of the resurrection with us today.

God’s testimonies that He has commanded are also very faithful.  Let’s define that word faithful when it refers to actions such as commanding.

Faithful - Of persons and their actions: That may be believed or relied upon; trustworthy, veracious.

Being righteous, it is impossible for God to lie (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18). Therefore, when can believe and rely upon anything God has commanded as being right. 

But let us not overlook that God’s testimonies that He has commanded are very faithful.

Very – In a high degree or measure; to a great extent; exceedingly, extremely, greatly.

God’s testimonies are extremely reliable. You will never find the word of any other more worthy of your absolute trust than the word of God.  It is extremely important that you believe with all your heart that God’s testimonies are righteous and very faithful, as Matthew Henry wrote:  “It is necessary to our faith and obedience that we be convinced of this.”  You will be less prone to heed a Bible that you think has mistakes in it and that cannot be relied upon to be right about everything it says.

Now in order for us to have the righteous and very faithful testimonies of God, they must be preserved somewhere for us to have access to them.  A qualification for a bishop or pastor is that he hold “fast the faithful word” (Titus 1:9).  How can a pastor do that if he does not have the faithful word to hold?  If we have no right and faithful copy or translation of God’s word, then we have no right and faithful word of God.  It is that simple.  But, thanks be to God, we have the Authorized or King James Version of the Bible faithfully translated in 1611 from faithful copies of the original Hebrew and Greek texts.  In this version we find not one single, provable error.  It is righteous and very faithful and in every respect justified in being called The Holy Bible, which cannot be said for the modern versions that have taken over most of professing Christendom.  Therefore, when you hold this faithful translation in your hand, read it, and obey it, you are keeping the righteous and very faithful testimonies that God has commanded. 

Let me acknowledge that I realize I have not advanced my proof for making this case for the Authorized Version.  However, if you look back through the archives of my blog, you will find a series of four articles that I submitted on 2, 8, 16, & 22 September 2009 entitled The Inspiration of the Scriptures.  In those articles I make my case for believing the Authorized Version is the inspired word of God in the English language.

In closing let me comment on verses 137 & 138 of Psalm 119 taken together.  It is by means of God’s righteous testimonies that God's born again people come to know the God that is righteous since God reveals Himself to them by His word. 

1 Samuel 3:21  And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.

We are unspeakably blessed to know the right God by having the right Bible!