Psalm 119:143 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth.
- Righteousness: both words used for righteousness come from the same root word meaning, “moral and forensic rightness”; describes justice, right actions and right attitudes; in other words, it is true (as in not “off” by any degree), and right (never wrong).
- Everlasting: for all time, including past and future
- Law: a rule of conduct; refers to God’s law in general
- Truth: stability, certainty, pure
The prevailing propaganda circulated by the Enemy is that everyone is allowed to have their own version of what is right, and that only those who believe that there is one standard for rightness are wrong. With no moral compass, however, a society has no “true north”, and can only remain lost in a sea of selfish desires. We desperately need a standard, a plumb line, in which to gauge our actions and attitudes. The psalmist set his confidence upon the kind of rightness that does not change with the passage of time, with public opinion or with popular philosophies; he knew that there was a true moral compass and it was his God.
Our God is not only an eternally righteous God, but He is also a good Father. He doesn’t just do what is right and approve what is right, He also gives a clear expectation of what is right to His kids. His law, or His righteous expectations for you and I, is truth; it is a stable foundation on which we can build our lives. We were freed from the condemnation of the Law by grace and grace freed us to obey God’s truth through the power of the Holy Spirit. All “real” truth is based on Love: Love the Lord and love your neighbor. (Matthew 22:37-40) That kind of unselfish and other-centered love is an undeniable force for good in any society.
John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.
A culture is changed by its moral compass. In my lifetime I have seen horrible things become normalized by a shifting morality that does not want to stay true to what is right. Imagine how different our culture would be if all of God’s kids decided to base everything we think or do, and how we react and interact, on the standard of God’s everlasting righteousness and on the truth of His Word. It is sad to know how many of those who claim to belong to Him know so little about Him or His Word, and so they have difficulty in distinguishing between what is right and what isn’t. We become like those with whom we spend time. If we spent more time with the Righteous One, feasting on His Truth, and seeking His will for us, we would become a standard upon which others could stand as well. To know and love the Lord is the best and only “true north” anyone could ever have, for He is never wrong.
Holy Spirit, come and fill me with a desire to be with the Lord and to be in His Truth. Draw me close; let me hang out with You, to learn of Your eternal righteousness. You died on the cross to save me from unrighteousness; You gave Your righteousness to me. (1 Corinthians 1:30) Establish me firmly in Your truth and sanctify me in it, so that I can love You with my whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, and so that I can love all those around me with the same love with which You loved me. Rescue our nation from its own unrighteousness for Your name’s sake; may we once again bring glory to You as a nation who serves the Lord. (Psalm 33:12)
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