569_God’s promises are thoroughly tested (Psalm 119:137-144) Psalm 119:137 Righteous are you, O Lord, and right are your rules. 138 You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness and in all faithfulness. 139 My zeal consumes me, because my foes forget your words. 140 Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it. 141 I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts. 142 Your righteousness is righteous forever, and your law is true. 143 Trouble and anguish have found me out, but your commandments are my delight. 144 Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live. There’s something mesmerizing about watching gold being refined. The craftsman places the unrefined metal into a blazing furnace, heating it until it glows. As the temperature rises, the impurities—called dross—begin to separate and float to the surface. The refiner patiently skims them off, again and again, until the gold is pure and radiant. Ancient metallurgists used a simple test to know when the process was complete: the gold was considered ready when the refiner could see his reflection clearly on its surface. It’s a powerful image, isn’t it? The fire doesn’t destroy the gold; it reveals its purity. What survives the furnace is not weaker but more precious—proven and trustworthy. That’s the picture the psalmist paints in Psalm 119:140 when he declares, “Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it.” The Word of God has been through the furnace of time, suffering, and human doubt—and it always comes out pure. In this portion of Psalm 119, verses 137 to 144, the psalmist meditates on the reliability of God’s Word and the righteousness of its Author. He looks at life—the pressures, opposition, and personal pain—and finds that, through it all, God’s promises have never failed. They have been thoroughly tested. He begins by fixing his gaze on the very nature of God: “Righteous are you, O Lord, and right are your rules. You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness and in all faithfulness.” (vv. 137–138) This is where true confidence begins. The psalmist doesn’t start with himself—his feelings, his enemies, or his situation—but with God. “Righteous are You, O Lord.” God is the standard of all that is right and just. And because His character is righteous, His Word must also be righteous. God’s Word cannot contradict His nature. It is perfectly consistent with who He is. His commands are not arbitrary; His promises are not fickle. They flow from His unchanging goodness. But the psalmist’s world is not an easy one. He is surrounded by people who disregard or despise the Word of God. In verse 139 he says, “My zeal consumes me, because my foes forget your words.” The more others forget or reject God’s truth, the more the psalmist burns with passion for it. His zeal is not born from pride or superiority, but from love. He can’t bear to see the precious Word of God ignored. It’s easy to grow cold when the world grows indifferent. It’s tempting to quiet our faith when others dismiss it. But the psalmist does the
