Righteous art Thou, O Lord, and upright are Thy judgments.
The testimony of a tried saint
I. His testimony concerning God.
1. Concerning the Divine character (verses 137,142).
(1) God’s righteousness has no standard but Himself What He does is right, not because it conforms to anything outside Himself, but because it conforms to His nature.
(2) God’s righteousness agrees with the moral constitution of the universe. Universal conscience agrees with it. “Just and right are Thy ways.”
2. Concerning His Word.
(1) Faithful. His Word is truth.
(2) Pure as the purest gold, free from all dross, pure as the purest sunbeam, absolutely free from all erroneous thoughts, from all unholy sentiments and passions.
II. His testimony concerning himself.
1. Zeal for the Divine (verse 139). How few can say they are zealous for the right, person! When he saw the utter forgetfulness of his contemporaries of God, his heart glowed with zeal for the Divine glory.
2. Love for the purity of truth (verse 140). Some may love the truth on account of the beautiful form in which it is presented, the power of its suggestiveness and the sublimity of its speculations. But this man loved it for the sake of its purity.
3. Consciousness of self-insignificance (verse 141). How insignificant is the greatest man in comparison with God--His character and manifestations!
4. Joy in suffering (verse 143). His interest in the Divine Word bore him up and made him happy even under suffering.
5. A desire for further knowledge. “More light” is what he wanted. (Homilist.)