"Thy Word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever."
Psalm 119:160
This section of Psalm 119, RESH, can be studied like this –
1. David’s plea for revival, “quicken me,” from God’s Word during his difficult trials (vv. 153-154).
2. David’s plea for personal revival “quicken me,” yet the wicked are far away from salvation (vv. 155-156).
3. David, even in oppression, continues to keep believing and doing God’s Word (vv. 157-158).
4. David’s third request to be revived, “quicken me,” according to the LORD’s lovingkindness, not because of any merit of David. “Quicken me” by God’s true and eternal Word (vv. 159-160).
“Every word you say can be trusted.
Your laws are fair and will last forever” [1]
(Psalm 119:160, HSB).
“Thy word is true from the beginning.”
“Thy Word is True”
God’s Word is true because God is holy and truthful! If God were a liar, no one could trust Him or what He has said. Why would they want to? No one trusts a liar! The God of the Scriptures has never lied, nor will He ever misspeak, fib, or lie to us!
“In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began” (Titus 1:2).
This is the consistent teaching about God’s truthfulness as seen in the Word.
“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19).
“And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for He is not a man, that he should repent” (1 Samuel 15:29).
“Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:17-18).
God’s Word is always authoritative and trustworthy.
“Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him” (Proverbs 30:5).
“From the Beginning”
How long has God’s Word been true?
“From the beginning—that is, ‘every word from Genesis (called so by the Jews from its first words, ‘In the beginning’)’ to the end of the Scriptures is true” [2] (JFB).
“From the beginning.” “God’s Word has been true from the first moment in which it was spoken, true throughout the whole of history, true to us from the instant in which we believed it, ay, true to us before we were true to it” [3] (Spurgeon).
“The beginning of thy word is true.” “Its origin is truth; its foundation is truth; its essential nature is truth” [4] (Barnes).
“Thy Word is nothing but truth” [5] (Luther).
“Since you first promised, even to the end, all thy sayings are true” [6] (GB).
“And every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.”
“And Every One of Thy Righteous Judgements”
“I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me” (Psalm 119:75).
God’s righteousness and justice are valid forever. They will last as long as God is on His eternal throne.
“Endureth For Ever”
What did David mean by the word “endureth?” He is looking to the future and saying that God’s Word is “for ever, always,… continuous existence, perpetual,… everlasting, indefinite or unending future, eternity” [7] (BDB).
“The psalmist again declares the infallible character of the Word of God. The entire word is true, not merely portions or individual concepts from the Word. Not only is it true; it is eternally true” [8] (EWC).
God’s Word is eternal.
“Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth” (Psalm 119:142).
“The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting: give me understanding, and I shall live” (Psalm 119:144).
“Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever” (Psalm 119:152).
“I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before Him” (Ecclesiastes 3:14).
And our Lord Jesus taught us that His Word is true, and it is eternal –
“For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matthew 5:18).
“The Scriptures are as true in Genesis as in Revelation, and the five books of Moses are as inspired as the four Gospels. ‘And every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.’ That which thou hast decided remains irreversible in every case. Against the decisions of the Lord, no writ of error can be demanded; neither will there ever be a repealing of any of the acts of His sovereignty. There is not one single mistake either in the Word of God or in the providential dealings of God. Neither in the book of revelation nor of providence will there be any need to put a single note of errata [errors]. The Lord has nothing to regret or to retract, nothing to amend or to reverse. All God’s judgments, decrees, commands, and purposes are righteous, and as righteous things are lasting things, every one of them will outlive the stars” [9] (Spurgeon).
Quote: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
[1] HSB is the Harvest Study Bible from Harvest Ministries in Guam.
[2] JFB, Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 1 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 384.
[3] TOD – C.H. Spurgeon. Treasury of David, the electronic version in eSword.
[4] BNB – Albert Barnes. Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.
[5] JFB, ibid.
[6] GB, Geneva Bible: Notes, vol. 1 (Geneva: Rovland Hall, 1560), 262.
[7] BDB – Brown, Driver, Briggs. Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Definitions, the electronic version in eSword.
[8] EWC – David Guzik. Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword.
[9] TOD – C.H. Spurgeon, ibid.