Today’s section of Psalm 119 – verses 137-144 – focuses on the righteousness of God and the rightness of His Word. Five times we read the words “righteous” or “right” (cf., verses 137, 138, 142, and 144). Because God is the sovereign God – the Creator and Owner over all things – He gets to decide what is right. He never consulted with you or with me about it, and in fact, we have no say in this matter. This is His universe, and whether we like it or not, we must fit into it according to His rules. Always, our concept of what is right must be measured according to His revelation and standard about what is right, and if our idea differs even slightly from His, then we are simply wrong. To be right, we must fully align our thoughts with His. Here, the Psalmist writes that God is always right and that His law (i.e., His Word) is always true. God’s promises “have been thoroughly tested and they are fully trustworthy” (138-140). He will never be proven wrong. Generations before us have reliably certified the reality and the veracity of these truths. They are wholly worthy of our trust. Like a bridge that has been tested and certified by engineers, God’s Word will support us faithfully and safely across on our life’s journey. The bridge of Psalm 119 will hold. Interestingly, the Psalmist says that his enemies have worn out his “zeal because they ignore God’s Word” (verse 139). Thus, we must be aware of and guard against unbelievers whose actions can discourage and negatively affect our desire to serve the Lord.
In Joel 1-2:17, we read the history of a severe locust plague and Joel’s revelation about the Day of the LORD. The only thing we know about Joel is that he was “the son of Pethuel” (verse 1). The locust plague pointed prophetically toward God’s coming destruction during the future, final judgment which is designated as the “Day of the LORD” (cf., 2:1). Like the locust plague then, the future judgment speaks of sin’s destructive effects and God’s devastation upon it. Joel implies that nothing like this plague has ever “happened in your days or the days of your forefathers … tell it to your children and to theirs …” (verses 2-3). In the original language, Joel describes four different kinds of increasingly damaging locusts – multipliers (i.e., “the swarm”); gnawers (“the great locusts”); lickers (“the young locusts”); and devourers (“the other locusts,” all in verse 4). How would you like to face them? These locusts typify an invading army which “destroys” everything in its path (verses 6-12). In chapter 2:1-17, regarding the judgment of “the Day of the LORD,” Joel says, “no day was ever so awful, nor will it ever be in ages to come” (verse 2). He calls the people to repent – “Rend your heart and not your garments – return to the LORD your God” (verse 13). The bridge of Joel 1-2 will also hold.
In Hebrews 3, the writer cautions us today to guard ourselves against the sin of unbelief. Yesterday, we saw that his warning was against drifting away which naturally leads people to the next step – unbelief. The root of unbelief is doubt, but to counteract our doubts and subsequent unbelief, God has certified that the bridge of His Word will hold. Here in the book of Hebrews, we will see that He has provided us with whole generations of witnesses – “a great cloud” (cf., Hebrews 12:1) who all testify to the existential truth that God’s Word will hold. His promises will never fail. Like Psalm 119 and Joel 1-2, the bridge of Hebrews 3 will hold, too – forever true and reliable. Why? Because God is always right.
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