Psalm 145:13 “Faith or Facts?”

Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹³Your kingdom [is] a kingdom of all of ages and Your dominion [is] in all of generation to generation.

The old KJV translated this: “Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and Thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.” What is particularly interesting to me is to observe that these simple words are not just a great statement of faith. They are, in reality, a statement of fact. Many years ago, I had a discussion with a man in which I insisted to him that faith is actually based on facts. He insisted it is not. At the time, I couldn’t express any more clearly what I was trying to say, but, as I’ve studied this verse, it has grown clearer in my mind, so I’d like to try to record my thoughts here.

So, is this or is it not, a statement of fact? It either is or it isn’t. If it is, then the LORD is the King of kings and you and I had better start living in such a world. If it is not true, then what we would call faith is nothing more than great folly. If it is not true, then we who “believe” it are living lives based on untruth.  It’s either true or it’s not. It cannot be both.

If it is true, then it is a fact. So “faith” is based on a fact. If it is not true, then what we call “faith” is actually a matter of living our lives according to our delusional, baseless imagination. If it is true, there are not really “faiths” in the world. Rather, there are those who embrace the facts and those who deny them, regardless of their religious pretensions or lack thereof.

I maintain the verse before us is a fact. The LORD’s kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and His dominion endures throughout all generations. It is true whether I “believe” it or not. The sky is blue even if I’m a blind man and can’t see it. It will still be blue no matter  how many blind men band together and say it is not – or for however many generations of time they and their followers persist. The LORD’s kingdom is and was and always will be an everlasting kingdom.

For me, it is very interesting to note Nebuchadnezzar’s experience in Daniel 4. He was warned he would be given the mind of an animal “…until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men” (Daniel 4:25). His madness culminated with “At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified Him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; His kingdom endures from generation to generation” (v.34).

Notice he says “when my sanity was restored” then “I praised the Most High.” When his sanity was restored! And who can miss the similarity between his words and our passage in Psalm 145:13? What our passage is stating is a fact. When Nebuchadnezzar’s “sanity was restored” he acknowledged the fact – God’s kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.

Interesting, one of the most sane things anyone can do is simply acknowledge the Most High rules.

To deny that is to deny the facts.

So is it faith or facts? Or is faith actually based on facts? I would like to suggest that, yes, real faith is based on facts. The Bible is true. What it teaches us is Truth. What it teaches us are facts. It is then our sanity to accept that truth and live accordingly. Our faith is based on facts.

The Most High rules.