Psalm 85

Psalm 85–“‘To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah;’ namely the redeemed of Torah’s sons in David’s day. “Evidently there had been granted some great national deliverance, which filled the land with thanksgiving. The restoration of the captives from Babylon was such an event; but the words well befit glad days of revival.” (F. B. Meyer) “The present psalm has of course been referred to the Captivity, the critics could not resist the temptation to do that, though, for our part we see no need to do so: it is true a captivity is mentioned in Psalms 85:1, but that does not necessitate the nation's having been carried away into exile, since Job's captivity was turned, and yet he had never left his native land: moreover, the text speaks of the captivity of Jacob as brought back, but had it referred to the Babylonian emigration, it would have spoken of Judah; for Jacob or Israel, as such, did not return. The first verse in speaking of ‘the land’ proves that the author was not an exile. Our own belief is that David [or the sons of Torah in David’s day] penned this national hymn when the land was oppressed by the Philistines, and in the spirit of prophecy he foretold the peaceful years of his own reign and the repose of the rule of Solomon, the psalm having all along an inner sense of which Jesus and his salvation are the key.” (C. H. Spurgeon ) “‘Lord, You have been favorable to Your land;’ It is clear that Israel was not in exile, or the prayer before us would not have referred to the land but to the nation.” (C. H. Spurgeon) “For this land God has chosen as the dwelling place of His people, true religion, and his own presence.” (Venema) “‘You have brought back the captivity of Jacob.’ When down trodden and oppressed through their sins, the ever merciful One had looked upon them, changed their sad condition, chased away the invaders, and given to His people rest: this He had done not once, nor twice, but times without number.” (C. H. Spurgeon) Then ultimately: Jesus came in the flesh and brought back the captivity of Jacob. “And the captivity here mentioned is bondage under sin.” (Abraham Wright) “But we have not been left therein; the God who brought Jacob back from Padanaram to his father's house, has restored us to the enjoyment of holy fellowship; will He not do the like again? Let us appeal to Him with Jacob-like wrestlings, beseeching Him to be favourable... ” (C. H. Spurgeon) to usward.

2 You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin. Selah “You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin. ‘Cover’ [ kaacaah (Hebrew #3680)] is the expression for ‘atone’ - i:e., to hide out of God's view our sin by the reconciliation effected through the blood of Jesus. The coats of skin used to cover Adam's nakedness after the fall, and provided by God, prefigures this atonement covering by Christ. They who will not have their sin covered by Messiah's blood shall in vain call to the mountains, ‘Cover us’ (Hosea 10:8 - the same Hebrew verb; Revelation 6:16).” (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown) This is “an allusion to the ceremony of the scapegoat.” (Adam Clarke) Selah

3 You have taken away all Your wrath; You have turned from the fierceness of Your anger. “‘You have taken away all Your wrath; ..; sin occasions wrath, and the people of God are as deserving of it as others; but the Lord has gathered it up, and poured it forth upon his Son, and their Surety; hence nothing of this kind shall ever fall upon them, either here or hereafter; and it is taken away from them, so as to have no sense, apprehension, or conscience of it, which before the law had wrought in them, when pardon is applied unto them, which is what is here meant.” (Gill) 4 Restore us, O God of our salvation, and cause Your anger toward us to cease. 5 Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger to all generations? 6 Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? 7 Show us Your mercy, Lord, and grant us Your salvation. This is the psalmist’s petition for mercy; but “fulfilment with its wealth of blessings is finally described in strains of poetic rapture ( Psalm 85:8-13), which bear a great resemblance to Isaiah 39:16f.; Isaiah 45:8; Isaiah 59:14. etc.” (C. H. Spurgeon) It is prophetic still. 8 I will hear what God Yahweh will speak, for He will speak peace to His people and to His saints; but let them not turn back to folly. 9 Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, that glory may dwell in our land. 10 Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed. 11 Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven. “Read, ‘And concerning those who turn to Him with their heart’ (LXX)— ‘I will hear what God Yahweh will speak, for He will speak peace to His people and to His saints; but let them not turn back to folly. Surely His salvation’— i.e. the Messianic age—glory: the light in which God lives (set Isaiah 24:23)—‘is near to those who fear Him.’ It was present in Solomon's Temple and in the Tabernacle but not in the second Temple [before Jesus came to it], but it was to return. Observe that the religious blessing, the glory of God, comes first; then the moral virtues, mercy, truth, righteousness, peace; lastly the material blessing of abundant harvests.” (Arthur Peake)— “‘that glory may dwell in our land.’ That thy worship may be restored, the temple rebuilt[ perhaps that of Jesus’ body], and the Divine shechinah, or symbol of the presence of God, resume its place. The pure and undefiled religion of God preached, professed, and experienced in a nation, is the glory of that land. The Prophet Haggai had said that the glory of the latter house - the temple built after their return from Babylon, should be greater than the glory of the former, viz., of that built by Solomon: but, as a building, it was far inferior to the former; yet it had a superior glory in being visited by Jesus Christ. This was the glory that excelled.” (Adam Clarke) These words “might have been sung on the first Easter day, when mercy and truth met at the Cross, and there was a bridal of the earth and sky. Reversed captivity, forgiven and buried sin, the dark clouds of estrangement dispelled, the speaking of peace-these are great themes and all have their counterparts in Christian experience. There is exquisite beauty in Psalms 85:10-11— ‘Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven.' What a meeting of the divine attributes! The Cross is their trysting-place. It resembles the family-gathering of brothers and sisters in the old homestead. Notice that heaven must combine with earth in the production of Christian grace. Truth can spring up in the soil of our heart only when righteousness looks down with benignant love from heaven. But she does even more-she shows us how to walk in the way of God’s steps.” (F. B. Meyer) "but let them not turn back to folly." 12 Yes, the Lord will give what is good; and our land will yield its increase.13 Righteousness will go before Him, and shall make His footsteps our pathway. “All increase, all blessings, must now continue to flow in our Emmanuel's land, His church; and that church cannot cease from following her glorious Head, when He, now lifted up; hath undertaken and promised to draw all His people unto Him. John 12:32.” (Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary)