Psalms 85

¹To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.

Psa 85:1-13. On the ground of former mercies, the Psalmist prays for renewed blessings, and, confidently expecting them, rejoices. 1. captivity--not necessarily the Babylonian, but any great evil (Psa 14:7).

²Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.

³Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.

2-3. (Compare Psa 32:1-5).

⁴Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.

⁵Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?

⁶Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?

⁷Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.

4-7. having still occasion for the anger which is deprecated.

⁸I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.

8. He is confident God will favor His penitent people (Psa 51:17; 80:18). saints--as in Psa 4:3, the “godly.”

⁹Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.

9. They are here termed “them that fear him”; and grace produces glory (Psa 84:11).

¹⁰Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

10. God’s promises of “mercy” will be verified by His “truth” (compare Psa 25:10; 40:10); and the “work of righteousness” in His holy government shall be “peace” (Is 32:17). There is an implied contrast with a dispensation under which God’s truth sustains His threatened wrath, and His righteousness inflicts misery on the wicked.

¹¹Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

11. Earth and heaven shall abound with the blessings of this government;

¹²Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.

¹³Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.

12-13. and, under this, the deserted land shall be productive, and men be “set,” or guided in God’s holy ways. Doubtless, in this description of God’s returning favor, the writer had in view that more glorious period, when Christ shall establish His government on God’s reconciled justice and abounding mercy.