Psalm 85 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm Of the Sons of Korah.

¹Lord, You have been favorable to Your land;

You have brought back the captivity of Jacob.

²You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people;

You have covered all their sin. Selah

³You have taken away all Your wrath;

You have turned from the fierceness of Your anger.

⁴Restore us, O God of our salvation,

And cause Your anger toward us to cease.

⁵Will You be angry with us forever?

Will You prolong Your anger to all generations?

⁶Will You not revive us again,

That Your people may rejoice in You?

⁷Show us Your mercy, Lord,

And grant us Your salvation.

⁸I will hear what God the Lord will speak,

For He will speak peace

To His people and to His saints;

But let them not turn back to folly.

⁹Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him,

That glory may dwell in our land.

¹⁰Mercy and truth have met together;

Righteousness and peace have kissed.

¹¹Truth shall spring out of the earth,

And righteousness shall look down from heaven.

¹²Yes, the Lord will give what is good;

And our land will yield its increase.

¹³Righteousness will go before Him,

And shall make His footsteps our pathway.

Commentary

Vs. 1-3 ¹Lord, You have been favorable to Your land;

You have brought back the captivity of Jacob.

²You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people;

You have covered all their sin. Selah

³You have taken away all Your wrath;

You have turned from the fierceness of Your anger.

This Psalm begins with the revival of Israel, with a declaration that God has been favorable to His land and has brought back the captivity of His people (i.e., Jacob). Now because this is one of the Psalms of the sons of Korah, from a historical perspective this cannot be referring to their Babylonian captivity since the sons of Korah lived long before then, and they are not listed amongst the captives who returned during the eras of Ezra and Nehemiah respectively (see Ezra 2:36-65, vs. 41-42; Nehemiah 7:6-67, vs. 43-45). Thus, this opening declaration in verses 1-3 could very well be a prophetic reference to the Israel’s future during the Lord Jesus Christ’s Millennial Reign. This is possible, if not quite probable based on verses 2-3 which could only take place in their fulness when Israel has its true national repentance and turns to the Lord as one people, as Zechariah the prophet has foretold (Zech. 12:1-9, 10-14 also Ezekiel 16:60-63). But in stating that lets not overlook, nor forget the Lord’s ongoing goodness towards them (and us all now). For in restoring them then (and us now) He has forgiven their (our) iniquity, He has covered all their (our) sin (vs. 2). He has then taken away all His wrath and turned from the fierceness of His anger (vs. 3), which was so justified against them and us all. And this He has done for us all who believe in Him based solely upon His own Son Jesus Christ Suffering Crucifixion death for us all, so that we who believe in Him now have remission of all our sins and everlasting life with Himself! Truly then this is a time of celebration and rejoicing for us, and for anyone who comes home to Christ and receives His everlasting salvation and mercies for themselves!

Vs. 4 “Restore us, O God of our salvation,

And cause Your anger toward us to cease.”

If verses one to three are prophetic here begins their cry for restoration to God; for His salvation which in their immediate context would be a deliverance from their current troubles or oppressors etc. but in a everlasting sense from sin and death (and thus eternal judgment) they can only have when they come home to Him through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. For all of His saving work for them (and us all) is wrapped up in Him. Therefore, whatever restoration and deliverance and salvation God gave them through their leaders, judges, and kings in times past is not His finial salvation for them all.

Vs. 5-6 ⁵Will You be angry with us forever?

Will You prolong Your anger to all generations?

⁶Will You not revive us again,

That Your people may rejoice in You?

Being under the chastening hand of God (as an individual or a nation) is not a fun place to be, and so from a place of humility they ask Him, will He be angry with them forever? Will He prolong His anger towards them to all generations? Will He not revive them again? so that they may all rejoice in Him. These questions then are not just questions but humble pleas for His restoring them to Himself.  And yet when one puts themself in a place by their own stubborn choices or outright defiance so as to have God’s wrath aroused time and again against them, know this that though God is longsuffering, kind and merciful, He is always wanting to show mercy first, His wrath may not be quickly quelled when one walks in a knowing and ongoing rebellion to His Word, as Israel knows all to well throughout their own history. So, though their appeal here is moving, their ultimate relief and revival will not come until their change finally comes, until they finally accept God on His terms by receiving His Son as their King.  

Vs. 7 “Show us Your mercy, Lord,

And grant us Your salvation.”

Having seen and reaped the fruits of the nations sins the sons of Korah as worship leaders in the nation are the ones who are making an appeal to the Lord for the nation, for all His people. Therefore, they ask that the Lord would show the nation His mercy, and grant them His salvation. Now mercy is God’s forgiveness, while salvation is His deliverance. Two things which they needed for revival to begin. 

Vs. 8 “I will hear what God the Lord will speak,

For He will speak peace

To His people and to His saints;

But let them not turn back to folly.”

Knowing our God and having made their appeal to Him, the sons of Korah are now going to wait on Him, for He is a Just and Holy and Righteous God who shows mercy and keeps His covenant for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments (Deut. 7:9). Thus they are confident in His Persons ability to work out their salvation in the midst of the earth, but as they conclude let them (i.e. God's people) not turn back to folly, "for God is not mocked for whatever a person sows that they shall reap." Gal. 6:7

Vs. 9 “Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him,

That glory may dwell in our land.”

Truly confident then are those who fear the Lord; who do not fear the reproach of men, but fear Him and keep His Word and His truth near and dear in their hearts. For it is by the Lord's salvation, by our living righteously in accord with it, that glory dwells in the land, for sin is reproach to any people (Prov. 14:34).

Vs. 10-13 ¹⁰Mercy and truth have met together;

Righteousness and peace have kissed.

¹¹Truth shall spring out of the earth,

And righteousness shall look down from heaven.

¹²Yes, the Lord will give what is good;

And our land will yield its increase.

¹³Righteousness will go before Him,

And shall make His footsteps our pathway.

With prophetic eyes of faith, the sons of Korah now see Israel as God always intended her to be, with the Lord leading the nation and His people. Mercy and truth then have now met together, righteousness and peace have kissed (symbolizing a perfect harmony between God and mankind), all which the Gospel makes possible through Christ. “For the Law was given through, Moses but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” ^{John 1:17} Thus in Christ's Millennial Reign truth shall spring out of the earth, yes, the earth will stand strong and live by God’s truth even now when people repent and believe in Christ! For then righteousness will look down from heaven and smile upon the earth and people who dwell on it (vs. 10-11). “Yes, the Lord will give what is good; And our land will yield its increase.” ^{Vs. 12} God’s blessing then will cover the earth and our land will yield its increase, for we are now yielded to Him alone. And so it will be in the Lord Jesus Christ's Millennial Reign that Righteousness will go before Him, and He shall make His footsteps our pathway. No one then who follows Him shall walk in darkness, or heed the dark and perverse counsels of unbelieving men and women, for the Lord alone will be our guide and Shepherd forever!

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.