Psalms 85:1-13
1 LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.
2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.
3 Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.
4 Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.
5 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?
6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?
7 Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.
8 I 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.
9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.
10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11 Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
12 Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.
13 Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.
Contents: Prayer for an afflicted people. Remembrance of former mercies and faith for future good.
Characters: God, Psalmist.
Conclusion: The sense of present affliction should not be allowed to drown the remembrance of former mercies, but should rather cause us to recall them with praise, and encourage us to look for grace and mercy in reference to present distress.
Key Word: Revive us, Psalms 85:6.
Strong Verses: Psalms 85:6; Psalms 85:8.
Striking Facts: Psalms 85:10. In Christ the attributes of God meet in perfect unity in the salvation of guilty men by a holy and righteous God. By the gift of Calvary, God is as true as if He had fulfilled every letter of His threatenings and as righteous as if He had never spoken peace to a guilty sinner. Christ, our perfect Substitute, has taken the full penalty of our sins.