Psalms 85:3

Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger. THOU HAST TURNED THYSELF FROM THE FIERCENESS OF THINE ANGER. The original passage on which this verse rests is ....

1-7 The sense of present afflictions should not do away the remembrance of former mercies. The favour of God is the fountain of happiness to nations, as well as to particular persons. When God forgives sin, he covers it; and when he covers the sin of his people, he covers it all. See what the pardon of sin is. In compassion to us, when Christ our Intercessor has stood before thee, thou hast turned away thine anger. When we are reconciled to God, then, and not till then, we may expect the comfort of his being reconciled to us. He shows mercy to those to whom he grants salvation; for salvation is of mere mercy. The Lord's people may expect sharp and tedious afflictions when they commit sin; but when they return to him with humble prayer, he will make them again to rejoice in him....

Verse Psalms 85:3. _THOU HAST TAKEN AWAY_] אספת _asaphta_, "Thou hast gathered up all thy wrath." This carries on the _metaphor_ in the _second_ verse: "Thou hast _collected_ all thy wrath, and _carried it_ _away_ with all our iniquities....

THOU HAST TAKEN AWAY ALL THY WRATH - That is, formerly; on the occasion referred to. Thou didst so deal with thy people as to make it evident that thou didst cherish no anger or displeasure against them. THOU HAST TURNED THYSELF ... - Margin, “thine anger from waxing hot.” Literally, Thou didst turn from the heat of thine anger. His indignation was withdrawn, and he was again at peace with them. It is this fact, drawn from the former history of the people, which constitutes the basis of the appeal which follows....

EXPOSITION THIS is a psalm written after a signal display of God's mercy towards Israel, but when there was still much wanting to make the condition of the people altogether satisfactory. It consists of a thanksgiving for the deliverance vouchsafed (Psalms 85:1); a prayer for further and more complete restoration to favour (Psalms 85:4); and a joyful anticipation of the granting of the prayer, and of the bestowal on Israel, ultimately, of all temporal and spiritual blessings (Psalms 85:8). There are no such distinct and definite allusions in the psalm as to tie it down to any particular date; but, on the whole, it would seem to suit best either the time of Zerubbabel ...

THOU HAST TAKEN AWAY ALL THY WRATH,.... Or "gathered" n it; 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; see Isaiah 12:1, THOU HAST TURNED THYSELF FROM THE FIERCENESS OF THINE ANGER; the anger of God is very fierce against sin and sinners; it is poured forth like fire, and there is no abiding it; but, with respect to the Lord's people, it is pacified by the death of his Son; or he is pacified towards them for all that they have done, for the sake of his righteousness and sacrifice; and whi

Psalms 85:1. _LORD, thou host been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah._ Let us think of what God has done for his people. He has been very favorable to us in years past. He has lifted up the light of his countenance upon his chosen ones, and made them glad. «Thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.» We were in captivity once, exiles far off from God and home; but he has led our captivity captive, and we are now in bondage no longer, blessed be his name! Note again what the psalmist says: «Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people.» What a joy that is! Forgiven sin is enough to make us sing to all eternity. If sin be pardoned, thou hast a mass of mercy in that fact too great for thee to estimate its value. «Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy peopl

Psalms 85 All Promised Blessings Realized _ 1. What grace has done (Psalms 85:1)_ 2. Prayer for the fulfilment (Psalms 85:4) 3. Righteousness and peace (Psalms 85:10) What will come to Israel when Christ returns to be their King is blessedly made known in the opening verses of this other Korah Psalm. Favour will rest upon the land; the captivity of Jacob is brought back, their iniquity is forgiven and their sin covered; His wrath is turned away. Hence they pray that all this may speedily be accomplished as it surely will in the days when heaven will send Him back. Then He will speak peace to His people and Hi

LXXXV. PRAYER FOR THE COMPLETION OF ISRAEL'S RESTORATION. The Ps. falls clearly into two halves. Psalms 85:1 is a prayer to God. It begins (Psalms 85:1) by commemorating God's mercy. He had restored His people (see on Psalms 14:7) and forgiven their sin, but the expectation of Jewish saints remained unfulfilled (Psalms 85:4). The reference may be to the hopes raised by the Second Isaiah (Isaiah 40-55). Israel did return under Cyrus (pp. 77f.), but the hopes of coming glory were disappointed. The second half, on the contrary (Psalms 85:8), is not a prayer

God has forgiven and restored His people....