PSALM 85
Forgiveness of sin verse 1- 2
LORD
YOU have been favorable to YOUR land
YOU have brought back the captivity of Jacob
YOU have FORGIVEN the iniquity of YOUR people
YOU have COVERED all their sin
SELAH
Chastening held back verse 3
YOU have TAKEN AWAY all YOUR wrath
YOU have turned YOURSELF
from the fierceness of YOUR anger
Revival needed verse 4- 7
Turn us – O God of our salvation
and cause YOUR anger toward us to cease
Will YOU be angry with us forever?
Will YOU draw out YOUR anger to all generations?
Will YOU not REVIVE us again
that YOUR people may rejoice in YOU?
Show us YOUR mercy – O LORD
and grant us YOUR salvation
Fear of the LORD necessary verse 8- 9
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
Surely HIS salvation is nigh them that FEAR HIM
that glory may dwell in our land
Following the LORD brings blessing verse 10- 13
Mercy and truth are met together
righteousness and peace have kissed each other
Truth shall spring out of the earth
and righteousness shall look down from heaven
YEA – the LORD shall give that which is good
and our land shall yield her increase
Righteousness shall go before HIM
and shall set us in the way of HIS steps
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 “Lord, You have been favorable to Your land; You have brought back the captivity of Jacob.” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). (Favorable – 7521 רָצָא, רָצָה, רָצָה [ratsah /raw·tsaw/] v. A primitive root; TWOT 2207; GK 8352 and 8354 and 8355; 57 occurrences; AV translates as “accept” 22 times, “please” six times, “pleasure” six times, “delight” five times, “enjoy” four times, “favourable” three times, “acceptable” once, “accomplish” once, “affection” once, “approve” once, and translated miscellaneously seven times. 1 to be pleased with, be favourable to, accept favourably. 1A (Qal). 1A1 to be pleased with, be favourable to. 1A2 to accept. 1A3 to be pleased, be determined. 1A4 to make acceptable, satisfy. 1A5 to please. 1B (Niphal) to be accepted, be pleased with. 1C (Piel) to seek favour of. 1D (Hiphil) to please, pay off. 1E (Hithpael) to make oneself acceptable or pleasing. James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: The United States is a beautiful place to travel and to see! It has so many different, amazing sites to behold and to worship the Creator! Sometimes it is simply breathtaking to come over a hill or to stop at a lookout in the mountains and see the glory that God has allowed us to live in. The beauty of the land is nothing though without the godly aspect of the people who dwell there. The psalmist recognizes this as he exclaims, to the world, that the Lord has been favorable to the land by restoring His people to their rightful place! They had been forgiven and their sins covered. While sinful, exiled people, the land lay in ruins and disrepair but with the spirit of godliness now present the Lord would allow the land to yield its increase again!
Regardless of how beautiful the land is, if the people are not godly the beauty of the land is hollow or less vibrant. Do you realize how we impact the natural beauty of a place by our lifestyle and words!
CHALLENGE: Take a few moments to pray for the godly people in your area to be lights of love in a darkened world. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 2 YOU have forgiven the iniquity of YOUR people, YOU have covered all their sin. Selah. (4984 “forgiven” [mithnasse’] means conceived of as lifting up, to carry, to raise, to exalt, to maintain, to lift up one’s hear, pardon, or take away guilt.)
DEVOTION: The benefit we receive from Jesus dying on the cross for our sins is that our sins can be pardoned and we can go to heaven. HE covered our sins with HIS blood on the cross.
We serve a risen Savior and HE is in the world today. We are HIS chosen people and we should represent HIM with all of our actions. It is hard to act the way that HE wants us to but it is something that we have to work on in an evil world.
Jesus died for the sins of the Jews who were HIS people from the beginning. HE gave them special privileges as HIS people. HE gave them HIS protection but they went their own way and disobeyed HIM.
HE judged them with captivity and when they repented HE brought them back to the promised land and they still moved away from HIM.
Once Jesus came into the world HE saved everyone who believes whether Jew or Gentile.
Now we have a world that needs the LORD and we still have to be HIS witness to a lost and dying world. How well are you and I witnessing to our neighbors, friends and those who live around in our world?
We have something that they need but if we are not sharing we are not serving the LORD with our whole heart.
CHALLENGE: What are we doing to reach our world for the LORD Jesus Christ? God is willing to forgive, but the message is to be taken by human beings to a lost and dying world.
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: 6 Will YOU not revive us again: that YOUR people may rejoice in YOU? (2421 “revive” [chayah] means to live, keep alive, nourish up, preserve, quicken, recover, repair, restore, or be whole.)
DEVOTION: What is going on with Christianity here in America? Are we strong witnesses for the LORD? Are we strong in our knowledge of the Word of God? Is the church helping us with our spiritual needs? Do we need a revival in our churches or are they OK?
This Psalm is written by an individual who is going through a rough time. He has experienced the wrath of the LORD because of sin. He is stating that that time period is over and that the LORD has forgiven their sins or iniquities. They are covered.
However, he is asking the LORD for more. He wants there to be a restoration of the joy of the LORD. It was not enough for him to know that he was forgiven. He wanted more. He wanted to rejoice always. The book of Philippians tells us to “Rejoice Always.”
He wants the LORD to turn HIS people in the right direction. He wants to see the people out of the anger of the LORD. That can only happen if there is restoration of relationship. This verse asks an excellent question. The people knew that they needed to be restored to fellowship with the LORD. They knew that the LORD had to do the restoring. They had to do the asking.
The word salvation is mentioned three times in this psalm. The first time the psalmist asked the LORD to turn them back to HIM. The second time the psalmist asked the LORD to show them mercy. (Mercy is not getting what we do deserve.) The third time the psalmist realized that only those who fear the LORD should receive HIS salvation. With these thoughts in mind – revival is possible.
In our generation we need a fresh restoration of the people of God to a proper relationship with the LORD. Too often our mouths say we want to be close to the LORD, but our actions say something different. If our actions and our words could get together then our generation can recover the joy of the LORD!! Are we ready for revival?
CHALLENGE: Revival affects our personal life, our family life, our church life and our witness. Ask the LORD to show you areas to improve in each of these areas. Revival will come IF we mean business with the LORD.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 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 again to folly. (3690 “folly” [kiclah] means stupidity, foolish or senseless behavior, confidence, behavior which is not conforming to the standard, or silliness.)
DEVOTION: There is a problem in the church of Jesus Christ. It seems that we have churches that preach the health and wealth gospel which is not included in the Word of God. They are teaching that if we are a genuine believer that we will never be sick or have any need.
That is not what the LORD taught HIS people when HE was here on this earth. HE told them that the world would hate them. HE taught that following HIM would be tough. It would not be easy.
Too often we think that there is no work to being a follower of Jesus but that is not true. We have to work on our relationship to HIM every day. We have to stay in tune with HIM through our prayers and study of HIS Word. Some people who think they are believers think that they don’t have to attend church or read their Bible or witness to go to heaven.
However, if they are genuine believers they will want to attend a good Bible believing church and read their Bible to make sure they are preaching the truth. Finally, they will want to tell others of what it means to be a genuine follower of Jesus Christ.
We are called “saints” because we are different from the rest of the world. We need to act that way and win others to go with us to heaven.
CHALLENGE: Are you hearing the word of the LORD daily in your life? Are you spreading the peace that only God can give to us? That is what it means to be a genuine follower of Jesus.
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: 10 “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” (“Met together,” 6298 פָּגַשׁ [pagash] to meet, join, encounter, to meet together, meet each other [Strong, J. (2001). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software]).
DEVOTION: It is not every day when we hear about the uniting of two people of totally different backgrounds. In fact, when two people who are dissimilar come together, it usually results in some sort of difficulty, because each views their way of life as being the “right” one, and each expects the other to give in.
That is why the two pairs of nouns in this verse strike us as somewhat opposed to each other, as though they clash with each other. The psalmist is describing God as someone who combines both mercy and truth, as well as righteousness and peace. The contrast is that truth usually requires actions of judgment and justice, while mercy usually involves a waiving of judgment and justice. Yet God judged our sin, and then turned around and placed our punishment in His Son, Jesus Christ, who died for us. In that way, Jesus would become the incarnation of both God’s justice (truth) and His mercy (grace) (John 1:17).
Similarly righteousness and peace can be at odds with one another, since righteousness depends on what is right, while peace requires people to live in humility and love despite their differences. Only Jesus Christ could provide us both the righteousness and the peace with God that we need by reconciling us to God and making us sons of God.
So we are to live out our lives in a way that mirrors both God’s mercy and His truth. That means that we are supposed to expose the deeds of darkness (Ephesians 5:11), and yet we are to remind people that our God is a God who is still holding out His forgiveness to those who will repent and follow Him.
CHALLENGE: Do you remember your spiritual birthday? You should celebrate this as well as your physical birthday. Who does God want you to witness to today, so that perhaps today would become their spiritual birthday? (Dr. Marc Wooten – board member)
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Prayer for forgiveness verse 1- 13
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Rejoice verse 6
Set us in the way of HIS steps verse 13
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal verse 1, 7, 8, 12
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 4, 8
Anger of God verse 3- 5
Wrath of God verse 3, 4
God of our salvation verse 4
God the LORD verse 8
Righteousness shall look down from heaven verse 11
Give what is good verse 12
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Iniquity verse 2
Sin verse 2
Folly verse 8
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Forgiven our iniquity verse 2
Covered our sin verse 2
Taken away HIS wrath verse 3
Turned from fierceness of YOUR anger verse 3
Turn toward the LORD verse 4
Salvation verse 4, 7, 9
Revive verse 6
Rejoice verse 6
Mercy verse 7, 10
Hear the LORD verse 8
Peace verse 8, 10
Saints verse 8
Fear of the LORD verse 9
Truth verse 10, 11
Righteousness verse 10, 11, 13
Good comes from LORD verse 12
Walk in way of the LORD verse 13
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jacob verse 1- 13
Brought back from captivity
Forgiven Israel’s iniquity
Wrath taken away
Anger toward Israel to cease
Question:
Will YOU be angry with
us forever?
Question:
Will YOU draw out YOUR
anger to all generations?
Question:
Will you not revive us again?
Let them not again return to folly
Glory may dwell in our land
Righteousness and peace have
kissed each other
Land will yield her increase
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
Out of a bleak situation this psalm leads up to a point at which a gloriously fertile stretch of country comes into view. The first half of the poem is mainly a chastened prayer (4–7), nourished by recollection (1–3); the second half mainly promise, or vision (10–13), the outcome of a resolve to listen (8, 9). The climax is one of the most satisfying descriptions of concord—spiritual, moral and material—to be found anywhere in Scripture.
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85:10–13. Harmonious prospect
The prevailing concept in the justly famous verse 10 and its companions is that of concord: vast, unspoilt and rich with life. Verse 10 is discussed below, since the thought is especially clear both in verse 11, where heaven and earth reach out towards each other in perfect partnership, no longer at cross purposes, and in verse 12, where the Lord will give the good, on which everything depends, while the land (our land, for it is no less ours for being his) will give the increase which is its proper return. The repetition of the same verb, ‘will give’, in both lines of the verse (which most if not all translations studiously avoid), seems designed to bring out this simple correspondence.
10. In the light of the verses just discussed (11f.), and of the usual meanings of the nouns of this couplet, it seems that we should see here a settled state of concord rather than the act of resolving a state of discord. But the older translation, ‘Mercy and truth’, tends to suggest the meeting of opposites; so would the restricted understanding of peace as chiefly an absence of hostilities, and righteousness as primarily moral perfection, the sinner’s condemnation. In those terms the verse would appear to give a graceful picture of atonement, though it runs the risk of presenting atonement as the settling of a conflict within God himself.
But steadfast love and faithfulness (as rsv rightly translates them) are partners, not opponents; and righteousness can have the welcome role of putting things right, not only of pointing things out, so that it goes likewise hand-in-hand with peace, whose fuller meaning is discussed at verse 8. Here, then, are the fruits of atonement rather than the act of it. There may in fact be already in this verse a suggestion that the partnered qualities face each other from heaven and earth respectively, as God’s grace and earth’s response through grace. Certainly this is so in the remaining verses, with their prospect of mutual joy and unbroken harmony. (Kidner, D. (1975). Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 16, p. 339). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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In the context of some national catastrophe, the people of God cry out for deliverance from adversity. Since they already seem to have experienced the outpouring of God’s wrath and the depth of his mercy in forgiveness (vv. 1–3), it is most likely, though not certain, that the psalm is a postexilic composition.
The genre of the psalm fits that of a national lament composed in four parts: (1) proclamation of God’s past acts (vv. 1–3); (2) lament and prayer for restoration (vv. 4–7); (3) anticipation of God’s salvation (v. 8); and (4) the words of hope (vv. 9–13). In the first three strophes, we find the repetition of “land” (vv. 1, 9); “restore”/“return” (šûḇ, vv. 1, 4, 6; v. 6 in NIV, “again”); “your people”/“his people” (vv. 2, 6, 8); terms for anger (vv. 3, 5); “our Savior,” “your salvation,” “his salvation” (yēšaʿ, vv. 4, 7, 9). The last strophe (vv. 9–13) has little vocabulary in common with the first three. Verses 10–13 explicate and apply the nature of “his salvation” (v. 9). The vocabulary in these verses is also repetitive: “our land” (vv. 9, 12), “faithfulness” (vv. 10–11), and “righteousness” (vv. 10–11, 13). (VanGemeren, W. A. (1991). Psalms. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol. 5, p. 546). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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85:1–13 The psalmist pledges that God will again demonstrate His covenant love to Israel. God has been merciful in the past; He is angry presently; but He will restore Israel in the future (cf. Dt 30; Hos 3:4, 5). Though God judges, He is faithful to His promises. The feelings expressed in this psalm may describe those of the Jews returning from exile in Babylon. Though they were grateful for restoration to their land, they were disappointed that the conditions did not measure up to the glory of the pre-Exilic life there
85:7 lovingkindness. The word means “loyal love” or “unfailing love,” and specifies God’s faithfulness to His people through His covenant relationship.
85:9 salvation … who fear Him. Only those who renounce their sinful autonomy and put their complete trust in the living God will participate in the blessings of salvation and the future kingdom (cf. Jn 3:3–5). glory may dwell in our land. The departure of the glory of God, which signified His presence, is described in Eze 10, 11. He withdrew His glory because of the apostasy of the nation immediately preceding the Babylonian Exile (cf. Eze 8–11). The return of the glory of the Lord in the future millennial temple is foretold in Eze 43:1–4 (cf. Pss 26:8; 63:2; Is 40:3–5; 60:1–3; 62:1–5). See note on Lv 9:23.
(cf. Ezr 3:12, 13). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ps 85:1–13). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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Wisdom must be sought after with our entire being.
INSIGHT
Nothing of value is easily obtained. If it were, it would no longer be valuable. Inherent within the concept of value is the feature of scarcity. If all gravel were made of pure gold, then gold would not be valuable. The same is true with intangibles like wisdom. She is an exceedingly valuable life commodity, but she is not easy to come by. If we want wisdom, we must incline our ears, apply our hearts, cry for her, lift our voice for her, seek her as we would silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures (vv. 2-4). Then, and only then, will we understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God (v. 5). (Quiet Walk: {Proverbs 2)
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Inside Baseball
Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being. PSALM 51:6
Sometimes in the midst of correcting your kids, you can easily lose sight of the main reason you discipline them in the first place. It’s not just to get their clothes picked up or to eat the meal you’ve prepared or to stop hitting a sibling. The reason for discipline is to develop inner character, the kind that knows and is learning how to respond to life’s challenges.
The core of a baseball is made of hard rubber. But imagine if the core were marshmallow. What would happen as the string wrapped around it or when a bat smacked it hard several times? It would smush into a mess.
It’s the inside that counts—the character you’re growing in your children.
As life begins to happen, as circumstances and decisions begin to wrap around them, it’s their character that will hold them together.
Barbara and I define character as “response-ability”—the ability to make the right choices in response to authority and to life’s circumstances. From the time your children leave the cradle, your work as a parent is to turn life situations into teaching situations, growing their “response-ability” one day at a time, teaching them how to respond to you, to others, to life and to God.
In the next few days, you’ll have plenty of opportunities either to overreact to your children’s behavior or to address the roots of their development—to deal with externals or to train their hearts. Remember, you’re growing character here. It’s only the ones who grow strong at the center—especially as character is strengthened by commitment to God’s Word—who are able to hold up to the challenges they will face in life. (Moments with You Couples Devotional 8/2
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