Revive Us Again, A Meditation on Psalm 85

Psalm 85:1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. LORD, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sin. Selah
3 You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger.

This Psalm begins with a recollection of God's saving acts in the past. The author recalls that the Lord has been favorable to his "land." This brings to mind the land which God created in Genesis 1 as well as the land that was promised to Abraham and his family. He also recalls how God had restored the "fortunes" of Jacob. The precise translation of this word, "fortunes" is debated because the Hebrew could come from two different roots. The KJV renders it "captivity," while the ESV renders it "fortunes." Regardless of which rendering, it seems that the verse is a reference to the Exodus of God's people, the sons of Jacob being brought out of Egypt and given a land.

You "forgave" is literally, you "lifted" the iniquity or guilt of your people. It was lifted up and taken away. You "covered" all their sin shows that God has covered it up and hidden it from his view. The word "all" must not be forgotten. He didn't merely cover some of his people's sin, he covered all of it.

Then it says that God gathered up all of his fury. His fury had troubled his people, yet he gathered it up and restrained it from troubling them any longer. He also "turned" from his hot anger. The word "turn" is repeated several times in this psalm. It was the word used to say that God "restored" the fortunes of Jacob, and it occurs several more times. When speaking of human beings it can mean repentance, and here it is used of God to say that he changed his inclination toward his people. He had been angry with them, but he turned from this anger.

 4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us!
 5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
 6 Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?
 7 Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.

In the word "restore" we see another repetition of the word "turn." It says that God had "turned" from his anger, and now the prayer begins, "turn us." Turn us, or cause us to repent. If we are to experience the joy of God's salvation, and his indignation is to be put away, he must work in our hearts and cause us to repent.

The psalmist asks a series of rhetorical questions expecting a negative answer. He expects God to say, "no, my anger will not last forever, it will not extend to all generations, but I will 'revive' my people that they would rejoice in me." To revive uses the word for "turn" again. It literally says, "Return our life." That's what revival is. When we pray for revival, we are asking God to give life to that which is dead. When the psalmist asks for revival, he is expecting God to act, and he gives a God-centered justification for his request. He bases his plea in the desire that God would be delighted in.

The psalmist then asks that God would show, or reveal, or make seen his "steadfast love." This word has been the subject of much scholarship. It is to be understood as the covenantal loyal love of God. God is in a covenant with his people, and he must show his love with them because he has promised to. The psalmist is asking to see revival on the basis of God's own promises.

 8 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly.
 9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.
 10 Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.
 11 Faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky.
 12 Yes, the LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
 13 Righteousness will go before him and make his footsteps a way.

After recounting God's saving acts in the past and asking that God would do it again on behalf of his people, the psalmist ends with an expression of confidence that God will act. He requests that he would hear from God and confidently states that God would speak peace to his people. He follows this statement with the hope that the sinful people would not again return to the false confidence of trusting in their own righteousness. Rather, says that the one who fears God will experience his salvation.

"Steadfast love" is God's loyal covenantal love, and faithfulness is word for truth we often translate as truth. So in verse 10 we see that God's love and truth meet together. These are attributes that at first blush seem to be opposing one another, yet they meet together here. Then righteousness and peace kiss each other. Again, we see two attributes of God, his righteousness and justice set against peace, and they kiss each other. This verse is describing the reconciliation of what seems irreconcilable--God's justice and his grace. Verse 10 describes what we see in the cross as God's justice was satisfied and the guilty were reconciled with God.

In verse 11, truth comes up from the ground, and righteousness looks down--and God's people are not destroyed by it because they are sheltered under his merciful covenantal love. Verse 12 says that the Lord will give what is good and the land will give produce. This hearkens back to Genesis 3. The results of the curse included that the land would not produce as it should, but here we read of an expected reversal of this curse--where the land will produce good.

Finally we see that righteousness is personified as someone who walks before God and makes a way. Jesus IS righteousness personified, and he specifically said that he is the way.