Psalms 85:1

The Bible says in Psalms 85:1-3, “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.” In verse one the Psalmist looks at his own country and his own land and he knows that God has blessed them. No matter what country you live in, surely you can see God’s blessings all around you. Of course, Israel was blessed when God delivered them from their enemies.

Verse two mentions the greatest of blessings: forgiveness of sins. We are forgiven of our sins when we put our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. We have this blessing because Jesus suffered and died on the cross. Why did Jesus die on the cross: because someone had to pay the price to assuage the wrath of God. God hates sin. God is angry against sin. God is Judge, and He must punish sin. God punished sin in the person of Jesus. The “fierceness” of His anger fell on Jesus, so that it does not have to fall on us as long we trust in Jesus as our personal Savior.

The Bible says in Psalms 85:4-6, “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?” The Psalmist looked at his country and he said basically, “We need a revival.” Nothing has changed. We also need a revival big time. There are too many people that are lost souls. There are too many people who claim to be Christians but who do not have a zeal to serve Jesus above all else. There are too many people who are too busy to serve the Lord with more Bible study, prayer, and gathering with other believers at church services. In these three verses the Psalmist is correct: only God can give us a revival. Only God’s Spirit can touch hearts. God can bring a revival. If He cannot touch people with the message of the love of God, no doubt God has other ways to wake people up to their spiritual needs. It may not be pretty what God decides to do to awaken a nation. It will take the Great Tribulation to awaken the world.

The Bible says in Psalms 85:7, “Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.” Mercy is a wonderful thing. Mercy is when God does not give us what we deserve. We all need mercy because we are all sinners. How do you get salvation from God: just ask for it. God loves us to ask Him for help. It says in Romans 10:13, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” The name of the Lord is Jesus.

The Bible says in Psalms 85:8, “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.” In order to hear from God, you must desire to hear from Him. When you hear God’s message and God’s truth, you will hear the Gospel of Christ. Then you will have peace because there is no greater peace than knowing that you will go to heaven with all your sins forgiven. Of course, the Lord still wants us to do right. We are supposed to be new creatures in Christ. God wants us to learn to live holy lives because He is holy. Do not “turn again” to the old way that you lived before you were saved.

The Bible says in Psalms 85:9-13, “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.” The Bible has many great words, and these verses in the Psalms have many of those words: salvation, glory, mercy, truth, righteousness, and peace. We are told that salvation is “nigh them that fear him.” God is holy, He has all power, and He is Judge of all. You might to fear being judged and sent to hell. That fear would lead you to Christ to find salvation. The last phrase of verse nine tells us one result of salvation, at least if enough people turn to Christ: “that glory may dwell in our land.” God’s glory speaks of His manifestation in power and holiness and love. That is just what we need in our land too. We can have it if more people will come to know the Lord and His salvation.

The first phrase of verse ten says, “Mercy and truth are met together.” Once you repent of your sins and come to know the mercy of God through faith in Christ, you will have access to more truth. Jesus is Truth. Once you know Jesus, you are given the Holy Spirit who will guide you into all truth. Once you know Jesus, the Bible will become your spiritual food and will be your source of invaluable truth. The world is in darkness because they do not know truth. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”

There is a close relationship between righteousness and peace. You will gain peace with God once you have obtained the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ. It says in Romans 5:1, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” To be justified means to be declared righteous. Because of Jesus, when we put our faith in Him, God evaluates us and ignores our sins and determines that we are righteous. We are given the righteousness of Christ even though we do not deserve it. If you are concerned about the destiny of your soul, and if you are concerned about the guilt of your sins, then you need the peace that only Christ can give when His righteousness is credited to your account at the moment you call upon His name for salvation.

According to verse eleven, righteousness is also related to truth. Of course, we know that “righteousness shall look down from heaven.” As we said in the previous paragraphs, we are not righteous of ourselves. “All of our righteousness is as filthy rags.” Thankfully, God has created His plan whereby we are freely given the righteousness of Christ. Why does verse eleven say that “Truth shall spring out of the earth.” For one thing, truth is everywhere. Everywhere you look, you will see that God is the Creator, and that He is good and His creation is good. Everywhere you look you will see that man is a sinner. Everywhere you look you will see that evil exists in the world. Everywhere you look you will see that people reap what they sow. “The heavens declare the glory of God and the earth showeth forth His handiwork.” There is another way in which “Truth shall spring out of the earth.” Once someone believes on Jesus and starts studying the Bible, that person becomes a source of truth on the earth as he or she testifies about Jesus and teaches others what has been learned from God’s Word. That is why preachers preach, believers witness, and evangelists evangelize: to spread the truth. We know the importance of God’s Word. We are going to continue teaching it in every circumstance where the Lord gives us opportunity. The Spirit of God has put that within us.

Psalms 85:12 reminds us of a great truth: “the LORD shall give that which is good.” God is good and He gives good gifts to every person on this earth. Christians know this and therefore, Christians should be the most thankful of all people on the earth. It says in James 1:7, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” It says in Psalms 100:4-5, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.[5] For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

It says in Psalms 85:13, “Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.” How do you walk with God? This verse gives us an important part of the answer: do what is right. When a decision or an issue comes your way, how do you know what you should do? Do what is right. This may not be what is gratifying or what is profitable, but it must be your priority. God always wants us to do the right thing. God is on the side of right, and He is against what is wrong. Do right until the stars fall.

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