Psalm 85
לַמְנַצֵּ֬חַ לִבְנֵי קֹ֬רַח מִזְמֽוֹר
BSB
You Showed Favor to Your Land
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
1You showed favor to Your land, O LORD;
You restored Jacob from captivity.
2You forgave the iniquity of Your people;
You covered all their sin.
Selah
3You withheld all Your fury;
You turned from Your burning anger.
4Restore us, O God of our salvation,
and put away Your displeasure toward us.
5Will You be angry with us forever?
Will You draw out Your anger to all generations?
6Will You not revive us again,
that Your people may rejoice in You?
7Show us Your loving devotion, O LORD,
and grant us Your salvation.
8I will listen to what God the LORD will say;
for He will surely speak peace to His people and His saints;
He will not let them return to folly.
9Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him,
that His glory may dwell in our land.
10Loving devotion and faithfulness have joined together;
righteousness and peace have kissed.
11Faithfulness sprouts from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
12The LORD will indeed provide what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
13Righteousness will go before Him
to prepare the way for His steps.
Introduction
Psalms 85
Interpreters are generally of the opinion that this psalm was penned after the return of the Jews out of their captivity in Babylon, when they still remained under some tokens of God's displeasure, which they here pray for the removal of. And nothing appears to the contrary, but that it might be penned then, as well as Psa 137:1-9. They are the public interests that lie near the psalmist's heart here, and the psalm is penned for the great congregation. The church was here in a deluge; above were clouds, below were waves; every thing was dark and dismal. The church is like Noah in the ark, between life and death, between hope and fear; being so, I. Here is the dove sent forth in prayer. The petitions are against sin and wrath (Psa 85:4) and for mercy and grace (Psa 85:7). The pleas are taken from former favours (Psa 85:1-3) and present distresses (Psa 85:5, Psa 85:6). II. Here is the dove returning with an olive branch of peace and good tidings; the psalmist expects her return (Psa 85:8) and then recounts the favours to God's Israel which by the spirit of prophecy he gave assurance of to others, and by the spirit of faith he took the assurance of to himself (Psa 85:9-13). In singing this psalm we may be assisted in our prayers to God both for his church in general and for the land of our nativity in particular. The former part will be of use to direct our desires, the latter to encourage our faith and hope in those prayers.
To the chief musician. A psalm for the sons of Korah.
Cross-references: Ps 137:1 · Ps 85:4 · Ps 85:7 · Ps 85:1 · Ps 85:5 · Ps 85:6 · Ps 85:8 · Ps 85:9