God's Restoration For The Failed Follower - The Psalms Of Korah – Psalm 85 Part 1 Series

MESSAGE – THE PSALMS OF KORAH – PSALM 85 PART 1 GOD'S RESTORATION FOR THE FAILED FOLLOWER

Psalm 85 For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

Psalm 85 v 1 O LORD, You showed favour to Your land. You restored the captivity of Jacob.

Psalm 85 v 2 You forgave the iniquity of Your people. You covered all their sin. Selah.

Psalm 85 v 3 You withdrew all Your fury. You turned away from Your burning anger.

Opinion is divided as to when this psalm was written. Some prefer to think it speaks of the return from the Babylonian captivity but most probably it is referring to some lesser event that was short lived, that being indicated by the Hebrew used. The date, therefore is uncertain.

In three verses we find a list of the ways God has extended His hand for the benefit of His nation, His chosen people. There are 6 punchy statements. They were His chosen people, descendants of Abraham, but their sad history was nearly always of sin and defeat. The sins of the people could not go unaddressed such as the Lord sweeping them under the carpet, pretending they did not exist. God always met them face on and the people reaped what they sowed. It will be no different for Australia.

Sometimes God’s disfavour was revealed in poor yields and in famine, drought and pestilences. Israel’s promises were always linked to the land and the first sign of God’s displeasure was difficulty in the land. When that failed to get the people’s attention, and they killed their prophets, and shut up their ears, and cut themselves off from God, He brought enemies against them, ones like the Philistines, Moabites, Syria, Assyria, and eventually, Babylon.

It is a perilous thing to ignore God’s warnings. His rebuke is gentle at first, but when sin continues, then His hand becomes harder. Exactly the same thing happens to us as well. It is said that no Christian outside the fellowship of God is happy and at peace for he is under conviction of the Holy Spirit, the purpose of which is to cause him to return to the Lord and again enter into His blessings and fellowship.

We must always be conscious of the favour God has shown to us. The people outside can’t appreciate that, but we do. We know we have passed from death unto life. God has showed favour to us and saved us. We had nothing to start with, so there was nothing to restore. When God saved us we became a new creation. That was conversion. BUT when you look at verse 1, God restored the captivity of Jacob. They had it; they lost it; God restored it.

Christians can fall into sin and that results in the loss of the joy of salvation, not salvation itself. We must not ascribe to that as some do with easy believism. When that happens we are like embers taken from a fire of coals and we know when that happens those coals lose their glow. I wrote a poem in 1998 to reflect on that situation.

HAS WARMTH OF NEARNESS CHANGED TO COOLNESS ?

Have you entered straits of greyness, in your Christian walk,

Where the things of God have cooled and at them now you baulk?

Former joys have dissipated like a rained-out cloud;

Songs of praise and hymns to God no longer sing aloud;

No desire for communion with the Lord your God;

Recognising not the road where formally you trod.

Then realise this; things are amiss.

The former days are lost in haze.

When did depart that faithful heart,

To sever strings of godly things?

Prayer has lost its vital link once faithfully maintained.

Gone from you that strong desire we once knew ingrained.

When you raised a ready voice that reached to God on high,

We all knew the glow of that when you to God drew nigh.

Prayerful voice and joyful strains know now a withered state.

To the saints of God, I fear, you scarcely now relate.

Please note this, friend, it’s not the end.

That’s not the way you have to stay.

With all entailed, God has not failed.

Turn from this track; there’s a way back

When you are from God estranged, how can you know His peace?

Must your soul remain cast down, for God’s love does not cease.

Occupied, your life is now, perhaps with lesser things.

Nothing though will mask the fact; your soul with disquiet rings.

Learn that one away from God knows ling’ring misery.

(What’s now substituted) All that’s substituted, is in self-willed energy.

You have a choice - lament, rejoice?

So rise up now - to God then bow.

In misery, there’s no pity;

Deflated life just makes for strife.