Psalm 85:1–13 1 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 3You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot 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. 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. (ESV)
With a resumed lockdown, this Sunday resumes a period where we cannot physically be together in a place of worship. Historically, some fascinating things occurred outside places of worship. Monday, April 2, 1739, marked a signal event in the history of Christianity because it was on that day that John Wesley abandoned his reserve to preach outside the church building and, at Kingswood Bristol, took to open-air evangelism. Wesley’s decision brought him face to face with the common people and ignited a revival the likes of which England had never seen. Regarding that great day, Wesley wrote in his diary: “At four in the afternoon I submitted to be more vile, and proclaimed in the highways the glad tidings of salvation, speaking from a little eminence in a ground adjoining to the city, to about three thousand people. The Scripture on which I spoke (from Luke 4) was this … “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted; to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind; to set at liberty them that are bruised, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Wesley had chosen his text with brilliant premeditation because it was the same Scripture with which Jesus introduced his ministry to the people of Nazareth. Subsequent history records that John Wesley lived out that text, bringing the gospel to the disenfranchised and needy masses of England. The following years also reveal that Wesley likewise experienced something of the rejection and disgrace that descended upon our Lord when he first brought God’s message to his people. (Hughes, R. K. (1998). Luke: that you may know the truth (p. 139). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.)
Psalm 85 is a prayer for restoration that is rooted deeply in trust in God. The setting for the psalm appears to be the restoration of the people of God following a great catastrophe—perhaps the Babylonian captivity (About 50 years after Jerusalem’s fall in 586 B.C.,). With this psalm, the people prayed for a revival of their spirits and a renewal in their land. The ultimate fulfillment of their prayer would be in the coming glorious kingdom of the Savior Jesus (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1997). The Nelson Study Bible: New King James Version (Ps 85). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.).
Many of us live between memory and hope. We recall what God has done in the past with gratitude, and we hope that He will do it again. This makes present sorrow and discouragement bearable. Like losing a friend or loved one, we live with grief, sustained with a flood of memories from the past, which bring joy. Although we must face living out the rest of our lives in this world, as believes we can know that the Lord will be there each step of the way and we can be sustained by hope of reunion beyond the grave. The day will come when depression will lift, and the sun will break through the overcast again. But what can we do in the meantime? This is the issue before us in this psalm. (Williams, D., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1989). Vol. 14: The Preacher's Commentary Series, Volume 14 : Psalms 73-150. The Preacher's Commentary series (108–113). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.)
In a prayer to “Revive us Lord”, the Psalmist shows three things that can help us through present difficulties. He presents a 1) Remembrance of Past Revival (Psalm 85:1–3), 2) Request for Present Revival (Psalm 85:4–7), 3. Revelation for Future Revival (Psalm 85:8–13).
We pray that the Lord would revive us through:
1) Remembrance of Past Revival (Psalm 85:1–3)
Psalm 85:1–3 1 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 3You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger. (ESV)
In this communal lament there is no precise indication of the occasion that prompted it. The absence of references to the king and temple suggest that it comes from the period of the return from exile (of 70 years of captivity in Babylon.) Here, the psalmist recalls God’s graciousness to his people and land in the past. (Harman, A. ‘The Setting and Interpretation of Psalm 126’, RTR 44, 3 (1985), pp. 74–80.)
Quote: Yet, as Oswald Chambers said: “It is no use to pray for the old days; stand square where you are and make the present better than any past has been. Base all on your relationship to God and go forward, and presently you will find that what is emerging is infinitely better than the past ever was.” (Oswald Chambers as cited in Wiersbe, W. W. (1991). With the Word Bible Commentary (Ps 85:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.)
The attribution of Psalm 85 to “the sons of Korah” probably originated in a preliminary collection of postexilic times (cf. Psalms 42–49; 84; 87–88). The Korahites, with the Kohathites, were singers in the second temple, and some of them were also doorkeepers of the sanctuary (2 Chr 20:19; 26:1, 19; cf. 1 Chr 9:19; Ps 84:10). (Terrien, S. (2003). The Psalms: strophic structure and theological commentary (pp. 606–607). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)
The description of how God: ‘restored the fortunes’ can also be translated ‘bring back from captivity’ (cf. Jer. 29:14 and Ps. 126:1). The reference to Jacob is an alternative way of describing the nation of Israel. The first Jews to return to Jerusalem did so in response to the decree of Cyrus, the king of Persia, in 538 B.C. The account is in Ezra 1–6. The foundations of the temple were laid immediately, and the temple itself was completed between 520 and 515 B.C. to judge from the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah. Somewhere along the way the Jews also tried to rebuild the city’s walls. This was hard and the work was abandoned, probably after their enemies destroyed what little rebuilding work had been done and burned the city’s gates (Neh. 1:3). At first the people must have felt joy at being able to return to their homeland. They would have confessed with gratitude that God had indeed restored their fortunes, forgiven their sin, and turned aside his wrath (Ps. 85:1–3). But when these first excellent beginnings broke down and the forward motion to rebuild the city and nation ceased, discouragement and even despair set in. According to the opening chapter of Nehemiah, the people acknowledged frankly that they were “in great trouble and disgrace.” What do God’s people do in such circumstances? They pray and wait for God to answer. Psalm 85 is this kind of prayer. (Boice, J. M. (2005). Psalms 42–106: An Expositional Commentary (pp. 695–696). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.)
• It’s easy at a time like this to be backward focused. We think of Christmas celebrations of the past, past holiday activities or that even as of last week, we could physically gather together for worship. Instead of the backward focus, we do better to ask what God is doing? Not to try to predict the timing of events, but in considering what is God telling us? Consider what should we pray for and what does He want us to do in this year before us?
• In many ways we let annoyances and frustrations and disappointments overshadow all of the good things that God did for us in 2020. It is a classic case of missing the forest for the trees. Even over this pandemic, God has allowed us to shed the heavy burden of renting a space that we could not occupy. He has allowed us to have the only arrangement in the region where we could rent a space for Sunday’s worship. He has enabled us to have a new permanent home where we can now livestream services and weekly Bible studies. He has enabled people to step us to challenges and enabled them to do things they never thought possible. God has changed us, He has changed our circumstances, He has surprised us, He has shown Himself to us in all kinds of ways, but we will miss all this if all we can say as this year comes to a close is good riddance. Over this past year God has shown us grace and mercy. If nothing else, that He has forgiven our failings, and fears we should be most grateful.
That is why the psalmist in verse 2 focuses on this forgiveness. “You forgave the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sin. Selah” Forgiveness of sins means that God’s wrath will be stilled. The necessary repentance is also the gift of God’s grace (Whitlock, L. G., Sproul, R. C., Waltke, B. K., & Silva, M. (1995). The Reformation study Bible: bringing the light of the Reformation to Scripture: New King James Version (Ps 85:2). Nashville: T. Nelson.).
Please turn to Jeremiah 14
There is forgiveness for believers as described in verse 2, because God “Covered all their sins” which describes what is meant by atonement. If we would remember God’s mercy to us in the forgiveness of our sins.. we might find that we are already rising out of our discouragement and will soon be praising God again rather than complaining to Him. (Boice, J. M. (2005). Psalms 42–106: An Expositional Commentary (p. 697). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.).
This is the situation for the people of God in Jeremiah 14:
Jeremiah 14:1–9 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought: 2 “Judah mourns, and her gates languish; her people lament on the ground, and the cry of Jerusalem goes up. 3 Her nobles send their servants for water; they come to the cisterns; they find no water; they return with their vessels empty; they are ashamed and confounded and cover their heads. 4 Because of the ground that is dismayed, since there is no rain on the land, the farmers are ashamed; they cover their heads. 5 Even the doe in the field forsakes her newborn fawn because there is no grass. 6 The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights; they pant for air like jackals; their eyes fail because there is no vegetation. 7 “Though our iniquities testify against us, act, O LORD, for your name’s sake; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against you. 8 O you hope of Israel, its savior in time of trouble, why should you be like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night? 9 Why should you be like a man confused, like a mighty warrior who cannot save? Yet you, O LORD, are in the midst of us, and we are called by your name; do not leave us.” (ESV)
• Psalm 85 is a corporate lament from events like these in Jeremiah 14 describing Judah experiences of drought alongside Babylon’s invasion (cf. Deut. 28:23–24). In not heeding the warnings, it was too late to prevent the events unfolding described in Jeremiah. 14. Drought (like viruses) fulfills the curse in Deut. 28:22 that must come when Israel (and other believers) forsakes the Lord. It contrasts with the blessing of living water in Christ (John 4:14; 6:35).( Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1400). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.)
• Although God will not remove salvation that is granted to a people, He will move from subtle, to more dramatic means to have a people who continue to confess their sin and need for Him.
The Selah pause is appropriate here since these points needed to sink in (Lane, E. (2006). Psalms 1-89: the lord saves (p. 376). Scotland: Christian Focus Publications.)
God had made it plain in verse 3 that He was angry with His people for all their sins, and so He sent them into exile (see 2 Kings 17:18; 2 Chron. 36:16–21). Now the psalmist rejoices in the fact that this righteous anger has been replaced by tender favour. “You withdrew all your wrath” is what is meant by the word propitiation. That God “withdrew” all His wrath, and “turned” from His “hot anger” has the sense of removing or taking something away. Proof of God’s forgiveness was seen in the return from exile, as Israel’s sin had been paid for (Isa. 40:2). There can be no renewal/revival until sin is forgiven and wrath propitiated (Motyer, J. A. (1994). The Psalms. In D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham (Eds.), New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 541). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.)
Illustration:
Many would doubt the need for revival. They see: “A God without wrath who brought (people) without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a Cross” (H. Richard Niebuhr, The Kingdom of God in America [New York: Harper & Row, 1959],p. 193).
Revival is coming to the realization of our desperate situation before God and coming to Him and Him alone for eternal life.
We pray that the Lord would revive us through the:
2) Request for Present Revival (Psalm 85:4–7)
Psalm 85:4-7 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. (ESV)
It is the immediate situation that the psalmist now brings into focus. He first starts out identifying the SOURCE OF REVIVAL: God. Since God was merciful before, the psalmist seeks a fresh demonstration of God’s mercy towards the people in their present need. God is the active agent who restores, forgives, revives and grants salvation. Salvation is something properly basic to the character of God .(Grant, J. A. (2018). Psalms 73–89. In T. Muck (Ed.), Psalms (Vol. 2, p. 263). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.)
• This series of messages on revival is not the introduction to a new program or project. It’s not the outlining of steps that we can take to get a particular result. This discussion on revival is a consideration of our most desperate need and what we must most desperately plead of God.
Please turn to Ezra 10
That is why the psalmist now identifies the MEANS OF REVIVAL: Prayer. The way in which the prayer is expressed implies confession of sin as the psalmist pleads for a removal of God’s wrath. No great difference can be discerned between ‘indignation/displeasure’ (ka?as) and the word ‘wrath’ (?af) in the previous verse. God has adequate cause to be indignant toward a people who persist in sin. But a penitent person can ask that he forgo that anger, since the LORD is not only a God of justice but also of mercy and forgiveness. (Tesh, S. E., & Zorn, W. D. (1999). Psalms (p. 131). Joplin, MO: College Press.)
Ezra 10 expresses the lament of a people of God who genuinely repent to be revived by God:
Ezra 10:1–7 While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly. 2 And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra: “We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. 3 Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law. 4 Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it.” 5 Then Ezra arose and made the leading priests and Levites and all Israel take an oath that they would do as had been said. So they took the oath. 6 Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib, where he spent the night, neither eating bread nor drinking water, for he was mourning over the faithlessness of the exiles. 7 And a proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the returned exiles that they should assemble at Jerusalem (ESV)
• This assembly was a special gathering, since the survival of the community was at stake. These illicit relationships were not marriages in the full sense. The word translated here “married” is not the usual one, but means literally “we have given a home”. These were not formal marriages, but informal co-habitations. Ezra prays, and the people (men, women, and children ) confess their sin (vv. 1–2). They agree to do God’s will (vv. 3–5). (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 819). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.)
• Notice the seriousness of their commitment. Beginning with fasting and prayer, they publicly vow together to be faithful.
• Revival happens when God’s people confess their sin. When they become complacent, presuming on God’s grace or their past action of confession, then God will move from subtle, to more dramatic means to have a people who continue to confess their sin and need for Him. This may begin with a spirit of boredom for the things of God, continue with lack of ministry to one another, lack of conversions, infighting, suffering, to more outside forms of attack. Consider, is it beyond God to allow COVID to wake up His church? Can we not see the broader movement of the church been to consumer driven entertainment? Could COVID be God’s “reset” to cleanse the ranks of the church from those coasting and transform His true Saints to a holy force for His kingdom work?
Throughout verses 4-7 of Psalm 85, the psalmist identifies the OBJECTS OF REVIVAL: us. He asks that God would restore us. To restore, means to “turn”. It represents repentance. As the people of God repent, He puts away His indignation towards us, spares us His anger, revives us, shows us His steadfast love and grants us His salvation. Although revival comes from God and affects the individual heart it is a collective moving. When God does it, it is seen on mass. He moves through His people for collective change. They have been restored, but they are constantly in need of restoration. Such is the dichotomy of life with God for every generation of God’s people. We are forgiven, but in our weakness we constantly need forgiveness. (Grant, J. A. (2018). Psalms 73–89. In T. Muck (Ed.), Psalms (Vol. 2, p. 264). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.)
Similar requests in verse 5 are found in other psalms (cf. Ps. 79:5; 80:4; 89:46) as the people long for the cessation of God’s wrath. From the latter part of this psalm there is no doubt that the psalmist knew that this anger was not going to be displayed forever against the people. A time was coming when God’s favour would be upon them, and then the people would be glad in the LORD. Such is the hope held out to God’s people living in dark and depressing times. It is hope kindled and sustained by worship, which draws on the past, brings its proven certainties into the questioning present, and then points to a future that, like past and present, belongs to God. This is what worship still offers us now; it points us toward the ultimate hope of a new heaven and new earth, where God himself will forever be with His people and “death shall be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more” (Rev. 21:4). (Davidson, R. (1998). The vitality of worship: a commentary on the book of Psalms (p. 283). Grand Rapids, MI; Edinburgh: W.B. Eerdmans; Handsel Press.)
Verse 6, gets to the heart of the plea for revival. The Psalmist asks: “will you (literally: “You alone”) not revive us again? . This is emphatic and underscores the biblical premise that any genuine restoration of the national and spiritual life of a country has its origin in God.( Criswell, W. A., Patterson, P., Clendenen, E. R., Akin, D. L., Chamberlin, M., Patterson, D. K., & Pogue, J. (Eds.). (1991). Believer’s Study Bible (electronic ed., Ps 85:6). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.)
Revive (châyâh) means to resurrect or make alive. It implies that the people were alive once, have died in a spiritual sense, and now need to be given spiritual life again. This is what the church almost always needs, and it is how revivals come. We think of revivals as being a movement of God in the world so that unchurched unbelievers come to Christ. But revivals do not start in the world. They start in the church, since it is the church that needs to live again (Boice, J. M. (2005). Psalms 42–106: An Expositional Commentary (p. 698). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.).
• We long to have so many external things change in our lives. We desire political, medical, social, economic and other changes. God wants the change to start with us. More specifically, that each of us we ask ourselves what go I individually need to change. If there is something we want changed in our world, our country, our region or even our church, then we who are the church must first change. We must be the change that we want changed. For example, if we long for evangelism and see new people come to Christ, then we must individually evangelize.
The psalmist now identifies the EFFECT OF REVIVAL: that your people may rejoice in you? The primary reason why God revives a people is for worship. If our desire for revival is anything else, then it is a stumbling block to revival. In contemporary Christianity we tend to think of revival in terms of mass conversions and the growth of the church, but this prayer simply asks God to breathe spiritual life back into his people. Such spiritual renewal results in a people who are grateful in heart and rejoice in their relationship with God (cf. Ps 80:18). Only in right relationship with God can human beings truly delight in their humanity. (Grant, J. A. (2018). Psalms 73–89. In T. Muck (Ed.), Psalms (Vol. 2, p. 263). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.)
• According to the polling firm Angus Reid, after COVID-19, Canadians long to live stress-free, hug their friends and travel. What does God most long for in His saints: Worship. Would that have been the answer if someone asked you what you most long for?
What the psalmist wants in verse 7 is a fresh display of steadfast/covenantal love (Heb., chésed), which is equated here with ‘salvation’ (yêsha?). This steadfast/covenantal love means “loyal love” or “unfailing love,” and specifies God’s faithfulness to His people through His covenant relationship. His appeal in verse 4 was to the ‘Saviour’ (lit ‘the God of my salvation’, ?elohê yish?ênû). Now he looks for ‘salvation’ from Him in the sense of deliverance from the present troubles. The scope of salvation in revival doesn’t stop in regeneration. It continues to the advancement of sanctification. In revival, the people on mass are concerned about holiness. It will affect their speech, what they are entertained by, interested in and what is their passion. (MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 818). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.)
Illustration: Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector of England between the execution of Charles I and the reestablishment of the monarchy under Charles II, loved the psalms. On September 16, 1656, the day before the meeting of the second Parliament of the Protectorate, he was reading Psalm 85 in Whitehall. It was a Tuesday. On Wednesday Parliament was opened, and Cromwell addressed the members with a talk based in part on these verses: “Yesterday I did read a psalm, which truly may not unbecome both me to tell you of and you to observe. It is the 85th Psalm; it is very instructive and significant; and though I do but a little touch upon it, I desire your perusal and pleasure.” He then expounded on these verses as an expression of his vision and hope that by their faithfulness to God righteousness might reign in England and a better, finer, happier, and more harmonious age might come. That was never perfectly achieved, of course. But it was in part and still is wherever the people of God turn from their folly and are revived by Him.( Rowland E. Prothero, The Psalms in Human Life (New York: E. P. Dutton, 1904), 259.)
Finally, we pray that the Lord would revive us through:
3. Revelation for Future Revival (Psalm 85:8–13)
Psalm 85:8-13 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. (ESV)
As God has revealed the path to revival the first question to ask is if we are hearing: “Let me hear what God the Lord will speak”. Most people miss revival because of what they are listening to. Garbage in/garbage out. If we fill our mind with useless entertainment, vile music, and idle conversation, there is not much for the Holy Spirt to work with. People will hear their own thoughts and act on what it seems right to do in their own eyes. People will hear the common conversation and think there is consensus for action. People will hear what seems popular, and with comfort of the majority, act. But the starting place for revival as God mentions here is to “hear what God the Lord will speak”. The Holy Spirit will use the Holy Word of Scripture for His holy action with a holy people. “The members of the congregation, whose eyes are firmly focused on God, know who it is to whom they pray and what they can hope for from him in their present affliction” (Tate, M. E. (1998). Psalms 51–100 (Vol. 20, pp. 369–370). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.)
• Over the past nine months, during this pandemic, how has your bible reading been going? Free from every other distraction that we normally have, this should have proven to be a unique opportunity to focus on God. Yet, according to the 10th Annual “State of the Bible” survey released by the American Bible Society, Bible reading has declined over the course of this pandemic. Christianity Today, reflecting on this data concludes that diminished engagement with our local churches, due to the various COVID19 restrictions and protocols is a major contributing factor. If we desire a turn around, a revival in our lives, it must start with a unquenchable hunger for what the Lord will say from His word.
The psalmist knows that God’s word for his people is one of ‘peace’. Perhaps the Aaronic blessing is in mind (Num. 6:22–26) with its assurance of peace. The promise of peace is renewed in a special way in the gospel, for Jesus, who is our peace (Eph. 2:14), is able to give his own lasting peace to His followers (John 14:27). It is in this way that peace and mercy flow to the Israel of God (Gal. 6:16). The accompanying warning given here is still applicable. Possession of God’s peace is dependent upon not straying from His ways and returning to folly (cf. John 14:26–27; Matt. 28:20). As Albert Midlane said: “Our sins were placed on Jesus’ head. ’Twas in His blood our debt was paid. Stern justice can demand no more, And mercy can dispense her store”. (Albert Midlane as recorded in MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 680). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.)
The Psalmist gives a warning to not turn back to folly, which is basically a state of unbelief (14:1) tending to idolatry (idols were called ‘follies’ or ‘vanities’). It had been folly that had caused their exile and it was folly that led to the abandonment of the work on God’s house. ( Lane, E. (2006). Psalms 1-89: the lord saves (p. 377). Scotland: Christian Focus Publications.)
• We are heading into at least a one-month lockdown. What did we learn from the first four month lockdown? How many put off coming to worship until the new year because what they wanted to do during the Christmas season? Revival in the people of God is reflected in an urgency of action. We dare not presume upon any external factors. Unless there is an urgency to our repentance, our holiness, our evangelism, there will be no revival among the saints of God and no lasting godly fruit.
Verse 9 puts in another way what has just been said in the previous verse. The psalmist had earlier asked for God’s salvation (v. 7), and now he affirms the truth that those who fear the LORD, ‘his saints’, indeed experience God’s saving power. His salvation is near to those who fear him, i.e., again, to those who lay hold of the promises of God’s covenant by genuine faith and obedience. The people should never presume upon God’s gracious response to their prayers, as if it comes “automatically.” Thus, as the Israelites wait for God to speak, they can evaluate their own sincerity (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1045). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.). 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. John 3:3–5) (MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 818). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.)
• By no means should we think revival is some self-help action. Biblical revival is death to self and life that only comes through God.
Please turn to Ezekiel 8
Through Isaiah God had promised that his salvation would draw near to his people (Isa. 46:13; 51:5). Just as the glory of the LORD had dwelt on Mount Sinai (Exod. 24:16–17), so it would take up abiding residence in the land. He withdrew His glory as He spoke to Ezekiel because of the apostasy of the nation immediately preceding the Babylonian Exile (cf. Ezek. 8–11). (MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 818). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.)
God now presents to Ezekiel a stern warning to the self-deceived:
Ezekiel 8:6–18 6 And he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel are committing here, to drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see still greater abominations.” 7 And he brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, there was a hole in the wall. 8 Then he said to me, “Son of man, dig in the wall.” So I dug in the wall, and behold, there was an entrance. 9 And he said to me, “Go in, and see the vile abominations that they are committing here.” 10 So I went in and saw. And there, engraved on the wall all around, was every form of creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel. 11 And before them stood seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and the smoke of the cloud of incense went up. 12 Then he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, ‘The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land.’ ” 13 He said also to me, “You will see still greater abominations that they commit.” 14 Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the LORD, and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. 15 Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? You will see still greater abominations than these.” 16 And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the LORD. And behold, at the entrance of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their backs to the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east, worshiping the sun toward the east. 17 Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations that they commit here, that they should fill the land with violence and provoke me still further to anger? Behold, they put the branch to their nose. 18 Therefore I will act in wrath. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.” (ESV)
• Here Ezekiel is being shown the interior of the self-deceived. In v. 12, believing that the LORD does not see them, the LORD, in judgement has forsaken the land. Finally, in their failure to repent, they provoke the Lord still further to anger. To hide the stench of their actions, v. 17,: they “put the branch to their nose”, and v.18, “cry with tears with a loud voice”. These are the actions of those who do not repent, but with religious vigor try to placate God’s wrath. In judgement He is clear that He will “act in (His) wrath” and “not hear them”. His glory is removed from their midst.
• Do not think that by some action you can excuse an inaction. Giving to missions for example does not excuse our requirement for individual evangelism. Every believer in Christ has God given spiritual gifts. Sin is any commission or omission of God’s law through thought, word or deed, that which God requires. If we are not using what God has given us, then it is sin, with personal and corporate consequences.
In contrast, the psalmist personifies God’s favour to his people in verse 10 and 11, and he presents a picture of ‘love’, ‘faithfulness’, ‘righteousness’, and ‘peace’ meeting and embracing one another. The combination of ‘love’ and ‘faithfulness’ (rav-chésed ve?emet) goes back to God’s self-revelation in Exodus 34:6, where He declared himself as ‘abounding in love and faithfulness’. It is because God’s faithfulness manifests itself in salvation that it is often linked with ‘love’, and also because these two attributes of God lead to peace with him, it is expressly associated with his peace (cf. shâlôm ve?emet, Isa. 39:8; Jer. 33:6). ‘Faithfulness’ (?emet) springs up like a flourishing plant, while ‘righteousness’ (tsédek) oversees affairs among people (cf. similar ideas in Isa. 45:8). These four blessings are essential aspects of God’s kingdom. Paul confirms this when he says that ‘the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit’ (Rom. 14:17). God’s promises of “mercy” will be verified by His “truth” (compare Ps 25:10; 40:10); and the “work of righteousness” in His holy government shall be “peace” (Is 32:17). (Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 372). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.)
• It’s striking that the Psalmist presents the picture of ‘love’, ‘faithfulness’, ‘righteousness’, and ‘peace’ meeting and embracing one another at a time where we long for meeting and embracing one another. We long to share God’s love with one another, celebrate His faithfulness, righteousness and enjoy His peace. These qualities of God still exist, yet it is now harder to experience. Without the ability for the meeting and embracing one another depicted, we must strive to share these realities in other ways.
Presently, it’s like we’ve been in a condition of drought but verse 12 brings hope. If the LORD brought an end to the drought as verse 12 specifies, then the land would again produce bountiful crops. Renewed tokens of his favour would show the abiding nature of his love. As Mathius Claudius said: “All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above; Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord, for all his love”. (Mathius Claudius 1740–1815)
Finally, in verse 13, righteousness is regarded as a person who goes before the LORD and prepares for His intervention on behalf of His people. The coming of the LORD is often pictured as being preceded by preparation (Isa. 40:3–5; Mal. 3:1; Matt. 3:1–12). Here the messenger going before him is his saving righteousness. God’s righteousness (tsedeq in Hebrew) enables Israel’s faithfulness, and Israel’s righteousness makes it so that (the Lord) can express His love without violating His character (Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ps 85:13). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.).
It was once asked how to begin a revival. The response: “Go home, lock yourself in your room, kneel down in the middle of your floor. Draw a chalk mark all around yourself and ask God to start the revival inside that chalk mark. When He has answered your prayer, the revival will be on.” (Gypsy Smith as recorded in Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (p. 1152). Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.)
• If we want that change in our world, country, province, region, community or assembly, let the change start first with us. There is no better time than now.
(Format Note: Some base commentary from Harman, A. (2011). Psalms: A Mentor Commentary (Vol. 1–2, pp. 635–638). Ross-shire, Great Britain: Mentor.)
