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.
Where commences then the path, that leads from this sad state;
From depression and despair to the full joyful gait?
Recall of God’s blessings past, of mercies He has shown:-
Dwell on them, retrace your steps, and understand what’s flown.
Turn to God in sole dependence; let your heart be soft;
Give God opportunity to carry you aloft.
You wrongly tacked - off you tracked,
To your own way one fateful day.
Recall His face then full of grace.
When you believed, and Christ received.
God commands His lovingkindness to the distraught soul;
Bathes him in refreshing mercy; calls him to be whole.
Songs of praise there will arise, as songs sung in the night.
Burdens lifted from the heart; priorities set right;
Steps regain their joyful vigour in the pilgrim walk;
Blesséd things of God will occupy his time and talk.
His gentle hand helps you to stand;
To rise again from failure’s pain.
Joy’s song you’ll sing; the night will ring;
New peace arrived - a walk revived.
If you find yourself depressed or cast down in your soul;
If despair has overtaken and has filled your bowl;
Those great blessings from the past, and God’s sweet dealings there,
Are the goad and crook you need to move back to God’s care.
Songs of joy will fill the night, and prayer will rise, not wane.
Christian fellowship will be renewed to you again.
Distress may come, with life then glum – (when you succumb)
Look up above; our God is love.
Recall the past; He’s held you fast -
His hand, please heed; He’ll meet your need.
21 March 1998 R E Ferguson 13-13-13-13-13-13 and 8-8-8-8
Let us be careful in these last days of the Church age. The road the Christian walks is not an easy one, and is harder today than it was in this nation 100 years ago. We have become a Godless, pagan society, and with that decline, comes a hardness and a darkness that pervades humanity. It is worldwide. I don’t need to tell you of the rampant opposition Christians are facing now, not only the hostility from the public whose minds are anti-Christian but from government legislation prohibiting the rights of Christians. (The Census released in June 2022 bear that out).
Those conditions cause some to withdraw because they are too worldly or too uncommitted or too focussed on godless things. Be not like those who shrink back. Those who have fallen into sin, no matter how bad, when they hear the convicting voice of the Holy Spirit, must repent. The Lord is gracious, slow to anger, and ready to forgive.
Let us have a look at these first three verses to see God’s actions in them:-
(a). The Lord showed favour to their land, to Israel.
(b). He restored the captivity of Jacob.
(c). God forgave the iniquity of His people.
(d). He covered the sin of the people.
(e). He withdrew His fury.
(f). He turned away from His burning anger.
Who is a pardoning God like You. (find). Dare I say it, but God can’t do those things without the consent of the people. By that I mean, God can not overlook sin as if it does not exist. There can be no forgiveness of sin; no full pardon from God without repentance. Consider again that thief on the cross who turned to the Lord and received the blessings of forgiveness. His plea was, “Lord remember me when You come into your kingdom.” That statement meant He “asked of God”. He who comes to God believing He is and turns in repentance, God hears Him. That thief went to meet the Lord in Paradise and I can just imagine the Lord there personally waiting to receive that man when He passed from physical life to death to Paradise a few hours after the Lord did.
Is He waiting to receive each of us personally when we leave this scene? You’d better believe it. In John 14 the Lord promised to return and “receive you unto Myself.” That happened after the resurrection, but will happen when He comes in the Rapture, but it is just as applicable when we leave this earth, and then He will receive us. We are His redeemed souls, precious to Him, blood-bought, and individuals in His Bride. He will be watching out for us. Our Saviour is the Redeemer of the individual.
Just a little earlier I said, “By that I mean, God can not overlook sin as if it does not exist. There can be no forgiveness of sin; no full pardon from God without repentance.” It is sad but today in a lot of churches, there is an “easy believe” mentality. This means you just believe in Jesus and sidestep conviction and repentance. I had cause to write to the head of Hillsong about that when he said, “We should not be talking about hell. Just speak about the love of Jesus.” This practice is insidious and I refrain from mentioning the brand of church that does that.
There is a “selah” at the end of verse 2. This expression means to pause, to pause and reflect on the fact. It applies as well to us. The Lord has covered all our sins, but in our case the covering is the blood of Christ the only one that can cover sin, so they are obliterated forever. In the case of the psalmist, in his time, the sins were covered by animal substitutionary sacrifices, but were still there, until came the cross and abolished sin’s penalty forever. The Lamb of God has availed to the full.
The nation had departed from the Lord and experienced God’s chastisement, but God forgave them and restored them to their former state. The three verses are really a beautiful summary how God so graciously deals with us as well.
Psalm 85 v 4 Restore us, O God of our salvation and cause Your indignation toward us to cease.
This verse would come about because there would have to have been a separation in the first place. There is an order here – Sin is the first cause, because sin always causes separation, as Adam would testify. The next step is confession and repentance, which must follow conviction, which may be individual or national. Oh, for a national repentance in Australia! When that is done in humility and not with lip service, genuine repentance is then accepted by God, but there is one more step. God could leave it there, but that is no good for us, for the final step is restoration. What use is any of this, if restoration is taken out of the equation? Our God is the God of restoration, and I just love that. My Lord is so tender and forgives me even the worst of my sins. He is a wonderful Saviour to me. He is a wonderful Saviour to you! He hides my soul in the cleft of the Rock that shadows a dry, thirsty land. There is a place of quiet rest near to the heart of God.
The Lord loves His people and when a Christian sins, He does not hate that one. He prays. The Great Intercessor and Great High Priest prays for the wayward soul. He is always interceding for us for our good, and for our restoration. I am reminded of three scripture passages, very familiar ones, but they probe the very depths of the forgiveness of God when we go astray, or have sunk in the mud of failure. We must not overlook them for all scripture is given for our edification. Brokenness leads to rebuilding and restoration. A contrite heart is what God seeks.
Matthew 9 v 13 “but go and learn what this means, ‘I desire compassion and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Luke 18:13 “but the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven but was beating his breast saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’” Which one in that second verse was forgiven?
CASE A. The first one is that painful return to restoration that David had to enter into because of his sin of rape and murder. If you think you have sinned so badly that God no longer has any time for you, or that your sin as a Christian is too grievous (serious) to forgive, then only argue with me if it is worse than what David committed. After Nathan spoke with King David he was a broken man, and that is exactly where he should have been. Brokenness is the stage where the Lord meets you in repentance. Nothing less than that is required. This transaction is recorded in Psalm 51 and I want to select a few verses from that psalm, but I might say that God has allowed that account of David to be entered into His hold word for the comfort of us all.
Psalm 51 v 4 Against You, You only, I have sinned, and done what is evil in Your sight so that You are justified when You speak, and blameless when You judge.
Psalm 51 v 1 Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your loving-kindness, according to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Psalm 51:2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin,
Psalm 51 v 9 Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 51 v 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit.
CASE B.
This second one is remarkable for its lack of detail. We will look at the passage but as it will form part of a future message, (the series on Peter) then I just want to deal with it in a brief way. Turn to Luke 22 v 31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat, Luke 22:32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail, and you, when you have turned once again, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22:33 He said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” Luke 22:34 and He said, “I say to you, Peter, the cock will not crow today until you have denied that you know Me three times.”
Peter denied the Lord and wept. Weeping by the way does not always mean repentance; it could indicate remorse or angry with oneself for failure. There are a lot of tears that are not repentance. However in Peter’s case it was total conviction. What a miserable time Peter spent – whether it was a day or two or maybe hours, but He committed the unthinkable, and denied the very Lord He loved. Verse 32 is the promise that Peter would enter into restoration, and then you have this “tucked away verse: - 1Corinthians 15 v 3 “I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 1Cor 15:4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 1Cor 15:5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.”
CASE C.
Our third passage is one of my absolute favourites in the whole bible. I cling to this more than all others sometimes. Turn to 1 John 1 v 7 “but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Conviction leads to confession, and confession leads to restoration, and restoration leads to peace, and peace leads to communion and fellowship. How blessed is the Lord to make this provision for us. We love You, Lord Jesus.
I wrote this poem dealing with restoration in mind that would result from failure.
BEAUTY FROM ASHES
Beauty from ashes; a flower from failure,
The Lord has His field, and the plough’s in his hand.
What can He grow in a life that denied Him?
And what can He fashion from dry, barren sand?
Mine is the grief and the life that’s been ruptured;
That flowed out its soul in a haemorrhaging shame.
Sin’s strong deceit - it severed God’s awesomeness,
And shut down the life links that connected His Name.
Relieve me, Lord; in my distress, now listen.
Be gracious to me, and for You, set apart.
Wash me to cleanse all those hidden recesses.
Now wash me with hyssop applied to my heart.
Lift up with light, your countenance upon me.
Now let the daystar of love conquer darkness.
Create in me a clean heart and right spirit,
The joy of salvation in clear, pure starkness.
Beauty from ashes; God’s masterpiece perform.
And He will transform me and He won’t despise.
From failure grow strength; from denial’s trough, praise,
Then fully in God my salvation relies.
R Ferguson 2006 Copyright reserved
The verse said, “You restored the captivity of Jacob.” When down-trodden and oppressed through their sins, the Ever-merciful One had looked upon them, changed their sad condition, chased away the invaders, and gave to his people rest: this he had done not once, nor twice, but times without number. Many a time have we also been brought into soul-captivity by our backslidings, but we have not been left in that state. The God who brought Jacob back from Padan-aram to his father's house, has restored us to the enjoyment of holy fellowship; - will he not do the like again.”
God is all about restoration.
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
END OF PART 1
