Psalms 85

LORD, you have been favorable to your land. You have restored the fortunes of Jacob. Wesley: Captivity—the captives. Past favor and restored fortunes of Jacob ground present hope.

Remember favor shown to the land. Covenant faithfulness in yesterday's restoration fuels today's prayer.

Calvin: favorable to thy land; brought back captivity—past tokens of free love encourage expectation under present tyranny; God mindful of covenant remains merciful to Abraham's children. Remembrance of former benefits emboldens the throne of grace.

Favor to the land; fortunes of Jacob restored. Unintermitted course of favor inspires confidence in prayer.

You have forgiven the iniquity of your people. You have covered all their sin. Selah Shared: forgiveness and covering of all sin; Selah.

Covered sin is pardon. Pause at Selah over grace that buried guilt.

Calvin: iniquities taken away is free forgiveness—not imputing sins; covering buries them from judgment (cf. Ps 32). Deliverance from punishment depends on remission; God does not retain punishment while pretending to forgive the fault.

Forgave; covered all sin. Pardon and peace with God travel together.

You have taken away all your wrath. You have turned from the fierceness of your anger. Wrath withdrawn; hot anger turned away.

Past turning of anger is covenant mercy remembered. Attributes of patience stand behind the verbs.

Calvin: God mercifully inclined that he might withdraw his hand from chastising; sequence of pardon is that, being pacified, he mitigates punishment.

Wrath withdrawn; anger turned. Forgiveness is not a fiction while fury still burns unchecked.

Turn us, God of our salvation, and cause your indignation toward us! Wesley: Turn us—restore to former tranquillity; free from troubles still groaned under. Both hear: restore-again prayer to the God of salvation; put away indignation.

"again" confesses need after partial mercy. Ask salvation's God to finish what favor began.

Calvin: Turn us, O God of our salvation—apply past paternal tenderness to present need; encourage hope even when circumstances look desperate; remove anger as cause of calamities—do not only beg relief of symptoms.

Restore again; put away indignation. Salvation's God can find means whenever he pleases.

Will you be angry with us forever? Will you draw out your anger to all generations? Forever and all-generations name feared duration of anger.

How-long piety without denying justice. Ask the duration; keep praying.

Calvin: Wilt thou be wroth forever?—argue from God's merciful name (Exod 34); anger endures but a moment compared with favor; punishments of his children are temporary.

Nature of God funds the plea against endless wrath on his people.

Won’t you revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Wesley: Revive us—second reviving: bring home remaining brethren; restrain enemies. Revive-again for joy in God.

Revival aims at joy in God, not mere ease. Second life after near-death affliction.

Calvin: turn again and quicken us—nearly dead or prostrate under affliction; confident he will be entreated and turn mourning to gladness; rejoicing implies present weariness with sorrow.

Revive again; people rejoice in you. Quicken the stunned; joy is in him.

Show us your loving kindness, LORD. Grant us your salvation. Undisputed: steadfast love (mercy) shown; salvation granted.

Hesed and salvation asked together. Attributes and saving help are one petition.

Calvin: Show us thy mercy; grant us thy salvation—mercy and deliverance joined in the asking.

The people ask for steadfast love and salvation. Covenant love is the fountain of the rescue sought.

I will hear what God, the LORD, will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, his saints; but let them not turn again to folly. Wesley: Will hear—diligently observe; Peace—answer of peace; Saints—not all called God's people, only those truly such. God speaks peace to people/saints; folly must not return.

Listen for the LORD's answer. Peace is promised to true saints; do not turn again to folly.

Calvin: I will hear what God Jehovah will speak; surely he will speak peace to his people and meek ones; they will not turn again to folly—peace conditioned on not relapsing.

Hear what God speaks; peace to saints; no return to folly. Attention and holiness answer peace spoken.

Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. Wesley: His salvation—complete Messianic redemption; Daniel's seventy weeks begun; Glory—glorious presence, and Christ the brightness of the Father's glory. No dispute here: salvation near to fearers; glory dwelling in the land.

Wesley presses Messianic fullness—glory as Christ among his people.

Calvin: salvation near to them that fear him though God seems far; glory dwell in the land opposite ruinous reproach—encourages repentance under oppression. Many also read kingdom-of-Christ hope for the Church's restoration.

Salvation near those who fear; glory in the land. Fear and hope meet; covenant faithfulness is not absent when slow.

Steadfast love and truth meet together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Wesley: Kissed—Christ's redemption manifests mercy, truth in sending the Son, righteousness (sin punished on the Son; righteousness conferred), and peace of reconciliation. Both affirm: hesed and truth meet together. Righteousness and peace kiss each other.

Four virtues embrace in redemption's work. Celebrate the meeting without divorcing justice from peace.

Calvin: mercy and truth meet; righteousness and peace kiss—fruits of reconciliation; cordially embraces reading these as marks of Christ's kingdom; blessings flow from God, not human praise. Whether mercy/truth refer to God or gift, true happiness needs these virtues reigning.

Steadfast love and truth meet together. Righteousness and peace kiss. Grace's fruits, supremely under Christ.

Righteousness has looked down from the sky. Wesley: Truth—among men; Righteousness—God's justice satisfied; smiling countenance on sinners. Faithfulness from below; righteousness from above.

Earth and sky agree in the restored order. Truth among people; righteousness from heaven.

Calvin: truth springs from earth; righteousness looks from heaven—universally diffused above and beneath; not assigning contrary things but filling all corners with these qualities.

Faithfulness from the ground; righteousness from the sky. Heaven and earth stocked with God's order.

Yes, the LORD will give that which is good. Our land will yield its increase. Where they meet: the LORD gives good; land yields increase.

Material increase under spiritual reconciliation. Receive good as gift, not as the only hope.

Calvin: Jehovah grants prosperity; land yields increase—completeness of blessedness; bodily provision a further proof of fatherly love, kept within bounds so hearts are not stuffed asleep; earth fruitful yearly by God's secret influence—not a distant clockmaker at ease.

LORD gives good; land yields. Covenant care includes daily bread without making it ultimate.

Righteousness goes before him, and prepares the way for his footsteps a way. Wesley: Before him—as harbinger; fulfil all righteousness; advance holiness; Set us—cause us to walk in his righteous ways. Shared close: righteousness precedes him and prepares the way of his steps.

Follow the path righteousness clears. Walk in the ways he walks.

Calvin: righteousness goes before him and sets steps in the way—order under Christ's reign by God's appointment; chief blessedness is moral order, not stuffed bellies; righteousness' free course attributed to God.

Righteousness goes before; footsteps a way. The King walks a prepared path; his people are set in it.