Table of Contents
Background and Context
Psalm 85 is a community prayer from the “Sons of Korah,” written by a people who have experienced a great deliverance but are still waiting for the fullness of God’s blessing. The language of the psalm, particularly the opening line, “You, LORD, showed favor to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob,” strongly suggests a post-exilic setting. The people have returned to their homeland after the long and painful Babylonian exile, but the restoration is incomplete.
While they are physically back in the land, they are still struggling with economic hardship, opposition from neighbors, and a lingering sense that God’s full, favorable presence has not yet returned. The temple may be rebuilt, but the glory has not yet filled the land.
The psalm is therefore a beautiful and poignant prayer for revival. It looks back in gratitude for the restoration that has begun, laments the difficulties of the present, and looks forward with prophetic hope to a day when God’s salvation will be fully realized, bringing a harmonious blend of love, faithfulness, righteousness, and peace to the land.
Theological Themes
This psalm is a rich theological reflection on the nature of restoration and the character of God.
The “Already and Not Yet” of God’s Salvation: The psalm perfectly captures the tension of a salvation that has begun but is not yet complete. The people praise God because He has restored their fortunes and forgiven their sin (verses 1-3). Yet, they plead with Him to “restore us again” and “revive us again” (verses 4, 6). This is a picture of the “already and not yet” that characterizes the life of faith. We celebrate the salvation we have received, while still longing for the full restoration that is to come.
Revival is a Sovereign Work of God: The central plea of the psalm is, “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” (verse 6). The psalmist understands that true revival—a fresh outpouring of spiritual life, joy, and the sense of God’s presence—is not something that can be manufactured by human effort. It is a gracious and sovereign work of God.
Listening for God’s Word of Peace: A pivotal moment in the psalm occurs when the psalmist shifts from speaking to listening: “I will listen to what God the LORD says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants” (verse 8). This demonstrates that a key to revival is to stop and listen for God’s voice, trusting that He desires to speak a word of peace and salvation to those who fear Him.
The Beautiful Harmony of God’s Character: The climax of the psalm is a magnificent vision of God’s attributes working in perfect harmony to bring about salvation. “Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other” (verse 10). In a world where it seems that justice and mercy are often in conflict, the psalmist sees a future where God’s salvation satisfies the demands of His righteousness while also fulfilling the desires of His love, resulting in true and lasting peace. This vision is ultimately fulfilled in the cross of Christ.
Literary Structure and Genre
Psalm 85 is a community lament that beautifully transitions into a prophetic oracle of hope. Its structure is a clear progression through time.
- Part 1: Looking Back in Gratitude (verses 1-3): The psalm begins by remembering God’s past acts of grace in forgiving His people and bringing them back from exile.
- Part 2: Crying Out in the Present (verses 4-7): The psalm moves to the difficult present reality, pleading with God to remove His lingering displeasure and to send a full revival.
- Part 3: Looking Forward in Hope (verses 8-13): The psalmist listens for and receives a prophetic word of assurance, describing the glorious future that awaits the people of God.
Verse by Verse Commentary on Psalm 85
Verses 1-3: Remembering God’s Past Mercy
“You, LORD, showed favor to your land; you brought back the captive ones of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins. You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger.”
The psalm begins by building a foundation of faith on the bedrock of God’s past actions. The psalmist leads the community in remembering God’s recent, great deliverance. God has already brought them back from captivity. He has already dealt with the root cause of their exile by forgiving their iniquity and covering their sins. The language here points to a full and gracious pardon. Because the sin has been dealt with, God’s wrath has been set aside. This look back is an act of faith, reminding God and the people that He is a God who restores and forgives.
Verses 4-7: Pleading for Present Revival
“Restore us again, God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us. Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations? Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, LORD, and grant 1us your salvation.”
Having remembered God’s past grace, the psalmist now turns to the difficult present. The word “again” is key. “Restore us again.” “Revive us again.” They need a fresh touch from God. They still feel the effects of His displeasure and ask the agonizing question, “How long?” The central plea is for revival—a renewal of spiritual life from God that will restore their joy. The prayer is simple and beautiful: show us your unfailing love (hesed) and give us your salvation.
Verses 8-13: Envisioning a Glorious Future
“I will listen to what God the LORD says; he promises peace to his people… Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other… The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness will go before him and prepare the way for his steps.”
The tone shifts dramatically from pleading to listening. The psalmist waits in confident expectation for God’s word, and what he hears is a promise of peace and salvation for those who fear God. The ultimate goal is that God’s glory would once again dwell in their land.
Verses 10-11 contain the psalm’s breathtaking vision. The coming of God’s full salvation is pictured as a joyful reunion of four divine attributes. God’s Love (hesed) and His Faithfulness (’emet) will meet. His Righteousness (tsedeq) and His Peace (shalom) will embrace and kiss. These are not in conflict. Faithfulness will spring up from the earth (perhaps signifying the people’s faithful response), and Righteousness will look down from heaven like the sun.
When this divine harmony is realized, the effects will be total. God will give what is good, and the land will produce a bountiful harvest (verse 12). God’s own Righteousness will act as a herald, going before Him to prepare the way for His coming (verse 13).
Practical Lessons for Today
Ground Your Prayers in God’s Past Faithfulness: When you are praying for a present need, it is powerful to begin by remembering and thanking God for what He has already done. Recounting His past acts of forgiveness and deliverance builds your faith to ask for His help again.
It is Right to Pray for Revival: Just like the post-exilic community, we can find ourselves in a state of spiritual dryness, where we know we have been saved but lack the joy and vitality of God’s presence. Psalm 85 gives us a model for how to pray for personal and corporate revival, asking God to “revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you.”
Learn to Listen in Prayer: Prayer is not just about speaking to God; it is also about listening for His response. The psalmist made a conscious choice to stop talking and start listening. We too need to build quiet moments of listening into our prayer lives, expecting to hear God’s promise of peace.
The Cross is Where Righteousness and Peace Kiss: The beautiful vision of Psalm 85:10 finds its ultimate fulfillment at the cross of Jesus. At the cross, God’s perfect righteousness and justice against sin were fully satisfied. At the same time, God’s unfailing love and faithfulness were displayed, and true peace was made between God and humanity. The cross is the place where all of God’s attributes meet in perfect harmony.
Cross References
Ezra 9:8-9: “But now, for a brief moment, the LORD our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage.” Ezra’s prayer captures the same “already and not yet” feeling of Psalm 85—gratitude for a partial restoration, but a deep awareness that the people are still in a state of great need.
Habakkuk 3:2: “LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.” The prophet Habakkuk, like the psalmist, looks back to God’s past deeds and prays for a new work of revival and mercy in his own difficult times.
Romans 3:25-26: “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement… he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” The Apostle Paul theologically explains the vision of Psalm 85:10, showing how in the cross, God demonstrated His righteousness (justice) while at the same time extending His mercy (justification).
Isaiah 32:17: “The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.” The prophet Isaiah makes the same connection as the psalmist, showing that true and lasting peace (shalom) is the direct result of God’s righteousness (tsedeq).