PSALM 85

The Kiss of Consummation

Prayer for restoration (vv.1-7)

1 O Yahweh, You showed favor/restored (ratsah) to Your land [1];	You restored (ratsah) the captivity (šĕbût) of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of Your people;	You covered all their sin. Selah.
3 You withdrew all Your fury;	You turned away (šûb) from Your burning anger.
4 Restore (šûb) us, O God of our salvation,	And cause Your indignation toward us to cease.
5 Will You be angry with us forever?	Will You prolong Your anger to all generations?
6 Will You not Yourself revive us again (šûb),	That Your people may rejoice in You?
7 Show us Your lovingkindness, O Yahweh,	And grant us Your salvation.

Listen carefully because God is now speaking to His people (vv.8-9)

8 I will hear what God Yahweh [2] will say;	For He will speak peace to His people,
to His godly ones;	But let them not turn back (šûb) to folly [the LXX has “and they will not return to their folly”]. [3]
9 Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him,	That glory may dwell in our land. (Psalm 72:19; Isaiah 6:3)

Courtship, marriage and consummation (vv.10-13) [4]

10 Lovingkindness and truth/ loyalty/faithfulness [5] have met together;	Righteousness and peace [6] have kissed each other.
11 Truth/loyalty/faithfulness springs from the earth,	And righteousness looks down from heaven.
12 Indeed, Yahweh will give what is good,	And our land will yield its produce.
13 Righteousness will go before Him	And will make His footsteps into a way. [7]

[1] “Land” (˒ereṣ) occurs 19x in the Psalms of Asaph (Psalms 42-49,84,85,87,88).

[2] Other instances where God (˒ēl) is combined with Yahweh are Joshua 22:22; Psalm 118:27; Isaiah 42:5.

[3] Question 175 of the Westminster Larger Catechism uses v.8 as a proof text in answering the question, “What is the duty of Christians, after they have received the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper?”

Answer: “The duty of Christians, after they have received the sacrament of the Lord’ s supper, is seriously to consider how they have behaved themselves therein, and with what success; (Ps. 28:7, Psalm 85:8, 1 Cor. 11:17,30–31)….”

[4] Verses 10-13 is the language of Hosea’s prophecy,

Hosea 2:19-23 (NASB95)
19 “I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, In lovingkindness and in compassion,
20 And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know Yahweh.
21 “It will come about in that day that I will respond,” declares Yahweh. “I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth,
22 And the earth will respond to the grain, to the new wine and to the oil, And they will respond to Jezreel.
23 “I will sow her for Myself in the land. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, And I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they will say, ‘You are my God!’ ”

[5] Lovingkindness and truth are coupled in Genesis 24:27,49; 47:29; Exodus 34:6; Joshua 2:14; 2 Samuel 2:6; 15:20; Psalm 25:10; 61:7; 85:10; 86:15; 89:14; 115:1; Proverbs 3:3; 14:22; 16:6; 20:28.

[6] Peacemaking and righteousness seem to be united to one another in the beatitudes (Matthew 5:9-10). “Peace” and “righteousness” are frequently coupled in the Old Testament (Psalm 34:14-15; 72:2,3,7; 85:10; 119:164-165; Prov.12:20-21; 16:7-8; Isaiah 9:7; 26:2-3; 32:16-18; 48:18; 57:1-2; 60:17; cf. Romans 14:17; Ephesians 6:14-15; 2 Timothy 2:22; Hebrews 7:2; James 3:18; 1 Peter 3:11-12).

[7] Yahweh is walking on the earth just as He did in the Garden of Eden (cf. John 1:14,51; Revelation 21).