Psa 85:6 | KingComments | STEP | The glorious situation of the previous verses has not yet arrived. The ten tribes have received the forgiveness, but they don’t yet understand the reality and scope of it properly. We see this in picture in the difficulty the brothers of Joseph had in understanding and accepting the depth and genuineness of Joseph’s forgiveness. The remnant is still far from God’s land. Therefore, they make an urgent appeal to the “God of our salvation” to restore them i.e. to bring them back into the land ( ). They are in the great tribulation, in which they acknowledge God’s indignation toward them because of their iniquity and sins. The question to God, “cause Your indignation toward us to cease”, involves the acknowledgment of its righteousness. It is a demand for grace. The LORD has forgiven them ( ), but they ask for forgiveness again. We see this in pictures in Genesis 50 with the brothers of Joseph ( ). Years after Joseph has forgiven them, they ask again for forgiveness. In the same way, there are many Christians who are not sure of the forgiveness of their sins. They have accepted the Lord Jesus and received forgiveness, but in their lives they are often uncertain because time and again they return to the law and time and again they look to themselves instead of to the Lord’s accomplished work. Surely it cannot be, they continue to ask, that “You will be angry with us forever?” ( ). Surely God cannot prolong His anger “to all generations”, can He? They bow in despair under God’s indignation, experiencing it as endless. Yet in their despair there is also a trace of hope. They speak emphatically to God, saying: You, God, “will You not Yourself revive us again?” ( ). They acknowledge that only God is able to do that. When He does, the result is that His people rejoice in Him. A people who have been made spiritually alive is a people who rejoice in God. They have doubts about their relationship with God. They are asking for God to revive them again. This means that they feel ‘dead’, which means that they do not experience a relationship with God. We hear this in what the father says of the prodigal son ( ) and in what is written of the condition of unbelievers ( ). To live means to have a relationship. “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life” ( ). They passionately appeal to the LORD to show them His “lovingkindness” ( ). Lovingkindness is the translation of the Hebrew word Adonai, which means covenant faithfulness, which means that the blessings, the lovingkindness, are based on the covenant. They make everything dependent on Him. From themselves they expect nothing. The salvation of the realm of peace, for which they so long, must come from Him. He must give it. That is what they beg Him for.

‏ Psalms 85:6

Restore Us

The glorious situation of the previous verses has not yet arrived. The ten tribes have received the forgiveness, but they don’t yet understand the reality and scope of it properly. We see this in picture in the difficulty the brothers of Joseph had in understanding and accepting the depth and genuineness of Joseph’s forgiveness.

The remnant is still far from God’s land. Therefore, they make an urgent appeal to the “God of our salvation” to restore them i.e. to bring them back into the land (Psa 85:4). They are in the great tribulation, in which they acknowledge God’s indignation toward them because of their iniquity and sins. The question to God, “cause Your indignation toward us to cease”, involves the acknowledgment of its righteousness. It is a demand for grace.

The LORD has forgiven them (Psa 85:2-3), but they ask for forgiveness again. We see this in pictures in Genesis 50 with the brothers of Joseph (Gen 50:17). Years after Joseph has forgiven them, they ask again for forgiveness. In the same way, there are many Christians who are not sure of the forgiveness of their sins. They have accepted the Lord Jesus and received forgiveness, but in their lives they are often uncertain because time and again they return to the law and time and again they look to themselves instead of to the Lord’s accomplished work.

Surely it cannot be, they continue to ask, that “You will be angry with us forever?” (Psa 85:5). Surely God cannot prolong His anger “to all generations”, can He? They bow in despair under God’s indignation, experiencing it as endless.

Yet in their despair there is also a trace of hope. They speak emphatically to God, saying: You, God, “will You not Yourself revive us again?” (Psa 85:6). They acknowledge that only God is able to do that. When He does, the result is that His people rejoice in Him. A people who have been made spiritually alive is a people who rejoice in God.

They have doubts about their relationship with God. They are asking for God to revive them again. This means that they feel ‘dead’, which means that they do not experience a relationship with God. We hear this in what the father says of the prodigal son (Lk 15:24a) and in what is written of the condition of unbelievers (Eph 2:1). To live means to have a relationship. “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life” (1Jn 5:11-12).

They passionately appeal to the LORD to show them His “lovingkindness” (Psa 85:7). Lovingkindness is the translation of the Hebrew word Adonai, which means covenant faithfulness, which means that the blessings, the lovingkindness, are based on the covenant. They make everything dependent on Him. From themselves they expect nothing. The salvation of the realm of peace, for which they so long, must come from Him. He must give it. That is what they beg Him for.