Psalm 85 (Summer in The Psalms)

Summer in the Psalms.

Introduction.

Psalm 85 is a psalm we are very familiar with at Rosskeen Free Church and it is one that we sing often. We usually sing it when we are asking God to “revive” our congregation once more. It is very much a psalm about “new begginings”

When Gods people in OT times returend from the Exile in Babylon under the decree of Cyrus, they got about to rebuilding the Temple after a period of time. But those who remebered the Glory of the first temple wept and cried at the new temple for they did not think it could hold a candle to the first in Glory and Splendeour and they needed to be encouraged as they looked once more to for God to fill the Temple with his Glory.

How ought Gods people to pray when they are downcast and looking for God to bring revival?

Psalm 85 gives us some steps to help guide our prayers

James montgomery Boice has suggested 4 steps based on the 4 Stanzas in the NIV that Christians can take together as wee seek the Lord to revive our Spirits.

1) We can Remember God’s Past Mercy.

Psalm 51 says

We often like to put hastagged blessed our social media when we have good health, a good jobn and praise from our employer and friends. But do we really think about how blessed we are to have our sins forgiven by God. The have been delivered from Judicial wrath because of the atoning work of God the Son.

“Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit”

The key word here is psalm 85 is וכסו] Kasah which means to cover over, it is the same word used for the cover of the Ark of the Covenant. The ark of the covenant contained the commandments of God. Once a year the cover of the Ark (also known as the mercy seat) would be sprinkeld with blood to make atonement for isreals sins and yet we are also told that the blood of bulls and lambs could never truly take atone for sin, a far greater sacrifice was needed. Through Christs atoning death on the cross our sins are covered by his blood. This is what atonement means, Jesuus by his sacrificial death propitiates Gods wrath towards us as our sins are covered by his blood. The Idea is that our offenses have been removed.

This should be enough to encourage our hearts, If God did not spare his own son how much more will he give us all things,

We can pray for restoration and revival.

Psalm 85:4–7 NIV

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 us your salvation.

Restore

Gods people found themselves in the posaition they did in exile because of their sin, yet they also found themselves back in the promised land because God restored them. Sin Is the great destroyer of all that is good, but God is the the great restorer. Sin causes us to loose many things, how many relationships in our lives have been broken and fractured because of sin, But God can give new opportunities and new blessings.

Revive

Revive means to resurrect or make alive. It implies that the people were alive once, have died in a spiritual sense, and now need to be given spiritual life again, that is what these people needed even after they had been restored. We can restore our buildings, our finances, reconstruct our reach and influence, we can strategise all of which is really important, but what we really need is revival.

Wait on God

We wait on God to answer. Psalm 85:8

Having reminded himself of God’s past mercies and having prayed for a renewal of those mercies in his own day, the psalmist waits for God to answer The text says, “I will listen to what God the Lord will say.”

We hold on to God’s promises.

Psalm 85:10–13 NIV

Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.

God had promised peace, to his people He reminded himself that Gods salvation is near to those who fear him. and he looks ahead to what God has pomised in the future, Mercy and Truth will come together,

When did this happen? At the cross of Calvary. When Jesu christ made atonement for our sins God was able both to satisfy the demands of his righteousness and at the same time to show mercy to those who have fallen short of his just standards.

For God made him who knew no sin to be sin so that we might become the rightousness of God. 2 Cor 5:21

2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The New International Version Psalm 85

12 The LORD will indeed give what is good,

and our land will yield its harvest.

13 Righteousness goes before him

and prepares the way for his steps.

Its very important that we do not draw I direct line from the experiences of ancient Isreal to our nation of Scotland. The Nation of Scotland is simply that a nation not a covnant people. Yet there is no doubt that our Land of Scotland which used to be known as the land of the book has been blessed by God in the past as is embraced Christ and his word, and we long to see our beloved nation blessed by God again as his church here is revived.

When God’s people live in faithful obedience to God and are blessed by him. When that happens salvation has indeed come to a people and the glory of God dwells in their land as he lives among his people.

The New International Version Psalm 85

12 The LORD will indeed give what is good,

and our land will yield its harvest.

13 Righteousness goes before him

and prepares the way for his steps