Psalm 85
Psalm 85, Praying for Revival and Restoration
Psalm 85 is titled “To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.” The phrase “To the chief Musician” places the psalm within the ordered worship of Israel. The sons of Korah were Levites from the family of Kohath, and by the time of David they served in the musical ministry of the house of God. 2 Chronicles 20:19, “And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.”
The history of the sons of Korah is a testimony to mercy. Korah rebelled against Moses in the wilderness and came under severe judgment, yet his descendants were not destroyed. Numbers 26:10, “And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, what time the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men, and they became a sign.” Numbers 26:11, “Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not.” The descendants of a judged rebel became worshipers and singers in the congregation of the LORD. That background gives weight to a psalm about restoration, forgiveness, mercy, revival, and renewed favor.
Psalm 85 fits well with the period after Israel’s return from exile, when the people had returned to the land but still lived with hardship, weakness, ruined places, opposition, and the need for fresh restoration. It also fits many seasons in the life of God’s people. The LORD had shown favor in the past, forgiven sin, and turned away wrath. Yet the people still needed present revival. The psalm moves from gratitude for past mercy, to prayer for renewed restoration, to confidence that God will speak peace and bring salvation near to those who fear Him.
A. Gratitude for Favor and Restoration
Psalm 85:1 through Psalm 85:2, Brought Back from Captivity and Sin
Psalm 85:1, “LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land, thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.”
Psalm 85:2, “Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.”
The psalm begins with remembrance of God’s favor. “LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land.” The land is called “thy land.” All the earth belongs to the LORD, but Israel’s land held a special covenant significance. Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof, the world, and they that dwell therein.” Yet the land of Israel was especially connected to God’s promises, His covenant purposes, His people, and His redemptive plan. The psalmist sees the land not merely as national territory, but as belonging to God.
He continues, “thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.” This may refer to return from Babylonian exile, or to another season when God restored His people from oppression or domination. In either case, the point is the same. God had reversed captivity. He had brought His people back. Israel is not merely dreaming of former glory. The psalmist remembers actual past mercies. Remembering past mercy is not nostalgia. It is fuel for prayer.
Verse 2 moves from land and captivity to sin and forgiveness. “Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people.” Restoration is incomplete if sin remains uncleansed. The people did not merely need to return to land, city, temple, or national order. They needed forgiveness from God. Sin is the deeper captivity, and forgiveness is the deeper restoration.
The verse continues, “thou hast covered all their sin.” The psalmist uses two rich images of pardon. First, iniquity is forgiven, carried away, lifted off as a burden. Second, sin is covered, hidden from the sight of judgment. This recalls Psalm 32. Psalm 32:1, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” Psalm 32:2, “Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.”
The word “all” is precious. God covered all their sin. Not some. Not most. Not the respectable sins only. All of it. Every stain, every offense, every rebellion, every act of unbelief, every failure of covenant faithfulness was covered by divine mercy.
Under the Old Covenant, this forgiveness was connected with sacrifice, atonement, and God’s mercy. It pointed forward to the final and complete work of Christ. Hebrews 10:10, “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 10:11, “And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.” Hebrews 10:12, “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.”
The verse ends with “Selah.” The forgiveness of sin deserves meditation. A people forgiven by God should pause, consider, worship, and remember the mercy that covered all their sin.
Psalm 85:3, Rescued from God’s Righteous Anger
Psalm 85:3, “Thou hast taken away all thy wrath, thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.”
The psalmist now gives thanks that God’s wrath has been taken away. “Thou hast taken away all thy wrath.” Sin provokes righteous wrath. God’s anger is not like sinful human rage. It is His holy opposition to evil. Israel had known divine displeasure because of covenant unfaithfulness, but the psalmist remembers that God had turned wrath away.
Again the word “all” matters. “All thy wrath” has been taken away. The work is complete. The people are not left under half wrath and half mercy. God has turned from the fierceness of His anger.
This points forward to propitiation, the satisfaction of God’s righteous wrath through sacrifice. The fullest answer is the cross of Christ. Romans 3:24, “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:25, “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.” 1 John 2:2, “And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
The verse also says, “thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.” The relief is great because the anger was fierce. To be under God’s anger is terrifying. To know that His anger has been turned away is peace. The believer’s peace is not built on pretending sin is small. It is built on God providing true atonement and turning away wrath in righteousness.
B. Prayer for Continued Favor and Restoration
Psalm 85:4 through Psalm 85:5, A Prayer for Restoration
Psalm 85:4, “Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.”
Psalm 85:5, “Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?”
After remembering past restoration, the psalmist now prays for present restoration. “Turn us, O God of our salvation.” The prayer is not merely, change our circumstances. It is, turn us. God’s people need inward restoration, repentance, renewed obedience, and revived affections. If God turns the people, then their condition can also be turned.
He calls God “the God of our salvation.” This is the ground of the prayer. God is not approached as a distant deity, but as the One who saves. The psalmist asks the saving God to continue His saving work among His people.
He continues, “and cause thine anger toward us to cease.” Verse 3 remembered that God had taken away wrath in the past. Verse 4 asks God to do it again in the present. Past mercy becomes the argument for fresh mercy. The prayer is, Lord, You have restored before, restore again. You have turned wrath away before, turn it away again.
Verse 5 asks, “Wilt thou be angry with us for ever?” This is the cry of a people who feel the weight of divine displeasure. They know God is righteous. They do not deny their sin. But they ask whether anger will continue forever. The question is not unbelief rejecting God. It is faith appealing to God’s covenant mercy.
He adds, “wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?” The psalmist is concerned not only for the present people, but for future generations. Will this spiritual low condition continue indefinitely? Will the children inherit only the sorrow of divine displeasure? The prayer longs for restoration that will bless the people now and those who come after them.
Psalm 85:6 through Psalm 85:7, A Prayer for Revival
Psalm 85:6, “Wilt thou not revive us again, that thy people may rejoice in thee?”
Psalm 85:7, “Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.”
Verse 6 is one of the great prayers for revival in Scripture. “Wilt thou not revive us again?” Revival means renewed spiritual life among God’s people. The wording assumes that the people once had life and blessing, but now need fresh life again. They are not asking for a man made campaign. They are asking God to breathe life into His people.
Revival is God’s work. Men may preach, pray, repent, gather, and seek the LORD, but only God can revive. Spiritual life cannot be manufactured by organization, emotion, music, personality, or human strategy. God must revive.
The prayer also teaches when revival is needed. Revival is needed when God’s people remember past mercies but sense present coldness. Revival is needed when there is a cloud of divine displeasure, lack of blessing, spiritual dullness, weakened obedience, and diminished joy in God. Revival is needed when God’s people are alive in name but weakened in spiritual power.
The purpose is stated, “that thy people may rejoice in thee.” True revival does not merely produce excitement, numbers, activity, or reputation. It produces joy in God. The people rejoice not merely in the gifts, but in the Giver. They rejoice in the LORD Himself.
This is important. Revival is not merely people rejoicing in church activity, emotional experience, visible results, or personal improvement. It is God’s people finding their joy in Him. Habakkuk 3:17, “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls.” Habakkuk 3:18, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
Verse 7 says, “Shew us thy mercy, O LORD.” Revival is mercy. It is not earned. It is not deserved. It is not owed. When God revives His people, He does so because He is merciful.
The verse concludes, “and grant us thy salvation.” Salvation belongs to God. Jonah confessed this truth. Jonah 2:9, “But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving, I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.” Revival and salvation are not human achievements. They are divine gifts.
This prayer should be used by God’s people in every generation. Pray for pastors to be revived, strengthened, protected from temptation, filled with faith, and empowered in preaching. Pray for congregations to be revived, awakened, humbled, unified, and made hungry for the Word of God. Pray for other churches in the community. Pray for the lost, that the Spirit of God would convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. John 16:7, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth, It is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” John 16:8, “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.”
C. Confidence in God’s Response
Psalm 85:8 through Psalm 85:9, Hearing God’s Word of Peace
Psalm 85:8, “I will hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints, but let them not turn again to folly.”
Psalm 85:9, “Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.”
After praying, the psalmist takes the posture of listening. “I will hear what God the LORD will speak.” Prayer must not be only speech toward God. It must also include surrender to what God speaks. The one who prays for revival must be willing to hear and obey the Word of God. Revival cannot be separated from submission to Scripture.
He says, “for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints.” The psalmist is confident in God’s goodness. God’s answer to repentant, surrendered people is peace. This peace is not shallow comfort that ignores sin. It is peace grounded in forgiveness, restoration, and renewed covenant favor.
The gospel itself is the word of peace through Jesus Christ. Acts 10:36, “The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ, he is Lord of all.” True peace comes when God speaks pardon, reconciliation, and salvation through Christ.
Yet there is also a warning, “but let them not turn again to folly.” Revival must not be followed by relapse into foolishness. God’s people must not return to the sins that brought them low. Folly in Scripture is not mere silliness. It is moral and spiritual rebellion. To turn again to folly is to return to unbelief, disobedience, idolatry, and self rule after receiving mercy.
Verse 9 says, “Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him.” Salvation is near to those who fear God. The fear of the LORD is reverence, submission, awe, and obedient trust. Those who fear Him do not treat His mercy lightly. They receive peace and walk humbly before Him.
The purpose is “that glory may dwell in our land.” When God restores His people, His glory dwells among them. The land that had known shame can again know glory. This is more than political or material restoration. The greatest blessing is the presence and glory of God among His people.
Psalm 85:10 through Psalm 85:13, The Good Righteousness of God
Psalm 85:10, “Mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other.”
Psalm 85:11, “Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven.”
Psalm 85:12, “Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good, and our land shall yield her increase.”
Psalm 85:13, “Righteousness shall go before him, and shall set us in the way of his steps.”
Verse 10 is one of the most beautiful statements of salvation in the Psalms. “Mercy and truth are met together.” Mercy and truth might seem to stand in tension. Mercy desires pardon. Truth demands that sin be acknowledged and judged. In God’s salvation, they meet. God does not save by denying truth, and He does not uphold truth by excluding mercy. In Him, mercy and truth come together perfectly.
The word translated “mercy” carries the idea of God’s covenant love, loyal love, grace, and steadfast kindness. This anticipates the fullness of grace and truth revealed in Christ. John 1:14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:17, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
The verse continues, “righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Righteousness and peace also might appear opposed. Righteousness demands judgment against sin. Peace offers reconciliation. In God’s saving work, they are not enemies. They kiss. They are perfectly reconciled.
This is fulfilled at the cross. God did not ignore sin in order to make peace. He judged sin in Christ so that peace could be given righteously. Paul explains this in Romans. Romans 3:26, “To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness, that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” God remains just, and He justifies the one who has faith in Jesus. No human court could solve this problem. Only God could be both perfectly righteous and perfectly merciful.
Verse 11 says, “Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven.” The picture is creation itself responding to God’s salvation. Truth springs upward from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. Heaven and earth are brought into harmony under God’s restoring work.
This points not only to personal salvation, but also to the final restoration of creation. Romans 8:20, “For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope.” Romans 8:21, “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” God’s saving work will ultimately renew not only souls, but the created order itself.
Verse 12 says, “Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good.” God is the giver of good. Restoration, revival, peace, mercy, truth, righteousness, and fruitfulness all come from Him. The verse continues, “and our land shall yield her increase.” When God’s favor rests upon His people, blessing touches the land. Under the Old Covenant, this had direct agricultural and national meaning. The land would produce. The people would be restored. Covenant blessing would be visible.
For believers under the New Covenant, the principle remains that God gives what is truly good, though His blessings are centered in Christ and may not always appear as immediate earthly prosperity. Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.”
Verse 13 closes the psalm, “Righteousness shall go before him, and shall set us in the way of his steps.” Righteousness marks God’s path. Wherever God goes, righteousness goes before Him. His footsteps are not crooked. His way is holy, just, and good.
The final phrase means that God’s righteous path becomes the pathway for His people. He does not merely save them from guilt. He sets them in the way of His steps. Restored people walk in the path of God’s righteousness. Revival produces obedience. Mercy produces holiness. Peace produces faithfulness. Forgiveness leads to walking with God.
Psalm 85 therefore gives a full pattern for praying for revival and restoration. It begins by remembering God’s past favor. It acknowledges forgiven sin and wrath turned away. It asks God to restore again, revive again, show mercy again, and grant salvation again. It listens for God’s word of peace and warns against returning to folly. It ends with the glorious harmony of mercy, truth, righteousness, and peace, fulfilled ultimately in Jesus Christ.
The deepest answer to this psalm is found at Calvary. There mercy and truth met together. There righteousness and peace kissed. There God remained just while justifying sinners. There wrath was satisfied, sin was covered, and peace was spoken through the blood of Christ. In the risen Christ, God’s people have hope for revival, restoration, and final glory.
