Psalms 85:8

THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD

"I will hear what God Jehovah will speak;

For he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints:

But let them not turn again to folly.

Surely his salvation is near them that fear him,

That glory may dwell in our land.

Mercy and truth are met together;

Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

Truth springeth out of the earth;

And righteousness hath looked down from heaven.

Yea, Jehovah will give that which is good;

And our land shall yield its increase.

Righteousness shall go before him,

And shall make his footsteps a way to walk in."

As McCullough noted, "This section has been thought to be eschatological by Kittel and Oesterley; and it must be admitted that the words here have an absolute character and even an eschatological coloring, justifying the choice in the Book of Common Prayer of this psalm as a `proper psalm' for Christmas Day."[9]

"Let them not turn again to folly" (Psalms 85:8). This was a warning to Israel, and also to all men, that returning to folly could result only in God's disapproval and condemnation.

Alas, Israel did not heed this. Instead of clinging faithfully to God and constructing that magnificent temple envisioned in the last few chapters of Ezekiel, which God intended to be a vast center for the evangelization of the whole world, Israel returned with all their hearts (as a people) to their former transgressions, with only one variation. They never again worshipped pagan gods; but otherwise, their unrighteous conduct was an outrage against God and mankind.

The judicial hardening of the nation as a whole, which had been prophesied by Isaiah, came to its dreadful climax. They recognized Jesus Christ as the Messiah, but, because he was not the kind of Messiah they wanted, they maneuvered his crucifixion by means of suborned testimony, political intimidation, and mob violence.

As a result of this "return to folly" on Israel's part, God finally rejected the Old Israel, replaced it with the New Israel "in Christ," and ordered the total destruction of Jerusalem, the temple, and the whole religious apparatus of the Hebrews. This occurred in 70 A.D.

"That glory may dwell in our land" (Psalms 85:9). The reference here is to the "glory of the presence of the Lord in our land," This surely implies a time when the Lord was not dwelling in the Jerusalem temple. A legitimate deduction from this is that, "The date might be somewhere between 587,516 B.C."[10]

"Mercy and truth are met together ... righteousness and peace have kissed each other" (Psalms 85:10). The RSV here changes the tenses to future, indicating the prophetic nature of the verses. Thus we have, "will speak" (Psalms 85:8), "will meet," and "will kiss" in Psalms 85:10, etc. This supports the view that the thought here looks to the coming of the Son of God.

The picture here of universal harmony between heaven and earth and the Lord's giving of that which is "good" (Psalms 85:12), the earth yielding its increase, and all of the glorious conditions described here as having come to pass - all of this seems to speak of the New Heaven and the New Earth spoken of by the apostle Peter (2 Peter 3:13).

Such an inspired vision as this must surely have come as a great encouragement to the little band of discouraged Israelites who were struggling with the problems of rebuilding the ravaged city of Jerusalem and constructing the Second Temple. It was God's pledge that the "glory" longed for in Psalms 85:9 would indeed come to pass.

God's promise, "I will fill this house (the Second Temple) with glory ... and in this place will I give peace (Haggai 2:7,9) illuminates what is written here ... The glory that had departed would return; God would be resident again.[11]

Yes indeed, God Himself in the person of The Only Begotten Son would appear in that temple which seemed so small and insignificant to those who built it. Little children would sing Hosanna's in the Highest to Jesus Christ within its precincts (Matthew 21:9).

"Righteousness shall go before Him, and shall make his footsteps a way to walk in" (Psalms 85:13). This says that righteousness shall go before God; and the only time that ever happened on earth was the instance in which Jesus Christ lived his life during the incarnation before God during his earthly ministry. All of the absolute righteousness this earth ever saw was that of Jesus Christ our Lord. He is truly "The Righteousness of God."

"And shall make his footsteps a way to walk in" (Psalms 85:13). If there had been any doubt of our interpretation of the preceding clause, this would have removed it. Who, besides Jesus Christ, ever established footsteps as a way for men to walk in? "Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow his steps" (1 Peter 2:21)."