Exploring the title of this Psalm reveals similar origins to
our previous Psalm. Notice:
- “To the Chief Musician”
(KJV) and “For the Director of Music” (NIV)
- “A Psalm for the Sons of Korah” (KJV) and “Of the Sons of Korah. A Psalm.” (NIV)
Today’s Psalm is also another written with the Hebrew poetic
device of rhyming thoughts. Watch for
these rhyming thoughts as we study Psalm 85.
This Psalm reads very much like a song and, as you read, imagine the
Israelites singing it in their worship.
Start reading with verses 1-3. The Psalmist, in these verses, is praising
God for His forgiveness of their idol worship and the restoration of the land back
to His people following having been chastened.
We know that the nation of Israel, throughout the Old Testament, had a
problem with idol worship and that having invaders in their land was a
recurring punishment from God because of it.
Verse 1 is honoring God for His forgiveness to Israel and for restoring
the land back to them as a nation.
Compare the language used in verse 1 with the language used in Ezekiel 39:25,
a point later in time where God had sent His people into extended exile to
address once and for all their problem with idol worship. Similar terminology is used in Ezekiel in
conjunction with forgiving them and returning their land as is used here in
verse 1 which helps us to understand that idol worship is the topic at hand.
We also can see that idol worship is the topic by looking at
verse 3. The Psalmist is referring back
to when Moses asked God to set aside His wrath and not destroy the people of
Israel (Exodus 32:1-14) and God relented.
Read that story now. This
incident was definitely about idol worship.
So, you can see, these first verses in the Psalm are singing God’s
praise that He would forgive a sin as serious as idol worship. Take a moment now to praise God for the
things He has forgiven in your life. Do
you have much to be thankful for in this area of forgiveness?
Verses 4 and 5 are asking God for His forgiveness and
restoration. Verses 6 and 7 follow with
requests for revival. Do you seek
revival in your life? Are you wanting
refreshment in your relationship with the Lord?
This is the recipe right here. It
starts first with confessing our sins to Him and seeking His forgiveness and
restoration. The Bible assures us that
God will forgive our sins if we ask (I John 1:9). We need to put our sins behind us and seek to
start fresh in an obedient life. If we
are willing to do that, we can ask God for revival and He will give us a
freshness in our relationship and a desire to follow Him that is truly joyful. Take a moment now to speak with Him about
this area of your life. Is your life
centered on Him? Does spending time with
Him and serving Him bring you joy?
Look closely at the promise in verse 8. To whom does God promise to bring peace? What are the stipulations? Verses 9 through 13 bring out the idea that
righteousness (acts of obedience) lead to blessings from God. Have you ever thought about the correlation
between God’s blessings upon you and your obedience toward Him? Compare the ideas of this Psalm with Jesus’
teaching in Matthew 6:25-34. Meditate on
this for a few moments and record in your journal what meaning it may have for
your own life.
Responding to God: Think about where you stand today before a
Holy God. Is yours a life of obedience
or is it filled with sin? Ask God to
reveal to you areas of sin that you need to make right and seek His
forgiveness. Ask Him for revival and to
assist you in living more obediently in the future. Praise Him for the sins He has forgiven and
the ones He will forgive in the future.
Further Research: To learn more about Israel’s sin of idol
worship, read Judges 2 and I Kings 12:25-33.
No comments:
Post a Comment