The Bible is a covenantal book. There are several features to a biblical covenant. Among them is a preamble, “I am the Lord your God,” where the king expresses his great power. Then, there is a historical prologue, where the King tells the world what he did and what he controls:[1] “Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” And then, a covenant has blessings and curses; also known as covenantal stipulations.
An example of this is found in Deuteronomy 29-30 where Moses is preparing to send the Israelites into the Promised Land with Joshua. In chapter 29, he warns them that if they betray the Covenant, they will suffer God’s curses/judgment. But in chapter 30, Moses says that when you obey him with all your heart, “he will restore your fortunes and God will have compassion on you.”
Now, there are some other elements to a covenant, but you have just received an introduction to covenant theology: preamble, control, and stipulations. That pattern shows up all over the place. It’s certainly present in Psalm 85.
For roughly seven centuries, Israel had to go through that lesson again and again. Israel rebelled against God, suffered covenant curses, and then repented and received God’s blessings through revival and prosperity in the land.[2]
In the ancient world, the image is given of a vineyard whose grapes grow so juicy and sweet that it bursts and the juice flows down the hills into the valleys bringing blessings far as the curse is found. And when Israel rebels, the image is of a withered vineyard producing sour and unsavory grapes good for nothing.
It seems that this Psalm fits the description of Ezra 1 where God changes Cyrus’ heart and allows some Israelites to go back to Jerusalem. But when they arrive, what do they find? They find a land shattered by war and vineyards are grown wild because of neglect. So, there is a mix of joy and sorrow. And this is where this psalm picks up: Lord, you are the sovereign one who restores blessings and fortunes and grants forgiveness. That’s the preamble. And then the Psalmist gives a bit of historical context. “Yahweh, you have a history of restoration and forgiveness.” And finally, the blessings and curses: “You show anger at times and then you revive.” There are traces of the covenant throughout this psalm.
But central to this psalm is the sincerity of this group of singers for God to revive them.
Restore us, O God of our salvation, And cause Your anger toward us to cease.
In other words, they have experienced covenant curses and blessings, and they have gone through this cycle of anger and love. Israel’s history is a summary of joys and sorrows and songs of lament and jubilation. Now, they just want the stability of a land that will yield increase, where the wine abounds, and where the songs reflect the glories of faithfulness and righteousness and steadfast love. The people want to be surrounded by God’s covenant faithfulness when they wake up in the morning and when they go to bed. They want to come back home and see Israel fruitful: “Thou shalt see they children’s children compassing thy table round.” They don’t want to be in a land where anger and unfaithfulness meet, but rather in a land where steadfast love and faithfulness meet, where righteousness and peace kiss each other.
The context indicates that what this remnant merry band of singers desires is to return to a land no longer in conflict with God’s covenant, but in harmony with it.
When I went back home to Brazil to visit my family in 2012, I had been away for seven years. When I arrived at the airport, they had banners, around 40 of my cousins came to see me; there were lots of kisses and tears. God kept his promises. He restored us. There was shalom all around; an unending amount of food and drinks and stories and laughter and lots and lots of music.
After seven centuries, Israel wants that restoration. They want a welcome home celebration! They have been gone for some time and now they are giving over their lives: past, present, and future into the hands of God. They want to come home to see laughter and kisses again. If the Lord will be faithful to his covenant promises, then that is the only way that good may come. But if Israel continues to be steadfast in her arrogance and pride, God will take them back to that cycle.
The psalmist looks in hope to the day when Messiah Jesus comes and in that inimitable day in history, righteousness and peace kiss each other at Calvary’s tree and the wrath of God is driven away forever and we are restored in this world and in the world to come.
[1] https://www.garynorth.com/public/23420.cfm
[2] Cal Beisner on the Psalms.
