Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Psalms · Psalm 85
PSALM LXXXV.
Verſ. 1. LOrd, thou haſt been favourable unto thy land, &c.] That is, Thou haſt formerly of thine own free grace ſhewed mercy to thy people, whom thou didſt plant in the land of Canaan, and amongſt whom thou wert pleaſed to dwell there: thou haſt brought back the captivity of Iacob; that is, thou haſt formerly delivered thy people out of bondage. And it may be meant either of their deliverance out of Egypt (if this Pſalm were compoſed for the uſe of the faithfull, when they were under the Babylonian captivity;) or elſe of their deliverance out of Babylon, (if it were compoſed after that when they were under the tyranny of Antiochus;) or elſe in generall of all former deliverances, when their enemies about them had brought them into bondage. See alſo the Note Pſal. 14.7.
Verſ. 4. Turn us, O God of our ſalvation.] See the Note Pſal. 80.3.
Verſ. 6. Wilt thou not revive us again? &c.] See the Notes Pſal. 71.20, & 80.18.
Verſ. 7. Shew us thy mercy, O Lord.] As if they had ſaid, Be mercifull to us; for on thy mercy alone we depend, and yet hereof for the preſent there is not the leaſt appearance. But ſee the Notes Pſal. 4.6. and 50.23.
Verſ. 8. I will hear what God the Lord will ſpeak, &c.] This may be taken, either as ſpoken by the Pſalmiſt in his own name, or in the name of all the faithful jointly together, as if they were one perſon. And it is added by way of correcting that which went before, as if he had ſaid, What do I mean thus to complain? I will rather patiently with ſtill ſilence wait upon God, & carefully obſerve what God will now doe for us by way of anſwering our prayers, according to the promiſes which he hath made to us in his word. For he will ſpeak peace to his people & to his Saints; that is, doubtleſs he will hear their prayers, & by doing them good will give an anſwer of peace: but let them not return again to folly; to wit, as being warned by their former ſufferings.
Verſ. 9. Surely his ſalvation is nigh them that fear him, &c.] That is, God will ſoon and ſpeedily ſave thoſe that fear him: that glory may dwell in our land; that is, that whereas for a long time together we have been in a very low and diſhonourable condition, our land hath lain untilled, our towns and cities have been deſolate and ruined, our religion, laws and government have been overturned, and our people have been held under bondage, deſpiſed and derided, and looked upon as a people abhorred of God; now we may in all theſe things recover our former glory, eſpecially that the worſhip and ſervice of God may be again ſet up amongſt us in the purity of all his Ordinances, that ſo we may glory in the glorious preſence of God amongſt us, and all men may extoll our happineſſe in theſe regards, as in former times. This is I conceive the full drift of theſe words. But yet many Expoſitours refer them to the time of Chriſts coming into the world, to accompliſh the work of mans ſalvation; Surely his ſalvation is nigh them that fear him, that glory may dwell in our land, that is, that Chriſt may dwell in our land, whoſe glory was as of the only-begotten of the Father, Joh. 1.14. and who was indeed the glory of his people Iſrael, Luk. 2.32.: not only becauſe he deſcended from their ſtock, and becauſe the Goſpel went forth from them into all the world; but eſpecially becauſe through faith in him they had cauſe of glorying in his righteouſneſſe, according to that of the Apoſtle 1 Cor. 1.31. He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord; and becauſe by the word and ſpirit of Chriſt, that glorious image of God whereof they were deprived by ſin, Rom. 3.23. was renewed in them from glory to glory, 2 Cor. 3.18.
Verſ. 10. Mercy and truth are met together, &c.] Here the Pſalmiſt ſets forth how it ſhall be with the people of God, when God ſhall have wrought ſalvation for them, and reſtored them to their former glory, as is expreſſed in the foregoing verſe. And almoſt all Expoſitours refer this to the time of Chriſts kingdome. Mercy and truth are met together; that is, They ſhall then be both mercifull and true and faithfull: righteouſneſſe and peace have kiſſed each other; that is, they ſhall alſo be both juſt in all their dealings, and of a peaceable diſpoſition one towards another. And theſe phraſes, of meeting together and kiſſing each other, are uſed to imply, that theſe graces ſhall every where abound, and be found joyntly together amongſt the people of God, and that one of them cannot be without the other; as we ſee by experience, that without juſtice there can be no peace, &c. Or elſe the meaning may be this, that as God ſhall ſhew mercy to men, ſo men ſhall be true and ſincere in their carriage of themſelves towards God; and as God ſhall be righteous in performing all that he hath promiſed to his people, ſo his people ſhall enjoy ſecret peace of conſcience in regard of God: and ſo theſe ſeverall expreſſions may tend to ſet forth the perfect reconciliation that ſhall be wrought betwixt God and his people. And then again they may be underſtood of the work of mens redemption by Chriſt. For therein it may be ſaid 1. that mercy and truth met together, both becauſe the truth of God in his threatnings againſt man for ſin was made good in the ſufferings of Chriſt, and yet with all mercy was ſhewed to the ſinner, in that ſatisfaction was not required of him in his own perſon; and alſo becauſe in this great act of mercy which was wrought for poor man, there was a declaration of Gods truth in the full performance of all the promiſes, which concerning this he had made to the fathers, ſee Rom. 3.25, 26. and Luk. 1.72, 73: and 2ly, that righteouſneſse and peace have kiſsed each other; both becauſe by Chriſt peace was wrought betwixt God and the poor ſinner, and yet withall Gods righteouſneſſe in the puniſhment of ſin was fully ſatisfied, and likewiſe becauſe by the merits of Chriſt all believers do obtain righteouſneſſe for their juſtification, and peace of conſcience, which muſt needs follow thereupon.
Verſ. 11. Truth shall ſpring out of the earth, &c.] Some Expoſitours do underſtand this alſo of the perſon of Chriſt: Truth, that is, Chriſt, who is the truth Joh. 14.6. shall ſpring out of the earth; that is, ſhall be born upon earth; or ſhall be conceived and born of a woman: and righteouſneſſe shall look down from heaven; that is, Chriſt, who is the righteouſneſſe of God, and the Lord our righteouſneſſe, Jer. 23.6. ſhall come down unto us out of heaven from his Father. But I take it rather to be a prophecy, either 1. of the accompliſhment of Gods promiſes concerning our redemption by Chriſt: Truth shall ſpring out of the earth; that is the truth of God in his promiſes concerning the Meſſiah, which for a long time ſeemed to be as ſeed that is buried under ground, ſhall at laſt ſpring up and appear upon earth, that being there done which God had promiſed: and righteouſneſſe shall look down from heaven; that is, the righteouſneſſe of God in making good that promiſe concerning Chriſt, which was long withheld, ſhall at length appear; or the righteouſneſſe which God hath appointed for the juſtification of ſinners ſhall at length be diſcovered to men from heaven; or 2. rather of the happy condition of Gods people, when God ſhould deliver them from their enemies, but eſpecially under the kingdome of Chriſt, to wit, that truth, which ſeemed formerly to be extinct, ſhould then ſpring up again; and that righteouſneſſe ſhould, through the grace of God, be again found amongſt men: yea that theſe graces of truth and righteouſneſſe ſhould ſo abound amongſt men, as if the earth brought forth nothing but truth, and the heavens rained down nothing but righteouſneſſe; ſo that the Church hereby ſhall be in as flouriſhing and joyfull a condition, as the earth ſeems to be, when being bleſſed from heaven it is filled with a rich and a plentifull encreaſe. But yet ſome do underſtand the firſt clauſe of the truth that is in man, and the ſecond of the righteouſneſſe of God. Truth shall ſpring out of the earth, that is, men ſhall become eminently true and faithfull, both in word and deed: and righteouſneſſe shall look down from heaven; that is, the Lord diſcerning this ſhall righteouſly make good his promiſes to them, and command a bleſſing upon them from heaven.
Verſ. 12. Yea the Lord shall give that which is good, &c.] That is, Together with theſe ſpirituall gifts he ſhall alſo give them every outward bleſſing that may be good for them. Yet ſome reſtrain this to that particular good of the earths encreaſe, which is expreſſed in the following clauſe, and our land shall yield her encreaſe.
Verſ. 13. Righteouſneſſe shall goe before him, &c.] That is, Righteouſneſſe ſhall then flouriſh, and have a free courſe and paſſage in every place. For as the Prophet ſets forth the corruption of thoſe times wherein he lived by this, that there was no place for juſtice, Iſa. 59.14. judgement is turned away backward, and juſtice ſtandeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the ſtreet, and equity cannot enter: ſo here the Pſalmiſt ſets forth the prevailing of righteouſneſſe in thoſe times, when God ſhould return in mercy to his people, by this, that righteouſneſſe ſhould have a free courſe amongſt men, ſo that they ſhould generally walk in the waies of righteouſneſſe, & do that which is juſt and right in Gods eyes. Only we muſt know, that by this phraſe of righteouſneſſe going before him, is implyed, that this change God would make, when he came to viſit his people, & when Chriſt came with his Goſpel to ſet up his kingdome amongſt men; or that by his righteouſneſſe wrought in them the hearts of men ſhould be prepared for God to dwell there. Yet ſome underſtand it of the righteouſneſſe of Chriſts government, that look as the glory of Princes is manifeſted by the pomp of thoſe that go before them to make way for them, ſo Chriſts glory ſhould be manifeſted by the righteouſneſſe of his government. But the firſt expoſition I take to be the beſt, as by the following words we may gather, Righteouſneſſe shall goe before him, and shall ſet us in the way of his ſteps; that is, ſhall cauſe us to walk in his waies. But ſee alſo Pſal. 89.14. and Iſa. 58.8. where the like expreſſions are uſed.