Temporal Mercies of Little Avail Without Such as are Spiritual
S. Conway Psalm 85:1-13 Lord, you have been favorable to your land: you have brought back the captivity of Jacob.… There had been great outward mercies (see vers. 1-3). Probably the wonderful deliverance of Judah, Jerusalem, and Hezekiah from the threatened might of Assyria was the occasion of this burst of thanksgiving. But the psalmist - it may have been Isaiah himself - whilst grateful, indeed, for God's deliverance, as he well might be, was nevertheless sore distressed at the spiritual condition of his countrymen (see Isaiah's denunciations of the wickedness of his people, ch. 1. and passim). There needed, therefore, to be an inward conversion as well as an outward deliverance such as they had experienced. And until this spiritual reformation was brought about, the anger of God rested on them still. Hence the prayer, "Revive us again," etc. In this psalm we have - I. THANKFUL ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF MERCIES RECEIVED, (Vers. 1-3.) II. EARNEST PRAYERS FOR YET GREATER ONES, (Vers. 4-7.) III. CONFIDENT BELIEF THAT THE LORD WILL ANSWER, (Ver. 8) IV. JOYFUL ANTICIPATION OF THE BLESSINGS THE LORD WILL GIVE. (Vers. 9-13) - S.C. Parallel Verses KJV: {To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.} LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob. WEB: Yahweh, you have been favorable to your land. You have restored the fortunes of Jacob.