The inscription is To the leader. Of the Korahites, who descended from Levi. II Chronicles 20:19 offers a positive reference. They have an association with Psalms 42, 44-49, and 87-88. It describes it as A Psalm.
In Psalm 85: 1-3, we find a praise hymn, reminding the Lord that he had previously forgiven his people and had done wonderful things for them. The people look to the past to gain firm support now. 1 Lord, you were favorable to your land; you restored [shuv] the fortunes of Jacob. In this case, “shuv” refers to the actions of God that result in the turning of the people. 2 You forgave the iniquity of your people; you pardoned all their sin. Selah 3 You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger. The people of the Lord attribute their current situation to the anger of the Lord at them, an idea we find in Psalm 30:5, where the anger of the Lord is for a moment, while the favor of the Lord is for a lifetime. They long for restoration of a past condition, when God had restored the people of God in the past. Some scholars think of this passage as reflecting similar themes to those of Isaiah 40:1-11, and thus from close to the time of the return of the exiles to their land in 538.
Psalm 85: 4-7 are a supplication arising out of present affliction. 4 Restore us again [shuv], O God of our salvation (yāsha' "to be wide" or "make sufficient") and put away your indignation toward us. Salvation, of course, has a link to the idea of rescue. He is not referring to the experience in which we feel a little encouraged and relieved. Rather, it suggests the experience of something like pulling a log out of a fire.[1] We have times in our lives when salvation is our need too, and it may be for a specific sort of rescue. Though we usually talk about salvation as rescue from sin, the meaning of salvation depends on the nature of the sin in our lives. If sin mires us in guilt, salvation unsticks us with pardon. If sin makes us captive, salvation makes us free. If sin is sickness, salvation is healing. If sin is heading away from God, salvation is heading toward God. It may well be that our private measure of success is to ask of ourselves that if this were the last day of our lives, would we be content with it?[2] 5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations? Psalm 30:5 says, "[The Lord's] anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning." 6 Will you not revive us again (shuv, give us life once again), so that your people may rejoice in you? Certain congregations will be familiar with the old gospel song, "Revive Us Again." Psalm 71:20 is closely parallel: "You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again." Hosea 6:2 says, "After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him." Psalm 51:12 (part of King David's psalm of repentance) says, "Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit." ("Restore" in Psalm 51:2 is from another verbal form of the Hebrew word shuv -- see above regarding its uses in Psalm 85). Psalm 14:7 says, "O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion! When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad." God wants to restore us again, to bring us back to life again spiritually and in other ways. The result is joy. See also Psalm 126:1-2a: "When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then laughter filled our mouth, and shouts of joy filled our tongue with shouts of joy...." (Psalm 126 closely parallels Psalm 85.) We have here the heart of the Psalm. The feeling behind such words is one with which many of us can relate. They feel deeply that they have lost something precious. They want God to restore them. Their restless spirit needs to give way to peace. Saint Augustine had it right when he said, "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you."[3] 7 Show us your steadfast love (hesed), O Lord, and grant us your salvation (‘yesha). Here is the basic supplication of this psalm. If the Lord revives them again, the people will rejoice in the Lord. He asks for the Lord to show steadfast love and grant to Israel salvation].
In Psalm 85: 8-13, in the fashion of a prophetic announcement, the psalm offers God's promised assurance of this good outcome. 8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace (shalom appears in vv. 8 and 10) to his people. So many people want to have peace with God. We can feel alienation and estrangement from God and from people. We want to be at home again. God has already turned toward us. We simply need to turn toward God. Yet, peace is not something we must hope to have in the future. Rather, peace is a deepening of the present. If we do not find it here, in this moment, in this time and place, we will never find it.[4] Shalom is salvation. It can refer to individual well-being and thus does not refer only to social relations. As such, salvation refers not merely to the process of saving but also to the result, to the saved and newly regained life. The wholeness of life that a word like “salvation” denotes is not something one can achieve in the process of time. One may even feel its absence, threatened in the march of history, and with no final security. The salvation of human life depends on the future.[5] II Isaiah declares that persons are beautiful who announce peace and salvation (Isaiah 52:7). Jesus blessed those who make peace, for they are children of God (Matthew 5:9). Paul will emphasize the encouraging nature of this peace in his letter to the Romans. We have peace with God through Jesus Christ (5:1). The rule of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (14:17). His prayer is that the God of hope fill the readers with joy and peace (15:13). The psalm further identifies Israel as to his faithful [hasidim], to those who turn [shuv] to him in their hearts. The Hebrew verbal root shuv appears five times in this psalm. 9 Surely his salvation [‘yesha salvation/deliverance (yesha' appears in vv. 4, 7 and 9)] is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. As the psalmist continues, the focus shifts to the spiritual powers of love and faithfulness, righteousness and peace, as they become messengers of God. The psalm does not focus on material blessing. Verses 10-11, instead of focusing on the material blessing, the poet first focuses on the spiritual powers of love and faithfulness, righteousness and peace, the messengers of God. 10 Steadfast love (mercy, covenant loyalty) and faithfulness will meet.The Psalms regularly extol such kindness and faithfulness, by which we can understand theologically as an expression of the love of God toward humanity.[6] Righteousness (tsedeq) and peace (shalom) will kiss each other. 11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness (tsedeq) will look down from the sky. 12 The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. 13 Righteousness (tsedeq) will go before him, and will make a path for his steps.
[1] Barth, Karl. "Saved by grace" (sermon, August 14, 1955), http://iheartbarth.wordpress.com/tag/karl-barth/. As Karl Barth put it, "To be saved does not mean to be a little encouraged, a little relieved. It means to be pulled out like a log from a burning fire."
[2] My private measure of success is daily. If this were to be the last day of my life would I be content with it? To live in a harmonious balance of commitments and pleasures is what I strive for. --Jane Rule.
[3] (Confessions, Book I, Chapter 1).
[4] Inspired by Thomas Merton.
[5] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 2, 399, referring to G. von Rad article on shalom in TDNT.
[6] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 1, 436.
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