For the music director; written by the Korahites, a psalm.
This song was written for the music director of the Levites. It was written by the Korahites, which could have been written at any time from the time of David to Nehemiah. The Levites sang this song at the Jewish festivals.
85:1 O Lord, you showed favor to your land; you restored the well-being of Jacob.
Many commentators suggest that this song was written after the Babylonian captivity. A stronger possibility is that this is a prophetic song looking to the return of Israel into their land at the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom.
85:2 You pardoned the wrongdoing of your people; you forgave all their sin. (Selah)
God will forgive “all” of the sin of Israel. The major national sin of Israel was rejecting their Messiah. They will not be pardoned for this national sin until the Millennial Kingdom. The author asked the congregation to meditate and think about this biblical doctrine.
85:3 You withdrew all your fury; you turned back from your raging anger.
God will withdraw “all” of His fury at the end of the Great Tribulation.
85:4 Restore us, O God our deliverer! Do not be displeased with us!
Only 60,000 Jews returned after the Babylonian Captivity. All of the Jews who survive the Great Tribulation (1/3 of them) will be completely restored. The 1/3 of the Jews who make it in the Millennial Kingdom will never displease God again.
85:5 Will you stay mad at us forever? Will you remain angry throughout future generations?
After the Babylonian Captivity, God was angry at Israel plenty of times. He sent prophets such as Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi to warn Israel of their sin. John the Baptist, Jesus, Peter, Paul, John, and Jude gave the same warnings to Israel. God will no longer be angry at Israel during the Millennial Kingdom.
85:6 Will you not revive us once more? Then your people will rejoice in you!
Only 60,000 Jews returned to Israel after the Babylonian Captivity. Most of the Jews remained in Babylon in unbelief. The return of Israel in 1948 was a return in unbelief. God will revive Israel once more in belief at the Millennial Kingdom. Then, all of Israel will rejoice in God.
85:7 O Lord, show us your loyal love! Bestow on us your deliverance!
The psalmist asked God to show Israel His loyal love. He asked God to deliver Israel. The deliverance will be from the Antichrist, but it will also be from their debt of sin.
85:8 I will listen to what God the Lord says. For he will make peace with his people, his faithful followers. Yet they must not return to their foolish ways.
There is no peace in Israel today between God and His people, because Israel rejected her Messiah. God will make peace with the Jewish messianic believers during the Millennial Kingdom. They will never return to their foolish ways. Their foolish ways was rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah.
85:9 Certainly his loyal followers will soon experience his deliverance; then his splendor will again appear in our land.
The “loyal followers” are the messianic Jews who will experience deliverance by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ at the end of the Great Tribulation. When the Jews cry out, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” then “all Israel will be saved.” The Shechinah Glory left during the days of Ezekiel, but He will return during the Millennial Kingdom.
85:10 Loyal love and faithfulness meet; deliverance and peace greet each other with a kiss.
Loyal love and faithfulness have never met in the satanic world system. Deliverance and peace have never met each other with a kiss in the satanic world system.
God possesses a loyal love for Israel, because of the promises He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When Israel believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, then Israel will receive deliverance physically from the Antichrist and spiritually from their sins. Then, Israel will have peace with God.
85:11 Faithfulness grows from the ground, and deliverance looks down from the sky.
After the Jewish people on earth believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, then the Lord Jesus Christ will come down from the sky and save Israel from the armies of the Antichrist.
85:12 Yes, the Lord will bestow his good blessings, and our land will yield its crops.
During the Millennial Kingdom, God will restore Israel back to her Garden of Eden conditions.
85:13 Deliverance goes before him, and prepares a pathway for him.
The Hebrew word for “deliverance” is צֶ֭דֶק (tsadik), meaning righteousness. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only One who is righteous. It is His righteous that prepares a path into heaven for believers.