Psalms 117

Psalms 117:1

Blessing For the Land

The doubt of the remnant (Psalms 85:7) gives the LORD the opportunity to teach the remnant about the scope of God’s salvation. After the supplication in the previous verses, the righteous waits for the answer God will give (Psalms 85:8). This expectant attitude after supplication is wonderful and an example for us (cf. Habakkuk 2:1). The righteous knows what God is going to say. He knows this because he knows God’s love for His people.

His people are “His godly ones”. “Godly ones” in Hebrew is chasidim, the plural of chasid, which is derived from Adonai, which is the lovingkindness or ‘covenant faithfulness’. The remnant was in doubt about this and asked the LORD in Psalms 85:7 to show His covenant faithfulness.

In Psalms 85:2-3 they have testified of forgiveness on the basis of the blood of the covenant. In Psalms 85:8 the LORD speaks of peace, He speaks to their hearts – as Joseph once did to his brothers. Then they should not return to the folly of doubting His love. The LORD speaks of peace only to His godly ones, that is, to those who are faithful to His covenant.

God will “speak peace” to those who are still so distressed. Thus God always speaks peace to those who have made peace with Him on the basis of repentance and confession of their sins. In doing so, they must be determined not to “turn back to folly” (cf. Proverbs 28:13b). To return to folly means to return to a state of unbelief, of trusting in idols and of excluding God (Psalms 14:1).

In the light of the New Testament with the application to us, this is not about the peace with God that someone receives at his conversion (Romans 5:1) It is about the peace of God that a believer may experience as he walks in trust and fellowship with God (Philippians 4:7).

The remnant knows for sure, “surely”, that “His salvation is near to those who fear Him” (Psalms 85:9). Salvation is not the portion of everyone, but only of the God-fearing. For them it is “near”, it is imminent and will soon be there. They must hang on a little longer, and then they will fully enjoy salvation in the realm of peace. Associated with this is the fact “that glory may dwell in our land”. If God is feared, that is, if people live in awe of Him – and this will be the case in the realm of peace – this will bring glory to the entire land (cf. Psalms 72:19).

That glory is the blessing and prosperity that will come upon the land. Fundamentally, that glory consists in the Messiah dwelling in the midst of His people. He is their glory (Isaiah 60:1-2; Zechariah 2:5). That glory came to them at Christ’s first coming to earth in Him (John 1:14), but was rejected by them (Isaiah 53:2-3). When He comes to them the second time, His people will confess their sin and He will allow them to share in His earthly glory (Zechariah 12:2; Zechariah 13:1; 9).

This is all the result of Christ’s work on the cross. There “lovingkindness and truth” met and “righteousness and peace” kissed each other (Psalms 85:10). These features are now personified, they are presented as persons, that is, they are present in a strong, emphatic way.

What by sin have become irreconcilable opposites, God has reconciled in Christ on the cross. Lovingkindness always precedes faithfulness or truth (Psalms 25:10; Psalms 89:14; Proverbs 16:6; Proverbs 20:28; cf. John 1:17b). The cause is that on the ground of the truth the people forfeited every right to blessing. They therefore need lovingkindness or grace to still receive the blessing. But it is grace on the basis of truth.

As a result of Christ’s work of reconciliation, “truth springs from the earth” (Psalms 85:11). Since the Fall, the earth has produced thorns and thistles, the symbols of sin (Genesis 3:18). In the regeneration or rebirth of the earth (Matthew 19:28), which is the realm of peace, thorns and thistles disappear (Isaiah 55:13). Through Christ and His death on the cross, everything has been changed. He has become the grain of wheat that fell into the earth and died. Because of this, there is already a spiritual harvest of all who are fruits of His work through faith in Him (John 12:24).

Truth in the realm of peace does not spring from the earth because of man’s righteousness. The righteousness that can connect with faithfulness from the earth comes from heaven. It also means that heaven is now in harmony with earth, as the Lord Jesus puts it in the prayer He taught His disciples to pray: “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10).

This also means that this righteousness is not that of man, but that of God (Romans 3:21), which means that it must be revealed by God. We see this in the realm of peace. The truth that springs from the earth is the truth or faithfulness of God to all His promises, the fulfillment of which is seen in the fullness of blessing on earth. All the earth, yes, all creation, “will be set free from its slavery to corruption” (Romans 8:21).

The blessings of the New Testament believer go far beyond that. The blessings of those who belong to the church are not earthly and material, but heavenly and spiritual. They are blessed “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly [places] in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). But both earthly and heavenly blessings flow from the righteousness of God in Christ in heaven. Heaven is the source of all blessing.

At that time, when righteousness of God in heaven and truth of God on earth are joined together, “the LORD gives what is good” (Psalms 85:12). “What is good” consists of all the good things that God will give to His people. This includes both earthly good things and spiritual good things. One of the good things of the realm of peace is that the “land will yield its produce”.

The Messiah will go through the land. In doing so, “righteousness will go before Him” like a herald goes out before a king (Psalms 85:13). That righteousness will be seen therein that He makes “His footsteps into a way”. The remnant may follow Him. All they have to do is put their footsteps in those of the Messiah. The way the remnant goes is the way the Messiah first went in righteousness.

Righteousness is the hallmark of the realm of peace par excellence. The LORD will then be the true Melchizedek, the King of righteousness. The LORD will then be Yahweh Tzidkenu or “the LORD our righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:6d). When He rules on earth, righteousness will rule all the earth (Isaiah 32:1a).

When the Messiah reigns, justice will no longer turn back and truth will no longer stumble in the streets, as it does today (Isaiah 59:14). Justice has returned to earth in Christ and reigning happens in truth. “And the work of righteousness will be peace, and the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever” (Isaiah 32:17).