Old Testament Commentary - Psalms 85

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 85 The Lord speaks peace to his people—Truth shall spring out of the earth (the Book of Mormon), and righteousness look down from heaven.
To the chief Musician, a Psalm for the sons of Korah.
1 LORD, thou hast been ^afavourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back ^bthe captivity of Jacob. 2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah^a.	2^a Selah Selah is a musical indicator or que. Here it marks when the musician would 'lift up his instrument' and begin to play his music to which the words would of the psalm would be sung. The words prior to the first 'Selah' que would be a spoken background introduction and setting to the sung scriptural hymn.	4^a Moses 3:4-5; Abr. 5:4-5 ^b TG Jesus Christ—Jehovah 5^a TG Nature, Earth ^b TG Spirit Creation ^c TG Creation ^d TG Man, Physical Creation of ^e Moses 3:5
3 Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger. 4 Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine ^aanger toward us to cease.		4^a Moses 3:4-5; Abr. 5:4-5 ^b TG Jesus Christ—Jehovah 5^a TG Nature, Earth ^b TG Spirit Creation ^c TG Creation ^d TG Man, Physical Creation of ^e Moses 3:5
5 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations? 6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?		4^a Moses 3:4-5; Abr. 5:4-5 ^b TG Jesus Christ—Jehovah 5^a TG Nature, Earth ^b TG Spirit Creation ^c TG Creation ^d TG Man, Physical Creation of ^e Moses 3:5
7 Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation. 8 I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak ^apeace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn ^bagain to folly.
9 Surely his ^asalvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. 10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11 ^aTruth shall spring out of the ^bearth^a; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. 12 Yea, the LORD shall give that which is ^agood; and our land shall yield her increase. 13 Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.	11^a Truth shall spring out of the earth Many Jews preceive that this verse, particularly that which they render 'truth springs up from the land, and rightdousness looks down from heaven' as refering to Messiah ben Joseph. Of course that 'truth which springs forth out of the ground' is the Book of Mormon or the record of Joseph to the world. And that righteousness which looks down from heaven is that of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And though Joseph Smith, as well as Moroni, Mormon and all of the other producing prophets afiliated with the Book of Mormon record have aided in the bring forth of the Book of Mormon, the bottom line is that is it by and through and of the power of Christ that it is done. And it is he who is the Messiah ben Joseph, as well as the Messiah ben David, who is the master creator of both the book and of the restoration. And it is to him that we are to look and caution is to be exercised in falsely attributing to Joseph Smith or any other prophet, that they are the Messiah.