Psalm 85 (84):13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The title reads, "A Psalm of the End for the Sons of Korea." We should grasp no purpose other than that which the Apostle highlights: Christ is the culmination of the Law. Romans 10:4 In placing these words at the psalm's beginning, he steers our hearts toward Christ. If we focus on Him, we will not be led astray, for He embodies the Truth we seek and is the Path (John 14:6) upon which we journey. The prophet speaks of future events using language that suggests they have already occurred, as with God, the future is as good as done. "Lord, You have favored Your land" Psalm 83:1 implies a completed action. "You have rejected the captivity of Jacob," refers to the ancient nation of Jacob, Israel, descended from Abraham, and meant to inherit God's promises. This was indeed a nation to whom the Old Testament was delivered; yet in that Old Testament, the New was anticipated: such was the representation, such was the testimony of truth. This representation foretold a promised land for the people in the territory where the Jews resided, where the city of Jerusalem stands, widely recognized. When they possessed this land, they faced numerous adversities from neighboring enemies. Their sins against God led to their captivity—not for destruction but as correction; their Father disciplined them, not condemning them. After being taken captive, they experienced freedom repeatedly; even now, they remain captive for a profound sin: the crucifixion of their Lord. What then do we make of the phrase, "You have rejected the captivity of Jacob"? This psalm proclaims in song. "You have rejected the captivity of Jacob." To whom does it refer? It points to Christ; for it states, "the end of the children of Koreth," because He has relieved Jacob from captivity. Hear Paul's own declaration: "I am a wretched man; who will deliver me from this body of death?" He questioned who it might be, and instantly recognized the answer: "the grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 7:24-25 This divine grace the prophet attributes to our Lord Jesus Christ: "You have turned away the captivity of Jacob." Contemplate closely the captivity of Jacob; recognize that it is this: "You have turned away our captivity, not merely by freeing us from unkind enemies we never encountered, but by liberating us from our transgressions and sins, through which Satan held sway over us. For if a man is liberated from his sins, the stronghold of sin has no domain over him.

How then did He turn away Jacob’s captivity? Observe that this deliverance is spiritual, manifesting within. "You, O Lord, have pardoned the iniquities of Your people; You have concealed all their sins." Psalm 83:2 This signifies how He removed their captivity by erasing iniquity: iniquity had them bound; your iniquities are forgiven, thus, you are liberated. Therefore, confess your captivity to be deemed worthy of salvation; for how can one call upon the deliverer if he does not recognize his enemy? "You have concealed all their sins." What does it mean, "You have concealed"? It implies not that You cannot see them. But how can You consciously overlook them? So as not to execute vengeance upon them. You chose not to observe our sins, thus You did not see them, for You deliberately overlooked them: "You have concealed all their sins." "You have calmed all Your anger; You have turned away Your wrath." Psalm 84:3

Even as the prophet speaks of the future, though the words seem to have faded, he continues: "Restore us, O God of our salvation." Psalm 83:4 How is it that he prays for what he has just proclaimed as if it has already transpired, if not to emphasize that he speaks prophetically of the past? What he articulated as still to come, he reinforces by his plea for its realization: "Restore us, O God of our salvation, and turn away Your wrath from us." Did You not previously declare, "You have quelled all Your anger, You have turned away Your wrath"? So now, why do You say, "Turn away Your wrath from us"? The prophet responds: "I reference these things as fulfilled, for I perceive their imminent realization; given they are not yet fulfilled, I beseech that they may be."

"Do not remain angry with us forever." Psalm 84:5 For through God's wrath we face death, and through His wrath we toil for our sustenance in hardship and sweat. Genesis 3:19 This was the decree upon Adam after his transgression: and Adam symbolizes each of us, for in Adam all die; 1 Corinthians 15:22 The sentence passed upon him extends to all of us. Though we were not yet manifested as ourselves, we existed in Adam; therefore, what transpired with Adam himself impacts us all and leads to our mortality. For the sin of your forebear will not harm you, provided you are transformed, just as it would not harm your father had he changed. But what our lineage inherited before our subjugation to death, came from Adam. What caused this? The frailty of the flesh, the anguish of pains, the affliction of poverty, the chains of death and snares of temptation all manifest in this flesh; and this is the expression of God’s wrath, seen as divine vengeance. Yet, because this was to transpire, we were destined for regeneration and renewal through faith, so all this mortality would be vanquished in our resurrection, and the entirety of man would be restored anew; for as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:22 The prophet sees this and states, "Do not be angry with us forever, nor extend Your wrath upon this generation." The first generation faced mortality due to Your wrath; the second shall find eternity through Your grace.

"O God, You will restore us and revive us." Psalm 84:6 This does not imply that we turn to You alone through our own strength and then You revive us, but that our revival originates from You, along with our conversion, permitting us to experience true life. Your people shall find joy in You. In their wrongdoing, they shall find joy in themselves, and in their righteousness, they will rejoice in You; for previously, when they sought to find joy in themselves, they uncovered sorrow; but now, as all our joy rests in God, who is everlasting, let them rejoice in Him who endures.

Why, dear friends, seek joy in silver? Both your silver and you shall fade, and the order of which will succumb first is uncertain; but certainly, both shall perish. Neither human nor silver can endure perpetually: gold, apparel, homes, money, and even this light itself will similarly vanish. Thus, do not wish to find joy in these transitory matters; rather, rejoice in that light which knows no setting; rejoice in that dawn devoid of yesterday or tomorrow. What is this light? "I, He says, am the Light of the World." John 8:12 He, who declares, "I am the Light of the World," draws you to Himself. When He calls you, He will transform you; when He transforms you, He will heal you; and upon healing you, you will witness your Redeemer, to whom it is claimed, "Show us Your mercy, O Lord, and grant us Your salvation." Psalm 84:7 Your salvation, which is Your Christ. Blessed is the one who receives God’s mercy. He who is able to relinquish pride is the one to whom God shows His mercy. For when God reveals His salvation, He convinces him that all goodness he possesses comes solely from the One who is all good. When a man recognizes that the goodness within him is not his own doing, but the result of divine grace, he will shun pride; devoid of pride, he shall not be exalted; not lifted up, he shall not fall; not falling, he will stand; by standing, he shall hold firm; by holding firm, he shall endure; by abiding, he shall find joy in the Lord his God. The One who created him shall be his delight: this joy no one can spoil, disturb, or take away.

So, John declares in his epistle: "Beloved, we are now sons of God, and it has not yet manifested what we will become." 1 John 3:2 Who among us would not exult if suddenly, while wandering without a sense of belonging and suffering want, he received word, "You are the son of a senator: your father enjoys vast wealth in the family estate; I urge you to return to your father"? Imagine how he would rejoice upon hearing this from someone trustworthy. The Apostle of Christ came to us proclaiming: "You have a Father, you have a homeland, you have an inheritance." Who is that Father? Beloved, we are sons of God. 1 John 3:2 Thus, He has promised to reveal Himself to us. Deliberate, dear friends, on His beauty. All beautiful things you behold and cherish, He has fashioned. If they are beautiful, how beautiful is He Himself? If they are splendid, how majestic is He? Therefore, amid the things we cherish here, let us strive more earnestly for Him; and by esteeming these lesser things, let us direct our love toward Him, that through this love we may, by faith, purify our hearts, so that when His presence comes, our hearts may be pure to receive Him. The light that will be revealed to us must encounter us well; it rests upon our faith. This is what we have proclaimed here: "Grant us Your salvation; grant us Your Christ", that we might perceive and behold Your Christ—not as the Jews viewed Him and crucified Him, but as the angels behold Him and rejoice.

"I will hear." Psalm 84:8 The prophet states that God spoke within him, yet the world outside clamored loudly. Thus, seeking a brief respite from the world’s noise, he turned inward and directed his heart to Him whose voice he perceived within; shutting out the din of life with its earthly burdens and distractions, he expressed: "I will hear what the Lord God speaks within me;" and what does He speak? "For He will declare peace to His people." Hence, the voice of Christ, the voice of God, manifests as peace: it beckons for tranquility. "Ho!" It is professed, "He who is not yet at peace, pursue peace; for what can be better found in Me than peace?" Peace is the absence of conflict. Where there exists no conflict, there is neither contradiction nor resistance—nothing to resist us. Ponder if we are presently, thus, amidst peace; consider if there is no strife with the devil, whether the saints and faithful do not still contend against the evil one. And how do they contend with an unseen foe? They wrestle with their desires, wherein he stirs them towards sin; yet, by refusing to acquiesce to his temptations, they resist even if they remain unvanquished. Therefore, where there is contention, there is not yet peace.

The Lord bestows His goodness. As He declares, in the fullness of His generosity, the Lord will illuminate the inhabitants of the earth. Likewise, we - the spiritual realm - will yield the fruits of righteousness.

He gazed down from the heavens to bestow compassion upon His creation. “And our earth shall yield its fruit.” The truth has emerged from the ground, pertaining to the past. Now it is spoken regarding what is to come: “And our land shall yield its fruit.” Do not lose hope, for He who was once born of Mary is continually reborn within us. “And our land shall yield its fruit.” We possess the ability to bring forth Christ if we so desire. “And our earth shall yield its fruit,” of which the heavenly bread is formed, of which it is declared, “I am the bread of heaven” (cf. Jn. 6:41). A different understanding is this: these portions are bestowed for the Lord to provide goodness. “Our Eden shall yield its fruit.” What was promised at that time is now visibly accomplished.

Once more, the Prophet employed the same expression, indicating that God would extend mercy and compassion, resulting in a harvest for God in accordance with that grace. He was not referring to an overabundance of worldly produce, but rather to the flourishing of virtue.

Observe how strikingly David foretells that the Father will bestow His Son, who embodies goodness. “No one is good,” He asserts, “except God alone.” Symmachus renders this as: “For God will grant the ‘good.’” When it states, “the earth will give its fruit,” it refers to the apostles and other faithful who emerged from Judea. It can be more straightforwardly expressed that following the birth of Christ, God will extend His favor to humanity, resulting in the earth overflowing with blessings.

In continuing to elucidate the sacrament, the prophet proclaims that the Lord will bestow goodness, and our land will produce its harvest. The Father gives His Word, which is why other interpreters assert that He shall bestow goodness, for, as is well known, Christ Himself declared, “No one is good but God alone” (Lk. 18:19). Moreover, “our earth shall yield its fruit” refers to the flesh that came forth from Mary. Therefore, in the establishment of the sacrament of Christ, both the divine and the earth were engaged.

The goodness of the earth can be discerned here, as if it complements the generosity and abundance of God. Although the primary blessings of the church lie within the four gifts previously mentioned, it is not improper for her to seek the external means necessary for sustaining life. If anyone argues that it is inappropriate to associate earthly abundance with the spiritual kingdom of Christ, a simple response can be made: there is nothing inappropriate about this, as God, who blesses the faithful spiritually, also provides them the blessings of the Father’s love in material ways. According to Paul, the pursuit of godliness promises not just eternal life but also benefits in the here and now (1 Tim. 4:8).

To the culmination of the law, which is Christ (Rom. 10:4), granting righteousness to all who have faith. This psalm, authored by the Holy Spirit through David and attributed to the sons of Kore, is intended for worship. In it, the prophet reflects on God's love for humanity, recalling His deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. He also foretells the return of the Jewish people from Babylonian exile, while most significantly announcing the liberation of humanity from the oppressive forces of demons and sin, achieved through the grace of Christ the Savior, and the restoration of the glory of God's children (Rom. 8:21).