Tuesday prior to Lent 3

 

Psalm 85; key verse, verse 8:  I will listen to what God the Lord will say; He promises peace to His people His saints – but let them not return to folly. When we repent, we take responsibility, we show remorse, we repair what we can, and we repeat not! This is what the psalmist is driving at when he says, “but let them not return to folly.” When we repeat, when we return to visit from whence we came, we provoke God’s displeasure again. Thus, we need to ask the Lord to send us His Holy Spirit to lead us into right living. And when we fall or fail, we need to confess our sin, repent, and rely on His grace to save us. This is the pattern of a life of repentance.

Psalm 85: Praying for Revival and Restoration

This psalm is titled To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. These sons of Korah were Levites, from the family of Kohath. By David’s time it seems they served in the musical aspect of the temple worship (2 Chronicles 20:19).

Like several psalms, Psalm 85 (in some ways) seems to fit the period of Israel’s return from exile; in other ways it does not. Alexander Maclaren noted, “The book of Nehemiah supplies precisely such a background as fits the psalm. A part of the nation had returned indeed, but to a ruined city, a fallen Temple, and a mourning land, where they were surrounded by jealous and powerful enemies.” Even if this psalm belongs to an earlier period (such as the end of Saul’s reign), God’s people find themselves in this place from time to time, and this beautiful psalm is appropriate.[1]

The Theme for Lent 3 is “A Life of Repentance.” In the Old Testament lesson (Ezekiel 33:7-20) the prophet is told that he has been called to be a watchman, to speak of warning. If he fails to call men to repentance, he is responsible for his brother’s fall. In the Epistle (1 Corinthians 10:1-13), Paul calls his hearers to repent to avoid destruction. In the Gospel (Luke 13:1-9), Jesus warns us to repent before it is too late or perish.

Collect for Psalm 85: God of love and faithfulness, you so loved the world that you gave your only Son to be our Savior, Help us to receive him as both Lord and brother and freely celebrate him as our gracious Redeemer now and forever.[2]- 15 March, 2022

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[1] https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-85/

[2] Collect for Psalm 85; for All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, vol. I © 1994 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY