1 Yahweh, you have been favorable to your land. You have restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You have forgiven the iniquity of your people. You have covered all their sin. Selah.
Free Grace note
Sin forgiven and covered is the ground of every new prayer The psalm opens by piling up what God has already done: restored, forgiven, covered, turned away his anger. Notice the order. Before the writer asks for revival in verse 6, he rests his whole request on pardon already granted. This is how grace works. God does not forgive because we first improve; he forgives, and then we are moved to pray and rejoice. Some worry that free forgiveness makes people careless, but the very next breath here is worship, not laziness. When your sin is covered, verse 2, the guilt that once silenced you before God is gone, and you can come near freely. Romans 4:7 quotes this same idea: blessed is the one whose sin is covered. That blessing is a settled fact for everyone who believes, not a reward still being earned.
3 You have taken away all your wrath. You have turned from the fierceness of your anger.
4 Turn us, God of our salvation, and cause your indignation toward us to cease.
5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you draw out your anger to all generations?
6 Won’t you revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your loving kindness, Yahweh. Grant us your salvation.
8 I will hear what God, Yahweh, will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, his saints; but let them not turn again to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.
10 Mercy and truth meet together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Free Grace note
How mercy and truth can kiss without either being cheapened Verse 10 answers an old objection: if God is perfectly truthful about our sin, how can he also be merciful? A righteous judge cannot simply wink at wrong. The verse pictures mercy and truth meeting, righteousness and peace kissing, as if enemies were reconciled. The New Testament shows where this happened. At the cross God was just and the justifier of the one who believes, Romans 3:26. Truth was fully satisfied because sin was fully paid; mercy was fully poured out because the payment was made by Another. So peace is not God lowering his standard. It is God meeting his own standard on our behalf and then handing us the result as a gift. Righteousness looking down from heaven, verse 11, is not a demand hanging over you but a favor coming toward you.
11 Truth springs out of the earth. Righteousness has looked down from heaven.
12 Yes, Yahweh will give that which is good. Our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness goes before him, And prepares the way for his steps.
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