The author of this psalm looks back into Israel’s history and recalls a time when God restored his people. He had punished them for their sins, but he had forgiven them and restored them to his favour and removed the expressions of his strong anger. That experience is a reminder that sins of his people are highly offensive to him, especially if they are done wilfully. Severe chastisement can follow, but so also will restoration when they repent.
At the time of writing the psalm, Israel is once again under divine chastisement (v. 4). The punishment has been experienced for a long time, so perhaps it is connected to the exile in Babylon (v. 5). God’s people no longer have his joy, which is usually a sign of the withdrawal of divine favour. The circumstances cause the author to pray earnestly for divine recovery, and although his experience is of divine chastisement, he still regards the Lord as the God of salvation (vv. 4-6).
Even although the psalmist himself was very devout, he does not separate himself from those in Israel who had not been. Instead, he realises that God deals with them as a people. All of them are suffering the consequences of his anger, and therefore the psalmist prays to him as a member of the covenant community undergoing divine displeasure.
Why should God provide restoration? His name reveals why. He is Yahweh, the God of the covenant (v. 7). He has been silent, but the psalmist wants him to speak. He knows that when God speaks in answer to this prayer, the message will be a good one of peace. However, the answer is connected to a warning. His people cannot repeat the foolish behaviour they had shown in departing from God (v. 8). But since the answer is imminent, the psalmist anticipates glory arriving once again in the land (v. 9).
What will such glory look like? Heaven and earth will be in harmony once again. The psalmist describes it in verses 10 and 11: steadfast love (from heaven) and faithfulness (on earth) meet; righteousness (from heaven) and peace (experienced on earth) kiss each other. Faithfulness (on earth) springs up from the ground, and righteousness (heaven) looks down from the sky. Righteousness here means the good blessings God provides for his faithful people. He will certainly provide them, and prosperity will be the outcome (v. 12). Along with his blessings of good things, God will once more walk among them in fellowship.
The psalm reminds us that we can use the experiences of past restoration as an argument in prayer, that current spiritual poverty is not a wise method of assessing the future, and that God delights to have fellowship with his people when they are devoted to him.
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