Revive Us Again
You withheld all Your fury; You turned from Your burning anger. Psalm 85:3 · Berean Standard Bible
God completely stopped His anger — He didn't just pause it or reduce it, but actually turned away from it entirely.
You need to understand how real God's anger toward sin is in Scripture. It's not petty or vindictive, but it's genuine and it matters. So when the psalmist says God 'withheld' and 'turned from' His anger, they're acknowledging something massive: the Judge Himself chose to stop pursuing justice against them.
The psalmist, still reflecting on what God has done.
This is part of the recurring theme in Scripture where God's justice and mercy meet. The Old Testament repeatedly shows God's anger being real and terrible, but also His willingness to turn from it when there's repentance and faith.
God restrained His wrath and turned away from the burning anger that had fueled the exile, demonstrating a deliberate reversal of divine judgment.
The Hebrew 'ap (anger) and ḥēmâ (wrath/fury) are the visceral, anthropomorphic language the biblical text uses for God's response to covenant violation. This verse asserts that God's emotional response has fundamentally shifted—what commentators like Albert Barnes and Matthew Henry understood as God's sovereign decision to cease judgment and return to mercy.
The congregational voice, articulating their understanding of the divine transaction that made their return possible.
This continues the narrative arc established in verse 2: exile was God's anger expressed, but restoration proves God's anger withdrawn—preparing the theological ground for the petition that follows, which asks God to sustain this posture of mercy.
1You showed favor to Your land, O LORD; You restored Jacob from captivity.
2You forgave the iniquity of Your people; You covered all their sin.
3You withheld all Your fury; You turned from Your burning anger.
4Restore us, O God of our salvation, and put away Your displeasure toward us.
5Will You be angry with us forever? Will You draw out Your anger to all generations?
Read all of Psalm 85 — Love and faithfulness meet. Righteousness and peace kiss. A psalm that imagines a future so good it reads like a dream.
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