Psalm 85:9-14

This week’s responsorial psalm comes from Psalm 85, a national lament reminding God of past favors and forgiveness, and begging for forgiveness and grace now.

This particular passage reveals a community waiting for God’s word, a prophetic oracle that will announce peace. There is no direct appeal to God; these verses depict the people awaiting a reply to a plea that must have been made elsewhere. Presumably they are in some form of distress.

There is great expectancy here — the people have done what they can to get God’s attention. The next move is God’s.

I will hear what God proclaims; the LORD —

It seems the people have suffered a serious setback that they cannot remedy themselves, which might be a reference to the hardships of returning from exile.

In faith, they turned to God for help and are now waiting confidently for his response.

for he proclaims peace to his people.

The peace God promises is shalom, which is not merely the absence of tumult but encompasses all good things: well-being, harmony, and prosperity.

Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, 

The people are not in total despair. They have faith in their impending salvation.

The “fear” here refers to a profound respect and awe for God.

glory dwelling in our land.

The aim of salvation is not just individual well-being but the manifestation of God’s glory throughout the community and the land.

Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss. 

Divine activity is personified as pairs of virtues which are characteristics of a covenantal relationship with God:

• lovingkindness (hesed) is covenant loyalty,
• truth (ěmet) is covenant faithfulness,
• justice (sedeq) is the covenantal righteousness that comes from God, which encompasses a broad range of ethical behaviors including honesty, fairness, and integrity in one’s actions and relationships,
• peace (shalom) is the wholeness or harmony that results from the covenantal relationship.

These virtues are salvific powers; their union (meeting, kissing) is a sign of the time of fulfillment.

Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven.

This description of salvation is one of the most beautiful found in all of scripture. The psalmist uses an image of the earth’s fertility to describe the reciprocal relationship between heaven and earth, where human virtue is nurtured and sustained by divine justice.

Many commentators see these verses as a poetic foreshadowing of the Incarnation, where divine love, faithfulness, righteousness, and peace meet perfectly in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

The LORD himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase.

Part of the hoped-for salvation seems to be related to economic prosperity. The people are confident that God will reestablish the wealth of the people and that the land, once barren and forsaken, will yield an abundant harvest.

Justice shall walk before him, and prepare the way of his steps.

Sedeq (also translated as “righteousness”) leads the way for God’s presence and actions, preparing a path aligned with God’s character and will.

This implies that the presence of righteousness in the community sets the stage for God’s active intervention and blessings. It emphasizes the importance of living righteously to invite God’s favor while they wait in confidence.