The Kiss of Salvation: Text: Psalm 85:8-13
Introduction: The Divine Dilemma
When men fall into sin, they create a problem that they are utterly powerless to solve. When a nation slides into folly and rebellion, as our own has done, it creates a cosmic knot that no human hands can untie. The problem is this: God is perfectly righteous, and God is perfectly merciful. God is absolute truth, and God is absolute peace. In a perfect world, these attributes are in perfect harmony. But in a fallen world, they appear to be at war with one another. How can a just God not punish sin? And how can a merciful God forgive it? How can truth, which demands a penalty, coexist with peace, which desires reconciliation?
This is the divine dilemma. Righteousness and Truth seem to be on one side, demanding judgment. Lovingkindness and Peace seem to be on the other, pleading for amnesty. If you get them in a room together, you would expect a fight to break out. You would expect Truth to call Mercy a sentimental pushover, and Righteousness to accuse Peace of being a compromiser. This is the problem that no philosopher, no politician, and no priest of a false religion has ever been able to solve. They either create a god who is a tyrant, all righteousness and no mercy, or they create a god who is a dotty old grandfather, all mercy and no righteousness. Neither is the God of the Bible.
Psalm 85 is a psalm of national repentance. The people have been in captivity, they have returned to the land, but things are not right. They are crying out to God for a full restoration, for revival. And in the back half of this psalm, the psalmist receives a breathtaking vision of how God will accomplish this. He sees the resolution to this divine dilemma. He sees these four great attributes of God, not in conflict, but in a glorious, joyful reunion. This psalm shows us that the only place in the universe where these warring concepts can be reconciled is at the cross of Jesus Christ. The cross is where righteousness and peace kiss each other.
The Text
Let me hear what the God, Yahweh, will speak; For He will speak peace to His people, to His holy ones; But let them not turn back to folly. Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, That glory may dwell in our land. Lovingkindness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth springs up from the earth, And righteousness looks down from heaven. Indeed, Yahweh will give what is good, And our land will yield its produce. Righteousness will go before Him And will establish the way of His steps.
(Psalm 85:8-13 LSB)
Listening for Peace (v. 8)
The psalmist, having prayed for revival, now adopts a posture of listening. He is waiting for God's answer.
"Let me hear what the God, Yahweh, will speak; For He will speak peace to His people, to His holy ones; But let them not turn back to folly." (Psalm 85:8)
True prayer is a two way conversation. We speak to God, and then we must quiet ourselves to hear what He has to say in return. The psalmist is confident about the nature of God's message. He knows God will speak "peace," or shalom. This is not just the absence of conflict. Shalom is holistic flourishing. It is wholeness, health, prosperity, and right relationships with God and man. This is the good that God desires for His people.
But this peace comes with a condition, a warning. "But let them not turn back to folly." The Hebrew word for folly here is kisla, which means stupidity or insolence. It refers to the thick-headed rebellion that got them into trouble in the first place. God's peace is a gift of grace, but it is not a license to continue in sin. Grace is not a soft pillow for hard hearts. If we receive God's peace but then immediately run back to the very foolishness that separated us from Him, we are treating His grace like a cheap trinket. This is the constant temptation for the backslider, and the psalmist warns against it. God's restoration is meant to lead to repentance, not to a return to the old ways.
Salvation and Glory at Hand (v. 9)
The psalmist's confidence grows as he considers the nearness of God's deliverance.
"Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, That glory may dwell in our land." (Psalm 85:9)
Salvation is not some distant, abstract hope. For those who fear God, for those who have a right, reverential awe of Him, salvation is right around the corner. It is "near." The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and it is also the prerequisite for deliverance. When we stop fearing men, circumstances, or the government, and begin to fear God alone, we find that His help is closer than we ever imagined.
And what is the result of this salvation? "That glory may dwell in our land." This is a magnificent, postmillennial promise. God's salvation is not just about getting souls into heaven. It is about bringing heaven's glory down to earth. The "glory" here refers to the manifest presence of God, the shekinah glory that filled the tabernacle and the temple. The psalmist longs for a day when the presence of God is not confined to a building, but fills the entire nation. This is a prayer for the kingdom to come, for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. It is a prayer that our land, our culture, our politics, and our communities would be so saturated with God's salvation that His glory would be our defining characteristic.
The Great Reconciliation (v. 10)
Here we arrive at the heart of the psalm, one of the most beautiful verses in all of Scripture. This is the solution to the divine dilemma.
"Lovingkindness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other." (Genesis 85:10)
As we noted, these four attributes seem to be at odds in a sinful world. Lovingkindness (hesed, covenant loyalty) wants to forgive. Truth demands payment for sin. Righteousness requires that the law be satisfied. Peace longs for an end to hostility. How can they all be satisfied at once? They meet at one place, and one place only: the cross of Jesus Christ.
At the cross, God's lovingkindness was on full display as He gave His only Son for sinners. At the same time, the absolute truth of His holiness was upheld, because the sin was not swept under the rug. It was punished, in full, in the person of Christ. At the cross, God's perfect righteousness was satisfied. The demands of the law were met completely. And because righteousness was satisfied, peace could be established. God's wrath was appeased, and hostility between God and man was ended. On the hill of Golgotha, these four divine realities ran to each other and embraced. Righteousness and peace kissed. This is the gospel in poetic form. Any attempt to achieve peace without righteousness is a cheap truce. Any attempt to enforce righteousness without the grace that brings peace is legalistic tyranny. Only at the cross do they meet in a holy embrace.
A Fruitful Reality (v. 11-13)
The result of this great reconciliation is a renewed and fruitful creation. The gospel has consequences for the dirt under our feet.
"Truth springs up from the earth, And righteousness looks down from heaven. Indeed, Yahweh will give what is good, And our land will yield its produce. Righteousness will go before Him And will establish the way of His steps." (Psalm 85:11-13)
Because of the cross, a new reality is established. Truth is no longer just a heavenly ideal; it "springs up from the earth." This means that in response to God's saving work, men on earth begin to live truthfully. Honesty, integrity, and faithfulness begin to grow like grass in a well watered lawn. And as men on earth walk in truth, "righteousness looks down from heaven." This is a picture of God the Father looking down with smiling approval on His redeemed people and His healing land.
This spiritual reality has tangible, physical results. "Indeed, Yahweh will give what is good, And our land will yield its produce." When a people are right with God, the land itself rejoices. Curses are lifted. The rains come when they are needed. The crops grow. Economic prosperity is a direct consequence of covenant faithfulness. This is not the health and wealth gospel; it is basic covenant theology. Obedience brings blessing, not just in the sweet by and by, but in the here and now. When we honor God, He honors us by making our labors fruitful.
The psalm concludes with this glorious picture of a restored nation. "Righteousness will go before Him And will establish the way of His steps." When God comes to visit His people in blessing, Righteousness is His forerunner. It is the herald that prepares the way. A people walking in righteousness, a land where truth springs up from the ground, is a land where God is pleased to walk. His steps find a firm path. This is the vision for a Christian society. It is a society where God's law is honored, His gospel is cherished, and as a result, His glory dwells in the land and His blessings overflow.
The Only Way Forward
This psalm is a roadmap for national restoration. We live in a land filled with folly. We have turned away from God, and we see the consequences in our fractured culture, our sterile land, and our bankrupt politics. The only way back is the way of this psalm.
We must first stop and listen for what God will speak. And what He speaks is the gospel of peace, found only at the cross where righteousness and peace kissed. We must embrace this gospel, which is the only solution to our sin problem. We must receive the salvation that is near to all who fear Him.
As we do this, we must turn from our folly. We must repent. And as we do, we will find that God will begin to make truth spring up from the ground in our own lives, our families, our churches, and our nation. He will look down with righteous pleasure. He will give what is good, and our land will once again yield its increase. Righteousness will prepare the way, and we will once again be a people among whom God is pleased to walk. This is the promise. This is the only hope for our nation. It begins when we look to the cross, the place of the great kiss, and find our salvation there.