Ps. 85.7 (ending the future)

O Yhwh / show us your loyal-love
and grant us / your salvation. 

The structure of the psalm thus far has been: recounting of past deed – petition; anticipation of future deeds – petition. In the first, the recounting is of God’s redemptive power which leads into petition. In the second, the anticipation is of God’s continuing anger which leads into this petition. In the first petition we saw how the psalmist gathered up the past and placed it before God in the form of petition (just as he ‘turned’ the fortunes of Jacob, so now ‘turn’ us; just as you turned away from wrath, so now ‘end your displeasure’). There, the past actions of God served as the ‘structure’ of the petition. Here, by contrast, the projection into the future is something to avoided. As such, there is no reference to it. The petition instead stands alone, without any verbal references to the questions. That said, the verse is crafted to answer the two questions. As we saw, the first question focuses on duration (will your anger last forever). In answer, the psalmist asks that Yhwh ‘show us’ your loyal love (now). 

Loyal-love and salvation. This ‘loyal-love’ is what counters the dread contained within the question of a forever-anger. For the psalmist, Yhwh’s loyal-love (his covenantal devotion and care for his people) will ‘thwart’, or overcome, his anger. It is what can make Yhwh ‘pull back’ or ‘turn from’ his wrath. Importantly, perhaps, is the fact that the psalmist’s appeal to God involves his relational stance toward Israel. In other words, the psalmist clearly assumes God has the power to ‘end his anger’. But that which he sees most effective at ending it is Yhwh’s ‘loyal-love’, that strong sense of fidelity toward his people. For the psalmist, this is what ends the forever-wrath. The second question focused on the ‘qualitative’ loss of life. In answer, the second petition is ‘grant us your salvation’ (the essence of ‘life’). It would seem to me that this ‘salvation’ has to be conceived along the lines of Yhwh’s ‘loyal-love’, which I mean it is not an ‘object’ that is granted but a relational stance taken—Yhwh’s face turned toward his people in delight and love, which not only redeems them but places them within his abundance and prodigality (his ‘salvation’).