The false picture of the Old Testament God tries to split Him from the God revealed in Jesus, as though the Old Testament only shows wrath and the New Testament only shows love. Lamentations stands against that idea, because Jeremiah sees suffering and still says that God’s mercies keep His people from being consumed. God’s judgment never cancels His mercy. God keeps calling His people to return, and even after anger, the morning brings lovingkindness.
Psalm 85 joins forgiveness with revival. The prayer, “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you,” shows that revival is not merely tears at an altar or promises to try harder. Revival brings people back to the place where God Himself is their joy, hope, satisfaction, and contentment. The danger comes when people ask forgiveness, walk out the doors, and then go right back to finding pleasure in the world.
God is not only comfort but joy. God is the source of pleasure, fun, light, and laughter, and His redeemed people are meant to enjoy Him. The contrast between churches filled with men and men filled with God gets right to the heart of true revival. God-filled people rejoice because His love, provision, forgiveness, and presence are no longer just ideas but the place where life is found.
The psalm calls God’s people to listen when He speaks peace and not turn back to folly. God’s peace is not condemnation or wrath, because Christ has reconciled sinners back to God. Mercy and truth meet together, and righteousness and peace kiss at the cross. Truth says that sinners cannot save themselves, righteousness says that no one can justify himself, and Christ brings mercy, peace, and the righteousness that sinners cannot attain.
The fruit of reviving shows up in life, joy, peace, love, fellowship, and growth. Acts 2 gives that picture in people loving God and loving one another. Christ’s footsteps become the pathway for His people, calling them to keep pressing forward rather than returning to old folly. The warning for the country is serious: a people can reach a place where sin becomes incurable and glory departs. True reviving means coming back to God alone as the only source of life.
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Key Takeaways
- 1. God’s mercy spans both testaments [22:29] God’s judgment in the Old Testament does not make Him different from the God of grace in the New Testament. Jeremiah’s words in Lamentations show that even in suffering, mercy keeps sinners from being consumed. God’s call has always been a call to return, repent, and receive His compassion. [22:29]
- 2. Revival rejoices in God alone [23:41] Revival is not finished when guilt is confessed or tears are shed. Revival becomes real when joy, hope, and satisfaction are found in God rather than in the same old things that once ruled the heart. A person can leave an altar forgiven and still drift back into folly if God is not the true delight. [23:41]
- 3. The cross joins truth and mercy [31:47] Truth tells sinners that self-redemption is impossible. Righteousness reveals a standard no sinner can reach, while mercy provides what sinners cannot earn. Christ brings righteousness and peace together, reconciling guilty people to God through His finished work. [31:47]
- 4. Revival produces living spiritual fruit [33:39] Reviving does not leave people stagnant, cold, or merely religious. God brings joy, love, peace, fellowship, and a growing desire to follow Christ’s footsteps. Acts 2 shows that a revived people love the Lord deeply and love one another sincerely. [33:39]
- 5. Turning back to folly is dangerous [36:39] God’s people must not treat revival like a temporary reaction to tragedy or fear. A nation can harden itself until its wound becomes incurable and the glory departs. The urgent need is for hearts to find true life in God alone before there is no desire left to return.
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