This psalm would seen to have been written in a day when some Divine deliverance had been wrought for the people of God. Yet the singer is conscious that in the heart of the people there remain dispositions not in harmony with the will of God; and therefore, there abides with them a deadness and a lack of joy. And yet further he is confident that God, Jehovah, had purposes of the highest and best for His own; and moreover, that He will accomplish these purposes.
These three matters are evident in the three fold movement of thanksgiving offered (vv. Psa 85:1-3), of petition presented (vv. Psa 85:4-7), and of confidence affirmed (vv. Psa 85:8-13). In the thanksgiving the relation between captivity and sin is remembered, and the ending of the first by the putting away of the second is declared. Yet the imperfection of their loyalty crates the long discipline of sorrow and shame, and the prayer is that God will turn the people to Himself. And this is surely His will, for when he pauses to hear what Jehovah will say, he hears tender and gracious words which tell of salvation, first in the spiritual realm, and then in the material. In this psalm which breathes the spirit of the tender compassion of God, the name Jehovah is the predominant one.