Psalms 85:12

Analysis

Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase. This concluding promise assures God's comprehensive blessing—both spiritual and material. The affirmative "yea" (gam, גַּם, "also, even, indeed") emphasizes certainty. The imperfect verb "shall give" (yiten, יִתֵּן) indicates future certainty: God WILL give. This isn't wishful thinking but confident expectation based on God's character and covenant promises.

"That which is good" (ha-tov, הַטּוֹב) uses the definite article—not merely "good things" but "THE good." This may refer to

1. God Himself as the supreme good (Psalm 16:2, 73:25)
2. all good gifts flowing from Him (James 1:17), or
3. specific good things appropriate to context—in this case, restoration, revival, peace, prosperity.

The comprehensive term encompasses every genuine benefit, material and spiritual.

"And our land shall yield her increase" (ve-artzenu titen yevulah, וְאַרְצֵנוּ תִּתֵּן יְבוּלָהּ) promises agricultural abundance. Yevul (יְבוּל) means "produce, harvest, yield"—crops growing abundantly from the soil. This literal promise had profound significance for agricultural society where prosperity depended directly on harvest. Famine meant disaster; abundant crops meant blessing. Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 linked covenant obedience with agricultural prosperity, disobedience with crop failure.

Yet the promise isn't merely materialistic. The land's productivity symbolizes God's comprehensive restoration—when relationship with God is restored, everything else flourishes. Eden's fertility before the fall (Genesis 2:8-9) and new creation's abundance (Isaiah 65:21-23, Amos 9:13-15) bracket history with images of fruitful earth under God's blessing. Sin brought curse on the ground (Genesis 3:17-19); redemption lifts that curse, causing earth to yield increase again.

Historical Context

Covenant Blessings and Eschatological Hope

Old Testament covenant theology explicitly connected spiritual faithfulness with material prosperity. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 promised abundant harvests, livestock increase, victory over enemies, and economic prosperity for obedience. Conversely, disobedience brought drought, crop failure, infertility, and famine (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). This wasn't arbitrary but reflected creation's design: when humanity fulfills its God-given role, creation flourishes; when humanity rebels, creation suffers (Romans 8:19-22).

Israel's history bore this out. During faithful periods under righteous kings, the land prospered. During apostasy, drought and locust plagues afflicted the nation (1 Kings 17:1, Joel 1:4). Babylonian exile removed people from the land entirely—ultimate curse (Leviticus 26:33-35). Return from exile prompted prayers like Psalm 85 that God would restore both spiritual relationship and material blessing.

The New Testament transforms but doesn't eliminate this principle. Jesus promised: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33). Paul affirmed: "godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come" (1 Timothy 4:8). Yet prosperity isn't guaranteed in present age—faithful Christians often suffer persecution and poverty. The ultimate fulfillment awaits new creation.

Revelation envisions earth yielding abundant increase: "And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb... and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month" (Revelation 22:1-2). This transcends natural agriculture—it's creation fully restored, yielding perpetual increase under God's direct blessing. Psalm 85:12's promise finds complete fulfillment when "the LORD shall give that which is good" eternally, and new earth yields increase forever.

Reflection

• What is "the good" that God promises to give, and how does this encompass both spiritual and material blessings?
• How should Christians understand Old Testament promises of material prosperity in light of New Testament teaching on suffering and persecution?
• What is the relationship between spiritual restoration (right relationship with God) and creation's fruitfulness (land yielding increase)?
• How does Romans 8:19-22 help explain the connection between humanity's spiritual state and creation's condition?
• In what ways will new creation fulfill Psalm 85:12's promise more completely than any temporal restoration could?