Psalm 85 from the times of the early church has been appointed to be read on Christmas Day. Thus, Saint Augustine in the fifth century preached Christ from this Psalm to the church in Carthage, North Africa; and more than a thousand years later the Rev. Lancelot Andrewes preached this text on Christmas Day 1616 to King James I of England.[1] James I is the same ruler who authorized the King James Version of the Bible, and he employed Lancelot Andrewes as one of the many biblical scholars to assist in that translation.

From the opening verses of the Psalm, we see that it was written after Israel’s captivity in Babylon, but there is an appeal for a more perfect cleansing ahead for Israel. As a type of the church, Israel’s captivity foreshadows that greater captivity of which the apostle Paul speaks in Romans 7:23, “bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members” (KJV), from which Christ alone can set us free. We find this message set forth in the Psalm’s concluding verses (vv. 9–13 KJV):

9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. 10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. 11 Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. 12 Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase. 13 Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.

In verse 10 we see four virtues, “mercy and truth” and “righteousness and peace,” personified as figures intentionally setting out to connect. The first pair, “mercy and truth,” meet; the second pair, “righteousness and peace,” kiss one another upon their meeting. This striking image forms the emotional climax of the Psalm, the fulfillment of the verses’ longing for forgiveness and the gift of alien righteousness leading up to it. Their coming together appears to be the reason this celebratory Psalm has been written. But as we think about these virtues, we recognize that they should not be strangers to one another, as they are all excellent attributes of God, intimate reflections of his character. So why then should it be a marvel to see them meet? Have they somehow been rent asunder from that unity of their residing in God, within his undivided essence?

If we look to the next verse 11, we see that their coming together is to celebrate a birth, a budding forth of truth from the earth, and we recognize from the Gospel of John that this birth can be none other than of Christ, the Word made flesh, full of grace and truth, and indeed, later in John’s Gospel (14:6), Christ will say, “I am the . . . truth.” If at Christ’s birth they are met together and reunited, then it must be that Adam's Fall was the cause of their parting. Among themselves they have no quarrel, but we in our sin have caused their separation. When Satan proffered a lie that was believed by Adam, and thereby God was much wronged, then truth and righteousness fled and became aliens from earth, dwelling together only within God’s immutable character in heaven.

By contrast however, “mercy and peace” want to go where misery and strife dwell, even on an earth suffering under the Fall. As Hugh St. Victor has said, “Where should mercy be, if with misery she should not be?” Our joining pairs here are not naturally aligned. Mercy, or steadfast love, would plead the sinner’s case, but truth would not hear it. God has said, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezek. 18:4, 20 KJV), and God cannot falsify his Word. And righteousness would be quick to second truth. God is righteous in all his works and renders to each his just due, to sinners—the wages of sin, which is death. God forbid that the Judge of all the world should judge unjustly, that is to make truth false, or to do right wrongly.

As these attributes stand apart, our salvation lies bleeding, our plea before God hangs, we stand as prisoners at the bar, not knowing what shall become of us. But thanks be to God for the coming of Christ, whereby truth again buds forth from the earth.

The image of Christ’s birth as a budding of truth out of the earth conforms well with the prophet Isaiah’s description of the coming of the Messiah as “there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse” (Isa. 11:1 KJV). Both images emphasize the supernatural aspect of this growth. This is not a humanly cultivated plant, but of divine origin alone, like wildflowers that spring up in the forest without human attention.

Verse 11 tells us: As truth buds forth on earth, righteousness looks down. She who previously would disdain to even look in the direction of sinful earth, now looks down with delight. The verb used here includes the idea of taking pleasure in what she sees. For indeed, what a desirous sight this truth is to behold, a clean birth, a holy life, an innocent death, a spirit and mouth without guile, a soul and body without sin. In him she beholds them all, in the One who is all in all. If righteousness appears to be the last or most hesitant to rejoin this union, her participation shows no reluctancy, her union with peace is described as more than just an embrace. For they kiss one another, a sign of deepest enthusiasm and intimacy. As our text proceeds in verse 13, righteousness not only looks down, but comes down, to go before truth.

So these celestial lights have been reunited, even on earth in our Savior Christ, through whom, the apostle Paul proclaims, “It pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven” (Col. 1:19–20 KJV). And elsewhere Paul testifies, “Who of God is made unto us . . . righteousness” (1 Cor. 1:30 KJV), and “he is our peace” (Eph. 2:14 KJV).

It is well then that we should sing together this night in harmony, as in Christ these virtues are able to make harmonious music together again. But lest our religion be only ceremony and celebration, let us also notice in the concluding verse of our text that righteousness has a path that is to be trod by Christ, that we might follow in his steps. This text teaches us that Christianity is a meeting, or concord. Truth and righteousness cannot be separated without falling into falsehood. Lancelot Andrewes gives examples of two heresies that have continually tempted the church, the Gnostic for whom all is knowledge, and here is no significance given to a godly life, or on the other hand, the ascetic, for whom all is about godly living with little or no significance given to knowledge of the truth. Let us by God’s grace labor to keep truth and righteousness united in our lives. May God enable us to show forth the righteousness of Christ in our daily living, as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to forgive one another, even as in Christ we have been forgiven by God. May the harmony of heaven and earth be played out in our lives.

Endnote

[1] A transcription of the sermon, made for Ordained Servant, may be accessed here; it is also available as a printable PDF. The digitized text was obtained here.

Douglas Giebel is a member of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church (OPC), Rochester, New York, where he serves as a ruling elder. Ordained Servant Online, November–December, 2026