Let them not turn again to folly

Although biblical scholars disagree about its historical setting, the theological content of Psalm 85 clearly speaks on the topic of God's forgiveness. Verses 2-3 (KJV) praise God for washing away sin,

Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin ... Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.

Those words of Mercy are meant to give us peace. Verse 8 (KJV) reads,

He will speak peace unto his people.

We should feel that peace, and we should take great joy, because that (undeserved) mercy is God's greatest gift to us. Above all, we should be thankful.

BUT, as part of that thankfulness, verse 8 (KJV) also highlights an important part of that thankfulness,

But let them not turn again to folly.

Repeating the very sins for which we were just forgiven is one of the saddest states in which we find ourselves. Solomon puts it bluntly (Proverbs 26:11, KJV),

As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.

God's mercy is infinite, but let us show our thankfulness by not turning again to our folly. 

Asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord

Chapter 9 of Joshua finds the Israelites entering an ill-advised peace treaty with the Gibeonites. God had already warned to Israelites not to fraternize with the inhabitants of the land into which they were entering. And subsequent events in the bible demonstrate that such fraternization would come back to bite the Israelites.

So why do they do it? Partly because the Gibeonites manage to deceive the Israelites. But verse 14 (KJV) points to the real reason:

The [Israelites] ... asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord.

Consider how often we fall into trouble for the exact same reason. Tricky situations, troubling circumstances, and impending troubles all require us to make decisions. But we don't have to make those decisions alone! First, we should "ask counsel at the mouth of the the Lord" and then (spiritually) listen for a response.

This is harder than it sounds, because our sinful natures mislead us to rely on our own devices and manipulations. The key is to fully trust God. As the psalmist says to God in Psalm 36:9 (KJV),

With thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.