1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
2 Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.
3 Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
4 O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?
5 Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.
6 Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
8 Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
9 Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.
10 The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.
11 She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.
12 Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?
13 The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.
14 Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;
15 And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.
16 It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.
17 Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.
18 So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.
19 Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
Psalm 80, as recorded in the King James Version (KJV) of the Holy Bible, is a heartfelt cry for restoration and revival. The psalmist, thought to be Asaph, implores God to restore His people, Israel, from their state of affliction and misery. This psalm is a profound reflection on the themes of divine intervention, redemption, and the importance of spiritual restoration. It serves as a powerful reminder of God’s ability to restore and revive His people, even in times of great distress and desolation.
Psalm 80 begins with a desperate plea for God's intervention. The psalmist calls upon God as the Shepherd of Israel and the One who leads Joseph like a flock, referencing the divine guidance God provided to the Israelites during their journey from Egypt. The psalmist cries out, "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth." (Psalm 80:1, KJV). This plea highlights the psalmist's recognition of God's power and authority and sets the tone for the desperate pleas for restoration that follow.
The psalmist repeatedly implores God to turn them again, to make His face shine upon them, and they shall be saved. This repetition emphasizes the severity of Israel's condition and their desperate need for divine intervention. The people have faced hardship, eaten the bread of tears, and become a strife to their neighbors. The psalmist acknowledges that only God's intervention can restore them and bring about their salvation.
In verses 8 to 16, the psalmist employs the metaphor of a vine to depict the history of Israel. God is described as bringing a vine out of Egypt, casting out the heathen, and planting it. The vine grew and flourished under God's care, covering the mountains with its shadow and shooting out its branches unto the sea and its boughs unto the river. However, the psalmist laments the destruction of this vine. Its hedges are broken down, it is plucked up, and it is burned with fire. This metaphor serves as a poignant representation of Israel's current state of desolation and destruction.
In the final verses of Psalm 80, the psalmist introduces the figure of the Son of Man, whom God made strong for Himself. The psalmist pleads with God to let His hand be upon this Man, the Son of Man, and they will not turn back from God. This plea is often interpreted as a prophetic reference to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would ultimately bring about the restoration and salvation of God's people. The psalmist ends with a final plea for God to quicken them, or give them life, and they will call upon His name.
Psalm 80 is significant for its powerful portrayal of Israel's distress and its passionate pleas for divine intervention. It serves as a reminder of the trials and tribulations that the Israelites faced, and their unwavering faith in God's ability to restore and revive them. The psalmist's repeated pleas for God to make His face shine upon them highlight the importance of God's favor and blessing for Israel's restoration.
The metaphor of the vine serves as a poignant reminder of Israel's past prosperity and its current state of desolation. It underscores the drastic change in Israel's circumstances, from being a flourishing vine under God's care to a destroyed vine, plucked up and burned. This metaphor serves as a powerful depiction of the severity of Israel's condition and their desperate need for restoration.
The introduction of the Son of Man in the final verses of Psalm 80 serves as a beacon of hope for the restoration of God's people. It is a prophetic reference to the coming Messiah, who would bring about the ultimate restoration and salvation of Israel. This reference underscores the significance of the Messiah in God's plan for the restoration of His people.
In conclusion, Psalm 80 is a powerful plea for restoration and revival. It is a poignant reflection on the themes of divine intervention, redemption, and the importance of spiritual restoration. It serves as a reminder of God's power to restore and revive His people, even in times of great distress and desolation. This psalm underscores the importance of faith in God's ability to bring about restoration, the significance of God's favor and blessing, and the role of the Messiah in the restoration of God's people.
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