PSALM 84: LONGING FOR THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD

 

This psalm is written from the viewpoint of a person who is going on a pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem. People who lived in Jerusalem could see the temple and could go to the temple courts whenever they wanted to.

But those who lived far away from Jerusalem could not do so. They usually came to Jerusalem only for special occasions, such as one of the feasts God told them to observe. The writer of this psalm is going and is longing to be there in the presence of God. God’s presence dwelt between the cherubim in the holiest place of the temple. But, just being near to the temple, knowing God’s presence was there, made worshippers feel close to God. 

The heading of this psalm says it is a psalm of the Sons of Korah. This group was a subgroup of the Kohathites, who were one of the groups of Levites that had jobs taking care of the temple. The Sons of Korah were singers who led in worship. So, this psalm may have written by one of these singers who traveled to the temple to fulfill his duties. 

Longing for the Temple

84:1-4

The psalmist had an intense desire to be at the temple and in God’s presence. He said the Lord’s dwelling place was lovely. It was not lovely to him because of its physical beauty, but because God dwelt there. The place was special, or dear, to him. 

The psalmist referred to God as LORD of hosts (Yahweh sabaoth).  He is the Ruler of the forces of heaven, but also of the whole earth. This is what Martin Luther called Jesus in his hymn “A Mighty Fortress”. The New International Versions interprets it as “LORD Almighty”. 

This intense longing for the temple courts is so strong it is a physical sensation for him. It is so strong it makes him feel faint at times. But it also makes him sing for joy to God. He sings out loud. The New International Version says he cries out for God. His longing is not for the physical structure, but for the God who dwells there, the living God. 

Since even the most common birds, the sparrow and swallow, make nests near the temple altars, how much more blessed are those who can dwell in God’s house, in his presence, and sing is praises. (3-4)

Blessing The Pilgrims

84:5-7

Also blessed are those who travel to Jerusalem. Their strength is in the Lord as they travel and their affection, or heart, is on the roads to Jerusalem (Zion). They look forward to being at the temple so much that even the road there is important to them. 

We do not know what the “valley of Baca” is, but it must be a dry place that is difficult to pass through. But these pilgrims are so full of joy that they make it a place of springs and pools. They have the strength of God to pass through this to get to the place where they will stand in the presence of God. It could be that Baca is a metaphor for a time of adversity that the psalmist goes through before he get to experience the joy of being at the house of the Lord.

The pilgrims get stronger as they go. The go from “strength to strength”. (7) All of the finish the journey and appear at the temple before God. 

Prayer for Protection of the King

84:8-9

Interposed with the expressions of joy for being at the house of the Lord is this prayer for the king, the anointed one. The psalmist sees the king as their protector, their shield. He is the one whom God appointed to lead Israel and defend it. So the psalmist asks God to look upon him, extend favor to him, because is is also dependent on the Lord. 

Here the psalmist not only referred to God as the Lord of Hosts, the almighty one, but as the God of Jacob. (8) God extended his covenant with Abraham to Jacob. (Genesis 35:1-15) He protected him in many trials. He also blessed him with many descendants, as promised, so that they became the nation of Israel. So, the psalmist is invoking the covenant and asking God to protect the king, and therefore Israel, as he promised to in the covenant.

Praise

84:10-11

The psalmist here returns to his joy at being at the temple. He said one day there is better than a thousand days elsewhere. It is so good, he would rather be a lowly doorkeeper at the temple, than dwell with the wicked. 

Again, the joy for the temple is expressed as being in the presence of God. The psalmist saw God as sun and shield. He is the sun in the sense that he gives blessings to his people; he shines upon them. He is the shield because he protects them from their wicked enemies. 

In fact, God does not withhold any good good thing from those who keep his covenant (walk uprightly). Again we are reminded of the physical blessings of the covenant. When Israel kept the covenant, God promised them rain at the right times, increasing crops, trees that bore much fruit, having more than enough to eat. They would be secure in the land, having peace with no fear. They would have many children. Their enemies would flee before them. God would dwell among them and they would be his people. (Leviticus 26:1-13)

Acknowledging Their Blessing

84:12

The last verse of the psalm is an acknowledgement of the blessings the Lord gives to his people. The psalmist exclaimed “blessed is the one who trusts in you”. Those who put their faith in God will be blessed. They will experience God’s favor. 

How does this psalm apply to new covenant believers?

Like the psalmist, we should long to be in the presence of the Lord. Paul felt this so intensely that he said “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” (Philippians 1:21-23)

Fortunately for us, we do not have to travel to Jerusalem to be in the presence of the Lord. He indwells us. John 14:23 says “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” 

1 Corinthians 6:19 says “Do you know know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? “ 

As believers, we live with the presence of God, who dwells within us. Jesus also promises to be among believers who gather together. Jesus said “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them”. (Matthew 18:20)

What could be better than to be in the presence of the almighty God who created and rules the universe? We should want to be in his presence in personal prayer and Bible study. We should rejoice to be in the gathering of believers with Christ among them. 

This is a blessing God has given us, a great blessing. We live in the presence of the Lord since he is always with us, and we experience his presence when we gather and worship together. We should long to come to worship at church and not consider it just a duty. 

While the Lord does not promise us the same physical blessing in this earthly life that he promised to old covenant believers, he promises us an eternal inheritance of life with him in the new creation, where every blessing will be ours. (1 Peter 1:3-9) 

This gives us joy. 

"Upon us, on account of our sins, the curse has been pronounced, and a penalty has been incurred. It is written that he 'will by no means clear the guilty', but every transgression and iniquity shall have its just punishment and reward. Here, then, let us admire that the Lord Jesus Christ is the end of the law as to penalty. That curse and penalty are awful things to think upon, but Christ has ended all their evil, and thus discharged us from all the consequences of sin. As far as every believer is concerned the law demands no penalty and utters no curse. The believer can point to the Great Surety on the tree of Calvary, and say, 'See there, oh law, there is the vindication of divine justice which I offer to you! Jesus pouring out his heart's blood from his wound, and dying on my behalf, is my answer to your claims, and I know that I shall be delivered from wrath through him.' The claims of the law, both as broken and unbroken, Christ has met: both the positive and the penal demands are satisfied in him. This was a labor worthy of a God, and lo, the incarnate God has achieved it. He has finished the transgression, made an end of sins, made reconciliation for iniquity, and brought in everlasting righteousness. All glory be to his name."

Charles H. Spurgeon, Christ's Glorious Achievement 

PSALM 83: SURROUNDED BY ENEMIES

 

PSALM 83 - SURROUNDED BY ENEMIES

This psalm is a song, as shown in the instruction. It is also a lament due to the fact that Israel faces a crisis. It is also an imprecatory psalm, calling for God’s judgment against Israel’s enemies. 

The psalm does not indicate when the events occurred, but it appears from the names used to refer to the period of the Book of Judges. There is also a similar event in 2 Chronicles 20, where the Moabites and Ammonites came to attack King Jehoshaphat from Edom.

However, it could be that the enemies named are symbolic of all of Israel’s enemies and that the number of enemies, 10, is symbolic of that. 

83:1 

The Call To Action

The psalmist saw God as silent and inactive despite the crisis Israel faced. Israel often ignored God when things were going well, but desperately called for him to act when they were in trouble and they were not able to get out of in their own strength. 

This is a common malady for people, even those who are believers. We get comfortable in good times and get apathetic, instead of grateful. But when a crisis comes, and we cannot handle it, we suddenly want to be close to God and have him fix the problem for us. Then when it is fixed, we return to apathy. 

83:2-4

Defining the Crisis

The psalmist laid out the problem before God. He identified Israel’s problems as God’s problems. He said “your enemies” and “those who hate you”. 

Israel often wanted to be like the nations around them. They wanted a king because the other nations had one. (1 Samuel 8) They worshipped the pagan God’s of the Caananites despite God’s warning against it. 

Yet, they wanted to be God’s people, especially when they were in trouble. So, the psalmist refers to Israel as “your people” and “your treasured ones”.

The nations surrounding Israel were plotting to wipe them out. They made “crafty plans” and consulted together. (3) Although most nations at the time recognized that the gods of other nations existed, Israel, when it was faithful, did not. They claimed that their God was the only god and all others were fake. They also claimed to be a special people because of their relationship to the one true God. That certainly will make you a target. 

The words “come let us” in verse 4 reminds us of the same words when men got together to build a tower to heaven called the Tower of Babel. That was a rebellion against God and this is a rebellion against God by attacking his people. Verse 8 continues this thought by saying the enemies make a covenant against you, instead of against your people. “Covenant” here is the same as making an alliance of peoples against God. 

The Enemies Listed

83:5-8

Many nations had come together to make a covenant to attack Israel. (5) There were 10 listed by the psalmist.

Edom is listed first as the primary enemy and organizer of the coalition of nations. Edom was the nation founded by Esau. Esau was the son of Isaac and the older twin of Jacob. He sold his birthright (as firstborn) to Jacob for Jacob’s red stew. He was call Edom, which, in Hebrew, sounds like the word for “red”. Edom was a long time enemy of Israel. This enmity was first manifested in the Bible by Edom’s refusal to let Israel pass through its country on the way to Canaan. They came out against Israel to fight them until Israel took another route. (Numbers 20:14-21)

The Ishmaelites were Arabs, descended from Ishmael, the son of Abraham by his wife’s handmaiden, Hagar, who was an Egyptian. (Genesis 16 & 21) The term might include Bedouin tribes who were traders and might include the Midianites, enemies of Israel in the Book of Judges. 

Moab and Ammon were descendants of Lot via incestuous relations with his daughters after fleeing Sodom. (Genesis 19) Moab also opposed Israel during the Exodus, seeking help from the Midianites, who hired the prophet Balaam to curse Israel. Moab and Ammon were both countries east of the Jordan. The Ammonites attacked Israel in the time of Jephthah (Judges 11).

The Moabites and the Ammonites are joined by Asshur, called the strong arm of the children of Lot. (8) Asshur is probably Assyria, which, at various times, controlled most of the land east, north, and west of Israel. Moab and Ammon may have been subject to Assyria, which would led them military aid in some circumstances. 

The Hagrites were a tribe north of Israel and east of the Jordan which fought with the tribes of Rueben, Gad, and Manasseh. (1 Chronicles 5:10)

Gebal could either be a city in Lebanon on the coast or a tribe of Edomites that lived south of the Dead Sea. The New International Version has a footnote that indicates Gebal is Byblos, a port city like Tyre. 

Amalek was the grandson of Esau. The Amalekites lived south of Israel in the Negev Desert. (Numbers 13:29) They attacked Israel at Rephidim, right after Moses got water from the rock.They also joined the Midianites to attack Israel in the battle recorded in Judges 6.  

The Philistines lives west of Israel on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. They had 5 principal cities. They invaded Israel in the time of the judges as seen in the story of Samson. King David also had to deal with them. They also seem to be aligned with Tyre, the city state located in present day Lebanon. 

All of nations joined together to attack Israel. They surrounded Israel on all sides. The psalmist knew Israel could not prevail against this coalition without the Lord’s intervention.

Asking God To Repeat The Past

83:9-12

In these verses, the psalmist refers to the Lord’s defeat of past enemies. He asked God to defeat the present coalition of enemies as he defeated enemies in the past. 

The list of defeated enemies come from the book of Judges. Jabin was a king of the Canaanites and Sisera  was the commander of his army. Deborah was the judge of Israel at the time and was a prophetess. She brought Barak and attacked the army of Jabin. Jabin was defeated and a woman killed Sisera by driving a tent stake into his temple. (Judges 4)

Midian had also oppressed Israel. The Lord raised up Gideon to defeat them. (Judges 6) Oreb and Zeeb were princes of Midian. (Judges 7:26) Zebah and Zalmunna were kings of Midian, whom Gideon killed personally. (Judges 8)

The Canaanites and the Midianites both had superior forces to Israel, but God gave Israel the victory. Therefore, the psalmist used them as examples since the current coalition of enemies has much greater forces than Israel. 

The Imprecation

83:13-18

The psalmist went on to ask God to act in judgment against the enemy coalition. He wanted God to treat them as dust or chaff, as weak and useless. He wanted God to terrify them, to shame them forever, and to let them perish in disgrace.

The psalmist ends on a higher note. He appeals to God to act that the enemies may seek his name. (16) Secondly, he wants God to act so that they know that Yahweh is God alone and he is Most High over the earth.

When we feel surrounded, our response should be to call upon God. He is always with us and ready to help us. Psalm 24:2 says “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, from this time and forever more”. 

PSALM 82: JUDGING THE JUDGES

This psalm does not say when it was written or the exact circumstances that caused the psalmist to write it. There is, however, an interesting parallel. When King Jehoshaphat worked to turn Israel back to the Lord, he appointed judges in the cities. He instructed them to Judge not for man, but for the Lord. They were to judge in the fear of the Lord because there is no injustice with the Lord, or partiality, or taking of bribes. (2 Chronicles 19) 

This psalm indicates the judges did not obey the instructions and failed at their task.  

The Trial

82:1-2

These verses present a picture of God, as king, sitting as a judge. In Old Testament times, kings sat as judges in important cases. The most famous example of this is King Solomon in 1 Kings 3:16-28. Two women came to him to decide whose baby had lived and whose had died. Solomon ordered the baby to be cut in half and the pieces to be given to each woman. This caused the woman who was the real mother to plead for the child to live even if it meant giving him to the other woman. Thus Solomon determined who the real mother was and gave the child to her. Because of this, Israel believed the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.

In this psalm, God takes his place among others to act as judge. (1) The ESV calls the others a “divine council”. The NIV says a “great assembly”. The problem with the word “council” is it implies the others participate in God’s judgment, which is not the case here. The NASB says “his assembly”. The Hebrew word can also be interpreted as the “mighty”. The picture seems to be of God, as the supreme judge, sitting with human judges whom he will judge. 

In the second half of the verse, the psalmist says God sits in judgment in the midst of the “gods”. The word “gods” here is “Elohim”, which is the plural form for the generic word for “god” in Hebrew. The idea of God judging gods has led to several suggestions regarding the identity of these elohim. The word is used in the Old Testament to mean several different things. Here it seems to refer to human judges, who stand in the place of God in their ability to determine the fate of others according to the will of God. They are, thus, accountable to God. Luther, Calvin, Morgan, Meyer, and Boice all take this position. 

God judged the human judges to be unjust. He said they judged unjustly and they show partiality to the wicked. (2) Since human judges were, especially in Old Testament Israel, to reflect God’s justice, God was not pleased.

We know that God is just. All his ways are justice. (Deuteronomy 32:4; Romans 3:26) So, what is justice in God’s character or attributes? In English, righteousness and justice are two different words. But in the Hebrew Old Testament, they both come from one word group. So, righteousness and justice are speaking of the same attribute of God. They mean that God always acts in accordance with what is right and is himself the final standard of what is right. (Isaiah 45:19) 

Whatever conforms to God’s moral character is right or just. Since God is just, he judges justly. And he expects his human judges to do the same. When giving the law to Israel, God said to appoint judges in the land. He told them they could not pervert justice or show partiality or accept bribes. (Deuteronomy 16:19) 

Israel’s judges often did not obey God and they did show partiality. The prophets often rebuked them for this. Here, God rebuked unjust judges through the psalmist. 

How To Judge Justly

82:3-4

Israel was to give justice to the weak and fatherless, the afflicted, and the destitute. But, the wealthy and powerful were able to pervert the justice system and oppress the poor and the weak. They could give bribes or grant favors. They could use peer pressure. And the result was injustice. Those without money or power could not get a ruling in their favor, even when justice called for it. This situation was, and is, displeasing to God. 

God cares about the weak, the poor, and the powerless. He wants justice for them both in every day life and in the courtroom. Deuteronomy 10:18 says God executes justice for the fatherless, the widow, and the sojourner. Part of the tithes of Israel’s produce was given to the sojourner, the fatherless and the widow who could come, eat, and be filled. (Deuteronomy 14:29) There were other provisions for the poor, such as forbidding farmers to harvest the corners of the field do that the poor could glean that grain for their food. 

This idea is carried forward in the New Testament. James 1:27 says the pure religion is to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, meaning to take care of them. Acts 6 shows the early church distributing food daily to widows and appointing deacons to carry out the ministry. 

God’s people represent God and reflect his character. When they are unjust, they profane God’s name and character because they misrepresent him to those who do not know him. 

The Judges Condemned 

82:5-7

Despite, and contrary to, God’s instructions, the human judges have not rendered decisions as God would. They do not have knowledge or understanding and they walk in darkness. This is because they have turned away from God’s standards. 

The description of these human judges is similar to Paul’s description of those who have rejected God. He said their thinking was futile and their foolish hearts darkened. The claimed to be wise, but were actually fools. (Romans 1:21-22) Their actions have shaken the foundations of the earth. 

We see this in our own day as leaders deny the difference between men and women and create other genders in their minds. We see this as laws are not enforced and crime increases. The values and concepts that were considered true for thousands of years are rejected and chaos has ensued. Yet, they continue along the path of darkness and futility. 

Remember Your Mortality

82:6

God acknowledged the lofty position of the judges, calling them “gods” and sons of the “Most High” (“sons of God”). This was also a statement that they were acting for him and accountable to him. As a result, they would, despite their status, die as mere men. No matter how much authority they had during life, they were subject to God’s decree that all die as a result of sin. 

Call For God’s Action

82:8

The psalmist ends the psalm with a call for God to come and judge the world. The psalmist is weary of the injustice and corruption he sees. He longs for God to establish his reign over all the nations, including Israel. 

We also long to have things made right under the rule of God. And we have that promise. Jesus said he will return and bring his recompense with him to repay each one for what he has done. (Revelation 22:12) He will make all things new. (Revelation 21:5) He will exclude all of those who reject him and his standards from the recreated earth, the New Jerusalem. 

So, as the psalmist said, and as John the apostle wrote, we say “Amen; come Lord Jesus!”. (Revelation 22:20)

PSALM 81: THE LORD ANSWERS

 Call To Worship

81:1-5a

This is a call to worship. The psalmist tells Israel to: 

1. Sing to God with all their strength;
2. Shout for joy to God, who is in covenant with them, the God of Jacob;
3. Play instruments, the tambourine, the lyre, and the harp.

The call to worship includes blowing a trumpet to announce the beginning of the festival, which begins on a full moon. The psalm does not tell us what feast is contemplated. But it is one of the feasts required by God, as the psalmist says it is a statute for Israel and a rule of God. 

There is a Feast of Trumpets proscribed in Leviticus 23 and Numbers 19. However, the psalmist said God made it a decree when he went out over the land of Egypt. That refers to the Passover. 

Exodus 12 describes God’s instructions to Israel before he was to kill all of the firstborn of Egypt (the last of the 10 plagues). They were to kill a lamb and put the blood on their door posts. The Lord would see the sacrificial blood and Passover the house, not killing the firstborn. Then they were to prepare a meal, including the lamb roasted on the fire. The Lord declared that they celebrate it as a memorial on the 14th day the 1st month of the Jewish new year. He called it the LORD’s Passover. 

So, it could be that the sounding of the trumpet was just to call attention to the feast so the Israelites would recognize and celebrate as part of their repentance and return to the Lord. The Lord did not command it. 

The Lord Recalls The Exodus 

81:5b-7

The psalmist said he heard a language he had not previously known, and is referring to the voice of the Lord. The voice of the psalm then changes in verse 6 from the psalmist to the Lord. The Lord reminds them that he relieved them from slavery. He referred to the shoulder of burden and hands on the basket, recalling the work they did in making bricks and hauling them around. 

Israel had called to him in distress. (7) Moses wrote:

During those many days the king of Egypt dies, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, withIsaac, and with Jacob. (Exodus 2:23-24)

God delivered them. He answered them in the secret place of thunder. (7) This may refer to God bringing them to the mountain, where God spoke to Moses about making a covenant with them. This is detailed in Exodus 19. God descended on Mount Sinai with thundering and lightenings and a trumpet blast. 

God also tested them at Meribah. (7) At Rephidim, where the Israelites camped in the wilderness, there was no water. They complained and quarreled with Moses. It got violent and Moses was afraid they would stone him. When he asked the Lord, the Lord told him to take his staff and strike a rock and water would come out of it. Moses did so and water came out. Moses named the place Meribah, meaning “quarreling” in Hebrew. 

God said he tested them (7) because he took them to a place where they had a need and they did not trust him to provide it.

God’s Warning

80:8-10

God tells them to pay attention while he admonishes them. To admonish is to warn or reprimand. God admonishes them that there is to be no foreign god or strange god for Israel to worship. This is not new; it is a summary of the first two commandments. The very first commandment is that Israel will have no gods other than YHWH. It is the first and most important commandment. The second commandment prohibits the making of idols. (Exodus 20: 3-4)

Verse 8 is the center verse of this psalm. In the English speaking world, the most important sentence is usually at the beginning or end of a poem or paragraph. But the Jews often put the most important line in the middle. This line, verse 8, is also the center verse of the Psalms. So, Israel’s duty to worship the Lord alone is their most important duty.

The reason God gives for his demand for exclusive worship is that he is their redeemer. He redeemed them from Egypt. He is ready to bless them if they will obey him. (10) This is the same reason given for the command in the Ten Commandments. The Commandments begin with God saying “I am the LORD (YHWH) your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. (Exodus 20:1)

It is the same for believers today. Christ is the one who redeemed us. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses. (Ephesians 1:7) Therefore, we obey, follow, and worship him only. We do not follow other gods, including extra-Biblical definitions of God. We do not have the privilege of defining God in any way other than as the Bible defines him. That is making an idol. And it happens frequently today. It usually starts with someone saying “well, my God would not…”. 

God’s Lament

80:11-16

God said that his people did not listen to his voice. In the Old Testament, God spoke to Israel through the law and the prophets. Many prophets rebuked Israel in the name of God for their idolatry. Israel responded by killing them or putting them in prison, or ignoring them. 

Jesus told the Jews that they would be accountable to God for the prophets they killed. He said “…the blood all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation.” (Luke 11:50-51)

As punishment for their disobedience, God gave them over to their stubborn hearts and their own counsel, or wisdom. (12) Usually the worst thing God can do is let us go our own way rather than his way. Certainly, for Israel, it was devastating. Their city was destroyed, along with the temple, and the survivors were taken away into captivity. 

Mankind in general rejects God, does not listen to him, and does not obey him. Romans 1 speaks of this. As humanity rejected God, they became futile in their thinking and their hearts were darkened. They became foolish and turned to idols. (Romans 1:21-22)  Because of this, God gave them up to their sin and unrighteousness. This applies to Jews and to Gentiles (non-Jews). The only remedy is Christ, who died for our sins. Because of our faith in him, God has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, Jesus Christ. (Colossians 1:13)

God still offered grace to Israel at the time of this psalm. He said that if Israel would listen to him and walk in his ways (obey him), he would again defend them against their enemies and provide the best for them. 

God provides grace for humanity today also. He sent his son to die for our sins so that we may have eternal life by believing in him. (John 3:16)

 Let me affectionately warn you, for it is a grievous thing when we can live contentedly without the present enjoyment of the Savior’s face. Let us work to feel what an evil thing this is—little love to our own dying Savior, little joy in His company, little time with the Beloved! Hold a true Lent in your souls, while you sorrow over your hardness of heart. Do not stop at sorrow! Remember where you first received salvation. Go at once to the cross. There, and there only, can you get your spirit quickened. No matter how hard, how insensible, how dead we may have become, let us go again in all the rags and poverty and defilement of our natural condition. Let us clasp that cross, let us look into those languid eyes, let us bathe in that fountain filled with blood—this will bring back to us our first love; this will restore the simplicity of our faith and the tenderness of our heart.

C. H. Spurgeon, updated by Alistair Begg

PSALM 80: A PLEA FOR RESTORATION

 

This psalm is a prayer. It is directed to God. But it is also a song. It was given to the choirmaster to sin according to the tune of “Lilies”. 

A Plea For God To Hear and to Save

80:1-2

Psalm 79 ended with the psalmist referring to Israel as the “sheep of your (God’s) pasture”. Psalm 80 begins with an address to God as the “Shepherd of Israel”. It refers to Israel as a “flock”. Whoever compiled the psalms did so in a manner that kept the theme going.

Sheep and shepherds were common in Israel. They made for good metaphors in describing God’s care of his people and their need for his care. (Psalm 23 for example) Jesus also used this metaphor, calling himself the “Good Shepherd”. (John 10:11 and 10:14)

The psalmist also referred to God as the one who is enthroned upon the cherubim. We have seen this reference several times in the psalms, referring to God’s presence with Israel between the cherubim on the ark of the covenant. (Exodus 25:17-22) It is also a picture of God enthroned in heaven, ruling over creation. 

So the psalmist refers to God’s shepherding relationship to Israel and his presence with them when they still had the ark. He also appeals to God as the one who is sovereign and all powerful to save.

The reference to being before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh is less clear. Some feel it is a reference to the northern kingdom which was defeated and taken into exile by Assyria. That would also explain the context of the psalm. However, the inclusion of Benjamin is a problem, for Benjamin joined Judah in the southern kingdom, not the northern 10 tribes.

A likely explanation takes us back to the Exodus from slavery in Egypt. Since the psalmists who wrote from Babylonian captivity wanted a second exodus, a return to Israel, the first Exodus was a good reference for their pleas to God for deliverance. 

When Israel left Egypt and journeyed through the wilderness, God instructed them on how to set up their camp by tribes. He also instructed them on the order in which they would march. The tabernacle and the ark remained in the center of the congregation as it marched. Following the tabernacle were the tribes of Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. (Numbers 2:18-23)

The tribes represent the family of Joseph. Ephraim and Manasseh were his sons. Benjamin was his brother by the same mother, Rachel. (Genesis 35:24) As God led these tribes from captivity, the psalmist wants God to lead Israel from captivity in Babylon. 

So the psalmist pleads with God to come and save them in his mighty power from captivity.

The Chorus

80:3

This sentence is used three times in the psalm like a chorus in a hymn. The plea is for God to restore them, to bring them back into the blessings of the covenant. He asks for God to let his face shine. To have God’s face shine on you is to have his favor. This brings to mind the blessing the Lord told Aaron, the high priest, to give to Israel in Numbers 6:22-27:

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to Aaron and is sons saying, thus you shall bless the people of Israel, you shall say to them:

The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them. 

How Long?

80:4-6

As we have seen in several of the psalms of lament, the psalmist asks God how long he will be angry and punish them. They long to be out from under God’s wrath and back in his favor. The psalmist believes their tears are now in full measure - surely they have suffered as much as God’s wrath requires. He also mentions, as have other psalms, that those around them laugh at them and hold them in contempt.

Here the psalmist refers to God as the God of Hosts. He has all the hosts of heaven at his disposal to rescue Israel from Babylon.

Verse 7 repeats the chorus.

Reciting the Exodus

80:8-18

Using the metaphor of the vine, the psalmist recites God’s delivery of Israel from Egypt. God brought the vine from Egypt to Canaan and planted it. It grew until it went from the  Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River. This is the land God promised Israel in Exodus 23:31-33:

And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your and and shall drive them out before you You shall make no covenant with them and their gods. They shall not dwell in you land, lest they make you sin against me; for it you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.

The Israelites never conquered all of this land and Gentiles did dwell in it. 

In verse 12, the psalmist asks why God has let it be destroyed. He broke down the walls that would have protected it. (12) Enemies, represented by the boar (a wild pig), ravaged the vineyard. Babylon certainly ravaged the land of Israel.

So, he asks God to turn again to Israel and have regard for the vine that he planted. (14-15) He wanted God to rebuke those who burned the vine and cut it down. (16) 

In verse 17, the writer leaves the metaphor of the vineyard for that of a son. He asked God to put his hand on, or to strengthen, the man of his right hand and the son of man that he had made strong. This is referring to Israel as the son of God, indicating its special relationship to God. 

In Exodus 4:22, God instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh that Israelis his firstborn son. Deuteronomy 14:1 says that Israelites are the sons of the Lord your God. Sons, and especially first born sons, had privileges because of their relationship and status in the family. Israel had a unique and special relationship and status with God.

You could easily assert that the language also points forward to Jesus, who is the unique and only real Son of God. He would be the true Israel, accomplishing all that Old Testament did not. He now sits at the right hand of God. 

As in Psalm 79, the psalmists ends this stanza by saying that, if God will do these things he asks, Israel will be faithful, calling upon his name.

The psalm closes with a repeat of the chorus, asking for the restoration of God’s favor upon them. 

If a Christian, a believer, strays from God, he or she has a promise of restoration. When we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive us. (1 John 1:9) Christ lives in heaven as our continuing advocate to the Father. (1 John 2:1)