Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 80:1
To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim-eduth, A Psalm of Asaph. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest [between] the cherubims, shine forth.
1. The Psalmist addresses God (1) as the Shepherd of Israel, a title which is the correlative of the words in Psa 79:13, thy people and the flock of thy pasture (cp. Psa 74:1), and appeals to their claim on His protecting care: (2) as thou that leddest Joseph like a flock, recalling His providential guidance of them through the wilderness (Psa 77:20; Psa 78:52): (3) as thou that sittest enthroned upon the Cherubim, words which suggest the double idea of the King enthroned in heaven and yet dwelling in the midst of His people ( 1Sa 4:4 ; 2Sa 6:2; 2Ki 19:15), and are here clearly intended to recall the Presence of God with His people in the wilderness manifested from the ‘mercy-seat’ above the Ark (Exo 25:22). Israel is the nation as a whole; Joseph represents the tribes of the Northern Kingdom, in which the Psalmist has a special interest. Cp. Jacob and Joseph, Psa 77:15. The use of the title Shepherd may allude to the use of the word in Jacob’s blessings of Joseph, Gen 48:15 ( fed = shepherded), Gen 49:24.
shine forth ] Manifest Thyself in power and glory for our deliverance. Cp. Psa 50:2; Psa 94:1; Deu 33:2.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
1 3. A prayer for the restoration of God’s favour to His people.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Give ear – Incline the ear; as if the ear of God was then turned away, or as if he was inattentive to what was occurring. See the notes at Psa 5:1. O Shepherd of Israel. See the notes at Psa 23:1.
Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock – Joseph, the father of Ephraim and Manasseh. See the notes at Psa 78:67. The name Joseph seems here to be used poetically to represent the whole people of Israel, as he was a man so prominent in their history, and especially as Egypt is mentioned as the country from which the vine had been transplanted – a country where Joseph had acted so important a part, and in connection with which his name would be so naturally associated. The meaning is, that God had led the tribes of the Hebrew people as a shepherd leads or conducts his flock.
Thou that dwellest between the cherubims – See the notes at Psa 18:10. The allusion here is to God as dwelling, by a visible symbol – the Shechinah – on the mercy-seat, between the cherubims. Exo 25:18, Exo 25:22; Exo 37:7; 1Sa 4:4; 1Ki 6:25. See the notes at Isa 37:16; and notes at Heb 9:5. Shine, forth. Manifest thyself. Let light come from thy presence in the midst of our darkness and calamity.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 80:1-19
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock.
The Almighty in relation to erring man
I. As a shepherd (Psa 80:1).
1. His flock indicated. Joseph may stand for all Israel, and Israel as an illustration of the moral condition of men everywhere.
(1) Rebellious.
(2) Discontented.
(3) Pursuing a perilous journey.
2. His dwelling-place described. Dwelt in symbol on mercy-seat. Now, God is in Christ, reconciling the world.
3. His interposition invoked (Psa 80:2).
(1) The end. Save us.
(2) The means. Divine strength Divine turning. Divine favour.
II. As a character (Psa 80:4). Gods chastisements are–
1. Always deserved.
2. Often very painful. Physical anguish, moral distress, social bereavement, disappointment, persecution.
3. They sometimes stimulate prayer. However great our afflictions, if they but send us in prayer to God, they are blessings in disguise.
III. As a cultivator (Psa 80:8-13).
1. The work He does.
(1) He prepares the soil. There is only one moral soil in the universe in which dead souls can be quickened and be rightly developed, and that is the Gospel of Christ. Souls are seeds.
(2) He deposit the seed. God alone can bring the soul into the soil of Gospel truth and root it there.
(3) He trains the plant. The hills were covered with the shadow of it. The Jewish people became a grand nation under His training. So do human souls become under His spiritual training.
2. The evil He permits. Why hast thou then broken down her hedges? etc. He did not do it by His direct agency, only by permission. He could have prevented it. He could have crushed the invaders. But He did not. For wise and beneficent purposes, He permitted it. So it is in the department of spiritual culture. He permits evils.
IV. As the restorer (Psa 80:14-19).
1. He restores by special visitation. Look down from heaven, etc. Dead souls are restored to life because God visits the world. He bowed the heavens and came down. He appeared in Christ.
2. He restores from apparently the most hopeless condition (Psa 80:16). There is nothing too hard for the Lord. He is able of these stones to raise up children, etc. Can these dry bones live? you say. Yes, they can.
3. He restores by quickening the soul into devotion (Psa 80:18). (Homilist.)
The relative Deity
I. Here He is presented in His relative character. He is a Shepherd. As a Shepherd He has universal knowledge, self-sacrificing love, and almighty power.
II. Here He is presented in His relative agency. Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock. He leads us now by the dictates of moral reason, the events of His providence, the revelations of His book, and the influence of His Spirit.
(1) The insufficiency of human reason.
(2) The free agency of man;–He leads, not drives.
(3) The considerateness of His compassion.
III. Here He is presented in His relative posture. Thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth. Man, from his nature, requires a place for his God–some point in space where he may meet Him. Under the old dispensation this want was met by His appearing in the Shekinah over the mercy-seat. In the new it is met in Christ, of which the old manifestation was but the symbol. Christ is the Mercy Seat where man meets his God.
IV. Here He is presented in His relative light, Shine forth. We want Him to shine forth upon us through Christ. (Homilist.)
Thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
The mercy-seat
The prayer in the text may be offered–
1. When we are seeking the pardon of our offences,–when our hearts are stricken with conviction,–when we understand and feel that it is an evil thing to sin against God.
2. When we are oppressed by spiritual adversaries.
3. When commending particular efforts for the advancement of the Saviours kingdom to the Divine regard.
4. When we contemplate the general condition and wants of mankind. (J. Parsons.)
The God that dwelleth between the cherubims
I. The character of God represented by this phrase.
1. A God of glory.
2. A God of holiness and justice.
3. A God of mercy, full of love and goodness.
4. A God of condescending intercourse. God might be approached with safety and success as He sat upon the mercy-seat sprinkled with blood (Exo 29:43-46).
II. The import of the prayer in the text. Thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth, smile upon us with Thy heavenly favour; cast away all our transgressions from Thy sight; break in upon our darkened souls with the light of Thy truth, and cause us to see and know the truth with enlightened understandings; chase away with Thy bright beamings the gloom of sin and unbelief; and let Thy peace which passeth all understanding, and the joy of the Holy Ghost, dwell within us, to be our portion at all times. Guide us by Thy unerring counsel here, and receive us to Thy eternal glory hereafter. (J. S. Broad, M. A.)
The word God means the Shining One
Special reference is probably made to the Shekinah. God under the Old Testament was manifesting His presence in a cloud of dazzling light. The name, therefore, by which He was known was the Brilliant or Shining One. It was long supposed that God etymologically meant good. God, good–they were believed to be one and the same word. But further investigation seems to point out that the English God, the Latin Deus, the Greek Theos, the Welsh Duw–all come from an old Aryan root signifying to shine. Men thought of God, and to what could they compare Him? To nothing else than the shining splendour of the light. God is light, God means the Shining One. (Cynddylan Jones.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
PSALM LXXX
A prayer for the captives, 1-3.
A description of their miseries, 4-7.
Israel compared to a vineyard, 8-14.
Its desolate state, and a prayer for its restoration, 15-19.
NOTES ON PSALM LXXX
The title: see Ps 45:1; Ps 60:1; Ps 69:1, where every thing material is explained. This Psalm seems to have been written on the same occasion with the former. One ancient MS. in the public library in Cambridge writes the eightieth and the seventy-ninth all as one Psalm; the subject-matter is precisely the same-was made on the same occasion, and probably by the same author.
Verse 1. O Shepherd of Israel] The subject continued from the last verse of the preceding Psalm.
Leadest Joseph] Israel and Joseph mean here the whole of the Jewish tribes; all were at this time in captivity; all had been the people of the Lord; all, no doubt, made supplication unto him now that his chastening hand was upon them; and for all the psalmist makes supplication.
That dwellest between the cherubims] It was between the cherubim, over the cover of the ark, called the propitiatory or mercy-seat, that the glory of the Lord, or symbol of the Divine Presence, appeared. It is on this account that the Lord is so often said to dwell between the cherubim. Of these symbolical beings there is a long and painful account, or system of conjectures, in Parkhurst’s Hebrew Lexicon, of about twenty quarto pages, under the word carab.
Shine forth.] Restore thy worship; and give us such evidences of thy presence now, as our fathers had under the first tabernacle, and afterwards in the temple built by Solomon.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Shoshannim-Eduth seems to be the name of a musical instrument; though many separate the latter part of the word from the former, and expound Eduth, a testimony, or witness between God and his people, of his relation to them, and of their dependence upon him.
The psalmist bemoaneth the miseries and sad condition of the church, Psa 80:1-7; that Gods past manifold mercies are changed into desolating judgments, Psa 80:8-13. He prayeth for deliverance out of them, with a promise of that fulness, Psa 80:14-19.
O Shepherd of Israel; thou who hast undertaken to feed and govern thy people of Israel, as a shepherd doth his flock, now perform thine office, and rescue thy flock from those grievous wolves which devour and destroy them.
That leadest; or didst lead formerly, though now thou hast forsaken them.
Joseph, i.e. the children of Joseph, or of Israel, as he now said, this clause being but a repetition, the former in other words. Compare Psa 77:15. And the name of Joseph, the most eminent of the patriarchs both for his dignity and piety, and the right of primogeniture transferred upon him from Reuben, 1Ch 5:1, is elsewhere put for all the ten tribes, as Eze 37:6,19 Am 5:6,15; 6:6; Zec 10:6; and for all the tribes, as Psa 81:5; Oba 1:18.
Between the cherubims; which were the mercy-seat above the ark; by which title he prudently and piously minds the ten tribes of their revolt from God, and of the vanity of their superstitious addresses to their calves at Dan and Beth-el, and of the necessity of their returning to the true worship of God before the ark at Jerusalem, if they desired or expected any relief from him. And by this title it seems more than probable that this Psalm was not made upon occasion of the Babylonish captivity, in and after which time there was no ark nor cherubims, nor do I remember that Daniel or any prophets did then apply themselves to God by that title. See Da 9. Shine forth out of the clouds, wherein thou seemest to hide thyself. Show forth thy power and goodness to and for thy poor oppressed people in the face of thine and their enemies.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
1, 2. Josephfor Ephraim(1Ch 7:20-29; Psa 78:67;Rev 7:8), for Israel.
Shepherd(Compare Ge49:24).
leadest, c. (Ps77:20).
dwellest . . . cherubim(Ex 25:20) the place of God’svisible glory, whence He communed with the people (Heb9:5).
shine forthappear(Psa 50:2; Psa 94:1).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,…. The title of a shepherd for the most part belongs to the Messiah, and who is expressly called the Shepherd and stone of Israel, as distinct from the God of Jacob,
Ge 49:24 and may be so called because he was to be, and was of Israel, according to the flesh, and sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and appointed by his Father as a Shepherd over them; and it is on the mountains of Israel he provides a good fold, and pasture for his sheep, Ro 9:4 and it is for the spiritual Israel, his sheep, his elect, both among Jews and Gentiles, for whom he laid down his life; by which it appears that he is the good Shepherd, as he also is the great, the chief, the only one; though this character also may be given, and agrees unto God the Father, who rules, and governs, and feeds his people, his spiritual Israel, as a shepherd his flock; and who is addressed by his people, and is desired to “give ear” to their cries and prayers in their affliction and distress: God has an ear to hear his people’s prayers, though sometimes they think he does not hear them; but he not only hears, but answers sooner or later, and in his own way; and the consideration of his character as a shepherd may be an encouragement to their faith, that he will hear, and will not withhold any good thing from them, Ps 23:1
thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; the posterity of Joseph, the same with Israel, the spiritual Israel, who are like a flock of sheep, a separate people, distinguished by the grace of God, and purchased by the blood of Christ; and as there is but one Shepherd, so one fold, and one flock, and that but a little one neither; and which is sometimes called a flock of slaughter, because exposed to the rage and fury of men; yet a beautiful one in the eye of Christ, which he undertook to feed: and this he leads on gently and softly, gradually, and proportionate to their strength, or as they are able to bear; he leads in and out, and they find pasture; he leads them out of their former state and condition, in which he finds them, out of the pastures of sin and self-righteousness into the green pastures of his love, grace, word, and ordinances:
thou that dwellest between the cherubim; which were over the mercy seat, and were either emblems of angels, among whom Jehovah dwells, and is surrounded by them; by whom Christ was ministered to on earth, and now in heaven, and among whom he was when he ascended thither, and where they are subject to him: or of the two Testaments, which look to Christ, the mercy seat, and agree with each other in their testimony of him, and in other things; and where these are truly opened and explained, there the Lord dwells: or rather of the saints of both dispensations, who look to Christ alone for salvation, and expect to be saved by his grace; are both partakers of it, as they will be of the same glory; and among these the Lord dwells as in his temple; though it seems best of all to consider them as emblems of Gospel ministers, since Ezekiel’s four living creatures are the “cherubim”,
Eze 10:20, and these the same with John’s four beasts, or living creatures, who were certainly men, being redeemed by the blood of Christ; and were ministers, being distinguished from the four and twenty elders, Re 4:6 and among these the Lord dwells, and with them he has promised his presence shall be unto the end of the world:
shine forth; either God the Father, who dwelt between the cherubim, over the mercy seat, who sits upon a throne of grace, from whence he communes with his people and communicates to them; and then the request is, that he would shine forth in the perfections of his nature, as he has done in his Son, the brightness of his glory, and in redemption and salvation by him, where they are all illustriously displayed; and particularly in his lovingkindness through him, which has appeared and shone forth in the mission of Christ, and in giving him up for us all; and by granting his gracious presence unto his people in Zion, in his house and ordinances; see Ps 1:2, or the Messiah, the Shepherd of Israel, and the Leader of his flock, and under whom the living creatures and cherubim are, Eze 1:26, that he would shine forth in human nature; that this bright morning star would appear; that the dayspring from on high would visit men, and that the sun of righteousness would arise with healing in his wings; and that the glorious light of his Gospel would break forth, and the grace of God, the doctrine of it, appear and shine out unto all men, Jews and Gentiles.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The first strophe contains nothing but petition. First of all the nation is called Israel as springing from Jacob; then, as in Psa 81:6, Joseph, which, where it is distinct from Jacob or Judah, is the name of the kingdom of the ten tribes (vid., Caspari on Oba 1:18), or at least of the northern tribes (Psa 77:16; Psa 78:67.). Psa 80:3 shows that it is also these that are pre-eminently intended here. The fact that in the blessing of Joseph, Jacob calls God a Shepherd ( ), Gen 48:15; Gen 49:24, perhaps has somewhat to do with the choice of the first two names. In the third, the sitting enthroned in the sanctuary here below and in the heaven above blend together; for the Old Testament is conscious of a mutual relationship between the earthly and the heavenly temple ( ) until the one merges entirely in the other. The cherbim, which God enthrones, i.e., upon which He sits enthroned, are the bearers of the chariot ( ) of the Ruler of the world (vid., Psa 18:11). With (from , Arab. yf , eminere , emicare , as in the Asaph Psa 50:2) the poet prays that He would appear in His splendour of light, i.e., in His fiery bright, judging, and rescuing doxa, whether as directly visible, or even as only recognisable by its operation. Both the comparison, “after the manner of a flock” and the verb are Asaphic, Psa 78:52, cf. Psa 26:1-12. Just so also the names given to the nation. The designation of Israel after the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh attaches itself to the name Joseph; and the two take the brother after the flesh into their midst, of whom the beloved Rachel was the mother as well as of Joseph, the father of Ephraim and Manasseh. In Num. 2 also, these three are not separated, but have their camp on the west side of the Tabernacle. May God again put into activity – which is the meaning of ( excitare ) in distinction from ( expergefacere ) – His , the need for the energetic intervention of which now makes itself felt, before these three tribes, i.e., by becoming their victorious leader. is a summoning imperative.
(Note: Not a pronoun: to Thee it belongs to be for salvation for us, as the Talmud, Midrash, and Masora (vid., Norzi) take it; wherefore in J. Succa 54 c it is straightway written . Such a = is called in the language of the Masora, and even in the Midrash ( Exod. Rabba, fol. 121), (vid., Buxtorf, Tiberias, p. 245).)
Concerning vid., on Psa 3:3; the construction with Lamed says as little against the accusative adverbial rendering of the ah set forth there as does the Beth of (in the wood) in 1Sa 23:15, vid., Bttcher’s Neue Aehrenlese, Nos. 221, 384, 449. It is not a bringing back out of the Exile that is prayed for by , for, according to the whole impression conveyed by the Psalm, the people are still on the soil of their fatherland; but in their present feebleness they are no longer like themselves, they stand in need of divine intervention in order again to attain a condition that is in harmony with the promises, in order to become themselves again. May God then cause His long hidden countenance to brighten and shine upon them, then shall they be helped as they desire ( ).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Mournful Complaints. | |
To the chief musician upon Shoshannim, Eduth. A psalm of Asaph.
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.
The psalmist here, in the name of the church, applies to God by prayer, with reference to the present afflicted state of Israel.
I. He entreats God’s favour for them (Psa 80:1; Psa 80:2); that is all in all to the sanctuary when it is desolate, and is to be sought in the first place. Observe, 1. How he eyes God in his address as the Shepherd of Israel, whom he had called the sheep of his pasture (Ps. lxxix. 13), under whose guidance and care Israel was, as the sheep are under the care and conduct of the shepherd. Christ is the great and good Shepherd, to whom we may in faith commit the custody of his sheep that were given to him. He leads Joseph like a flock, to the best pastures, and out of the way of danger; if Joseph follow him not as obsequiously as the sheep do the shepherd, it is his own fault. He dwells between the cherubim, where he is ready to receive petitions and to give directions. The mercy-seat was between the cherubim; and it is very comfortable in prayer to look up to God as sitting on a throne of grace, and that it is so to us is owning to the great propitiation, for the mercy-seat was the propitiatory. 2. What he expects and desires from God, that he would give ear to the cry of their miseries and of their prayers, that he would shine forth both in his own glory and in favour and kindness to his people, that he would show himself and smile on them, that he would sir up his strength, that he would excite it and exert it. It had seemed to slumber: “Lord, awaken it.” His cause met with great opposition and the enemies threatened to overpower it: “Lord, put forth thy strength so much the more, and come for salvation to us; be to thy people a powerful help and a present help; Lord, do this before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,” that is, “In the sight of all the tribes of Israel; let them see it to their satisfaction.” Perhaps these three tribes are named because they were the tribes which formed that squadron of the camp of Israel that in their march through the wilderness followed next after the tabernacle; so that before them the ark of God’s strength rose to scatter their enemies.
II. He complains of God’s displeasure against them. God was angry, and he dreads that more than any thing, v. 4. 1. It was great anger. He apprehended that God was angry against the prayer of his people, not only that he was angry notwithstanding their prayers, by which they hoped to turn away his wrath from them, but that he was angry with their prayers, though they were his own people that prayed. That God should be angry at the sins of his people and at the prayers of his enemies is not strange; but that he should be angry at the prayers of his people is strange indeed. He not only delayed to answer them (that he often does in love), but he was displeased at them. If he be really angry at the prayers of his people, we may be sure it is because they ask amiss, Jam. iv. 3. They pray, but they do not wrestle in prayer; their ends are not right, or there is some secret sin harboured and indulged in them; they do not lift up pure hands, or they lift them up with wrath and doubting. But perhaps it is only in their own apprehension; he seems angry with their prayers when really he is not; for thus he will try their patience and perseverance in prayer, as Christ tried the woman of Canaan when he said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread and cast it to dogs. 2. It was anger that had continued a great while: “How long wilt thou be angry? We have still continued praying and yet are still under thy frowns.” Now the tokens of God’s displeasure which they had been long under were both their sorrow and shame. (1.) Their sorrow (v. 5): Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; they eat their meat from day to day in tears; this is the vinegar in which they dipped their morsel, Ps. xlii. 3. They had tears given them to drink, not now and then a taste of that bitter cup, but in great measure. Note, There are many that spend their time in sorrow who yet shall spend their eternity in joy. (2.) It was their shame, v. 6. God, by frowning upon them, made them a strife unto their neighbours; each strove which should expose them most, and such a cheap and easy prey were they made to them that all the strife was who should have the stripping and plundering of them. Their enemies laughed among themselves to see the frights they were in, the straits they were reduced to, and the disappointments they met with. When God is displeased with his people we must expect to see them in tears and their enemies in triumph.
III. He prays earnestly for converting grace in order to their acceptance with God, and their salvation: Turn us again, O God! v. 3. Turn us again, O God of hosts! (v. 7) and then cause thy face to shine and we shall be saved. It is the burden of the song, for we have it again, v. 19. They are conscious to themselves that they have gone astray from God and their duty, and have turned aside into sinful ways, and that it was this that provoked God to hide his face from them and to give them up into the hand of their enemies; and therefore they desire to begin their work at the right end: “Lord, turn us to thee in a way of repentance and reformation, and then, no doubt, thou wilt return to us in a way of mercy and deliverance.” Observe, 1. No salvation but from God’s favour: “Cause thy face to shine, let us have thy love and the light of thy countenance, and then we shall be saved.” 2. No obtaining favour with God unless we be converted to him. We must turn again to God from the world and the flesh, and then he will cause his face to shine upon us. 3. No conversion to God but by his own grace; we must frame our doings to turn to him (Hos. v. 4) and then pray earnestly for his grace, Turn thou me, and I shall be turned, pleading that gracious promise (Prov. i. 23), Burn you at my reproof; behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you. The prayer here is for a national conversion; in this method we must pray for national mercies, that what is amiss may be amended, and then our grievances would be soon redressed. National holiness would secure national happiness.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Psalms 80
Prayer For Restoration
This prayer for restoration of Israel, when she (the ten tribes) had been carried away by the Assyrians, was made by Asaph, for temple worship in Jerusalem. Judah offered the prayer in sympathy for her fallen sister Israel to the north, Psalms 77; Psa 78:67.
Scripture v. 1-19:
Verse 1 calls on the Shepherd God of Israel, Judah’s captive sister, that led Joseph like a flock, the God who continually shined forth (with Shekinah glory) between the Cherubim (upon the mercy seat) to shine forth again, mightily to drive the oppression and darkness from the remnant of the land of Israel, Psa 23:1; Gen 48:15; Gen 49:24; See also Exo 25:20; 1Sa 14:4; Psa 99:1; Eze 10:4; Deu 33:2; 1 Peter 1; 1 Peter .
Verse 2 appeals “Before Ephraim, Benjamin, (a party of whom were in Israel to the north) and Manasseh, stir up (stand up) thy strength, and come and save us,” advancing before them as He did in the pillar of cloud and of fire of old, Num 2:17-24. His strength now seemed to slumber. They called upon Him to come to them in His strength, as a shepherd to his sheep when they cry in pain or fear, to be rescued, Psa 78:65.
Verse 3 cries “Turn us again (as in the past) O God, and cause thy face (or favor) to shine, and we shall be saved,” as in times past, La 5:21. They cried that their captivity might be reversed, turned back, Psa 126:1; Psa 126:4; Gen 28:15; See also Jer 12:15; Jer 16:15; Jer 30:3. They of Judah cried for God’s face or good favor to shine on Israel again.
Verse 4-7 complain of their oppression, ask the Lord just how long it must continue. Verse 4, addressing the Lord God of heaven’s host inquires, “How long wilt thou be angry against the prayer (plea) of thy people?” How long will the fiery smoke of your judgment hover over thy people? is the question. The covenant God Jehovah was judging His people justly for their sins, as He had forewarned; yet, He had to hear from heaven when they turned, prayed aright, Deu 29:20; 2Ch 7:12-16.
Verse 5 adds, “thou feedest them with the bread of tears,” giving them a great measure of tears to drink, in sorrow for their sins and Divinely sent sufferings, Psa 42:3; Psa 102:9; Isa 30:20. It is a sad contrast to what the shepherd gives to his obedient sheep that follow his voice, Psa 23:5.
Verses 6, 7 relate that their enemy who had oppressed them, stolen their goods, were now an object of returning strife, camped nearby, both laughing and striving among themselves, as they divided their booty taken from Israel. They, the Assyrians, made Israel their laughing stock, as forewarned, Deu 28:15; Deu 28:20; Deu 28:31; Deu 28:49-51.
Verse 7 pleads again, “turn us again, O God of hosts, (omnipotent, all powerful, living God) and cause thy face (favor) to shine, and we shall be saved,” delivered, v. 3, 19, because of the integrity you have toward your covenant, Exo 19:18; Jer 3:18; Luk 1:16. It is even as our Lord has pledged to bless His church-covenant people today, to be with and in them always, Mat 28:20; Joh 14:16-17; Mat 16:18; Heb 13:5.
Verses 8-9 describe Israel as God’s vine brought out of Egypt, planted and long tended by the Lord in Palestine, as now a prey to beasts of Assyria, in dire trouble. Verses 8, 9 declare “thou hast brought (rescued) a vine out of Egypt, cast out the heathen and planted it” in Palestine. That vine was Israel, whom God had made room for in Palestine, caused the vine to take deep root, till it filled the land, Gen 49:22; Isa 5:1-7; Jer 2:21; Eze 15:6; Eze 17:6; Eze 19:10; Hos 14:7; Mat 21:33-41; Joh 14:8; Joh 14:16-17; Joh 14:27.
Verses 10, 11 describe the vine-Israel’s bows and branches as extended over the hills, “like goodly (ideal) cedars,” the sea, and unto the river, from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates, Exo 23:31; Psa 72:8; Gen 28:14; Jos 1:4; Deu 9:24.
Verses 12, 13 Inquire just why God has “broken down her hedges,” removed her fences, her protection, so that all who passed by, through the land could take her livelihood as booty, Psa 89:40-41; Isa 5:5; Nah 2:2. Four parties had plucked her fields, Pul, Tiglath-pileser, Shalmaneser, and Sennacherib. Even the wild boar of the woods and wild beasts of the field now spoiled Israel freely, as also symbolizing every type of oppressing heathen power, Psa 68:30; Eze 29:3; Eze 17:3.
Verses 14, 15 entreat the Lord to return, look down from heaven, behold the vine of his right hand, that He had planted, how she was now being destroyed, which he had once made strong for Himself. The idea is “have pity now,” Psa 90:13; Joe 2:14; Zec 1:12; Zec 1:16-17; Mal 3:7; Act 15:13; Isa 63:15; Isa 49:9; Isa 49:5; Hos 11:1.
Verses 16, 17 lament that it, the vine, is burnt with fire, having been cut down; The people of Israel (ten tribes) lay perishing at the rebuke of God’s countenance. Verse 17 appeals, “let thy hand (omnipotent God) be upon the man (messiah man) of thy right hand, the Son of man,” whom He had made strong, as set forth Psa 89:21; Psa 110:1; Isa 53:5; Dan 7:13. See too Exo 4:22; Joh 5:21; Joh 5:27; Zec 3:8; Zec 6:12.
Verses 18, 19 conclude that if God will intercede at this time and save them, quicken them to holy living again, they will call upon His name and not go back from following Him any more, a fine promise, but so often broken; The refrain rises again, “turning us again … cause thy face (favor) to shine; and we will be saved,” and truly there is no other refuge, Psa 46:1; Psa 145:18-19; Num 6:15; Psa 27:14; Psa 27:9; Psa 31:16; Psa 44:3; See too Psa 71:20; Rom 8:15.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
1 Hearken, O Shepherd of Israel! The prophet, previous to his naming Manasseh and Ephraim, makes mention of Joseph; and why does he speak of Joseph rather than of Judah, but because it was his design to treat separately of the kingdom of Israel, the government of which was in the family and posterity of Joseph? Nor, since God sent special prophets among them, after he had stricken them with his rods, is there any inconsistency when, at the same time, the prayer is added, That God would gather together the remnant to himself. Moreover, that they might not delude themselves by trusting in their spurious worship, the prophet, by applying to God the appellation of Him who sitteth between the Cherubim, calls them back to the pure doctrine of the law. The mercy-seat was a pledge of the presence of God, where he had promised to be near his people to hear their prayers. This divinely instituted form, it was unlawful for men to change at their own pleasure. The Israelites, then, are admonished to return to their original state, if they would expect to find God gracious towards them. Besides, by the title which is here attributed to God, there is expressed his wonderful love towards men in humbling, and, so to speak, lowering himself in order to come down to them, and choose for himself a seat and habitation on the earth, that he might dwell in the midst of them. Properly speaking, God cannot be said to sit; nor is it to be supposed that it is possible for him, whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain, to be shut up in a certain place, (1Kg 8:27.) But, in accommodation to the infirmity of men, he is represented as placed between the two Cherubim, that the faithful might not imagine him to be far from them; and, consequently, be perplexed with doubt and apprehension in approaching him. At the same time, the remark which I have previously made must be borne in mind, that the Israelites are here furnished with a rule for enabling them to pray in a right manner, that they might be withdrawn from the worship of the god fabricated and set up by themselves at Dan and Bethel, and that, rejecting all superstitions, they might yield themselves to be guided by the true light of faith, and follow the Word of God.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
INTRODUCTION
Superscription.To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim-Eduth. On Shoshannim see Introduction to Psalms 45. Probably ShoshannimEduth denotes the melody or air after or in the manner of which the Psalm was to be sung. As the words now stand they signify lilies, a testimony, and the two are separated by a large distinctive accent. In themselves they have no meaning in the present text, and must therefore be regarded as probably a fragment of the beginning of an older Psalm with which the choir were familiar.Smiths Dict. of the Bible.
A Psalm of Asaph. See Introduction to Psalms 74. Perowne: As in the case of most of the historical Psalms, so in the case of this, it is impossible to say with certainty at what period it was written. The allusions are never sufficiently definite to lead to any positive conclusion. All that is certain is, that the time was a time of great disaster, that tea nation was trampled down under the foot of foreign invaders. The poet turns to God with the earnest and repeated prayer for deliverance, and bases his appeal on the past.
THE DIVINE FAVOUR IMPLORED
(Psa. 80:1-7.)
In these verses the poet complains of the sorrowful condition of the people, and prays for salvation from God. Their sad condition he regards as the result of the withdrawal of the favour of God, and he prays for their salvation by the renewal of that favour. The Psalmist represents the people as
I. Sorely needing Gods favour. The sad condition of the people appears from
1. The reproaches of their neighbours. Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours; and our enemies laugh among themselves. The neighbours are always the petty tribes in the immediate neighbourhood of Israel, who continually availed themselves of those occasions when Israel was oppressed by more powerful nations, to give vent to their hatred. These neighbours strove among themselves as to who should obtain most of the spoils of Israel, and who should be bitterest in their reproaches against them. When a people who have occupied a position of eminence and power are derided by petty neighbours they must have fallen very low, and great must be their sorrow as they realise the painful contrast between their present and their past. They who laugh among themselves over a fallen and suffering foe must have sunk very low in the scale of humanity. Yet their jeers may torment the sufferers to whom they are directed, may make their bitter drink more bitter, and their heavy burden more heavy.
2. The rejection of their prayer. O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt Thou be angry against the prayer of Thy people? The marginal reading gives a literal translation, How long wilt Thou smoke against the prayer of Thy people? The smoke of incense was a symbol of prayer amongst the Hebrews, Let my prayer be set forth before Thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. According to the teaching of their Scriptures the smoke of the incense in prayer would propitiate God, and cause the smoke of His anger to cease. But instead of this the smoke of His anger opposes the smoke of the incense of their prayers. Such seems to be the poetic dress of the idea. The idea itself is that God rejected their prayer. If such were really the case there must have been something wrong in their prayers, or in the spirit in which they presented them. They must have asked amiss.
(1.) There might have been a lack of fervour and earnestness in their prayers. God does not regard cold, half-hearted petitions.
(2.) Or they might have supplicated Him from an impure or unworthy motive.
(3.) Or, while they sought Him in prayer, they might have cherished sin in their hearts. If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not bear me.
(4.) Or, probably, God only appeared as though He rejected their prayer. He delayed His response in order to increase His blessing. By making them wait He would test and increase their faith, and the fervour of their desires, and the earnestness of their prayers. But to them He seemed as though He rejected their prayers; and it was a sore trial to them. Men reproached them, and God rejected their entreaties. Earth greeted them with cruel persecution or scornful laughter, and heaven with stony-hearted indifference or stern rejection.
3. The greatness of their sorrow. Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure. God dealt out sorrows to them as though they were their food and drink. Their grief was intense and constant. Tears were their daily portion. All their trials and sorrows they regarded as proceeding from God. Thou feedest them with the bread of tears. Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours, &c. In this they were certainly right thus far, that God had allowed these miseries to befall them. If He had not directly brought them upon them as a chastisement for their sins, He had withdrawn the shield of His protection from them because of their sin. He had hidden His face from them, and they were troubled. He had withdrawn His favour, and innumerable evils had compassed them about. Truly His favour was sorely needed by them.
II. Earnestly imploring Gods favour. In the prayer here recorded we have
1. An implied confession of sin. Turn us again, O God. They are conscious of having turned aside into sinful ways. In them there had been an evil heart of unbelief, and they had departed from God, and were now feeling the bitter result. They had withdrawn their loyalty from Him before He withdrew His favour from them. And they humbly and repeatedly pray, Turn us again, O God. When sin is mourned over and confessed to God, and restoration to fidelity and righteousness is sought from Him, the return of His favour will not tarry long.
2. A recognition of the gracious relation of God to them.
(1.) God is addressed as their Shepherd. This relation is one of great intimacy and tenderness. It involves His guidance, protection, and provision. (See Hom. Com. on Psa. 74:1.)
(2.) God is addressed as dwelling between the cherubim. The allusion is to the Shecinah, the visible symbol of the Divine presence, which was above the mercy-seat and between the cherubim. From the mercy-seat He communed with man and dispensed His favour. There He had manifested Himself to the Hebrews as He had to no other people. In this address to Him they remind Him of this special favour shown to them, and seek to encourage themselves thereby. Jesus Christ is the true Shecinah. He is the brightness of the Fathers glory, and the express image of His person.
3. An earnest entreaty for His salvation. Give ear, shine forth, stir up Thy strength, and come and save us. Turn us again, O God, and cause Thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
(1.) They pray that God would attend to them. Give ear. He had seemed to disregard their cries to Him, and even to reject their prayers in His anger; and they entreat Him to lend an attentive ear to the voice of their supplications.
(2.) They pray that God would arouse His strength for their salvation. For a time it seemed as though His mighty saving arm had slumbered. They knew how mightily that arm had wrought salvation for their fathers in ancient days, and they cried, Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord.
(3.) They pray that God would manifest His favour to them and so save them. Cause Thy face to shine is a poetical expression of, Show Thy favour. They felt that in His favour was their salvation. At the rebuke of His countenance they perished; in the shining of His countenance they lived and rejoiced. The idea is poetical and beautiful, and profoundly true. In His favour is life. Only as our being is illumined and warmed by the beams of His love do we live. His favour is the life-giving breath of souls.
In conclusion, Is this favour ours? Are we living in the smile of God? Then, let us never cause Him to avert His face from us. Let us yield to the mighty attraction of His love, and be transformed into His ineffable beauty. But if any have no consciousness of His favour, no saving acquaintance with Him, let them at once pray, Lord, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon us. Turn us again, O God, and cause Thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Rise through faith in Him into the conscious realisation of the favour of God, and so into the possession of a life spiritual, everlasting, blessed, and Divine.
THE SHEPHERD OF ISRAEL
Psa. 80:1. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest, &c. To the great majority of devout souls, next to the revelation of God in Christ Jesus, the revelation of Him in His various offices and relationships is the most precious. Here He is set forth as the Shepherd of His people.
I. The relation which He sustains to His people. Shepherd. Certain relationships He sustains to all men. Creator, Sustainer, Sovereign, Judge. Certain other relationships He sustains only to those who confide in Him, relationships which involve trust and sympathy. Such is that of Shepherd. Shepherd of Israel, not of Philistia or Assyria. He is the Shepherd now of those who know Him, trust Him, follow Him. Very intimate and tender is the relation between Eastern shepherds and their flocks.
1. Each sheep is individually known. He calleth His own sheep by name.
2. Each sheep it individually cared for. He shall gather the lambs with his arm, &c.
3. Each sheep is individually protected. The good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep.
4. Each sheep is individually provisioned. The Lord will give grace and glory: no good will He withhold, &c. And, in conjunction with this personal knowledge and care of the Shepherd for each individual member of His flock, there is unity of the whole. They constitute a flock.
II. The service which He renders to His people. Leadest Joseph like a flock. This is only a development of the previous clause The Eastern shepherd goes before his flock, and the sheep follow him. The Lord leads His people. By the exercise of their reason and conscience; by the openings and closings of His providence; by the teachings of His holy Word; and by the action of His holy Spirit upon the heart, He now leads all who trust in Him. Ponder what is involved in this.
1. That man is not competent to arrange his own course of life. It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. Thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
2. That man is not compelled to yield to the Divine direction. The good Shepherd does not drive men before Him as unwilling disciples, but He goes before them, leads them, leaving them to follow Him or forsake Him as they choose.
3. That the Divine direction of human life is exercised in the most gracious manner. I will go before thee and make the crooked places straight. The Shepherd first encounters every difficulty or danger, then the sheep follow Him. This Divine guidance is a fact to-day, a blessed reality which we may each prove by committing our way unto the Lord.
III. The manifestation of Himself to His people. Thou that dwellest between the cherubim. Thou who sittest enthroned upon the cherubim. It has been thought that the prayer for help in the first part of the verse rests upon the shepherd care of God, and in this part on the omnipotence of Him who is enthroned upon the cherubim, and rulest over all. What the symbol of the Divine presence was to the Jews, the Lord Jesus Christ is to us. He is the Divine Representative, the Revealer of God. In Him we meet with God, and read His character, and see His mercy, and learn His grace. He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father. Through Him God dispenses His favours. Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name He will give it you.
IV. The great Desire of His people from Him. Shine forth. Turn us again, O God, and cause Thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. Their own arm did not save them, but Thy right hand, and Thine arm, and the light of Thy countenance. Who will show us any good? Lord, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon us. The idea is that in the manifestation of Gods favour, salvation and blessing are to be found.
So is it now and for us. Our great need is that God in Christ would shine forth unto us. To see God in Christ Jesus is a saving, spiritually transforming sight.
SALVATION IN GODS SMILE
(Psa. 80:3.)
The thrice-uttered prayer, Turn us again, O God, seems to show that the Hebrews were sensible of departure from God, and desirous of being turned penitently to Him as a means of regaining His favour. There is, we fear, much backsliding of heart in the Church at this time. What we mean by backsliding. The loss of the intense consciousness of peace and joy which followed conversion, and of the burning enthusiasm and zeal, which things were then irregular and spasmodic, is not always to be regretted. If our consciousness of peace and joy have grown profounder and calmer, though less intense; if our enthusiasm and zeal have grown into a habit of regular, steady, and self-denying work for God, there is no matter for regret. We do not mourn the loss of the sapling in the oak, or of the little child in the man or woman. Such loss is really development and gain. But there are many signs of real spiritual decline in many persons in the great Church of Christ. Absorption in business has benumbed the zeal of many. Marriage and the cares of domestic life have taken the lofty aspiration out of many others, and ended their usefulness. Worldly prosperity has injured others. There are thousands in the Church the promise of whose early discipleship remains unfulfilled. They are members of the Church; but the zeal, enthusiasm, usefulness, consecration, and joy of their early Christian lifewhere are they? Ah, where? To such persons God very often sends trouble, in some form or other, as His messenger to recall them from their backslidings. Is He so sending to any of you? Or has He so sent to you? Then, be thankful that He is still seeking you; and make the prayer of the text your own. Turn us again, O God, and cause Thy face to shine, &c.
The Poets idea of salvation and its attainment is, that it is a something which springs out of the shining of Gods countenance, and which is to be sought by prayer. Cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. They perish at the rebuke of Thy countenance. In His favour is life. Probably he was thinking of the shining of the sun. It gives life, light, warmth, exhilaration. Its absence means death; its presence, life and gladness. Taking this analogy, the view of salvation here set forth is that it consists in the life and growth of the soul under the favour of God. It is not mere deliverance from wrath or hell, as commonly understood. The poets idea of hell is given hereThe rebuke of Thy countenance. He seeks salvation by seeking the blessing which is exactly antithetic to that evil, The light of Thy countenance. All spirits must sustain some relation to God. Spiritual existence in total separation from Him is an impossibility. But spirits are found in various and different relations to Him. Some are avowedly hostile to Him. Devils are of this class. They are sustained by Him, but they are bitterly antagonistic to Him. Many men too are alienated and enemies in their mind by wicked works. Hostile to Him actually, though not avowedly. In this state all true spiritual growth is impossible. Others are indifferent to Him, practically without God in the world, and have no desire to be otherwise. Such indifference involves indifference to their own spirit. There can be no true spiritual growth in such a state. Others have some sort of belief in His existence, but despair of obtaining His favour. They cannot grow spiritually, for hope is essential to growth. Others are trusting and loving Him. They regard Him as merciful and gracious, wise and beneficent, strong and kind; and so they trust Him and enjoy His favour. The position of the Psalmist I take to be this, that all in this state, or sustaining this attitude towards God, are being saved, and that by the growth of their souls under the influence of Gods favour. Under this influence, in what would souls grow?
1. In thoughtfulness. God is infinitely thoughtful. He frequently calls upon men to consider, reason, be wise, &c. Every soul that is fully open to His influence He quickens into holy thoughtfulness.
2. In holy principles. Living in the light of Gods countenance, the principles of the Divine administration and conduct become ours.
3. In spiritual strength to will and do and suffer. The sense of His loving presence makes the will imperial in the right, the hands strong for holy doing, and the heart calm and patient in suffering.
4. In reverence. I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth Thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. (See also Isa. 6:1-5.)
5. In spiritual beauty. The beauty of the Lord our God upon us. In one word, under Gods smile the soul grows into His image. According to our interpretation of the text, that is salvation. How philosophic! How true! How exalted! We may secure His favour by earnest, persistent prayer (see Psa. 80:3; Psa. 80:7; Psa. 80:19). Mark the cumulation of names. Such prayer is the approach of the soul to God. Apply the subject
1. To backsliders.
2. To the unconverted.
The Lord bless thee and keep thee: the Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
PASSAGES FROM THE HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT CHURCH, WITH THEIR LESSONS TO THE MODERN CHURCH
(Psa. 80:8-19.)
Israel is here compared to a vine, and under this figure some experiences of her history are referred to. A devout and thoughtful study of these verses will not fail in discovering teachings which are applicable to us to-day, without resorting to any fanciful or irreverent handling of the Book of God. The verses bring before us
I. The Divine planting of the ancient Church. In respect to the ancient Jewish Church the Lord is represented here as
1. Bringing them out of Egypt. Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt. Israel in Egypt was like a vine in an unfavourable situation, with an unsuitable soil and an ungenial clime. If it grew and bore fruit there, it was not by the aid of its circumstances, but in despite of them. So the Lord God of hosts brought forth His people from their uncongenial circumstances and surroundings, like a vine from an unfriendly soil and an inclement air.
2. Expelling the heathen from the promised land. He had chosen that land for His own people, and promised it to their fathers, and He fulfils His promise. He had long purposed to plant His vine in that goodly land. And, in order to the accomplishment of His purpose, He cast out the heathen. Seven nations were rooted out to make room for this vine which the Lord had chosen.
3. Firmly planting His people in a goodly situation. Having prepared room for it by the expulsion of the heathen, He planted it, and caused it to take deep root. In fertile soil, refreshed by brooks of water, fountains, and depths that spring out of valleys and hills, beneath translucent skies and amid genial airs, He planted His vine, and caused it firmly to strike its roots. Thus the ancient Jewish Church was emancipated from the bondage of Egypt, enabled to conquer the Canaanites, and to take secure possession of the land which God had promised to their fathers, entirely by means of His power. So much so that, with the strictest truth, He may be said to have delivered them from Egypt, vanquished their enemies, and planted them in Canaan. So now the Lord calls men out of the moral Egypt, with its bondage of evil habits, its degrading fleshly lusts, its oppressive burdens of guilt, and its cruel task-masters of lordly passions. At His girdle hangs the key which unlocks the doors of the prison in which the captives of sin are immured. He breaks the power of the oppressor. The Lord looseth the prisoners. He is the great Emancipator from the guilt and sovereignty of evil. All who listen to His call and accept His deliverance, He makes to rejoice in glad liberty. He not only calls men out of Egypt, but also plants in His own vineyard all those who obey His call. In what favourable circumstances the Lord has planted us! How many culturing agencies He is causing to operate upon us! What innumerable aids to growth and development, strength and maturity, fruitfulness and beauty, He is ever bestowing upon us! The Church of God in Britain to-day is exalted to heaven with privileges.
II. The great progress of the ancient Church. It filled the land. The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the goodly cedars with its boughs. She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river. The hills or mountains which were shadowed by this vine were probably those in the extreme south of Canaan. And as the vine when planted in fertile soil runs up the trees and covers them, so the poet pictures this vine as running up and covering the great cedars of Lebanon. The sea is the Mediterranean, which bounded the Promised Land on one side; the river is the Euphrates, which bounded the land on the other side. The whole is a beautiful picture of the prosperity of the Hebrews in their best days. During the latter portion of the reign of David, and through almost the whole of that of Solomon, they occupied a proud position amongst neighbouring nations; their power was recognised and respected; their prosperity was great; their wealth also was great. So the Christian Church has spread, and is still spreading. Its institutions and literature are spreading and growing in almost every part of the known world. Rank and fashion, wealth and power, education and genius, are to be found in large proportions within her fold. Her financial resources for carrying on her work are greater than they ever were, and are still increasing. The greatest institutions are overshadowed by her. Her roots seem to be ever striking deeper; and her branches are spreading and growing in every direction.
III. The ruinous failure of the ancient Church. This vine rose to a great height, spread abroad its branches to a great extent, was well covered with foliage, so that it cast a great and deep shadow; but not a word is said of its fruit. It bore no fruit. It failed in its chief end. Of what use is a vine unless it bring forth fruit? If it fail in that it fails in the main thing. And it was in the main thing that the Hebrews failed. Israel was a fruitless vine. As their material prosperity increased, their religious faithfulness and zeal decreased. In the Holy Land idolatry was permitted by Solomon. He even allowed a part of one of the hills overlooking Jerusalem, and almost fronting the temple of God, to be consecrated to obscene and barbarous deities. Can we wonder that clouds on all sides gathered about his declining day? Is it surprising that he should bequeath to his heir an insecure throne, a discontented people, formidable enemies on the frontiers, and the probability of a contested succession? Let the Church of Christ to-day take warning from the ancient Jewish Church. God demands fruit of us, the fruit of personal holiness and social usefulness. Is the Church meeting that demand? Is she holy in herself? Is she abolishing the dishonesties of trade? Is her face set against human oppression? Is she striving to purify the land of the scandalous social corruptions? Is she waging war against drunkenness and gluttony? Is she leading the lost to the Saviour? O Church of Christ, examine thyself!
IV. The mournful devastation of the ancient Church. Why hast Thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they that pass by the way do pluck her! The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it. It is burned with fire, it is cut down; they perish at the rebuke of Thy countenance. We cannot determine what particular calamities are referred to in these verses. But notice
1. God withdrew His defence from them. He broke down her hedges. They had lost their defence by reason of their sin. They had forsaken their Protector, and so exposed themselves to their foes. They had provoked God to anger, and He had left them like a vineyard with its fences demolished, open to the foot of every intruder.
2. Their enemies ravaged them. The picture of the havoc and ruin wrought is striking and powerful. Their enemies are represented as various, fierce, and strong. They which pass by the way, the boar out of the wood, and the wild beast of the field. They would waste the vineyard in different ways, and what one failed to destroy would speedily be ruined by the others. The devastation is represented as very great. They are being plucked, wasted, devoured, burned, and are perishing. Alas, poor vineyard! Desolation itself could scarce be more desolate; or ruin more ruinous. Their misery is represented as the result of the displeasure of God. They perish at the rebuke of Thy countenance. Conscience speaks here, and speaks truly. They were powerless and defenceless before their enemies, because they were conscious of having forsaken their Almighty Friend. The consciousness of sin led them to see a frowning God, and emptied their spirit of courage and their arm of strength.
3. They failed to understand fully the reason of their miseries. Why hast Thou broken? &c. One would have thought that they would not have needed to ask why. Did they think that, having shown so much favour to this vine, and bestowed upon it so much care, it was strange that He should leave it exposed to destroyers? But that very favour and that care only made its worthlessness the more manifest in bearing no fruit. Gods great mercies to the Jews made their sin and rebellion against Him the more heinous and aggravated. Instead of asking God why He had left them defenceless, they would have done well to have looked into their own life and conduct, and turned to Him in sincere penitence. Let the Christian Church heed the warning.
V. The earnest prayer of the ancient Church. The poet prays
1. For the Divine presence and favour. Return, we beseech Thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine. That God would see and consider their sad case, that He would look upon them with favour, that He would visit them in mercy, is their appropriate desire.
2. For the Divine protection. Guard what Thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that Thou madest strong for Thyself. This is a prayer for the defence of God that they may not be utterly and entirely destroyed. The petition refers to His ancient kindness in their planting and increase, and pleads their relation to Him. The vine was planted by Him and for Him, and in its misery and desolation the poet commits it to Him.
3. For the Divine blessing on their leaders. Let Thy hand be upon the man of Thy right hand, upon the son of man whom Thou madest strong for Thyself. The expositors differ in their interpretations of this verse. Some see with clearness, and assert with confidence, that there is an outlook to the Messiah here; while others are unable to see anything of the kind. The man of Thy right hand is the man who holds the place of honour. The son of man, we regard as a poetical variation from the term man in the first clause of the verse. Whom Thou hast made strong for Thyself, i.e., whom Thou hast raised to power for the carrying out of Thy purposes. So we regard it as a prayer on behalf of some leader or leaders of the people, that Gods hand may be upon him, or upon them, for good; and that through him, or them, He would bless the afflicted people.
4. For the Divine restoration or revival. Quicken us. Restore to us as a people vitality and power; our languishing and dying cause do Thou revive and strengthen. Such is the prayer of the ancient Church in its distress. And if any portion of the Lords vineyard today is lying desolate and distressed, Christians will do well to carry the case to God in prayer, and seek His interposition and salvation.
VI. The devout promise of the ancient Church. The poet on behalf of the people engages that if God granted their requests, their conduct towards Him should be marked by
1. Perseverance. So will not we go back from Thee. They had backslidden from His ways many times; but now they vow that, if God will deliver them from their distresses, they will cleave with constancy to Him.
2. Praise. We will call upon Thy name. We will worship Thee faithfully. Such is their promise made in affliction. And we know with how deplorable a frequency such promises are forgotten when the affliction is removed. Such was the case repeatedly in the history of the Jews.
CONCLUSION.
1. Let individual Christians and Christian churches take heed to this beacon. As individuals, have we our fruit unto holiness? In the ancient Jewish Church, we have a striking analogue of the planting, privileges, and progress of the Christian Church. Let us see to it that the analogy does not become true as regards fruitlessness; for, if it should, our defence will be gone, and we shall be wasted and destroyed by our enemies.
2. If any have backslidden from the ways of the Lord, let them seek Him at once in penitence and by prayer. Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause Thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Psalms 80
DESCRIPTIVE TITLE
Prayer for the Flock and Vine of Israel.
ANALYSIS
Stanza I., Psa. 80:1-3, By Three Significant Titles, Jehovah is besought to interpose for Salvation, before Three Significantly Selected Tribes. Stanza II., Psa. 80:4-7, Remonstrance with God for the length of His Manifestation of Displeasure. Stanza III., Psa. 80:8-11, The VineTransplanted out of Egypt and Prosperous in Canaan, Stanza IV., Psa. 80:12-15, The VineEndangered and Damaged: Prayer that it be Inspected and Protected. Stanza V., Psa. 80:16-18, In order that the Destruction of the Vine may be Averted, Representation and Restoration are Besought.
(Lm.) By AsaphPsalm.
1
Shepherd of Israel oh give ear!
leader of Joseph as a flock,
throned on the cherubim oh shine forth!
2
Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh
oh stir up thy heroic strength,
and oh come to our salvation!
3
Oh God! restore us,
And light up thy face,
And we shall be saved.
4
Jehovah God of hosts!
how long hast thou been angry[130] in spite of[131] the prayer of thy people?
[130] MI.: snorted or fumed.
[131] Or: during.
5
[How long] hast thou fed them with the bread of tears,
given them to drink of tears in large measure?[132]
[132] Ml.: by the tierce. The third part of some larger measure, perhaps the bath (Eze. 45:11), and if so equivalent to nearly three gallons,a large measure for tears, though a small one for the earth, Is. 40:12 (measure)Dr.
6
[How long] wilt thou make us a strife to our neighbours,
or shall our foes laugh at us?[133]
[133] So some cod. (w. Sep., Syr., Vul.)Gn. M.T.: laugh to themselves (mock as they pleaseDr.).
7
O God of hosts! restore us,
And light up thy face,
And we shall be saved.
8
A vine out of Egypt thou didst lift,
didst drive out nations and plant it:
9
Didst clear a space before it,
so it rooted its roots and filled the land:
10
Covered were the mountains with its shade,
and with its boughs the cedars of GOD:
11
It thrust forth its branches as far as the sea,
and unto the River its shoots.[134]
[134] Or: suckers.
12
Wherefore hast thou broken down its fences,[135]
[135] Or: walls.
so that all who pass along the way have plucked of its fruit?
13
The boar out of the forest[136] gnaweth it,
[136] That is=symbol of Rome. Or: river: (=symbol of Egypt). See G. Intro., 338340.
and the roaming beast of the field browseth on it.
14
O God of hosts! return we pray thee,
look around out of the heavens and see,
and inspect this vine;
15
And be thou the protection[137] of that which thy right-hand hath planted,
[137] So Del. and others.
and over the bough[138] thou hast secured for thyself,
[138] Ml.: son. Some cod. (w. Sep., Syr., Vul.) son of man (adam)Gn.
16
It is to be burned with fire it is to be cut down,
at the rebuke of thy face[139] they will perish!
[139] Gt: mouthGn.
17
Let thy hand be over the man of thy right hand,
over the son of mankind[140] thou hast secured for thyself:
[140] Heb.: Adam.
18
So shall we not draw back from thee,
thou wilt restore us to life[141] and on thy name will we call.
[141] Or: quicken us.
19
Jehovah God of hosts restore us,
Light up thy face,
And we shall be saved.
(Lm.) To the Chief Musician.
(CMm.) For the Wine-presses = Feast of Tabernacles.
PARAPHRASE
Psalms 80
O Shepherd of Israel who leads Israel like a flock; O God enthroned above the cherubim, bend down Your ear and listen as I plead. Display Your power and radiant glory.
2 Let Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh see You rouse Yourself and use Your mighty power to rescue us.
3 Turn us again to Yourself, O God. Look down on us in joy and love;[142] only then shall we be saved.
[142] Literally, cause Your face to shine upon us.
4 O Jehovah, God of heavens armies, how long will You be angry and reject our prayers?
5 You have fed us with sorrow and tears,
6 And have made us the scorn of the neighboring nations. They laugh among themselves.
7 Turn us again to Yourself, O God of Hosts. Look down on us in joy and love;* only then shall we be saved.
[*] Literally, cause Your face to shine upon us.
8 You brought us from Egypt as though we were a tender vine and drove away the heathen from Your land and planted us.
9 You cleared the ground and tilled the soil and we took root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with our shadow; we were like the mighty cedar trees,[143]
[143] Literally, the cedars of God.
11 Covering the entire land from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River.
12 But now You have broken down our walls leaving us without protection.
13 The boar from the forest roots around us, and the wild animals feed on us.
14 Come back, we beg of You, O God of the armies of heaven, and bless us. Look down from heaven and see our plight and care for this Your vine!
15 Protect what You Yourself have planted, this son You have raised for Yourself.
16 For we are chopped and burned by our enemies. May they perish at Your frown.
17 Strengthen the man You love,[144] the son of Your choice,[145]
[144] Literally, the man of Your right hand.
[145] Literally, the son of man You made strong for Yourself.
18 And we will never forsake You again. Revive us to trust in You.
19 Turn us again to Yourself, O God of the armies of heaven. Look down on us, Your face aglow with joy and loveonly then shall we be saved.
EXPOSITION
The exceeding beauty of this psalm is obvious at a glance,with its striking invocation, its threefold refrain, and its exquisite allegory of the Vine. Its power, however, cannot be felt to the full until its scope is observed and its spirit perceived. Its scope is, to reconcile all the tribes of Israel to each other and to their God: its spirit is, on the one hand, one of absolute loyalty to Jehovah, in his preference for Judah as the leading tribe, and to the house of David as the divinely appointed reigning dynasty; and, on the other hand, one of tender regard for the susceptibilities of the northern tribes. Whether Asaph, the author of this psalm, be Asaph the Second or Asaph the Seventh matters little, so long as we take him to have been the prophet compeer of King Hezekiah. While the King was inviting the tribes to come to Jerusalem, the psalmist was singing them in to Jehovahs royal seat.
Viewed from this standpoint, what address is discovered in the opening invocation. When the term Israel did not mean the whole nation, it specially meant the Ten Tribes; and of Joseph the same may be said, with the especial consideration added, that as both Ephraim and Manasseh were integral members of the northern kingdom, Joseph would more emphatically point North. So far, then, the invocation counts two for the North; but when the third Divine Title is added, Throned on the cherubim, then, as the holy cherubic Throne was now located in Jerusalem, that was emphatically one for the South. So that, while this invocation, in the order of mention, yields the leading place to the North, and then weightily gravitates to the South, it may be truthfully described as a tribe-uniting Invocation.
In the same spirit the psalm proceeds, with the tact of a Divine winsomeness: Thou who art throned in the South, before the North shew forth thy glorious presence! Before the North: more in detail, Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh,Ephraim and Manasseh being, of course, the two sons of Joseph; with little Benjamin placed between them, with exquisite good taste and with striking historical reminiscences clustering about the arrangement; first, as all being the descendants of the two sons of Rachel; and second, as having been placed in the rear of the Ark in the appointed order of march through the wilderness: Thou who are throned in the Ark before them, before them shine forth, as thou leadest them on to victory and glory. Nor was this association of Benjamin with Ephraim and Manasseh without historical propriety or hortatory necessity. At first sight, says Kirkpatrick, it may seem strange that Benjamin is reckoned among the northern tribes, for partially at any rate it sided with Rehoboam (1Ki. 12:21, 2Ch. 11:3; 2Ch. 11:23; 2Ch. 15:8-9); but the one tribe remaining to David was Judah (1Ki. 11:13; 1Ki. 11:32; 1Ki. 11:36), and Benjamin must be reckoned to the Northern Kingdom to make up Ten tribes, for Simeon had become merged in Judah and is not counted. The principal Benjamite towns of Bethel, Gilgal, and Jericho belonged to the Northern Kingdom. To which we may add a sentence from Delitzsch as to these three cities: But, like Ramah (1Ki. 15:21 f), not without being contested (cf. 2Ch. 13:19); the boundaries were therefore fluctuating.
Thus wooed into united supplication, the twelve-tribed nation is led forward in impassioned pleading, as the repeated use of the h-paragogic shews: Oh give ear! Oh shine forth! Oh stir up! O come!
The refrain too is worthy of its place as the triple crown of the psalm. O God! restore us: or, bring us backwhich would especially suit those who were in banishment;or, bring us back to our former estate, Restore uswhich would suit all who lamented their degeneracy and disunion. And light up thy facewith that smile which so gladdens all such as love thee. And, thus gladdenedunitedguided, we shall be saved from foes and dangers and sins.
To this stanza of invocation and petition, succeeds a stanza of invocation and remonstrance. Only, now, the invocation is shorter: Jehovah=the Becoming One; God of Hosts, with saints and angels and elements at thy command, waiting to do thy will.Invocations are useful, as the natural outcome of earnestness; as apt reminders, to the petitioner and his fellow-worshippers, of the nature of the weighty business in handthat we are neither dreaming nor soliloquising, nor aimlessly wandering: we are in the court of the Divine Presence, speaking to the Almightythat is our one present business. Moreover, Invocations are turned into pleadings by the choice of epithets to suit our need, and by the accumulation of them as so many avenues of approach to him whom we worship.How long? is the key-note of the remonstrance, the spirit of which should undoubtedly be carried through the remainder of the stanza: up to and preparing for the supplicatory refrain. How long hast thou been thus angry and wilt thou continue to be? How long hast thou fed us with the bread of tearsso that our hungry lips open in vain for food, only to taste the salt tears that fall upon them? How long art thou going still further to make us a strife to our smaller neighbours, who are quarreling among themselves as to who first and who most shall insult us in our humiliation? How long are our more formidable foes to be permitted to turn on us with a scornful laugh when we groan under their unchecked atrocities?Thus are we permitted to interweave the element of time with our prayers: How long? The longest may seem but a small moment to Him who sees the end from the beginning; but, to us, creatures of a day, it is a serious aggravation to our troubles that they are so long continued. And what we are here taught by Asaph is, that we may dare to remonstrate with God over the almost unbearable protraction of our trials. Thus, as least, shall we find an intensified refrain of petition welcome, as a relief to the burden which weighs down our spirits: O God of Hosts, restore us, And light up thy face, And we shall be saved.
And now comes the Vinethe parable, the allegory of the Vineand let us remember that we are still, in prayer, speaking to Him whose vine it is: its Owner, its Planter and Transplanter, its Waterer and Fencer, its Devastator, its seeming Neglecter, its severe Inspector, its true and only Protector, its Redeemer and Restorer.
It is thus that this Vine comes before us:1. Transplanted and Prosperous, 2. Endangered and Damaged, 3. Inspected and Protected, 4. Represented and Restored. Although these headings are not exactly conformed to the stanzical divisions of the psalm, they may be helpful as a basis of study. While paying a passing regard to the framework of the Allegory, let us chiefly endeavour to get at its true meaning.
1. The VineIsrael: Transplanted and Prosperous. It began its growth in Egypt. But in Egypt there was neither room for its growth, nor an atmosphere to make it fruitful. Egypt was peopled by an oppressing nationality, unfavourable to the growth within it of a free nation; and Egypt was poisoned with idolatry, unfitted for the development of a pure nation. Jehovah desired a nation both free and pure: fitted to be a channel of blessing to all the other nations of the earth. Therefore he transplanted his Vinelifted it, as a vine is lifted with its roots, or a vine-layer is lifted, and laid in its ample bed.
But it must have a cleared space to receive it. The Owner of this Vine foresaw this need and provided for it. Hence the psalmist says: Didst clear a space before it. And the Divine directions were, that the space should be cleared. The iniquity of the Amorites was now full; and therefore, being mindful that the space they occupied should be filled to better purpose, the Disposer of Nations commanded them to be extirpateda severe but needful mandate; severe, because it involved the destruction of the innocent with the guilty; needful, because the seven nations of Canaan had become a pest and a peril to the world. Unmerciful? Verily: it would have been more merciful, if the terrible Divine Behest of Destruction had been sternly executed. It would have saved the lives as well as the morals of generations yet unborn.
Nevertheless, space was made; so that this Vine, transplanted from Egypt, grew rapidly: in the picturesque language of the psalm, it rooted its roots, and fitted the land. As if on purpose to recall and amplify the blessings on Joseph which fell from his father Jacobs lips (Genesis 49), the psalmist proceeds: Covered were the mountains with its shadethe mountains of the South, And with its boughs the cedars of Godon the Lebanon to the North, a feat which the Vine, as a climbing plant, is able to accomplish; It thrust forth its branches, with the true thrusting power of growth, as far as the seathe Mediterranean, to the West; and unto the River (Nahar=the Euphrates) its shoots (or suckers). Great (outward) prosperity, nearly if not quite realised in the days of Solomon. Is it strange that such prosperity should not have endured? Alas! there was a worm at the root of this Vine. Idolatrythe very thing that the God of Israel would not toleratehad entered and was making rapid advances even in the days of Solomon.
2. Endangered and Damaged.Inwardly, the danger was Sinflagrant national Sin. The outward danger followed. The Owner of the Vine himself broke down its fences. His own character was involved: his purposes were being thwarted: there was a needs-be that he should interpose. Self-consistency and truth demanded it: all this had been threatened by Moses, and it must come. All who passed along the wayEgypt to meet Assyria, Assyria to meet Egyptplucked of its fruit; and verily the fruit of this Vine was luscious and tempting; as, for example, the golden treasures of the Temple! Pity the defenceless Vine! when the boar out of the forest=the wild-boar of Assyria, Babylon, Greece or Rome, came that way (the Boar was anciently the symbol of Rome). The Vine, that is the Nation, more frequently pitied itself, than turned in true repentance to its offended God. True to the life it is, that Jewish scholars have punned on the very word which describes their punishment. The essential letters of the Hebrew word for forest are Y, R: if pronounced yaar, then it means forest; but if pronounced ye-or then it signifies river, and particularly the Nile. Now, they did not fear the Boar of the Nile so much as they stood in awe of the Boar of the forest east or west. The roaming beast of the field, in the next line, may meaneither any marauding power, or the smaller neighboring monarchs ever ready to browse on Israels most tender and promising shoots.
3. Inspected and Protected.No wonder that the psalmist should again and more earnestly than ever betake himself to prayer. And, first, he prays for inspection: O God of hosts! return, we pray thee look around out of the, heavenson the various nations; and seewhether there is any other nation that interests and concerns thee like this; and inspect this vinelook narrowly into its condition, and see what, in thy clemency and wisdom, can be done in its behalf. So far, we Gentiles hearken with complacency: it is doubtless right, we are ready to say, that this vine, on which so much culture has been lavished should be inspected! But are we equally prepared to follow Asaph in the next step which he takes? And be thou the protection of that which thy right-hand hath planted. Perhaps we are utterly and genuinely unable to say what more the Divine Husbandman could have done for his vineyard which he has not done for it (Isaiah 5). But how can he protect a nation which cannot and will not protect itselfcannot and will not come under his protection? And so we are straitened, not in God, but in ourselves, and in our own poverty of conception. We think we have reached the end of HIS ways which are past finding out! Is there never a bough in this Vine, which as a fresh layer can again be transplanted; and so a New Vine be produced therefrom? Perhaps, even to this length, the utmost stretch of our Gentile imaginations may extend. Yes! we say; even that may be. Salvation is of the Jews. The Messiah comes of the seed of David. And, only give to the Messiah a new people; then he and his new people shall form a new Vine; and in that new Vine the old shall live again and so be perpetuated. Good as far as it goes; only it does not go so far as the Apostle Paul would conduct us; for he exclaims, in a passage wherein Israel cannot mean the Church, And so all Israel shall be saved. Therefore we must yet stand firm to the text of this Asaphic Psalm.
4. Represented and Restored.It was something that at the close of the previous stanza (Psa. 80:15) we saw a bough that was not likely to be destroyed, seeing that Jehovah had secured it for himself. The Psalmist sets the peril of Israels national destruction clearly before him. The natural doom of such a Vine is to be burned with fire; and, with a view to such a burning, to be cut down: there is reason, in Israels persistent sin, for Divine Rebuke stern enough to leave Israel to perish. But this apprehension on the part of the psalmist prompts to renewed and more explicit prayer. Let thy hand be protectingly over the man of thy right hand. Is this man an individual or a nation? There is something to be said for the opinion of some that it may be the whole nation of Israel; even as, in Psa. 80:15, that which thy right hand hath planted is clearly the nation. Still, we have already had brought before us the separating conception of a single bough, or son, of the Vine; and Jehovahs first care is clearly to protect and preserve that bough; and this is the idea which is now, in supplication, brought forward anewbrought forward anew and amplified,and, in the process of repetition and amplification, more fully described and more accurately defined. Even the phrase, the man of thy right hand seems irresistibly to carry us forward to the Messiah. But when the duplicate phrase follows, The son of Mankindthe Son of Adam; and the striking description is repeated, whom thou hast secured for thyself that conclusion is undoubtedly confirmed; so that we are relieved to find that even the Aramaean Targum giving scholarly Jewish opinion in the early Christian centuries is borne along in the same direction with its paraphrase: And upon Messiah the king, whom thou hast made strong for thyself. Still the question recursDoes this gravitation of the psalm to the Messiah include or exclude the Nation? If we still follow the psalmists lead,to say nothing more now of concurrent Scripture,we shall undoubtedly answer in the affirmativeIt will include and not exclude the Nation. For who are these who now join in the pleadingSo shall we not draw back from thee, fully and finally. On the contrary, however dead we are at present, yea even generations of our people in Hades (Ezekiel 37), Thou wilt restore us to life, and as the priestly nation we were originally intended to be (Exodus 19) and which prophecy clearly foretells we yet shall be (Isa. 61:6; Isa. 66:20) And on thy name will we call. Jehovah, God of hosts, restore usus, the nation, inheriting the name and honour of the Vine thou didst lift out of Egypt, Light up thy face, and we, the Vine, the Nation, shall be saved.
Recurring to the opening of the psalm, a weighty lesson may be drawn therefrom for the guidance of such as would seek the reunion of Christendom. There is in this realm also the unfaithfulness which fears to tell Ephraim his sin. For these the 78th psalm furnishes instruction: showing the possibility of faithfully admonishing Ephraim, that he has turned back in the day of battle, and yet so administering the lesson as to commend it to his attention. The present psalm furnishes the hint that, besides warning Ephraim, efforts to win him may be alternated with sterner remonstrances. Set the Ark of the Divine Presence before him, and entreat him to follow its lead; at the same time endeavouring to convince him that there are privileges to be enjoyed in Judah which Ephraim has forfeited. Let us hold fast the honour of having first denounced Divisionalism in Christendom: at the same time wooing back wanderers in a generous and winsome spirit.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1.
There are some very meaningful figures of speech in this psalm. List them and make application.
2.
There seems to be a national purpose in the structure of the psalm. Discuss.
3.
Is it ever proper to argue with God? Is this being done in Psa. 80:1 through 7? Discuss.
4.
The comparison of Israel to a vine is fully and beautifully described. List the divisions of the text as given by Rotherham.
5.
God accomplished two purposes in defeating the Amorites and giving their land to Israel. What were they?
6.
Note the extent of the conquered land. Were not the promises of God fulfilled as to giving Israel the land? Discuss.
7.
Who is the boar of the forest?; or is it the boar of the river?
8.
Did God ever answer the prayer of Psa. 80:14-15?
9.
Perhaps when we fulfill the promise of Psa. 80:18, God will answer the prayers of Psa. 80:14-15; Psa. 80:17; Psa. 80:19.
10. An English poet named Mant has done such a beautiful job poetically we wish to share his poem with you.
Thy hands from Egypt brought a goodly vine,
And planted fair in fertile Palestine;
Cleard for its grasping roots thunpeopled land,
And gave it high to rise, and firm to stand.
Far oer the eternal hills her shadow spread,
Her tendrils wreathd the cedars towering head;
And, as the centre of the land she stood,
Her branches reachd the sea, her boughs the eastern flood.
Why hast Thou now her hedges rent away,
And left her bare, the passing travelers prey?
The field-fed beast devours each tender shoot,
Fierce from the wood the boar assails her root.
Return, O God; from heaven Thine eyes incline;
Behold, and visit this neglected vine:
Regard the plant, Thou once didst love so well,
And chief Thy pleasant branch, the hope of Israel.
Burnt though she be and rent, her haughty foe
The deathful terrors of Thy wrath shall know.
But on the man, by Thee with strength arrayd,
The Son of Man by Thee for conquest made,
Thy hand shall rest; till we Thy triumphs see,
Resound Thy praise, and still remember Thee.
Turn us again, Thou God of heavns high powers,
Beam with Thy radiance forth, and peace shall still be ours.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(1) The reference to the shepherd, so characteristic of the Asaphic psalms, is, no doubt, here chosen especially in recollection of Gen. 48:15; Gen. 49:24. Shepherd and Rock were Jacobs especial names for God, as the Fear was that of Isaac, and the Mighty that of Abraham; but in the blessing of Joseph the patriarch seems to have made more than usually solemn pronunciation of it. It is, therefore, very doubtful whether we must press the selection of Joseph here as a distinct and intended reference to the northern tribes or kingdom, in distinction to Judah or the southern kingdom.
Dwellest.Rather, sittest (enthroned). (Comp. Psa. 99:1.) That this is not a merely poetical idea drawn from clouds (as possibly in Psa. 18:10), but is derived from the throne, upheld by the wings of the sculptured cherubim in the Temple, is proved by Exo. 25:22. (Comp. Num. 7:89. Comp. also chariot of the cherubim, 1Ch. 28:18; Sir. 49:8; also Isa. 6:1; Isa. 37:16; Eze. 1:26.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
1. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel “The previous psalm closed with ‘ We thy people and sheep of thy pasture;’ and this begins with a cry to the ‘ Shepherd of Israel.’” Delitzsch.
Between the cherubim The word “between” is not in the original, but is inserted on the authority of Exo 25:22; Num 7:89. But in Eze 1:4-26; Eze 10:1, the “cherubim” are represented as under the throne of God. So, also, in 2Sa 22:11; Psa 18:10. The explanation seems to be, that as the “cherubim” or “living creatures” are symbolic beings not messengers, as angels, but emblems of God’s living agency, his knowledge, patience, strength, and swiftness in executing his purposes so when Deity is represented as sitting on his throne, (as Rev 4:6,) or abiding in a local place, giving oracles, (as in the Hebrew tabernacle, Exo 25:22,) the “cherubim” stand “round about” him. But when he executes his judgments, the “cherubim” are represented as his “chariot” under the throne, moving “straight forward,” “running and returning as the appearance of a flash of lightning.” Eze 1:14. See notes on Psa 18:10; Psa 68:17. Compare Psalm 67:17; Deu 33:2; Dan 7:9. This latter sense may suit the text better. Delitzsch renders it, “Thou who sittest enthroned above the ‘cherubim,’ oh appear!”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psalms 80
Psa 80:1 (To the chief Musician upon Shoshannimeduth, A Psalm of Asaph.) Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
Psa 80:1
Exo 25:22, “And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.”
Note references to cherubims in Psa 99:1, “The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims ; let the earth be moved.”
Psa 80:11 She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.
Psa 80:11
Exo 23:31, “And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.
Deu 1:7, “Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates.”
Deu 11:24, “Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be.”
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Prayer for the Deliverance of the Church.
v. 1. Give ear, v. 2. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, v. 3. Turn us again, v. 4. O Lord God of hosts, v. 5. Thou feedest them with the bread of tears, v. 6. Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbors, v. 7. Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. v. 8. Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt, v. 9. Thou preparedst room before it, v. 10. The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars, v. 11. She sent out her boughs unto the sea, v. 12. Why hast Thou, then, broken down her hedges, v. 13. The boar out of the wood, v. 14. Return, v. 15. and the vineyard, v. 16. It is burned with fire, it is cut down, v. 17. Let Thy hand, v. 18. So will not we go back from Thee, v. 19. Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
EXPOSITION
A PSALM in which the writer entreats God to restore his favour once more to Israel, and especially to the ten tribes, who are in affliction, and in danger of perishing (Psa 80:1, Psa 80:2, Psa 80:15-17). The psalm is evidently written while the temple is standing (Psa 80:1), and while Israel still occupies the Holy Land (Psa 80:8-15), but in a time of deep suffering, when the nation has sustained a severe blow. It probably belongs to the period immediately preceding the final captivity of the ten tribes, when the kingdom of Israel was already tottering to its fall, and the carrying off of the population had begun (2Ki 15:29). The psalm is “Asaphian,” i.e. composed by a member of the Asaphian division of the temple choir, but certainly not by Asaph. It consists of two short strophes (Psa 80:1-3, Psa 80:4-7) and one long one (Psa 80:8-19), each concluded with an almost identical refrain (Psa 80:3, Psa 80:7, Psa 80:19).
Psa 80:1
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel. The title, “Shepherd of Israel,” is a new one; but it follows naturally from the metaphor, so often employed (Psa 74:1; Psa 77:20; Psa 78:52; Psa 79:13), of Israel being God’s “flock.” Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock. “Thou that leddest” (Cheyne). The mention of “Joseph” shows at once that the thoughts of the psalmist are fixed on the northern kingdom. Thou that dwellest between the cherubims. The two cherubim that overshadowed the mercy seat seem to be meant. Shine forth; i.e. “show thyselfmanifest thy might” (comp. Psa 50:2).
Psa 80:2
Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. “Ephraim” and “Manasseh” form a natural expansion of the “Joseph” of the preceding verse; but it is difficult to understand the mention of “Benjamin” here. Hengstenberg suggests, and both Canon Cook and Professor Cheyne seem to accept the suggestion, that it was only a small portion of Benjamin which adhered to Judah at the division of the kingdoms, the greater part attaching itself to the rival power. Stir up thy strength; i.e. “rouse thyself from thine inactioncome forward, and make thy might to appear.” And come and save us; literally, come for salvation to us. The writer identifies himself with the rebel tribes, who, after all, are a part of God’s peoplea part of Israel.
Psa 80:3
Turn us again, O God; or, restore us“bring us back”i.e. bring those of us who are in exile (2Ki 15:29) back to our country. And cause thy face to shine (comp. Num 6:25; Psa 31:16; Psa 67:1). The metaphor scarcely needs explanation. And we shall be saved. If thou lookest upon us with favour, our salvation is assured.
Psa 80:4
O Lord God of hosts. A form of address unusual in the Psalms, but occurring in Psa 59:5; Psa 84:8; and below in verse 18. How long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people? literally, how long wilt thou smoke? (comp. Psa 74:1). “Against the prayer” means “in spite of the prayer,” or “notwithstanding the prayer.” Ordinarily, God forgives, and ceases from his anger, as soon as the afflicted one makes earnest prayer to him. But this is not always so. A time comes when his wrath cannot be appeasedwhen “there is no remedy” (2Ch 36:16). Evil has been persisted in too long.
Psa 80:5
Thou feedest them with the bread of tears (comp. Psa 42:2, “My tears have been my meat day and night”). And givest them tears to drink in great measure; or, and givest them to drink a copious draught of tears; literally, shalish is a measure of capacity, probably the third part of an ephah (see Isa 40:12).
Psa 80:6
Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours. A great invasion, Assyrian or Babylonian, was always a signal to the near neighbours of IsraelSyria, Moab, Ammon, Edomto indulge in hostilities (see 2Ki 24:2). And our enemies laugh among themselves (comp. Psa 44:13; Psa 79:4).
Psa 80:7
Turn us again, O Goal of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. Here the refrain occurs for the second time, but with the slight variation or “O God of hosts” instead of “O God” simply (see the comment on Psa 80:19).
Psa 80:8-19
The poet, to excite God’s compassion, proceeds to depict Israel as it was and as it is. He adopts the figure of a vine, perhaps suggested to him by the description of Joseph in the dying speech of Jacob (Gen 49:22), and carries out his metaphor, in nine consecutive verses, with great beauty and consistency. Isaiah’s description of Israel as a vineyard (Isa 5:1-7) is somewhat similar.
Psa 80:8
Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt. The history of Israel as a nation begins with the Exodus. The nation was transplanted from Egypt into a soil better fitted for it by the loving hand of God, in order that it might have ample room to grow up and develop itself freely. God “brought it out of Egypt,” not merely in the exercise of his ordinary providence over humanity, but by an active exertion of his Almighty power, and a long series of miraculous manifestations, without which the transfer could not have been effected. He then cast out the heathen, and planted itdrove out, that is, before Israel the seven nations of the Hivites, Hittites, Gergashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, and Jebusites, and, having driven them out, “planted” in his own people (see Psa 44:2).
Psa 80:9
Thou preparest room before it. The “room” was made by the removal of the heathen inhabitants, who were first greatly weakened by Rameses III; and then driven out by Joshua. And didst cause it to take deep root; rather, and it took deep root, as in the Revised Version. And it filled the land (comp. Deu 11:24; Jos 1:3). Possession was taken of the whole land, not at once (Jdg 1:27-36), but slowly and surely; the furthest limits being reached in David’s time (1Ki 4:21, 1Ki 4:24).
Psa 80:10
The hills were covered with the shadow of it. The “hills” intended are probably those of the souththe hill country of Judahsince the clauses which follow designate the boundaries towards the north, west, and east. (So Hengstenberg, Kay, Professor Cheyne, and others.) And the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars; rather, and the goodly cedar trees were covered with their branches. The cedars of Lebanon are intended. They marked the boundary line on the north. The psalmist calls them “cedars of God,” by a strong, but not unprecedented (Psa 36:6), hyperbole.
Psa 80:11
She sent out her boughs unto the sea. The Mediterranean; the western boundary of the land. And her branches (or, her shoots, Revised Version) unto the river. The Euphrates (see Gen 15:18; I Kings Gen 4:21, Gen 4:24).
Psa 80:12
Why hast thou then broken down her hedges? or, her fences. Vineyards in the East were fenced round with walls (see Isa 5:5). So all they which pass by the way do pluck her; i.e. “pluck off her grapes”ravage her and plunder her (comp. Psa 89:40, Psa 89:41).
Psa 80:13
The boar out of the wood doth waste it. The “boar out of the wood,” i.e. the wild boaris probably Tiglath-pileser (2Ki 15:29), or the Assyrian power generally. And the wild beast of the field doth devour it. Other beasts, i.e. other enemies of Israel, join in and share in the plundering (see above, Psa 80:6, and comp. Jer 5:6).
Psa 80:14
Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts; i.e. “come back to us, to be our Helper and Defender.” Look down from heaven, and behold. Condescend to “look down” upon us “from heaven,” thy dwelling place, and “behold”take note of our condition, see how we suffer, and thou wilt be sure to visit this vine; i.e. to “visit” it, not in wrath, but in loving kindness and compassionto “visit it with thy salvation” (Psa 106:4).
Psa 80:15
And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted; rather, the stock. (So Kay, Cheyne, and the Revised Version.) Some, however, regard as a verb, and translate, “Establish that which thy right hand has planted” (see the LXX; Michaelis, Hupfeld, Canon Cook, and others). And the branch that thou madest strong for thyself; literally, the son, which may mean the offshoot (comp. Gen 49:22). Is this offshoot Ephraim? or is the entire vine, all Israel, intended?
Psa 80:16
It is burned with fire, it is cut down. The flames of war have begun to consume itit is no longer a vine, but mere fuel (comp. Isa 33:12), ready to be burned. They perish at the rebuke of thy countenance. Here the metaphor is dropped. The climax has been reached, and the matter is too serious for rhetorical treatment. The nation typified by the vine, the Israel of God, is perishingperishing “at the rebuke of God’s countenance”because his favour is withdrawn from them. Unless God steps in to save, destruction is certain.
Psa 80:17
Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand. Either upon Israel generally, or upon Ephraimthe northern kingdomespecially. A Judaean poet interceding for the rival state, is touching. Upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself (comp. Psa 80:15 and the comment).
Psa 80:18
So will not we go back from thee; i.e. “we shall not go hack from thee any more.” Gratitude for our deliverance will hind us fast to thy service. Quicken us (comp. Hos 6:2). The prayer is for national rather than spiritual lifefor a recovery from the destruction which has almost come upon them (Psa 80:16). And we will call upon thy Name; i.e. we will be faithful to thee henceforth; we will not go after other gods, but “call upon” thee, and thee only. The poet makes himself the spokesman of the whole nation.
Psa 80:19
Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall he saved. The psalm is closed by the refrain in its third and most perfect form. First we had, “Turn us again, O God” (Psa 80:3); then, “Turn us again, O God of hosts” (Psa 80:7); now, “Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts”the appeal to God continually increasing in intensity. Having made his third appeal by the covenant Name, the psalmist seems to feel that he has done all that he can, and desists.
HOMILETICS
Psa 80:3, Psa 80:7, Psa 80:18
A cry of weakness, a prayer of faith,
“Turn us we shall be turned.” The life of the individual, of the Church, of the nation, depends not on means, methods, forms, institutions. With God is the fountain of life. These words are a cry of weakness, helplessness, humiliation; but also a prayer of faith, hope, joyful expectancy.
I. A CONFESSION OF WEAKNESS, DANGER, SIN.
1. In ordinary affairs a sense of weakness, helplessness, despondency, is the forerunner of failure, often its cause. Rash over boldness, conceit of ability and good luck, though dangerous, are more apt to ensure success than timid self-distrust. Strange, then, that the “glad tidings,” calling us to the grandest, most hopeful of all enterprises, begins by bidding us despair of ourselves! for true repentance is nothing less. The reason is precisely the grandeur of the mark set before us. In undertakings and tasks within our reach, calm self-reliance is the winning temper; but when the task is altogether too vast, the aim too high, for our strength and wisdom, self-confidence becomes folly, humility our safety. Further, the reason lies in the original greatness of man‘s nature, and his undestroyed capacity. The height measures the fall. If a temple or a pyramid be overthrown, what hands have built, hands can rebuild; but if a landslip carries down half a mountain, God’s hand alone can rebuild.
2. A confession, not only of weakness, but of sin. The soul has turned away from God, and in so doing destroyed itself (Hos 13:9). No sense of helplessness more absolute than conscious guilt. The past is irrevocable. Tears cannot wash the memory. Prayer cannot undo the deed (‘Macbeth,’ act 2. sc. 2, “Wake, Duncan,” etc.!). I cannot sever today from yesterday, my present self from my past. This is the sting and burden of remorse (‘Macbeth,’ act 5. sc. 1, “Here’s the smell of the blood”). He whom we have forsaken alone can restore us (Lam 5:21).
II. A PRAYER FOR FORGIVENESS AND FULL FAVOUR. “Cause thy face to shine,” etc. Salvation can be nothing less than full restoration to God’s favour, childlike trust; no middle ground between condemnation and acceptance (Rom 5:1). When the storm cloud is blown away, what comes in its place is not mere daylight, but sunshine. Our sins are the cloud that hides God’s face (Isa 59:1). The sort of half-and- half condition in which many seem contented to livebetween hope that they shall be saved, and fear that they shall be losthas no warrant in Scripture. “We shall be saved,” not “We hope we may be.” Salvation is God’s free, full gift in Christ, if not rejected or neglected, to be accepted fully, and wrought out with all our might (Php 2:12, Php 2:13; Eph 2:10). “He that hath the Son hath life” (1Jn 5:12). The true Christian temper, therefore, is the perfect, habitual union of these twoprofound humility because of our sin and sinfulness; joyful trust and thankfulness because of “the salvation which is in Christ Jesus” (2Ti 2:10).
HOMILIES BY S. CONWAY
Psa 80:1
The cherubim.
Who and what were they? We regard them as types of redeemed humanity, and designed to prefigure and promise that redemption. In proof, consider
I. THE VARIOUS REFERENCES TO THEM IN THE SCRIPTURES.
1. In connection with the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise. (Gen 3:24.) This passage tells but little of the nature of these exalted beings, only that they were held fit to occupy the place where only perfect righteousness could dwell. But neither their form, number, nor service are revealed to us. But inasmuch as the word “place” signifies rather “to place in a tabernacle,” it seems as if the spot (see Gen 4:14-16) where God had placed them had become a sort of local tabernacle, and was called “the presence of the Lord,” and so for a long time remained, probably until the Deluge. Thus the idea of the cherubim seems to have become familiar to the Jews. Bezaleel, when he was bidden make cherubim for the ark of the covenant, knew exactly what he was to do (Exo 31:2; Exo 25:18, etc.). There must, therefore, have been some tradition concerning these mysterious beings, though that tradition is almost entirely lost to us. But we cannot but believe that our unhappy first parents, as they looked upon the cherubim, must have had some idea as to what they meant, and, like the first promise made to the woman of her seed that should bruise the serpent’s head, so these mysterious beings would convey to their minds a gleam of bright, blessed hope, that restoration to what they had lost was destined for them, and that, though not now, yet in the future, they should again find themselves amid that favour and joy and righteousness from all which their sin had cast them out.
2. In the construction of the ark of testimony. (See Exo 25:18, etc.) Now, at first sight this seems as if it was a contradiction of the command not to “make any graven image, nor any likeness,” etc. (Exo 20:1-26.). But that command had reference to the making of such likenesses for the purpose of worship, as did the Egyptians, who paid to such things religious honour. But this Israel was not to do; nevertheless, they might and did make these cherubim, on the ark, woven in the curtains, and all about the tabernacle and temple. They were not representations of God, or of angels, or of anything upon earth, but, as we believe, of the spiritual character and condition of humanity when redeemed. Then:
3. The cherubim are told of in Eze 1:10, and in Eze 10:1-22; where a description is given of them, but such as is impossible of pictorial representation. They were, when represented as in the tabernacle, but sacred hieroglyphs, symbols, not of earthly or heavenly bodies, but of spiritual realities. Then:
4. In Rev 4:1-11 the “four living ones” told of there (not “beasts,” as our most unfortunate translation gives it) are again the cherubim.
II. WHAT THEY REPRESENT. We have already said that we take them as symbols of redeemed man.
1. They represent humanity, not the elemental forces of nature. This has been affirmed from Psa 18:10; Psa 104:4, etc. Hence the air, fire, winds, have been regarded as the cherubim. But if so, how can they be called “living ones”? The blind forces of nature have no “life” in them. But the cherubim have. And it is the life of humanity.
2. The creature representation tells of character. The ox (see Ezekiel and Revelation) tells of patient meekness, readiness for sacrifice or for toil, accustomed to the yokethe character our Lord tells of, and exemplified, when he said (Mat 11:1-30.), “Take my yoke upon you.” The lion, symbol of nobleness of nature, of courage and might. Hence Christ is “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” The eagle tells of the swift, strong, upward-soaring spirit that mounts heavenward, Godward. Man, the chief of all creatures, in whom all these excellences combine.
3. Of perfect man. For the cherubim are in the presence of God, but standing on the mercy seat; hence they tell of man redeemed by the blood of Christ, and ever there, abiding always. Amid such God loves to dwell.
III. THEIR TEACHING FOR US.
1. The infinite compassion of God. See the depths of distress in which they were to whom these visions were given. But then God thus came to them with hope, and so with help. It is his blessed way.
2. We may be as the cherubim, shall be, if “in Christ.” That is, we shall be perfect, holy, blessed, because dwelling forever in God’s presence.S.C.
Psa 80:3
Real salvation.
1. Three times is this prayer repeated, but with slight, though noticeable, difference. Here, in its first utterance, it is addressed only to God. But the second time (Psa 80:7) it calls on God as “God of hosts.” The eye of faith saw the ministers of God’s power around him, the hosts of the holy angels who waited to do his will. Then the third time (Psa 80:19) it is the “Lord God of hosts” on whom he calls, making mention of the covenant name by which God was known in Israel as especially their God. Hence our argument for faith. If God be our God, then he will help us. Thus “Faith’s clay grows brighter as the hours roll on; and her prayers grow more full and mighty.” Prayer warms to its work, and in it. Often we begin with but scant store of trust, but as we pray on our hope and confidence grow. Therefore be instant in prayer.
2. Note the opening words of this prayer. It is “turn us,“ not our circumstances and conditions. Many people think that if these were right they would be right; but the truth is far more often just the other way: it is toe who want changing; if the Lord turn us, then all the rest will be of small import, and will be turned as much as will be for our good. And it is not a mere improvement, a patch on the old. garment, that is wantedjust a partial reformation here and there, but a complete change. “Ye must be born again.” God must “turn us.” An old sea captain replied to a faithful minister who, in seeking to lead him to God, told him that he had better sail from henceforth under another flag, “No,” said the sailor, “that won’t do; I mean to scuttle the ship, and get a new one altogether; there’s nothing else to be done. I’ve tried to mend the other often enough.” He was right. No partial amendment will save any soul. And God must turn us. There is a human side in man’s salvation, but there is still more a Divine side, and the first work is of God. He ever seeks us before we seek him. And when he fully saves a man, it is along the lines suggested by our text. There are three stages in the work.
I. GOD TURNS US. And he does this:
1. By giving us repentance. Too many keep calling on men to “only believe.” Christ and his apostles never bade men “only believe,” when they sought salvation. But Christ commanded that “repentance and faith” should be preached, not faith only. Where, as with the Philippian gaoler, the apostle said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,” etc; it was because repentance had already taken place, the man was really repentant at that moment. And whenever God turns a soul to himself, it is by way of repentance. This means that the soul sees its sin, feels and grieves over it, renounces it before God and man.
2. My leading us to faith. Not the mere belief of any doctrine about Christ, but more than thatthe actual committal of himself to Christ for salvation; actually trusting him to pardon, accept, and save. Now, this is the complete spiritual change which the word “turn” implies. It is the first great step in the soul’s salvation. Then
II. GOD TURNS US AGAIN. The prayer is, “Turn us again.“ Now, what does this mean?
1. It may be the prayer of a penitent backslider. This psalm contemplates Israel as such. And unless the backslider is turned again, he cannot be saved. He must come back to God. But:
2. It is the prayer of one who seeks full salvation. After repentance and faith, which constituted the great first step in salvation, and which do save a man if he abide therein, there is given a higher gift to him who heartily desires it. It is called in Act 8:1-40; Act 18:1-28; Act 19:1-41; speaking of the Samaritan converts, of Apollos, and of the twelve disciples of John at Ephesus, “the receiving of the Holy Ghost” It is a distinct and further and most blessed gift, qualifying for service, and uplifting the soul to a stage of experience which it has not known as yet. It separates the soul from sin, secures the clean heart, and wins the fulfilment of that glorious promise in Eze 36:25, and the many others like unto it. The believer is made “pure in heart,” and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses him from all sin. This comes from the receiving of the Holy Ghost. We are delivered from that miserable round of sinning and repenting, which the mass of professing Christians wearily travel, and, instead thereof, a life is lived in which the “whole spirit, soul, and body is preserved blameless.” It is the “abundant life” which our Lord came to give.
III. GOD CAUSES HIS FACE TO SHINE. This tells of “the joy” of God’s salvation, that walking in the light which ensures that here and now the days of our mourning are ended. It is that holy, happy, joyful, winsome religion which is what our God intended us to have, which not a few have enjoyed, and which waits for all those who truly seek it. Then, when all this is, then “we shall be saved.” God will be glorified, we ourselves filled with the love of God, and our fellow men will be blessed through us as otherwise they cannot be. Then will our religious life answer to the beautiful description given in Eze 36:8-11. “Amen, even so, come, Lord Jesus.”S.C.
Psa 80:8-15
The vine of God.
These verses may be taken
I. AS A SYMBOLIC HISTORY OF ISRAEL.
1. For God‘s people were as a vine. Designed for fruit; carefully tended; highly esteemed; thoroughly cleansed; diligently guarded.
2. Israel had been brought out of Egypt.
3. The nations of Canaan were driven out.
4. Israel became a settled nation.
5. Strong.
6. Populous. “Filled the land;” coveting the hills and the plains.
7. Dominion increasing, from the Mediterranean in the west to the Euphrates in the east. Then, at the time when this psalm was written:
8. A great change had come. Fierce foes, as Assyria and Babylon; and wild-boast-like enemies, Edom, Amman, Moab, and others, all made havoc of Israel, uprooting and devouring. But all this led Israel, as God purposed it should, to turn again unto him in penitence, faith, prayer, and reconsecration (Psa 80:18). But also
II. AS AN ALLEGORY OF THE CHRISTIAN SOUL.
1. In prosperity. For it, too, is God’s vine. Redeemed from the slavery and wretchedness and sin of the Egypt-like world. The heathen, the terrible spiritual enemies, God drove out, and saved his people from their sins; planted the soul in the kingdom of grace; made it happy in God, so that it took “deep root.” And that grace of God governed the whole being, “filled the land,” so that, as Paul, he could say, “I live, yet not I, but,” etc. The Divine life in him attained to noble proportions, in height, in breadth (Psa 80:10). And became victorious over many, and possessor of wide and beneficent power (Psa 80:11). All this tells of the soul happy and strong, and abiding and useful in God. Blessed condition.
2. In adversity. (Psa 80:12.) We are told (2Ch 32:31) how God left Hezekiah. That was an instance of God breaking down the “hedges.” It was done “to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.” This God often does. At other times in anger, to punish, as with Israel. Yet again to teach the soul its dependence upon God. What are these hedges? Holy habits, the presence of the Holy Spirit in the soul, means of grace. Sin forfeits all these, breaks through holy habit, drives away the Spirit, sterilizes all means of grace. It is not God who breaks down the hedges, but our sinour forgetfulness of God, our disobedience, our pride. “Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed,” etc. And then what is told of here is sure to follow (Psa 80:12, Psa 80:13). Any passer by is able to pluck away her strength, to rob the soul of some of its power. The soul gives in to them, does what they say. And some foul, fierce, strong, wild-boar-like sin will get itself entrance into the soul, and, oh] the wasting that there is then! what rooting up and devouring of all good! and lesser creatures, but of like nature, rush in and do similar work. O my soul, keep near thy God, lest thy hedges be broken down!
3. In recovery. Thank God, the allegory does not close with the misery we have just contemplated; but we see recovery beginning. For there is (Psa 80:14) earnest crying to God; pleading of the ancient covenant (Psa 80:15). God himself planted the vine and loved it. Confession of utter misery (Psa 80:16) and helplessness and guilt; for their misery is because of God’s rebuke. Pleading again God’s former love, so great, so precious, how he made Israel “strong for thyself;” protesting (Psa 80:18) that they will no more go back from God; and interceding for that again turning to God, and that consciousness of his favour which would ensure that they would go back no more. These are the steps of the upward ascent, even out of the depths.S.C.
Psa 80:18
Going back from God.
This psalm, this verse, is a penitent confession that Israel had been guilty of this sin, and it is a prayer for pardon and restoration. But such backsliding did not cease with Israel. We have here
I. A CONFESSION OF THE SIN. Israel needed to make such confession. But so do others now.
1. Apostates, like Demas, Judas, etc.
2. Those who know God has called them, but from fear of man refuse to confess him.
3. Those who have confessed him, but live inconsistent lives.
4. Those who, after special seasons of nearness to God, go back to indulge their old sins. These, and yet others, need this confession.
II. A PORTRAYAL OF ITS MISERY. (See Psa 80:5, Psa 80:6, Psa 80:12, Psa 80:13, Psa 80:16.) The backslider is the most miserable man on the face of the earth. He can never forget that he has known the better way, and has chosen the worse.
III. AN ASSURANCE OF ITS PREVENTION.
1. Such prevention needed; for going back is so easy, so secret, so perilous, so shameful, so condemned of God.
2. And is sure, by the grace of God turning us again, leading us into the possession and retainment of the fulness of his grace, and giving us the joy of his salvation.S.C.
HOMILIES BY R. TUCK
Psa 80:1
Throned above the cherubim-a conception of God.
Prayer book Version, “Thou that sittest upon the cherubim;” Perowne, “Thou that sittest (throned above) the cherubim;” Revised Version margin, “dwellest between.” It is plain that this psalm was composed when Israel was groaning under some foreign oppression which it was powerless to resist. It is a plaintive cry for restoration to a state which should be indicative of the Divine favour. Two periods may be mentioned as times when Palestine became the battleground of rival powers (see Psa 80:6)when Assyria and Egypt fought in it; and in the post-Exilic period, when it was the apple of discord between the Ptolemies and the Seleucidae. There is evident poetical reference to the tabernacle of the wilderness, rather than to the temple at Jerusalem; for the poet was thinking of God as leading his people, and in vision saw the tribes in their camping and marching order. The cover, or mercy scat, of the ark was thought of as the throne of Jehovah. Above it rested the bright light, which was the symbol of the Divine presence; and the figures of the cherubim, with their wings extended and touching each other, formed the canopy of the throne. God’s presence there was the sign of his abiding presence, and close, helpful relations with his people. His shining out, or shining forth, was the sign of his specially acting in judgment on the rebellious, or in vindication of the Divine honour, as in the case of Korah. So the psalmist, in Psa 50:2, says, “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.” (The account of the cherubim is given in Exo 25:19-22.) We inquire what thoughts of God are specially associated with his manifestations from between the cherubim.
I. GOD IS EVER PRESENT WITH HIS PEOPLE. To the Jewish mind the symbol was always there between the cherubim, though not one of the people ever beheld it. It helped them to realize that their God was in their midst. No matter what might be the national calamities, at least they could be sure of thisthat symbol of the present God remained. There could be no overwhelming calamity while the Keeper of Israel was still between the cherubim.
II. GOD MAY BE HIDING HIMSELF FROM HIS PEOPLE; or rather, he may seem to them to be hiding himself. This is the trouble of the psalmistIsrael is in sore distress, and God seems to keep silence, to “dwell in the thick darkness,” and hold aloof from the strife. God never is uninterested in his people’s cares; but his interest may sometimes best be shown in withholding his hand, and biding his time. His time is sure to come.
III. GOD MAY BE ASKED TO MANIFEST HIMSELF TO HIS PEOPLE. It may be precisely for the attitude which expresses itself in asking that God may be waiting. He manifests himself by “stirring up his strength to help us, and by shining forth his glory to cheer us.”R.T.
Psa 80:2
God’s strength needed for saving work.
“Stir up thy strength, and come and save us.” It is singular that three only of the twelve tribes should be mentioned; but the poet’s mind was full of the wilderness associations, and he knew that these three tribes followed in the order of procession immediately behind the ark. So the shining forth of the glory is thought of as at once seen by them. “The writer prays that the brightness of the Shechinah, the light of God’s countenance, thus manifested in old time ‘before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh,’ may be once more vouchsafed as a sign of favour.” The expression here used, “Stir up thy strength for our salvation,” implies that all God’s savings may be thought of as expenditures of the Divine strengththe strength of the Divine activity, the strength of the Divine wisdom, and the strength of the Divine love.
I. THE STRENGTH OF GOD‘S ACTIVITY NEEDED FOR SAVING WORK. This is the point of the prayer of the psalmist. He wants God to show energy, to put forth energy, to bestir himself in order to do something for his people. The poetical thought is of God dormant, unconcerned with the trouble of his people. It is as if he would even awaken him to activity. The expression must be treated poetically. It brings out the idea that man needs God’s active strength, since man asks his help only when he feels helpless. The saving needed is beyond man, so he has a high idea of the energy and the power that must be required.
“Twas great to speak a world from nought;
‘Twas greater to redeem.”
Apply to the redemption of the world from sin through our Lord Jesus Christ. What activity, energy, skill, and power were required for the great salvation!
II. THE STRENGTH OF GOD‘S WISDOM NEEDED FOR SAVING WORK. The histories of the Old Testament abundantly illustrate the fact, that God’s times and ways of saving are seldom such as man could have thought of. The wisdom of them was fully seen in their issues; but it was altogether beyond men, too strong for men to grasp and understand. How Israel was to be saved from Egypt, or Assign, or Babylon, men could not tell. It was done in the times of Moses, and of Hezekiah, and in the “Return,” through the strength of the Divine wisdom, combined with the strength of Divine energy. Apply to the great salvation from sin. The Divine wisdom in it has been the marvel of the ages, and it is marvellous still, deeper than even an ocean line can reach. “The wisdom of God in a mystery.”
III. THE STRENGTH OF GOD‘S LOVE NEEDED FOR SAVING WORK. This leads into familiar ranges of thought. Our best deeds are done, and are best done, in the strength and inspiration of our love. And we are bidden to try and realize that love of God in human redemption, which is “beyond all manner of so much.”R.T.
Psa 80:3
The turnings and returnings of God.
“Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine.” The expression, “turn us,” seems to have been used in the prayers of the captives in Babylon; they are represented as saying, “Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south!” The exiles are not praying for repentance, but for a change in their circumstancesa change in the evident relations of God to them. Their captivity seemed to them God’s turning them away from him. What they asked was a gracious returning to them. Putting the sentence in modern form, it would read, “Turn to us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.” Some render, “O God, restore us!” which conveys the same idea.
I. GOD‘S TURNING AWAY DECLARES THE NEED FOR DIVINE JUDGMENTS. If we estimated life aright, we should think more of the presence and working of God in our life, as the Overruler, Restrainer, Guide, who is ever moulding and moderating our impulse, ever putting straight what we bend awry. And then we should regard aright God’s holding aloof, turning away, “drawing up into a cloud,” and leaving us to the miseries of our own self-ordering; which miseries would become his correcting judgments. This point may be effectively illustrated by God’s word to Moses when Moses was interceding in the matter of the golden calf. God proposed to withdraw his own Presence as Guide, Restrainer, and Overruler; and Moses knew well that would prove the severest of judgments. The same thing may be shown in the case of King Saul. It is figured as the withdrawal of God’s Spirit from him. Left without Divine restrainings and overrulings, Saul runs down into woes that are Divine judgments. So with Israel in captivity. They had so grieved God that he had “turned away,” and left them to follow their own political devices. They sought Assyria, or they sought Egypt, and they would not seek Jehovah. They must come under Divine judgments, and learn through them; but they brought the judgments on themselves. And God’s turning and leaving them alone was at once the necessary thing, and the most merciful thing. When men are wilful, Divine severities are Divinest mercies.
II. GOD‘S TURNING TOWARDS SHOWS THE TIME HAS COME FOR DIVINE RESTORINGS. It is the sign that men have learned the lesson of their judgments and calamities, and have come to a better mind. They have began to realize what God turned away means and involves; they have begun to want the sight of God’s face again, and the cheer of the shine or smile on his face. And when that is man‘s mood, God can turn round, and can enter again on those guiding, overruling, and restraining relations, which then are rightly esteemed. Bunyan illustrates, in his ‘Holy War,’ very effectively the turning away of Emmanuel, the consequent misery of Mansoul, the awakening desire for Emmanuel, and his gracious return.R.T.
Psa 80:4
The refusal of prayer.
“How long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?” The sign of the anger was God’s not heeding their cry. “They asked and received not, because they asked amiss.” The Prophet Isaiah (Isa 1:15) even represents God as saying to his sinful people, “When ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.” And the prophet, for himself, says (Isa 59:2), “Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” And a psalmist expresses the true feeling when he writes, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” “Angry against the prayer” expresses quite a human kind of feeling. When men refuse our request, our first thought is that they must be angry with us. This, then, represents man’s thought and fear concerning God; but it does not precisely represent the actual fact. God is angry, as anxious, loving parents are angry. He refuses prayer for the sake of the offerer. And parents know that it is often much harder to refuse a request than to grant it. The refusal is love, not anger. The exiles ask the question of the text in an impulsive spirit, half complainingly. We, may ask quietly and calmly their question. How long wall God hold aloof from men’s prayers?
I. GOD NEVER REFUSES PRAYER IN “MERE SOVEREIGNTY.” Caprice or jealous feeling must never be associated in our minds with God. “We speak of the Divine sovereignty; but sovereignty is not an arbitrary, capricious thing; it is a righteous and holy thing; and God must ever act in conformity with the unalterable principles of his character.” “There is no mystery in those temporary desertions with which God sometimes visits his own people. The reason of them is to be found in themselvesin their sinfulness, in their unsteadfastness, in their unfaithfulness.” All Divine withdrawals and temporary refusals mean discipline.
II. GOD MAY HOLD ALOOF UNTIL JUDGMENT HAS DONE ITS WORK. Note that this involves uncertainty as to time of restoration. Judgment acting on different moral natures is prolonged according to the response different natures make to it. It would be no kindness to resume gracious relations before the disciplinary work was complete.
III. GOD MAY HOLD ALOOF UNTIL HUMILITY TONES THE PRAYER. Take humility as representing the state of mind when self-win and self-pleasing are mastered. Humility is holding our will in submission to God’s will.
IV. GOD MAY HOLD ALOOF UNTIL MAN IS UNITED IN HIS PRAYER. Part of a man may pray for, and part of him may pray against. Will may pray for, heart may pray against. Duty may pray for, feeling may pray against. Illustrate by the figure in Hos 2:21, Hos 2:22.
V. GOD MAY HOLD ALOOF UNTIL HIS ANSWER CAN BE THE FULLEST BLESSING. Oftentimes to give too soon would but be to give a part. God waits till we are empty of self, and can be filled with himself.R.T.
Psa 80:5
Tears to drink: the mission of troublous experiences.
“Givest them tears to drink in great measure.” Reference must be to the dreariness and hopelessness and misery of the captives in Babylon. There was no other time in the national history when the expression was so suitable. The misery is forcibly pictured in Psa 137:1-9. When the eyes of the exiles were full of tears, it was bitterness indeed to be asked to sing “one of the songs of Zion.” “How could they sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” Eastern people are very expressive in their grief, and shed tears very freely; but the expression here is poetical. Men are thought of as having so much trouble in their lot that they seemed to feed upon their tears. Stanley says, “The psalms of the time answer to the groans of Ezekiel, the Lamentations of Jeremiah, as deep to deep. No human sorrow has ever found so loud, so plaintive, so long protracted a wail. We see them in the places of their final settlement, often lodged in dungeons with insufficient food, loaded with contumely, their faces spat upon, their hair torn off, their backs torn with the lash. There were the insults of the oppressors, there were the bitter tears which dropped into their daily beverage, the ashes which mingled with their daily bread.” This subject may be profitably treated by recalling the fact that our Lord Jesus is recorded to have wept tears on three occasions, and these occasions may be regarded as representative. Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus; Jesus wept in sight of unreceptive Jerusalem; Jesus wept in the garden of Gethsemane.
I. THE MISSION OF THE TEARS OF BEREAVEMENT. Tears seem specially sacred to such times. They are, indeed, nature’s relief. We feel anxious when our bereaved friends cannot weep. Tears are brain relief as well as emotional relief; but they are the sign of the broken heart, the unavailing regret, the love that has become only a memory. But see the mission of such tears.
1. They call out sympathy.
2. They satisfy our feeling that we ought to feel.
3. They honour our departed friends.
4. They are silent prayers which God heeds.
II. THE MISSION OF THE TEARS OF CONCERN FOR OTHERS. Illustrated by our Lord’s concern for Jerusalem. Observe that tears are not becoming while there is any hope of their yielding to gracious influence. The tears come when those we would bless seem determined to “resist the Holy Ghost.” As long as Jesus could hope to save Jerusalem, there was no room for tears. They came when Jesus was compelled to say, “Now they are hid from thine eyes. Your house is left unto you desolate.” We weep when we are forced, in hopelessness, to let alone those whom, from our very hearts, we desire to bless.
III. THE MISSION OF THE TEARS FORCED OUT BY MENTAL STRAIN. Illustrated by our Lord’s tears in Gethsemane, Times when we want to understand, and cannot; when we want to believe, and cannot; when we want to obey, and cannot; when we want to see our way, and cannot; when we want to submit, and cannot. Such was the condition of the exiles.R.T.
Psa 80:8
The vine-figure of God’s people.
A favourite figure with the prophets. The metaphor is applied to Israel in Isa 5:1-7; Jer 2:21; Eze 15:6; Eze 17:6-8. There was a golden vine representing the nation, sculptured on the gate of the temple. The association of the vine with Egypt has been disputed; but the mural paintings at Thebes, at Beni-Hassan, and in the pyramids contain representations of vineyards. Boys are seen frightening away the birds from the ripe clusters; men gather them and deposit them in baskets, and carry them to the wine press. Two things are suggested
I. THE VINE AS A FIGURE FOR GOD‘S PEOPLE.
1. The vine is a foreign plant, not really belonging to Canaan. Quite possibly it had actually been introduced from Egypt; but its proper home seems to be the hilly region on the southern shares of the Caspian Sea. Israel, like the vine, was transplanted, not a native of Palestinetransplanted in order to accomplish a Divine purpose, remaining only so long as the Divine Husbandman may think right.
2. The vine itself is a worthless plant; its value lies wholly in the fruit that it bears. Vine wood is altogether useless, too porous and light to serve any good purpose. It only carries the sap that is to appear as luscious fruit. So Israel was reminded that it had no merit as a nation; it could only convey the Divine life to men as it brought forth the fruits of righteousness.
3. The vine represented Israel because it is a plant which is so dependent, needs so much care, and has such splendid possibilities. It must be held up; it must be vigorously pruned and thinned; it must be richly nourished. And so Israel needed Divine upholding, discipline, and encouragement; and that Divine care had been fully and freely given.
II. MAN‘S TREATMENT OF HIS VINES A FIGURE OF GOD‘S TREATMENT OF HIS PEOPLE. See the details given in Isa 5:1-30; and compare the description of planting vineyard, given by Van Lennep, in ‘Bible Lands and Customs,’ vol. 1. p. 112. Note:
1. Careful selection of groundsoil and aspect are most important. So God selects Palestine for the nation of Israel. Show the singular appropriateness of its situation, and its characteristic features.
2. Fencing it in. This necessary because of the enemies of the vinelittle foxes that are cunning, wild bears and bears that are strong. See the fencing in of Israelon the west, by sea; on the north, by mountains; on the east and south, by deserts.
3. Gathering oat the stones. Because richness and depth of earth are needed, and there should be no hindrance to the spreading of the roots. So God dispossessed the nations that were occupying the soil.
4. Building a tower. For a watchman to see approaching foes in time of the ripening. So God’s guiding eye and hand were ever on his people.
5. Making a wine vat. Implying full expectation of fruitage. So God looks that his people bring forth “much fruit.”R.T.
Psa 80:12, Psa 80:13
Bitter experiences as Divine chastisements.
The wild boar is a creature which abounds in all parts of Asia Minor, and it is the farmer’s greatest plague. It is specially mischievous in vineyardswhat with eating and trampling underfoot, it will destroy a vast quantity of grapes in a single night. Homer writes of
“A monstrous boar,
That levell’d harvests and whole forests tore?
The bitter experiences of the vineyard are of three kinds.
1. The vineyard loses its fence (Psa 80:12).
2. The beasts make it a ruin (Psa 80:13).
3. Found in hopeless condition, it is at last cut down and burnt.
So Israel began its national woes when it lost the Divine Guard and Defence. Its enemies then gained their power and opportunity. Illustrate from the supreme anxiety of Moses, because Jehovah threatened no longer to lead and guide the people; also, from Joshua’s trouble, when Israel lost its Divine fence before Ai. See the consequences of the withdrawal of God’s protection from the first king, Saul. It may be said that circumstances sufficiently account for the national calamities that befell Israel; but it is of supreme importance that we see deeper than the movement of circumstances, and trace the working of him who moves the circumstances. Withdrawing his special defence, and leaving a man to himself and to his circumstances, is the severest form of Divine chastisement, because it implies that God is grieved. The man or the nation has not only done wrong, he has done wrong in such a way as to offend or insult God. There is no chastisement so hard as being “left to our own devices.” It involves our supreme humiliation. We then find ourselves out, and learn that “it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps;” and we find our perils out. The child that loses its mother has to learn from what varied forms of danger its mother preserved it; and we find out what God’s “compassing our path and lying down” means, when God, grieved with us, withdraws into a cloud. When God held aloof from Israel, Assyria came in on the vineyard, like a wild boar, and Babylon like a bear, trampling and destroying. In this, however, we are but to see God’s sternest form of chastisement, not vindictiveness, not mere punishing for the sake of upholding authority, but chastisement with a view to correction. Grace withdrawn that grace may come to be sought and valued.R.T.
Psa 80:18
God’s grace our best safeguard.
“So will not we go back from thee.” This assurance implies that the people, in whose name the psalmist speaks, had fully learned the lesson which God designed to teach them by the withdrawal, which was chastisement, and involved bitter distress and humiliation. They had turned to God, and God had turned, in mercy and in restoring grace, to them. The issue of bitter experience was, that the people desired to be steadfast servants of God henceforth. Compare the psalmist’s personal exclamation, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now will I keep thy word.” But there is a yet deeper sign of their return to right mindedness. They do not merely make a promise, “So will not we go back from thee;” they acknowledge that they need Divine help in the endeavour to keep their promise. They go on to say, “Quicken us, and we will call upon thy Name.” That is the supreme lesson which the discipline and the chastisement of life are to teach usour entire dependence on the Divine grace and upholding.
I. THE PROMISE MADE BY THE DISCIPLINED. A promise of steadfastness. The disciples of Christ went back, and walked no more with him, because his higher, spiritual truth was beyond their reach; and, as they could not apprehend it, they were offended by it. But these Israelites had wavered in their allegiance to Jehovah, because they wanted to “follow the devices and desires of their own hearts.” So the result of their discipline was that most hopefully humiliating thing, the abating of self-confidence. They felt their need of God, their dependence on God, and made their resolves that henceforth they would cleave closely to him. So far good. Resolves are good; but everything depends on the spirit in which they are made. Trust in the resolve soon ends in worse failure.
II. THE HOPE OF KEEPING THEIR PROMISE, WHICH THE DISCIPLINED MIGHT CHERISH. The hope that God’s grace would be their inspiration and support. They pray, “Quicken us,” which not only means, “Give us life,” but, “Renew to us life;” “Ever keep up the energizing, the vitalizing, and the controlling.” Life expresses exactly that which we need, to change barren resolve into constant, active, and holy endeavour. We need never fear “going back,” if God will graciously quicken us. That grace is our sure defence from our weak selves.R.T.
HOMILIES BY C. SHORT
Psa 80:1-19
God’s redemption.
“It is not a bringing back out of exile that is here prayed for, for the people are still on the soil of their own country; but in their present Feebleness they are no longer like themselves, but stand in need of Divine intervention, the shining forth of the hidden countenance of God, in order again to attain a condition that is in harmony with the promises.” Suggests
I. GOD HAS MADE A GLORIOUS REDEMPTION POSSIBLE FOR US. (Psa 80:8.) Has transplanted us from the darkness and slavery of Egypt into a glorious land of promise.
II. BY THE ABUSE OF OUR PRIVILEGE WE MAY BRING OURSELVES INTO GREAT FEEBLENESS AND MISERY.
1. God may seem not to answer our prayers. (Psa 80:4.)
2. And to leave us to unavailing remorse. (Psa 80:5.)
3. Appetite and passion may destroy us by their ravages. (Psa 80:13.)
III. GOD IS STILL NEAR TO HELP ALL WHO EARNESTLY DESIRE RESTORATION.
1. He goes before us as he went before the Israelites in the wilderness. (Psa 80:1.) As a Shepherd.
2. He has also the power to help us. Dwells between the cherubim, the symbol of his earthly power; and is Lord of hostssymbol of his heavenly power.
3. When we can see our duty and privilege in the light of God‘s face, we shall repent and return. (Psa 80:3.) That is, we must see them in the very strongest light before we shall repent.S.
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
Psalms 80.
The Psalmist in his prayer complaineth of the miseries of the church. God’s former favours are turned into judgments: he prayeth for deliverance.
To the chief musician upon Shoshannim-Eduth. A Psalm of Asaph.
Title. lamnatseach el shoshanniim eiduth leasaph mizmor.] The author of this psalm, under the figure of a vine, represents the deplorable state of the Jewish nation, and begs of God, at length to take compassion on them, and to protect some young prince, whom he seemed to have raised up and inspirited with vigour for a restoration. See Psa 80:17. This young prince seems to be Josiah, by the character of vigour, by the reformation’s seeming to depend upon him, Psa 80:18 and by the author’s praying God to appear in their favour, in the face of all the tribes, which, in his time, we know, were assembled together at Jerusalem: just at that time, probably, this hymn was composed. Others think, that it was written upon the invasion of Judea by Sennacherib. It is plain however from the first verse, that it was composed while the temple was standing. At the same time it is certain, that the spiritual mind will view the whole in an infinitely higher sense, as relating to Christ and his church. See the REFLECTIONS.
Psa 80:1. Thou that dwellest between the cherubims i.e. those two sacred emblematical figures which were set in the most holy place, upon the mercy-seat; before which the high-priest sprinkled the blood upon the great day of atonement.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Psalms 80
To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim-Eduth, A Psalm of Asaph
2Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock;
Thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth.
3Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh
Stir up thy strength,
And come and save us.
4Turn us again, O God,
And cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
5O Lord God of hosts,
How long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?
6Thou feedest them with the bread of tears;
And givest them tears to drink in great measure.
7Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours:
And our enemies laugh among themselves.
8Turn us again, O God of hosts,
And cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
9Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt:
Thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
10Thou preparedst room before it,
And didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.
11The hills were covered with the shadow of it,
And the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.
12She sent out her boughs unto the sea,
And her branches unto the river.
13Why hast thou then broken down her hedges,
So that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?
14The boar out of the wood doth waste it,
And the wild beast of the field doth devour it.
15Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts:
Look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;
16And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted,
And the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.
17It is burned with fire, it is cut down:
They perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.
18Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand.
Upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.
19So will we not go back from thee:
Quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.
20Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts,
Cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
Contents and Composition.On the superscription compare Introd. 12, No. 13. The fundamental thought of the Psalm, the prayer for the restoration of the former relations to God, and for the help to be obtained thereby, is expressed in a refrain, which Psalm 80:4, 8, 15, 20 repeat, in such a manner that the prayer advances by successive additions to the names applied to God, and in Psa 80:15 presents a change of expression corresponding to the thought. The first time that this refrain appears, it is introduced in an invocation of God as the Helper; the second time, by a lamentation over the deplorable situation of the people caused by Gods anger; the third time by two strophes, the first of which represents the former prosperity of the people under the image of a vine planted and tended by God, while the second describes the present desolation by relentless foes; when it occurs for the fourth and last time, it is accompanied by a prayer for the destruction of the enemy, and for the protection of Gods chosen. Beyond all dispute the historical occasion of the origin of this Psalm was a season of oppression by foreign nations (Rosen-mller, De Wette). It remains to be determined whether the text furnishes grounds-for assuming it to be the Syrian (Olshausen, Hitzig) or the Chaldean (Geier and others), or the Assyrian (Calvin, Hengstenberg, and others) oppression, or whether it justifies us in going still further back to the period of the distresses occasioned by the Philistines (J. D. Michaelis). The Alex. version has in its superscription to this Psalm, which is in other parts somewhat absurd, an addition which alludes to the Philistines. With this best agrees the circumstance that here, after God is invoked as the Shepherd of Israel (compare the blessing of Joseph by Jacob, Gen 48:15; Gen 49:24) tribes are mentioned which are plainly northern, even if the kingdom of the ten tribes is not directly indicated. Benjamin, it is true, is in 1Ki 12:21 reckoned with the kingdom of Judah. The capital city Jerusalem, also, was within the limits of this tribe (Jos 15:18), and the land of Benjamin is (Jer 32:44; Jer 33:13) distinctly mentioned as a part of Judah. But several Benjamite cities (Bethel, Gilgal, Jericho) belonged to the northern kingdom, even if their possession was not undisputed, as was the case with Ramah, 1Ki 15:21; 2Ch 13:19. Benjamin is probably named here, therefore, for another reason than the fact that he and Joseph were children of the same mother. In that case how should he have been named between Ephraim and Manasseh? The boundaries of the kingdom were, as is well known, unsettled, (comp. Ewald, Geschichte des Volkes Israels, 3d edition, p. 439 ff. Hitzig, Geschichte, 1869, I, 168 ff.) It must not, however, be overlooked that sometimes Joseph, together with Israel, (Psa 81:5-6) or Jacob (Psa 77:16), denotes the whole nation, as in Oba 1:18, the house of Joseph, along with the house of Jacob, is contrasted with the house of Esau (Psa 80:10). More than this, in Amo 7:9; Amo 7:15, Isaac appears in place of the designations Jacob and Israel which are usual elsewhere. We may even perhaps assume that a preference for famous names of old influenced the choice of names (Ewald). It is scarcely a mere geographical mode of designating the northern, southern, and eastern country that is intended (Olshausen); and certainly not a mere random poetical selection of names (De Wette). The expression restore us, repeated in the refrain, could, if viewed by itself, certainly allude to the Babylonish exile. But it does not force us to such an hypothesis. It may also mean a restoration to a state of favor with God, and the change in Psa 80:15 leads to this conclusion. Moreover the expressions employed in Psa 80:7; Psa 80:13 f. allude to oppressions during the residence in the Promised Land.
[The review given above of the various opinions held as to the time when this Psalm was composed, will afford an idea of the difficulties which surround the subject. I would offer another attempt at approximation. It cannot have been composed so late as the destruction of the kingdom of the ten tribes, which is the period defended by Hengstenberg. The burden lying so heavily upon the Psalmist is evidently not the sufferings of any one portion of Gods people, but the desolation of the whole. All Israel (or Joseph,Psa 77:16; Psa 78:9) was conducted safely from Egypt, and planted like a goodly vine in Canaan, when it took root and filled the land. The nation then formed one flourishing vine. What was the cause of the sad change? The disunion of the tribes. The Psalmist evidently has the whole number of the tribes in their individual integrity before him. He prays that God may shine upon them all with His favor as He was wont to do of old, and mentions some of them by name. In this he seems to have chosen from the kingdom of Judah, the tribe of Benjamin, which contained Zion and the Temple, and which suffered more than did the tribe of Judah from the incursions of Syrian or Assyrian invaders, whom the discord among the tribes brought upon the land. For the last named reason also he mentioned Ephraim and Manasseh, taking also into consideration the favorite name Joseph, and the prophecies relating to them made in Egypt. It is natural to suppose also that greater prominence was given to the northern kingdom on account of its waywardness and rejection of God, and he prays that they too may behold His face shining from the Cherubim, and have His favor in their hearts. The contiguity of these three tribes to one another may also suggest another reason for the selection. The order in which they are named is strange at first sight. Perowne thinks that it was adopted because it was the order of march through the wilderness. This is too remote from the line of thought and imagination followed in the Psalm. I would venture to suggest a reason which seems to me more probable. The Psalmist having before him the tribes to be mentioned and yearning for their union as part of Gods own people, places Benjamin between the others, embraced, as it were, by these northern tribes, thus expressing his desire that such a union should be realized. Then, that most touching refrain, with its emotion intensified by each repetition, would also express a desire for re-union. Restore us again to what we were once, when Thy face shone upon us; only so can we be saved. This view of the origin of the Psalm gives to the latter a fulness and beauty of meaning of which it is otherwise shorn. If it is correct, we must assume that the composition took place between the reigns of Rehoboam and Hezekiah, and at some period when foreign foes, taking advantage of the distracted and unsettled state of the whole country, inflicted upon it those blows whose sad effects are presented in the poem. The reign of Ahaz before the captivity of the ten tribes furnishes a period when both Israel and Judah were harassed by both the Syrians and Assyrians whose devastations forcibly suggest to us the figurative language employed in the Psalm.J. F. M.]
Psa 80:2-6. Appear, strictly: shine forth.The expression refers to a Theophany (Psalms 1, 2). On the Cherubim see on Ps. 13:11. Psa 80:5. Until when [E. V., how long], with the prterite, must be explained either by an aposiopesis (Olsh.) or as being a combination of the question: how long wilt thou, etc.? with the complaint: how long hast thou, etc.?3 (Geier, Hupfeld). During the praying, that is: without heeding the prayer (Sept. and most) others: against the prayer; the incense of prayer (Psa 141:2; Rev 5:8; Rev 8:3) being overpowered by the smoke of wrath, instead of overpowering it, Num 16:13 (Calvin, Geier, J. H. Michaelis, Stier, Hengstenberg). But it is more correct to conceive the prayers as not being able to pierce through the smoking clouds of wrath with which God had enshrouded Himself.
Psa 80:6. Bread of tears means the bread which consists of tears, (Psa 42:4); not bread wet with tears. In accordance with this, the second member of the verse does not say that God gives to them the usual measure for drinking (literally: the third; the third part of a larger measure, Isa 40:12) filled with tears for them to drink (Lud. de Dieu, De Wette, Von Ortenberg), but that tears constitute their drink as well as their food. We must therefore render either: a measure full of tears (Hitzig), or: with tears by the measure; that, is, not in a threefold measure (Jerome, Rosenmller) but: in great measure (Sept., Hengst., and others) since this one-third measure, however small it might be thought for other purposes, is a large one for tears. The accusative is therefore that of closer definition, (Gesenius, Olshausen, Hupfeld, Delitzsch).
Psa 80:7. A strife does not mean: object of contention, (most), or the object for which the neighboring nations contend with one another; but: the object against which they direct their upbraidings, taunts, and warlike efforts (Muntinghe, Hupfeld, Delitzsch). [It would better accord with the tone of the whole Psalm to understand this verse in the former sense. The country had been brought so low by fratricidal war and strife that the tribes around it were quarreling for its possession. The picture is thus made much more affecting. Besides, this is more in accordance with the primary meaning of . It also agrees better with the second member of the verse. If the people were an object of rage and enmity of the heathen, the latter would hardly make merry over them, as in the other case they might do.J. F. M.] These neighbors are the smaller tribes in their immediate vicinity (Geier, J. H. Michaelis, Hengstenberg, Hupfeld), rather than the great kingdom of the world (De Wette, Olshausen, Hitzig). The last word of Psa 80:7, , is not to be changed into after Psa 22:8; Neh 2:19 (Baur), or with a like purpose to be explained as=over us. (The ancient translators, Clericus, Venema, and others); but is the so-called dat. commodi=for sport to themselves.
[Psa 80:10. Instead of didst cause it to take deep root, should be, and it struck its roots deep. In Psa 80:11 a literal rendering of the last words would be: cedars of God. Alexander: Some interpreters suppose the southern range of mountains west of Jordan, sometimes called Mount Judah or the Highlands of Judah, to be here specifically meant and contrasted with the Cedars of Lebanon, the northern frontier of the Land of Promise, just as Lebanon and Kadesh are contrasted in Psa 29:5-8. That Lebanon, though not expressly mentioned, is referred to, appears probable from the analogy of Psa 29:5; Psa 92:13; Psa 104:16. The literal fact conveyed by all these figures is the one prophetically stated in Gen 28:14; Deu 11:24; Jos 1:4. Delitzsch: The cedars of God are the cedars of Lebanon, as monuments of the creative power of God.J. F. M.]
The wild boar (Psa 80:14, comp. Jer 5:6), is regarded by many as an emblem of the Assyrian king, like the fly (Isa 7:18), or as the Nile-horse, sea-serpent, and crocodile are those of Egypt (Psa 68:31; Isa 30:6; Eze 29:3), and the eagle that of Nebuchadnezzar (Ezekiel 17) This, however, is not certain. The Rabbins refer the expression to Seir-Edom, and the wild beast (or: stirring thing) of the field, to the Arabs dwelling in tents, according to Gen 16:12. The suspended in the word (out of the forest), is so explained by some Rabbins as to show another reading, namely =out of the river, comp. Jdg 18:30; but it belongs to the category of large and small letters, and according to tract. Kidduschin 30 a, is intended to mark the middle letter of the Psalter (Geier, Urschrift und Uebersetzungen der Bibel, 1857, p. 259) as in Lev 11:42, a marks the middle letter of the Pentateuch. But the Ayin suspensum may be merely the result of a later correction (Delitzsch), since a Phnician inscription has = forest-wood (Levy, Phniz. Wrterbuch, p. 22. Schrder, Die phniz. Sprache, 1869, pp. 19, 98) and the written large in Psa 80:16 appears to be the consequence of a necessary erasure. On the different mystical meanings attached to this suspended letter by the Jews, see Buxtorf, Tiberias, c. 16, p. 172.
Psa 80:16 ff. Protect what thy right has planted.[E. V., The vineyard which thy right hand hath planted]. The Hebrew word might be a noun (many old expositors, also Rosenmller, Stier, Ewald, Hitzig) = its slip, twig, or better: its stem (Bttcher) depending upon the verb of the preceding verse. But if it be taken as an imperative (Sept., Luther, and others), then it is to be taken from a verb , cognate with = to cover, protect (Hupf., Delitzsch). This is better than to take it from = to set upright, to uphold (Hengst.) since verbs of caring can be construed both with the accusative and with (here with both).The son [E. V., branch], Psa 80:16 b, is probably not the vegetable branch, as in Gen 49:22 (Kimchi, Ewald, and others), but as in Psa 80:18 the people of Israel, in the same sense as Exo 4:22; Hos 11:1. The transition from the figurative to the literal mode of designation is however, first prepared in this verse. In Psa 80:17, they are intermingled as is often the case in strongly emotional passages; for the term, participles refer back to while in the second member of the verse, the Israelites, who in their totality constitute the vine, are mentioned in the plural, and that in an expression which describes their condition more literally than figuratively. Then in Psa 80:18 the foregoing circle of images is dropped. The people are first termed in allusion to the name Benjamin, and then as members of the helpless human race. The former designation may bear reference to Gods having with His right hand gained them for Himself, (Kimchi, Luther, Rosenmller,) or planted and reared them (Calvin, Stier, De Wette, Hupfeld and others). But possibly it alludes to Israels standing at Gods right hand (Aben Ezra, Geier, J. H. Mich., Hengst., Del., Hitzig) as his favorite (Gen 44:20; Deu 33:8; Deu 33:12). [Alexander: The man of thy right hand may either be, the man whom thy power has raised up or the man who occupies the post of honor at thy right hand. That the words were intended to suggest both ideas, is a supposition perfectly agreeable to Hebrew usage. A more doubtful question is that in reference to the first words of the sentence, let thy hand be upon him, whether this means in favor or in wrath. The only way in which both senses can be reconciled is by applying the words to the Messiah as the ground of the faith and hope expressed. Let thy hand fall not on us, but on our substitute. Compare the remarkably similar expressions in Act 5:31.J. F. M.]
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. Even in the midst of the direst calamities we can trust ourselves to Gods guidance, and commit ourselves to him with full confidence as soon and as long as we are persuaded of His watchful love and faithfulness as our Shepherd, and of His supreme power exalted above all earthly and heavenly might. But it is above all important for the suffering and oppressed that God should manifest such a guidance by changing their condition which is so bitter and distressing. And he who belongs to Gods Church knows right well how much such a change is hindered by the sins of men, and how little the sinner is entitled to it. Accordingly the most urgent and important need is that of the shedding forth of Gods favor. Only by this can the true relation to Him be restored. And that may be gained by prayer.
2. The contemplation of the Divine nature helps us greatly in our strivings after greater delight and increased support in prayer. The abundant manifestations of that glory with the many comforting aspects of each can never be sufficiently kept before the soul. In this exercise there can be no tedious verbosity, no useless superfluity of words, no heathenish or childish babbling. It is all-important in prayer, that God appear before the soul in the full glory of His nature. Only by pouring out into the bosom of such a God as this our complaints and entreaties, can requital be found. (Hengstenberg).
3. Not less important and consoling is the reflection, that God is not disposed to destroy or abandon the work, begun out of mercy, in and with His Church, but remains ready to complete it, in so far as her welfare depends upon the manifestation of His favor, and according as she places herself penitently and believingly under the protection and care of God, whom she cannot cease to praise as her Founder and Preserver, but to whom she has ever cause to render thanks for what He has planted, reared, and blessed in her. Thus feeling and acting, she can, even in the troubled present, draw lively hope of future aid and fresh deliverances from the recollection of former experiences of blessing and seasons of mercy.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
If thou wouldst have God for thy Shepherd, keep close to His flock.To crave Gods assistance and to strive against His will, are acts which do not agree.He upon whom Gods face is to shine must turn himself towards it.So long as men are without a reconciled God, the whole world cannot give them the least help.Tears are not the worst food; let them only not be food for ever.God has not only planted His vine; He protects it too, and makes it grow.
Starke: We can indeed thrust ourselves into misfortune, but it is not in our power to bring ourselves out. How good it is for us to have a God, who can and will bring us back to prayers of penitence!It is ingratitude that we should have God near to us, as He is indeed near at all times and in all places, and that we do not implore His help.If God appears to be angry with the prayer of His people, because He does not give heed to it at once, must He not be angry indeed with a prayer, which is offered without repentance or faith?The violence of our enemies harasses us, but God strengthens us; affliction makes it dark for us but Gods mercy makes it bright; men destroy us, but through Gods goodness we are revived and preserved from despair.From a vine, that we have planted, we expect not only leaves, but grapes; so it is not enough that Christians have the leaves of good works to show; God seeks also good fruits. O that He might find them in all!So long as God keeps over a place His protecting hand all goes well: but, if for the sins of the inhabitants He draws it away only a little, then everything tends to ruin.We live that we may worship God, and He who does not call upon His name is not worthy to liveIf God did not perform the chief part in nurturing and perpetuating the vine, all the care of the husbandman would be in vain.Arndt: The Shepherd of Israelhow we are to trust ourselves to His protection and presence, and worship Him in His holiness.Frisch: Where the spiritual vineyard is preserved in bloom and luxuriance, there the temporal vineyard will flourish too.Rieger: We are to mark with special care the names which are given to God in His word and by which we are to call upon Him in all our troubles.Guenther: The Church of God has many more times of distress, than years of glory upon earth.Diedrich: The ungodly do not ask for the help of God, but the righteous cannot live without it, and keep asking day and night: how long? how long?Taube: Light, love, life, these are essential attributes of the Divine nature which mutually repose upon one another. When He comes forth clothed with them, and manifests Himself, it becomes bright, we feel His love, we live. But when He retires within Himself, it is night, we feel His wrath, we die.Appuhn (At the Reformation festival): We observe today (1) a thanksgiving, for we call to mind the establishment, the prosperity and extension of our German Evangelical Lutheran Church, (2) a day of humiliation, for we have to recall forsaken confession, mournful divisions and lamentable insubordination; (3) a day of prayer, for we take our stand upon Gods honor, power, and mercy.
[Matt. Henry: (1) No salvation but from Gods favor, (2) no obtaining favor with God unless we are converted to Him, (3) no conversion to God but by His own grace.We cannot call upon Gods name in a right manner, unless He quicken us; but it is He who puts life into our souls, who puts liveliness into our prayers.
Scott: The vine cannot be ruined nor any fruitful branch perish: but the unfruitful will be cut off and cast into the fire.
Bishop Horne: The end of our redemption is that we should serve Him who hath redeemed us and go back no more to our old sins. That soul which has been quickened and made alive by Christ, should live to His honor and glory; that mouth which hath been opened by Him, can do no less than show forth His praise, and call upon His saving name.J. F. M.].
Footnotes:
[3][This method, generally adopted in all the cases where this phrase occurs, is grammatically incorrect. To give to the words the sense of an interjection would require that should be treated as an adverb of quantity, which of course it cannot be. It is better to give the prterite the force of past time continuing through the present, whose termination is not seen.J. F. M.]
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
CONTENTS
Here is another of the records of the day of Jacob’s troubles. The church is still at the mercy-seat, and adopts similar arguments in prayer to those which were made use of in the foregoing Psalm, namely, God’s love to his people, and their interest in him.
To the chief musician upon Shoshannim-Eduth, A Psalm of Asaph.
Psa 80:1
This first verse is the key to the whole Psalm. Who is the Shepherd of Israel, but Jesus? Uniformly, through all the word of God, this is the well-known character and office of Christ, as Christ. Of him it is specially and particularly spoken; of him it is specially said, that he should feed his flock like a shepherd. He was promised under that character by the Father, Isa 40:11 . So again, the Lord saith by another prophet, I will set up one Shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David: he shall feed them, and he shall be their Shepherd; Eze 34:23 . Hence Christ takes to himself this very name, Joh 10:11 ; and the church desired Jesus, as her Shepherd, to tell her where he fed his flock; Son 1:7 . I dwell the more particularly upon this, because, though it is generally known and confessed, yet believers have too few actings of faith upon the person of Christ in his sweet offices and characters, as distinguished from God the Father, and God the Holy Ghost; for though there be many precious offices in which God the Father hast condescended to put himself, and in the enjoyment of them it is the privilege of the believer to be everlastingly engaged; yet it is in a peculiar and special way that redeemed souls are to behold Christ as their Head, their Shepherd, their Husband, their Surety, their Brother, their Advocate, and the like. I venture, therefore, to believe that this Psalm opens with a cry to Jesus, as Jesus, the church’s Shepherd. And surely it is he that hath all along led Joseph and his people like sheep; surely it is he which sitteth between the cherubim, for God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself; and he it is that shines forth when God the Spirit shines in the heart, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, 2Co 4:62Co 4:6 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
The Mightiness of Redemption
Psa 80:2
The greatest of all helps to realize the magnitude of redemption is the experimental sense, the unwrought consciousness of ‘the exceeding sinfulness of sin’. Take this for an axiom. He thinks lightly of the greatness of redemption who thinks lightly of the power of sin. He regards Jesus as a superfluous helper who regards Satan as a contemptible foe. The two spiritual conceptions are co-equal, correlative. It is when like David we cry out, ‘Innumerable troubles are come about me: my sins have taken such hold upon me that I am not able to look up,’ that like David also, we stretch out our hands to our mighty Succourer, and feel the force of the prayer which may often have passed our lips before, ‘O Lord, let it be Thy pleasure to deliver me: make haste, O Lord, to help me. Thou art my Helper and Redeemer; make no long tarrying, O my God.’
I. I refuse to limit the great work of redemption to what is called, in the language of popular theology, ‘the saving of the soul’. Wherever sin in its remotest consequences has reached, there Christ’s work reaches also. We do a fatal injury, as it seems to me, to the work of redemption, as a practical human idea, when we disconnect it, as some are fond of doing, from the temporal and even the material interests of mankind. It is my full belief that the Cross of Christ has done, proportionately to the matter on which it works, as much for us in this world as it will do in the next. The ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ in the idea of its great founder began with St. John’s baptism runs its first course in this lower world throws its light on ‘life’ as well as on immortality. For the law of the kingdom of God is progress development of the species, speaking generally; and of the individual, too, where it has free course and is not frustrated. It works more effectually in the nobler parts of our nature; in the spirit than in the soul; in the soul than in the body. But there is nothing in human nature that is too high to need it, too low to be susceptible of its influence. Even ‘our vile bodies’ are to be changed into the ‘likeness of Christ’s glorious body’ according to the working whereby He ‘is able to subdue all things unto Himself. The fullness of spiritual discernment the great gift of heaven first; sanctification, that which now worketh in us mightily, next; but ‘the redemption of the body’ also has its place in the scale of regeneration, though the quickening spirit of the last Adam has not yet swallowed up death in the completeness of His victory.
II. It is no reflection on the Divine power that in this or that instance it may seem to us to have failed in its purpose or to have wrought out its end by imperfect or even evil agencies. For to us is committed the scarcely less wonderful power of antagonism; we worms of the earth can frustrate as regards ourselves ay, and as regards others ‘ the grace of God’. It is the inexplicable mystery of human free will, concurrent with Divine omnipotence. And if the treachery of a Judas, or the malice of a Caiaphas, or the moral weakness of a Pilate, or the fickleness of an ignorant crowd, were really agencies in the salvation of the world, what can we do but admire the resources of that omnipotence which by a Divine alchemy can transmute human evil into human good, and vindicate its sovereignty even by submitting to the use of base instrumentalities, and, like the light of the blessed sun, can pass through the foulest media, clouded perhaps, and robbed of some of its brightness, but yet uncontaminated and undefiled.
J. Fraser, University and Other Sermons, p. 248.
References. LXXX. 14. C. Perren, Revival Sermons, p. 185. LXXX. International Critical Commentary, vol. ii. p. 201.
The Preparation for a Religious Life
Psa 80:18
I. This is a singular prayer from the worldly point of view. The common notion is that religion is a dulling process a cooling down of the pulses of life. We speak of the yielding to temptation as fast living, and we blame for it what we call the ardour of youth. When a man begins to think seriously, we say that he has sobered down, grown mellow, abated in the fire of early years. All this implies one idea that seriousness of life is a deadening of life. The Psalmist takes exactly the opposite view, ‘Quicken us, and we will call upon Thy name’. To him religion is not a dulling, but a vivifying process a process which does not diminish but which increases the heart’s ardour, which does not retard but which accelerates the pulses of the being. He would suggest that to become religious a man needs, not less life, but more, not a narrowing but an enlargement of the stream.
II. It is generally supposed that when we begin to live in God we must subside in our life for the world. The Psalmist, on the contrary, says that before religion can dawn there must be a natural vivifying of the worldly powers, ‘Quicken us, and we will call upon Thy name’. Religion in the heart is made the result of intensified natural life. And I think it will be found that the Psalmist is right. For what is the prevailing cause of irreligion? I say ‘irreligion’ not ‘doubt,’ for doubt is a form of religious seriousness. What, I ask, is the prevailing cause of irreligion? It is indifference; and what is indifference? Is it not simply deadness want of interest in the things of life. If you would make a religious man serious, you must quicken his pulse to the objects around him. It is this quickening of the pulse that the irreligious man resists. It is to resist intense feeling about worldly things that he flies from flower to flower of pleasure, deadening his appetite as he goes. It is to resist intense feeling about worldly things that he rests not in any spot, however green, but changes his place each hour lest he should read its solemnity. It is by veiling my sight of earth that I lose my sight of heaven.
G. Matheson, Messages of Hope, p. 233.
Reference. LXXX. 19. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. v. p. 284.
Fuente: Expositor’s Dictionary of Text by Robertson
PSALMS
XI
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF PSALMS
According to my usual custom, when taking up the study of a book of the Bible I give at the beginning a list of books as helps to the study of that book. The following books I heartily commend on the Psalms:
1. Sampey’s Syllabus for Old Testament Study . This is especially good on the grouping and outlining of some selected psalms. There are also some valuable suggestions on other features of the book.
2. Kirkpatrick’g commentary, in “Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges,” is an excellent aid in the study of the Psalter.
3. Perowne’s Book of Psalms is a good, scholarly treatise on the Psalms. A special feature of this commentary is the author’s “New Translation” and his notes are very helpful.
4. Spurgeon’s Treasury of David. This is just what the title implies. It is a voluminous, devotional interpretation of the Psalms and helpful to those who have the time for such extensive study of the Psalter.
5. Hengstenburg on the Psalms. This is a fine, scholarly work by one of the greatest of the conservative German scholars.
6. Maclaren on the Psalms, in “The Expositor’s Bible,” is the work of the world’s safest, sanest, and best of all works that have ever been written on the Psalms.
7. Thirtle on the Titles of the Psalms. This is the best on the subject and well worth a careful study.
At this point some definitions are in order. The Hebrew word for psalm means praise. The word in English comes from psalmos , a song of lyrical character, or a song to be sung and accompanied with a lyre. The Psalter is a collection of sacred and inspired songs, composed at different times and by different authors.
The range of time in composition was more than 1,000 years, or from the time of Moses to the time of Ezra. The collection in its present form was arranged probably by Ezra in the fifth century, B.C.
The Jewish classification of Old Testament books was The Law, the Prophets, and the Holy Writings. The Psalms was given the first place in the last group.
They had several names, or titles, of the Psalms. In Hebrew they are called “The Book of Prayers,” or “The Book of Praises.” The Hebrew word thus used means praises. The title of the first two books is found in Psa 72:20 : “The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.” The title of the whole collection of Psalms in the Septuagint is Biblos Psalman which means the “Book of Psalms.” The title in the Alexandrian Codex is Psalterion which is the name of a stringed instrument, and means “The Psalter.”
The derivation of our English words, “psalms,” “psalter,” and “psaltery,” respectively, is as follows:
1. “Psalms” comes from the Greek word, psalmoi, which is also from psallein , which means to play upon a stringed instrument. Therefore the Psalms are songs played upon stringed instruments, and the word here is used to apply to the whole collection.
2. “Psalter” is of the same origin and means the Book of Psalms and refers also to the whole collection.
3. “Psaltery” is from the word psalterion, which means “a harp,” an instrument, supposed to be in the shape of a triangle or like the delta of the Greek alphabet. See Psa 33:2 ; Psa 71:22 ; Psa 81:2 ; Psa 144:9 .
In our collection there are 150 psalms. In the Septuagint there is one extra. It is regarded as being outside the sacred collection and not inspired. The subject of this extra psalm is “David’s victory over Goliath.” The following is a copy of it: I was small among my brethren, And youngest in my father’s house, I used to feed my father’s sheep. My hands made a harp, My fingers fashioned a Psaltery. And who will declare unto my Lord? He is Lord, he it is who heareth. He it was who sent his angel And took me from my father’s sheep, And anointed me with the oil of his anointing. My brethren were goodly and tall, But the Lord took no pleasure in them. I went forth to meet the Philistine. And he cursed me by his idols But I drew the sword from beside him; I beheaded him and removed reproach from the children of Israel.
It will be noted that this psalm does not have the earmarks of an inspired production. There is not found in it the modesty so characteristic of David, but there is here an evident spirit of boasting and self-praise which is foreign to the Spirit of inspiration.
There is a difference in the numbering of the psalms in our version which follows the Hebrew, and the numbering in the Septuagint. Omitting the extra one in the Septuagint, there is no difference as to the total number. Both have 150 and the same subject matter, but they are not divided alike.
The following scheme shows the division according to our version and also the Septuagint: Psalms 1-8 in the Hebrew equal 1-8 in the Septuagint; 9-10 in the Hebrew combine into 9 in the Septuagint; 11-113 in the Hebrew equal 10-112 in the Septuagint; 114-115 in the Hebrew combine into 113 in the Septuagint; 116 in the Hebrew divides into 114-115 in the Septuagint; 117-146 in the Hebrew equal 116-145 in the Septuagint; 147 in the Hebrew divides into 146-147 in the Septuagint; 148-150 in the Hebrew equal 148-150 in the Septuagint.
The arrangement in the Vulgate is the same as the Septuagint. Also some of the older English versions have this arangement. Another difficulty in numbering perplexes an inexperienced student in turning from one version to another, viz: In the Hebrew often the title is verse I, and sometimes the title embraces verses 1-2.
The book divisions of the Psalter are five books, as follows:
Book I, Psalms 1-41 (41 chapters)
Book II, Psalms 42-72 (31 chapters)
Book III, Psalms 73-89 (17 chapters)
Book IV, Psalms 90-106 (17 chapters)
Book V, Psalms 107-150 (44 chapters)
They are marked by an introduction and a doxology. Psalm I forms an introduction to the whole book; Psa 150 is the doxology for the whole book. The introduction and doxology of each book are the first and last psalms of each division, respectively.
There were smaller collections before the final one, as follows:
Books I and II were by David; Book III, by Hezekiah, and Books IV and V, by Ezra.
Certain principles determined the arrangement of the several psalms in the present collection:
1. David is honored with first place, Book I and II, including Psalms 1-72.
2. They are grouped according to the use of the name of God:
(1) Psalms 1-41 are Jehovah psalms;
(2) Psalms 42-83 are Elohim-psalms;
(3) Psalms 84-150 are Jehovah psalms.
3. Book IV is introduced by the psalm of Moses, which is the first psalm written.
4. Some are arranged as companion psalms, for instance, sometimes two, sometimes three, and sometimes more. Examples: Psa 2 and 3; 22, 23, and 24; 113-118.
5. They were arranged for liturgical purposes, which furnished the psalms for special occasions, such as feasts, etc. We may be sure this arrangement was not accidental. An intelligent study of each case is convincing that it was determined upon rational grounds.
All the psalms have titles but thirty-three, as follows:
In Book I, Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 10 ; Psa 33 , (4 are without titles).
In Book II, Psa 43 ; Psa 71 , (2 are without titles).
In Book IV, Psa 91 ; Psa 93 ; Psa 94 ; Psa 95 ; Psa 96 ; Psa 97 ; Psa 104 ; Psa 105 ; Psa 106 , (9 are without titles).
In Book V, Psa 107 ; III; 112; 113; 114; 115; 116; 117; 118; 119; 135; 136; 137; 146; 147; 148; 149; 150, (18 are without titles).
The Talmud calls these psalms that have no title, “Orphan Psalms.” The later Jews supply these titles by taking the nearest preceding author. The lack of titles in Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; and 10 may be accounted for as follows: Psa 1 is a general introduction to the whole collection and Psa 2 was, perhaps, a part of Psa 1 . Psalms 9-10 were formerly combined into one, therefore Psa 10 has the same title as Psa 9 .
QUESTIONS
1. What books are commended on the Psalms?
2. What is a psalm?
3. What is the Psalter?
4. What is the range of time in composition?
5. When and by whom was the collection in its present form arranged?
6. What the Jewish classification of Old Testament books, and what the position of the Psalter in this classification?
7. What is the Hebrew title of the Psalms?
8. Find the title of the first two books from the books themselves.
9. What is the title of the whole collection of psalms in the Septuagint?
10. What is the title in the Alexandrian Codex?
11. What is the derivation of our English word, “Psalms”, “Psalter”, and “Psaltery,” respectively?
12. How many psalms in our collection?
13. How many psalms in the Septuagint?
14. What about the extra one in the Septuagint?
15. What is the subject of this extra psalm?
16. How does it compare with the Canonical Psalms?
17. What is the difference in the numbering of the psalms in our version which follows the Hebrew, and the numbering in the Septuagint?
18. What is the arrangement in the Vulgate?
19. What other difficulty in numbering which perplexes an inexperienced student in turning from one version to another?
20. What are the book divisions of the Psalter and how are these divisions marked?
21. Were there smaller collections before the final one? If so, what were they?
22. What principles determined the arrangement of the several psalms in the present collection?
23. In what conclusion may we rest concerning this arrangement?
24. How many of the psalms have no titles?
25. What does the Talmud call these psalms that have no titles?
26. How do later Jews supply these titles?
27. How do you account for the lack of titles in Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 10 ?
XII
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF PSALMS (CONTINUED)
The following is a list of the items of information gathered from the titles of the psalms:
1. The author: “A Psalm of David” (Psa 37 ).
2. The occasion: “When he fled from Absalom, his son” (Psa 3 ).
3. The nature, or character, of the poem:
(1) Maschil, meaning “instruction,” a didactic poem (Psa 42 ).
(2) Michtam, meaning “gold,” “A Golden Psalm”; this means excellence or mystery (Psa 16 ; 56-60).
4. The occasion of its use: “A Psalm of David for the dedication of the house” (Psa 30 ).
5. Its purpose: “A Psalm of David to bring remembrance” (Psa 38 ; Psa 70 ).
6. Direction for its use: “A Psalm of David for the chief musician” (Psa 4 ).
7. The kind of musical instrument:
(1) Neginoth, meaning to strike a chord, as on stringed instruments (Psa 4 ; Psa 61 ).
(2) Nehiloth, meaning to perforate, as a pipe or flute (Psa 5 ).
(3) Shoshannim, Lilies, which refers probably to cymbals (Psa 45 ; Psa 69 ).
8. A special choir:
(1) Sheminith, the “eighth,” or octave below, as a male choir (Psa 6 ; Psa 12 ).
(2) Alamoth, female choir (Psa 46 ).
(3) Muth-labben, music with virgin voice, to be sung by a choir of boys in the treble (Psa 9 ).
9. The keynote, or tune:
(1) Aijeleth-sharar, “Hind of the morning,” a song to the melody of which this is sung (Psa 22 ).
(2) Al-tashheth, “Destroy thou not,” the beginning of a song the tune of which is sung (Psa 57 ; Psa 58 ; Psa 59 ; Psa 75 ).
(3) Gittith, set to the tune of Gath, perhaps a tune which David brought from Gath (Psa 8 ; Psa 81 ; Psa 84 ).
(4) Jonath-elim-rehokim, “The dove of the distant terebinths,” the commencement of an ode to the air of which this song was to be sung (Psa 56 ).
(5) Leannoth, the name of a tune (Psa 88 ).
(6) Mahalath, an instrument (Psa 53 ); Leonnoth-Mahaloth, to chant to a tune called Mahaloth.
(7) Shiggaion, a song or a hymn.
(8) Shushan-Eduth, “Lily of testimony,” a tune (Psa 60 ). Note some examples: (1) “America,” “Shiloh,” “Auld Lang Syne.” These are the names of songs such as we are familiar with; (2) “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” and “There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood,” are examples of sacred hymns.
10. The liturgical use, those noted for the feasts, e.g., the Hallels and Hallelujah Psalms (Psalms 146-150).
11. The destination, as “Song of Ascents” (Psalms 120-134)
12. The direction for the music, such as Selah, which means “Singers, pause”; Higgaion-Selah, to strike a symphony with selah, which means an instrumental interlude (Psa 9:16 ).
The longest and fullest title to any of the psalms is the title to Psa 60 . The items of information from this title are as follows: (1) the author; (2) the chief musician; (3) the historical occasion; (4) the use, or design; (5) the style of poetry; (6) the instrument or style of music.
The parts of these superscriptions which most concern us now are those indicating author, occasion, and date. As to the historic value or trustworthiness of these titles most modern scholars deny that they are a part of the Hebrew text, but the oldest Hebrew text of which we know anything had all of them. This is the text from which the Septuagint was translated. It is much more probable that the author affixed them than later writers. There is no internal evidence in any of the psalms that disproves the correctness of them, but much to confirm. The critics disagree among themselves altogether as to these titles. Hence their testimony cannot consistently be received. Nor can it ever be received until they have at least agreed upon a common ground of opposition.
David is the author of more than half the entire collection, the arrangement of which is as follows:
1. Seventy-three are ascribed to him in the superscriptions.
2. Some of these are but continuations of the preceding ones of a pair, trio, or larger group.
3. Some of the Korahite Psalms are manifestly Davidic.
4. Some not ascribed to him in the titles are attributed to him expressly by New Testament writers.
5. It is not possible to account for some parts of the Psalter without David. The history of his early life as found in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1and 2 Chronicles, not only shows his remarkable genius for patriotic and sacred songs and music, but also shows his cultivation of that gift in the schools of the prophets. Some of these psalms of the history appear in the Psalter itself. It is plain to all who read these that they are founded on experience, and the experience of no other Hebrew fits the case. These experiences are found in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles.
As to the attempt of the destructive critics to rob David of his glory in relation to the Psalter by assigning the Maccabean era as the date of composition, I have this to say:
1. This theory has no historical support whatever, and therefore is not to be accepted at all.
2. It has no support in tradition, which weakens the contention of the critics greatly.
3. It has no support from finding any one with the necessary experience for their basis.
4. They can give no reasonable account as to how the titles ever got there.
5. It is psychologically impossible for anyone to have written these 150 psalms in the Maccabean times.
6. Their position is expressly contrary to the testimony of Christ and the apostles. Some of the psalms which they ascribe to the Maccabean Age are attributed to David by Christ himself, who said that David wrote them in the Spirit.
The obvious aim of this criticism and the necessary result if it be Just, is a positive denial of the inspiration of both Testaments.
Other authors are named in the titles, as follows: (1) Asaph, to whom twelve psalms have been assigned: (2) Mosee, Psa 90 ; (3) Solomon, Psa 72 ; Psa 127 ; (4) Heman, Psa 80 ; (5) Ethem, Psa 89 ; (6) A number of the psalms are ascribed to the sons of Korah.
Not all the psalms ascribed to Asaph were composed by one person. History indicates that Asaph’s family presided over the song service for several generations. Some of them were composed by his descendants by the game name. The five general outlines of the whole collection are as follows:
I. By books
1. Psalms 1-41 (41)
2. Psalms 42-72 (31)
3. Psalms 73-89 (17)
4. Psalms 90-106 (17)
5. Psalms 107-150 (44)
II. According to date and authorship
1. The psalm of Moses (Psa 90 )
2. Psalms of David:
(1) The shepherd boy (Psa 8 ; Psa 19 ; Psa 29 ; Psa 23 ).
(2) David when persecuted by Saul (Psa 59 ; Psa 56 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 52 ; Psa 54 ; Psa 57 ; Psa 142 ).
(3) David the King (Psa 101 ; Psa 18 ; Psa 24 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 110 ; Psa 20 ; Psa 20 ; Psa 21 ; Psa 60 ; Psa 51 ; Psa 32 ; Psa 41 ; Psa 55 ; Psa 3:4 ; Psa 64 ; Psa 62 ; Psa 61 ; Psa 27 ).
3. The Asaph Psalms (Psa 50 ; Psa 73 ; Psa 83 ).
4. The Korahite Psalms (Psa 42 ; Psa 43 ; Psa 84 ).
5. The psalms of Solomon (Psa 72 ; Psa 127 ).
6. The psalms of the era of Hezekiah and Isaiah (Psa 46 ; Psa 47 ; Psa 48 )
7. The psalms of the Exile (Psa 74 ; Psa 79 ; Psa 137 ; Psa 102 )
8. The psalms of the Restoration (Psa 85 ; Psa 126 ; Psa 118 ; 146-150)
III. By groups
1. The Jehovistic and Elohistic Psalms:
(1) Psalms 1-41 are Jehovistic;
(2) Psalms 42-83 are Elohistic Psalms;
(3) Psalms 84-150 are Jehovistic.
2. The Penitential Psalms (Psa 6 ; Psa 32 ; Psa 38 ; Psa 51 ; Psa 102 ; Psa 130 ; Psa 143 )
3. The Pilgrim Psalms (Psalms 120-134)
4. The Alphabetical Psalms (Psa 9 ; Psa 10 ; Psa 25 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 37 ; 111:112; Psa 119 ; Psa 145 )
5. The Hallelujah Psalms (Psalms 11-113; 115-117; 146-150; to which may be added Psa 135 ) Psalms 113-118 are called “the Egyptian Hallel”
IV. Doctrines of the Psalms
1. The throne of grace and how to approach it by sacrifice, prayer, and praise.
2. The covenant, the basis of worship.
3. The paradoxical assertions of both innocence & guilt.
4. The pardon of sin and justification.
5. The Messiah.
6. The future life, pro and con.
7. The imprecations.
8. Other doctrines.
V. The New Testament use of the Psalms
1. Direct references and quotations in the New Testament.
2. The allusions to the psalms in the New Testament. Certain experiences of David’s life made very deep impressions on his heart, such as: (1) his peaceful early life; (2) his persecution by Saul; (3) his being crowned king of the people; (4) the bringing up of the ark; (5) his first great sin; (6) Absalom’s rebellion; (7) his second great sin; (8) the great promise made to him in 2Sa 7 ; (9) the feelings of his old age.
We may classify the Davidic Psalms according to these experiences following the order of time, thus:
1. His peaceful early life (Psa 8 ; Psa 19 ; Psa 29 ; Psa 23 )
2. His persecution by Saul (Psa 59 ; Psa 56 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 7 ; Psa 52 ; Psa 120 ; Psa 140 ; Psa 54 ; Psa 57 ; Psa 142 ; Psa 17 ; Psa 18 )
3. Making David King (Psa 27 ; Psa 133 ; Psa 101 )
4. Bringing up the ark (Psa 68 ; Psa 24 ; Psa 132 ; Psa 15 ; Psa 78 ; Psa 96 )
5. His first great sin (Psa 51 ; Psa 32 )
6. Absalom’s rebellion (Psa 41 ; Psa 6 ; Psa 55 ; Psa 109 ; Psa 38 ; Psa 39 ; Psa 3 ; Psa 4 ; Psa 63 ; Psa 42 ; Psa 43 ; Psa 5 ; Psa 62 ; Psa 61 ; Psa 27 )
7. His second great sin (Psa 69 ; Psa 71 ; Psa 102 ; Psa 103 )
8. The great promise made to him in 2Sa 7 (Psa 2 )
9. Feelings of old age (Psa 37 )
The great doctrines of the psalms may be noted as follows: (1) the being and attributes of God; (3) sin, both original and individual; (3) both covenants; (4) the doctrine of justification; (5) concerning the Messiah.
There is a striking analogy between the Pentateuch and the Psalms. The Pentateuch contains five books of law; the Psalms contain five books of heart responses to the law.
It is interesting to note the historic controversies concerning the singing of psalms. These were controversies about singing uninspired songs, in the Middle Ages. The church would not allow anything to be used but psalms.
The history in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles, and in Ezra and Nehemiah is very valuable toward a proper interpretation of the psalms. These books furnish the historical setting for a great many of the psalms which is very indispensable to their proper interpretation.
Professor James Robertson, in the Poetry and Religion of the Psalms constructs a broad and strong argument in favor of the Davidic Psalms, as follows:
1. The age of David furnished promising soil for the growth of poetry.
2. David’s qualifications for composing the psalms make it highly probable that David is the author of the psalms ascribed to him.
3. The arguments against the possibility of ascribing to David any of the hymns in the Hebrew Psalter rests upon assumptions that are thoroughly antibiblical.
The New Testament makes large use of the psalms and we learn much as to their importance in teaching. There are seventy direct quotations in the New Testament from this book, from which we learn that the Scriptures were used extensively in accord with 2Ti 3:16-17 . There are also eleven references to the psalms in the New Testament from which we learn that the New Testament writers were thoroughly imbued with the spirit and teaching of the psalms. Then there are eight allusions ‘to this book in the New Testament from which we gather that the Psalms was one of the divisions of the Old Testament and that they were used in the early church.
QUESTIONS
1. Give a list of the items of information gathered from the titles of the psalms.
2. What is the longest title to any of the psalms and what the items of this title?
3. What parts of these superscriptions most concern us now?
4. What is the historic value, or trustworthiness of these titles?
5. State the argument showing David’s relation to the psalms.
6. What have you to say of the attempt of the destructive critics to rob David of his glory in relation to the Psalter by assigning the Maccabean era as the date of composition?
7. What the obvious aim of this criticism and the necessary result, if it be just?
8. What other authors are named in the titles?
9. Were all the psalms ascribed to Asaph composed by one person?
10. Give the five general outlines of the whole collection, as follows: I. The outline by books II. The outline according to date and authorship III. The outline by groups IV. The outline of doctrines V. The outline by New Testament quotations or allusions.
11. What experiences of David’s life made very deep impressions on his heart?
12. Classify the Davidic Psalms according to these experiences following the order of time.
13. What the great doctrines of the psalms?
14. What analogy between the Pentateuch and the Psalms?
15. What historic controversies concerning the singing of psalms?
16. Of what value is the history in Samuel, 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles, and in Ezra and Nehemiah toward a proper interpretation of the psalms?
17. Give Professor James Robertson’s argument in favor of the Davidic authorship of the psalms.
18. What can you say of the New Testament use of the psalms and what do we learn as to their importance in teaching?
19. What can you say of the New Testament references to the psalms, and from the New Testament references what the impression on the New Testament writers?
20. What can you say of the allusions to the psalms in the New Testament?
XVII
THE MESSIAH IN THE PSALMS
A fine text for this chapter is as follows: “All things must be fulfilled which were written in the Psalms concerning me,” Luk 24:44 . I know of no better way to close my brief treatise on the Psalms than to discuss the subject of the Messiah as revealed in this book.
Attention has been called to the threefold division of the Old Testament cited by our Lord, namely, the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms (Luk 24:44 ), in all of which were the prophecies relating to himself that “must be fulfilled.” It has been shown just what Old Testament books belong to each of these several divisions. The division called the Psalms included many books, styled Holy Writings, and because the Psalms proper was the first book of the division it gave the name to the whole division.
The object of this discussion is to sketch the psalmist’s outline of the Messiah, or rather, to show how nearly a complete picture of our Lord is foredrawn in this one book. Let us understand however with Paul, that all prophecy is but in part (1Co 13:9 ), and that when we fill in on one canvas all the prophecies concerning the Messiah of all the Old Testament divisions, we are far from having a perfect portrait of our Lord. The present purpose is limited to three things:
1. What the book of the Psalms teaches concerning the Messiah.
2. That the New Testament shall authoritatively specify and expound this teaching.
3. That the many messianic predictions scattered over the book and the specifications thereof over the New Testament may be grouped into an orderly analysis, so that by the adjustment of the scattered parts we may have before us a picture of our Lord as foreseen by the psalmists.
In allowing the New Testament to authoritatively specify and expound the predictive features of the book, I am not unmindful of what the so-called “higher critics” urge against the New Testament quotations from the Old Testament and the use made of them. In this discussion, however, these objections are not considered, for sufficient reasons. There is not space for it. Even at the risk of being misjudged I must just now summarily pass all these objections, dismissing them with a single statement upon which the reader may place his own estimate of value. That statement is that in the days of my own infidelity, before this old method of criticism had its new name, I was quite familiar with the most and certainly the strongest of the objections now classified as higher criticism, and have since patiently re-examined them in their widely conflicting restatements under their modern name, and find my faith in the New Testament method of dealing with the Old Testament in no way shattered, but in every way confirmed. God is his own interpreter. The Old Testament as we now have it was in the hands of our Lord. I understand his apostle to declare, substantially, that “every one of these sacred scriptures is God-inspired and is profitable for teaching us what is right to believe and to do, for convincing us what is wrong in faith or practice, for rectifying the wrong when done, that we may be ready at every point, furnished completely, to do every good work, at the right time, in the right manner, and from the proper motive” (2Ti 3:16-17 ).
This New Testament declares that David was a prophet (Act 2:30 ), that he spake by the Holy Spirit (Act 1:16 ), that when the book speaks the Holy Spirit speaks (Heb 3:7 ), and that all its predictive utterances, as sacred Scripture, “must be fulfilled” (Joh 13:18 ; Act 1:16 ). It is not claimed that David wrote all the psalms, but that all are inspired, and that as he was the chief author, the book goes by his name.
It would be a fine thing to make out two lists, as follows:
1. All of the 150 psalms in order from which the New Testament quotes with messianic application.
2. The New Testament quotations, book by book, i.e., Matthew so many, and then the other books in their order.
We would find in neither of these any order as to time, that is, Psa 1 which forecasts an incident in the coming Messiah’s life does not forecast the first incident of his life. And even the New Testament citations are not in exact order as to time and incident of his life. To get the messianic picture before us, therefore, we must put the scattered parts together in their due relation and order, and so construct our own analysis. That is the prime object of this discussion. It is not claimed that the analysis now presented is perfect. It is too much the result of hasty, offhand work by an exceedingly busy man. It will serve, however, as a temporary working model, which any one may subsequently improve. We come at once to the psalmist’s outline of the Messiah.
1. The necessity for a Saviour. This foreseen necessity is a background of the psalmists’ portrait of the Messiah. The necessity consists in (1) man’s sinfulness; (2) his sin; (3) his inability of wisdom and power to recover himself; (4) the insufficiency of legal, typical sacrifices in securing atonement.
The predicate of Paul’s great argument on justification by faith is the universal depravity and guilt of man. He is everywhere corrupt in nature; everywhere an actual transgressor; everywhere under condemnation. But the scriptural proofs of this depravity and sin the apostle draws mainly from the book of the Psalms. In one paragraph of the letter to the Romans (Rom 3:4-18 ), he cites and groups six passages from six divisions of the Psalms (Psa 5:9 ; Psa 10:7 ; Psa 14:1-3 ; Psa 36:1 ; Psa 51:4-6 ; Psa 140:3 ). These passages abundantly prove man’s sinfulness, or natural depravity, and his universal practice of sin.
The predicate also of the same apostle’s great argument for revelation and salvation by a Redeemer is man’s inability of wisdom and power to re-establish communion with God. In one of his letters to the Corinthians he thus commences his argument: “For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? -For after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preach-ing to save them that believe.” He closes this discussion with the broad proposition: “The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God,” and proves it by a citation from Psa 94:11 : “The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.”
In like manner our Lord himself pours scorn on human wisdom and strength by twice citing Psa 8 : “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight” (Mat 11:25-26 ). “And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children that were crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, and said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?” (Mat 21:15-16 ).
But the necessity for a Saviour as foreseen by the psalmist did not stop at man’s depravity, sin, and helplessness. The Jews were trusting in the sacrifices of their law offered on the smoking altar. The inherent weakness of these offerings, their lack of intrinsic merit, their ultimate abolition, their complete fulfilment and supercession by a glorious antitype were foreseen and foreshown in this wonderful prophetic book: I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices; And thy burnt offerings are continually before me. I will take no bullock out of thy house, Nor he-goat out of thy folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, And the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all of the birds of the mountains; And the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee; For the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of goats? Psa 50:8-13 .
Yet again it speaks in that more striking passage cited in the letter to the Hebrews: “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, not the very image of the things, can never with the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshipers, once purged should have no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance made of sins year by year. For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not, But a body didst thou prepare for me; In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hadst no pleasure: Then said I, Lo, I am come (In the roll of the book it is written of me) To do thy will, O God. Saying above, Sacrifice and offering and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou wouldst not, neither hadst pleasure therein, (the which are offered according to the law), then hath he said, Lo, I am come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second” (Heb 10:1-9 ).
This keen foresight of the temporary character and intrinsic worthlessness of animal sacrifices anticipated similar utterances by the later prophets (Isa 1:10-17 ; Jer 6:20 ; Jer 7:21-23 ; Hos 6:6 ; Amo 5:21 ; Mic 6:6-8 ). Indeed, I may as well state in passing that when the apostle declares, “It is impossible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins,” he lays down a broad principle, just as applicable to baptism and the Lord’s Supper. With reverence I state the principle: Not even God himself by mere appointment can vest in any ordinance, itself lacking intrinsic merit, the power to take away sin. There can be, therefore, in the nature of the case, no sacramental salvation. This would destroy the justice of God in order to exalt his mercy. Clearly the psalmist foresaw that “truth and mercy must meet together” before “righteousness and peace could kiss each other” (Psa 85:10 ). Thus we find as the dark background of the psalmists’ luminous portrait of the Messiah, the necessity for a Saviour.
2. The nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation to be wrought by the coming Messiah. In no other prophetic book are the nature, fullness, and blessedness of salvation so clearly seen and so vividly portrayed. Besides others not now enumerated, certainly the psalmists clearly forecast four great elements of salvation:
(1) An atoning sacrifice of intrinsic merit offered once for all (Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:4-10 ).
(2) Regeneration itself consisting of cleansing, renewal, and justification. We hear his impassioned statement of the necessity of regeneration: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts,” followed by his earnest prayer: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me,” and his equally fervent petition: “Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psa 51 ). And we hear him again as Paul describes the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputes righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, And whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not reckon sin Psa 32:1 ; Rom 4:6-8 .
(3) Introduction into the heavenly rest (Psa 95:7-11 ; Heb 3:7-19 ; Heb 4:1-11 ). Here is the antitypical Joshua leading spiritual Israel across the Jordan of death into the heavenly Canaan, the eternal rest that remaineth for the people of God. Here we find creation’s original sabbath eclipsed by redemption’s greater sabbath when the Redeemer “entered his rest, ceasing from his own works as God did from his.”
(4) The recovery of all the universal dominion lost by the first Adam and the securement of all possible dominion which the first Adam never attained (Psa 8:5-6 ; Eph 1:20-22 ; Heb 2:7-9 ; 1Co 15:24-28 ).
What vast extent then and what blessedness in the salvation foreseen by the psalmists, and to be wrought by the Messiah. Atoning sacrifice of intrinsic merit; regeneration by the Holy Spirit; heavenly rest as an eternal inheritance; and universal dominion shared with Christ!
3. The wondrous person of the Messiah in his dual nature, divine and human.
(1) His divinity,
(a) as God: “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever” (Psa 45:6 and Heb 1:8 ) ;
(b) as creator of the heavens and earth, immutable and eternal: Of old didst thou lay the foundation of the earth; And the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; Yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; As a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, And thy years shall have no end Psa 102:25-27 quoted with slight changes in Heb 1:10-12 .
(c) As owner of the earth: The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein, Psa 24:1 quoted in 1Co 10:26 .
(d) As the Son of God: “Thou art my Son; This day have I begotten thee” Psa 2:7 ; Heb 1:5 .
(e) As David’s Lord: The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, Until I make thine enemies thy footstool, Psa 110:1 ; Mat 22:41-46 .
(f) As the object of angelic worship: “And let all the angels of God worship him” Psa 97:7 ; Heb 1:6 .
(g) As the Bread of life: And he rained down manna upon them to eat, And gave them food from heaven Psa 78:24 ; interpreted in Joh 6:31-58 . These are but samples which ascribe deity to the Messiah of the psalmists.
(2) His humanity, (a) As the Son of man, or Son of Adam: Psa 8:4-6 , cited in 1Co 15:24-28 ; Eph 1:20-22 ; Heb 2:7-9 . Compare Luke’s genealogy, Luk 3:23-38 . This is the ideal man, or Second Adam, who regains Paradise Lost, who recovers race dominion, in whose image all his spiritual lineage is begotten. 1Co 15:45-49 . (b) As the Son of David: Psa 18:50 ; Psa 89:4 ; Psa 89:29 ; Psa 89:36 ; Psa 132:11 , cited in Luk 1:32 ; Act 13:22-23 ; Rom 1:3 ; 2Ti 2:8 . Perhaps a better statement of the psalmists’ vision of the wonderful person of the Messiah would be: He saw the uncreated Son, the second person of the trinity, in counsel and compact with the Father, arranging in eternity for the salvation of men: Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:5-7 . Then he saw this Holy One stoop to be the Son of man: Psa 8:4-6 ; Heb 2:7-9 . Then he was the son of David, and then he saw him rise again to be the Son of God: Psa 2:7 ; Rom 1:3-4 .
4. His offices.
(1) As the one atoning sacrifice (Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:5-7 ).
(2) As the great Prophet, or Preacher (Psa 40:9-10 ; Psa 22:22 ; Heb 2:12 ). Even the method of his teaching by parable was foreseen (Psa 78:2 ; Mat 13:35 ). Equally also the grace, wisdom, and power of his teaching. When the psalmist declares that “Grace is poured into thy lips” (Psa 45:2 ), we need not be startled when we read that all the doctors in the Temple who heard him when only a boy “were astonished at his understanding and answers” (Luk 2:47 ); nor that his home people at Nazareth “all bear him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth” (Luk 4:22 ); nor that those of his own country were astonished, and said, “Whence hath this man this wisdom?” (Mat 13:54 ); nor that the Jews in the Temple marveled, saying, “How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?” (Joh 7:15 ) ; nor that the stern officers of the law found their justification in failure to arrest him in the declaration, “Never man spake like this man” (Joh 7:46 ).
(3) As the king (Psa 2:6 ; Psa 24:7-10 ; Psa 45:1-17 ; Psa 110:1 ; Mat 22:42-46 ; Act 2:33-36 ; 1Co 15:25 ; Eph 1:20 ; Heb 1:13 ).
(4) As the priest (Psa 110:4 ; Heb 5:5-10 ; Heb 7:1-21 ; Heb 10:12-14 ).
(5) As the final judge. The very sentence of expulsion pronounced upon the finally impenitent by the great judge (Mat 25:41 ) is borrowed from the psalmist’s prophetic words (Psa 6:8 ).
5. Incidents of life. The psalmists not only foresaw the necessity for a Saviour; the nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation; the wonderful human-divine person of the Saviour; the offices to be filled by him in the work of salvation, but also many thrilling details of his work in life, death, resurrection, and exaltation. It is not assumed to cite all these details, but some of the most important are enumerated in order, thus:
(1) The visit, adoration, and gifts of the Magi recorded in Mat 2 are but partial fulfilment of Psa 72:9-10 .
(2) The scripture employed by Satan in the temptation of our Lord (Luk 4:10-11 ) was cited from Psa 91:11-12 and its pertinency not denied.
(3) In accounting for his intense earnestness and the apparently extreme measures adopted by our Lord in his first purification of the Temple (Joh 2:17 ), he cites the messianic zeal predicted in Psa 69:9 .
(4) Alienation from his own family was one of the saddest trials of our Lord’s earthly life. They are slow to understand his mission and to enter into sympathy with him. His self-abnegation and exhaustive toil were regarded by them as evidences of mental aberration, and it seems at one time they were ready to resort to forcible restraint of his freedom) virtually what in our time would be called arrest under a writ of lunacy. While at the last his half-brothers became distinguished preachers of his gospel, for a long while they do not believe on him. And the evidence forces us to the conclusion that his own mother shared with her other sons, in kind though not in degree, the misunderstanding of the supremacy of his mission over family relations. The New Testament record speaks for itself:
Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them. How is it that ye sought me? Knew ye not that I must be in my Father’s house? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them Luk 2:48-51 (R.V.).
And when the wine failed, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. And Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. Joh 2:3-5 (R.V.).
And there come his mother and his brethren; and standing without; they sent unto him, calling him. And a multitude was sitting about him; and they say unto him. Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he answereth them, and saith, Who is my mother and my brethren? And looking round on them that sat round about him, he saith, Behold, my mother and my brethren) For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother Mar 3:31-35 (R.V.).
Now the feast of the Jews, the feast of tabernacles, was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may behold thy works which thou doest. For no man doeth anything in secret, and himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou doest these things, manifest thyself to the world. For even his brethren did not believe on him. Jesus therefore saith unto them, My time is not yet come; but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that its works are evil. Go ye up unto the feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; because my time is not fulfilled. Joh 7:2-9 (R.V.).
These citations from the Revised Version tell their own story. But all that sad story is foreshown in the prophetic psalms. For example: I am become a stranger unto my brethren, And an alien unto my mother’s children. Psa 69:8 .
(5) The triumphal entry into Jerusalem was welcomed by a joyous people shouting a benediction from Psa 118:26 : “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Mat 21:9 ); and the Lord’s lamentation over Jerusalem predicts continued desolation and banishment from his sight until the Jews are ready to repeat that benediction (Mat 23:39 ).
(6) The children’s hosanna in the Temple after its second purgation is declared by our Lord to be a fulfilment of that perfect praise forecast in Psa 8:2 .
(7) The final rejection of our Lord by his own people was also clear in the psalmist’s vision (Psa 118:22 ; Mat 21:42-44 ).
(8) Gethsemane’s baptism of suffering, with its strong crying and tears and prayers was as clear to the psalmist’s prophetic vision as to the evangelist and apostle after it became history (Psa 69:1-4 ; Psa 69:13-20 ; and Mat 26:36-44 ; Heb 5:7 ).
(9) In life-size also before the psalmist was the betrayer of Christ and his doom (Psa 41:9 ; Psa 69:25 ; Psa 109:6-8 ; Joh 13:18 ; Act 1:20 ).
(10) The rage of the people, Jew and Gentile, and the conspiracy of Pilate and Herod are clearly outlined (Psa 2:1-3 ; Act 4:25-27 ).
(11) All the farce of his trial the false accusation, his own marvelous silence; and the inhuman maltreatment to which he was subjected, is foreshown in the prophecy as dramatically as in the history (Mat 26:57-68 ; Mat 27:26-31 ; Psa 27:12 ; Psa 35:15-16 ; Psa 38:3 ; Psa 69:19 ).
The circumstances of his death, many and clear, are distinctly foreseen. He died in the prime of life (Psa 89:45 ; Psa 102:23-24 ). He died by crucifixion (Psa 22:14-17 ; Luk 23 ; 33; Joh 19:23-37 ; Joh 20:27 ). But yet not a bone of his body was broken (Psa 34:20 ; Joh 19:36 ).
The persecution, hatred without a cause, the mockery and insults, are all vividly and dramatically foretold (Psa 22:6-13 ; Psa 35:7 ; Psa 35:12 ; Psa 35:15 ; Psa 35:21 ; Psa 109:25 ).
The parting of his garments and the gambling for his vesture (Psa 22:18 ; Mat 27:35 ).
His intense thirst and the gall and vinegar offered for his drink (Psa 69:21 ; Mat 27:34 ).
In the psalms, too, we hear his prayers for his enemies so remarkably fulfilled in fact (Psa 109:4 ; Luk 23:34 ).
His spiritual death was also before the eye of the psalmist, and the very words which expressed it the psalmist heard. Separation from the Father is spiritual death. The sinner’s substitute must die the sinner’s death, death physical, i.e., separation of soul from body; death spiritual, i.e., separation of the soul from God. The latter is the real death and must precede the former. This death the substitute died when he cried out: “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me.” (Psa 22:1 ; Mat 27:46 ).
Emerging from the darkness of that death, which was the hour of the prince of darkness, the psalmist heard him commend his spirit to the Father (Psa_31:35; Luk 23:46 ) showing that while he died the spiritual death, his soul was not permanently abandoned unto hell (Psa 16:8-10 ; Act 2:25 ) so that while he “tasted death” for every man it was not permanent death (Heb 2:9 ).
With equal clearness the psalmist foresaw his resurrection, his triumph over death and hell, his glorious ascension into heaven, and his exaltation at the right hand of God as King of kings and Lord of lords, as a high Driest forever, as invested with universal sovereignty (Psa 16:8-11 ; Psa 24:7-10 ; Psa 68:18 ; Psa 2:6 ; Psa 111:1-4 ; Psa 8:4-6 ; Act 2:25-36 ; Eph 1:19-23 ; Eph 4:8-10 ).
We see, therefore, brethren, when the scattered parts are put together and adjusted, how nearly complete a portrait of our Lord is put upon the prophetic canvas by this inspired limner, the sweet singer of Israel.
QUESTIONS
1. What is a good text for this chapter?
2. What is the threefold division of the Old Testament as cited by our Lord?
3. What is the last division called and why?
4. What is the object of the discussion in this chapter?
5. To what three things is the purpose limited?
6. What especially qualifies the author to meet the objections of the higher critics to allowing the New Testament usage of the Old Testament to determine its meaning and application?
7. What is the author’s conviction relative to the Scriptures?
8. What is the New Testament testimony on the question of inspiration?
9. What is the author’s suggested plan of approach to the study of the Messiah in the Psalms?
10. What the background of the Psalmist’s portrait of the Messiah and of what does it consist?
11. Give the substance of Paul’s discussion of man’s sinfulness.
12. What is the teaching of Jesus on this point?
13. What is the teaching relative to sacrifices?
14. What the nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation to be wrought by the coming Messiah and what the four great elements of it as forecast by the psalmist?
15. What is the teaching of the psalms relative to the wondrous person of the Messiah? Discuss.
16. What are the offices of the Messiah according to psalms? Discuss each.
17. Cite the more important events of the Messiah’s life according to the vision of the psalmist.
18. What the circumstances of the Messiah’s death and resurrection as foreseen by the psalmist?
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
XV
PSALM AFTER DAVID PRIOR TO THE BABYLONIAN EXILE
The superscriptions ascribed to Asaph twelve palms (Psa 50 ; 73-83) Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun presided over the Levitical singers in the time of David. Their sons also directed the various bands of musicians (1Ch 25 ). It seems that the family of Asaph for many generations continued to preside over the service of song (Cf. Ezr 3:10 ).
The theme of Psa 50 is “Obedience is better than sacrifice,” or the language of Samuel to Saul when he had committed the awful sin in respect to the Amalekites. This teaching is paralleled in many Old Testament scriptures, for instance, Psa 51:16-17 . For thou delightest not in sacrifice; else would I give it: Thou hast no pleasure in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
The problem of Psa 73 is the problem of why the wicked prosper (Psa 73:1-14 ), and its solution is found in the attitude of God toward the wicked (Psa 73:15-28 ). [For a fine exposition of the other psalms of this section see Kirkpatrick or Maclaren on the Psalms.]
The psalms attributed to the sons of Korah are Psa 42 ; Psa 44 ; Psa 45 ; Psa 47 ; Psa 48 ; Psa 49 ; Psa 84 ; Psa 85 ; Psa 87 . The evidence that Psalms 42-43 were one poem is internal. There are three stanzas, each closing with a refrain. The similarity of structure and thought indicates that they were formerly one psalm. A parallel to these two psalms we find in the escape of Christian from the Castle of Giant Despair in Pilgrim’s Progress .
Only two psalms were ascribed to Solomon, viz: Psa 72 and 127. However, the author believes that there is good reason to attribute Psa 72 to David. If he wrote it, then only one was written by Solomon.
The theme of Psa 72 is the reign of the righteous king, and the outline according to DeWitt, which shows the kingdom as desired and foretold, is as follows: (1) righteous (Psa 72:1-4 ) ; (2) perpetual (Psa 72:5-7 ); (3) universal (Psa 72:8-11 ); (4) benign (Psa 72:12-14 ); (5) prosperous (Psa 72:15-17 ).
Psa 127 was written when Solomon built the Temple. It is the central psalm of the psalms of the Ascents, which refer to the Temple. It seems fitting that this psalm should occupy the central position in the group, because of the occasion which inspired it and its relation to the other psalms of the group. A brief interpretation of it is as follows: The house here means household. It is a brief lyric, setting forth the lessons of faith and trust. This together with Psa 128 is justly called “A Song of Home.” Once in speaking to Baylor Female College I used this psalm, illustrating the function of a school as a parent sending forth her children into the world as mighty arrows. Again I used this psalm in one of my addresses in our own Seminary in which I made the household to refer to the Seminary sending forth the preachers as her children.
The psalms assigned to the era of Hezekiah and Isaiah are Psa 46 ; Psa 47 ; Psa 48 . The historical setting is found in the history of the reign of Hezekiel. Their application to Judah at this time is found in the historical connection, in which we have God’s great deliverances from the foreign powers, especially the deliverance from Sennacherib. We find in poetry a description of the destruction and desolation of Jerusalem in the Lamentations of Jeremiah and in Psa 74 ; Psa 79 .
The radical critics ascribe Psa 74 ; Psa 79 to the Maccabean period, and their argument is based upon the use of the word “synagogues,” in Psa 74:8 . The answer to their contention is found in the marginal rendering which gives “places of assembly” instead of “synagogues.” The word “synagogue” is a Greek word translated from the Hebrew, which has several meanings, and in this place means the “place of assembly” where God met his people.
The silence of the exile period is shown in Psa 137 , in which they respond that they cannot sing a song of Zion in a strange land. Their brightening of hope is seen in Psa 102 . In this we have the brightening of their hope on the eve of their return. In Psa 85:10 we have a great text:
Mercy and truth are met together;
Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
The truth here is God’s law demanding justice; mercy is God’s grace meeting justice. This was gloriously fulfilled in Christ on the cross. He met the demands of the law and offers mercy and grace to all who accept them on the terms of repentance and faith.
Three characteristics of Psa 119 are, first, it is an alphabetical psalm; second, it is the longest chapter in the Bible, and third, it is an expansion of the latter part of Psa 19 . Psalms 146-150 were used for worship in the second temple. The expressions of innocence in the psalms do not refer to original sin, but to a course of conduct in contrast with wicked lives. The psalmists do not claim absolute, but relative sinlessness.
The imprecations in the psalms are real prayers, and are directed against real men who were enemies of David and the Jewish nation, but they are not expressions of personal resentment. They are vigorous expressions of righteous indignation against incorrigible enemies of God and his people and are to be interpreted in the light of progressive revelation. The New Testament contains many exultant expressions of the overthrow of the wicked. (Cf. 1Co 16:22 ; 2Ti 4:14 ; Gal 5:12 ; Rev 16:5-6 ; Rev 18:20 .) These imprecations do not teach that we, even in the worst circumstances, should bear personal malice, nor take vengeance on the enemies of righteousness, but that we should live so close to God that we may acquiesce in the destruction of the wicked and leave the matter of vengeance in the hands of a just God, to whom vengeance belongs (Rom 12:19-21 ).
The clearest teachings on the future life as found in the psalms, both pro and con, are found in these passages, as follows: Psa 16:10-11 ; Psa 17:15 ; Psa 23:6 ; Psa 49:15 ; Psa 73:23-26 . The passages that are construed to the contrary are found in Psa 6:5 ; Psa 30:9 ; Psa 39:13 ; Psa 88:10-12 ; Psa 115:17 . The student will compare these passages and note carefully their teachings. The first group speaks of the triumph over Sheol (the resurrection) ; about awaking in the likeness of God; about dwelling in the house of the Lord forever; about redemption from the power of Sheol; and God’s guiding counsel and final reception into glory, all of which is very clear and unmistakable teaching as to the future life.
The second group speaks of DO remembrance in death; about no profit to the one when he goes down to the pit; of going hence and being no more; about the dead not being able to praise God and about the grave as being the land of forgetfulness ; and about the dead not praising Jehovah, all of which are spoken from the standpoint of the grave and temporal death.
There is positively no contradiction nor discrepancy in the teaching of these scriptures. One group takes the spirit of man as the viewpoint and teaches the continuity of life, the immortality of the soul; the other group takes the physical being of man as the viewpoint and teaches the dissolution of the body and its absolute unconsciousness in the grave.
QUESTIONS
1. How many and what psalms were ascribed to Asaph?
2. Who presided over the Levitical singers in the time of David?
3. What is the theme of Psa 50 , and where do we find the same teaching in the Old Testament?
4. What is the problem of Psa 73 , and what its solution?
5. What psalms are attributed to the sons of Korah?
6. What is the evidence that Psalms 42-43 were one poem and what the characteristic of these two taken together?
7. What parallel to these two psalms do we find in modern literature?
8. What psalms were ascribed to Solomon?
9. What is the theme of Psa 72 ?
10. What is the outline according to DeWitt, which shows the kingdom as desired and foretold?
11. When was Psa 127 written and what the application as a part of the Pilgrim group?
12. Give a brief interpretation of it and the uses made of it by the author on two different occasions.
13. What psalms are assigned to the era of Hezekiah and Isaiah, and what their historical setting?
14. What is their application to Judah at this time?
15. Where may we find in poetry a description of the destruction and desolation of Jerusalem?
16. To what period do radical critics ascribe Psalms 74-79; what is their argument, and what is your answer?
17. Which psalm shows the silence of the exile period and why?
18. Which one shows their brightening of hope?
19. Explain Psa 85:10 .
20. Give three characteristics of Psa 119 .
21. What use was made of Psalms 146-150?
22. Explain the expression of innocence in the psalms in harmony with their teaching of sin.
23. Explain the imprecations in the psalms and show their harmony with New Testament teachings.
24. Cite the clearest teachings on the future life as found in the psalms, both pro and con.
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
Psa 80:1 To the chief Musician upon Shoshannimeduth, A Psalm of Asaph. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest [between] the cherubims, shine forth.
Upon Shoshannim-Eduth ] Which some render the lilies of the testimony, and interpret of the Jewish polity or commonwealth, called by Josephus , that is, a God-government. Kimchi saith that Shoshannim-Eduth is species toni nobis hodie ignota, a kind of musical strain not known to us today.
Ver. 1. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel ] Thou that feedest thy people, watchest over them, defendest, redeemest, reducest them; thou that handlest them, curest them, washest them, drivest them as they are able to go, carryest them in thy bosom, doest all the offices of a good shepherd for them. In calling upon God it is wisdom to make choice of fit appellations and attributes, such as may strengthen our faith and increase our fervour.
Thou that leadest Joseph
Thou that dwellest between (or sittest upon) the cherubims] Those winged creatures that covered the mercy seat, the ark, and the two tables of the law within it; and all, to set forth Christ covering the curses of the law, and graciously dwelling with the sons of men, to the admiration of angels.
Shine forth
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
This is “To the chief musician, on Shoshannim-Eduth (Lilies, a testimony) of Asaph, a psalm.” Here is a turning of their eyes upward to the Shepherd of Israel, and a binding together of their hopes as His people with the ark of the covenant as of old in the wilderness. They own His just anger, whilst entreating that His face may shine, and, most strikingly, that His hand may be upon His right hand man, upon Adam’s son Whom He made strong for Himself (compare Psa 8:4 ).
Fuente: William Kelly Major Works (New Testament)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 80:1-3
1Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel,
You who lead Joseph like a flock;
You who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!
2Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up Your power
And come to save us!
3O God, restore us
And cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.
Psa 80:1-3 This strophe is made up of a series of imperatives of request.
1. give ear, Psa 80:1 – BDB 24, KB 27, Hiphil imperative
2. shine forth, Psa 80:1 – BDB 422, KB 424, Hiphil imperative
3. stir up, Psa 80:2 – BDB 734, KB 802, Polel imperative
4. come to save, Psa 80:2 – BDB 229, KB 246, Qal imperative
5. restore us, Psa 80:3 – BDB 996, KB 1427, Hiphil imperative
6. cause to shine, Psa 80:3 – BDB 21, KB 24, Hiphil imperative (this may reflect the Aaronic blessing of Num 6:25, also note Psa 31:16)
7. we will be saved, Psa 80:3 – BDB 446, 448, Niphal cohortative
Psa 80:1 Shepherd of Israel This phrase denotes God’s presence and tender care (cf. Gen 49:24; Psa 23:1-3) and also links to David, who was called by God from tending the sheep. This makes the Messianic allusion in Psa 80:15-17 more probable (see Contextual Insights, C).
Notice how God is characterized.
1. Who led Joseph like a flock (Joseph is also mentioned in Psa 77:15; Psa 78:67)
2. Who is enthroned above the cherubim. This is an allusion to Exo 25:22. YHWH symbolically dwelt above the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant between the two cherubim (cf. 1Sa 4:4; 2Sa 6:2; Psa 99:1). This was where heaven and earth met in the place of mercy and revelation!
For cherubim see Special Topic: Cherubim .
shine forth This emphasis on God’s involvement in the earthly, daily affairs of Israel is described as a light coming from above the ark. Notice the refrain in this Psalm (cf. Psa 80:3; Psa 80:7; Psa 80:19) has another imperative verb (BDB 21, KB 24) denoting light. Light in the ANE was a symbol of revelation, health, goodness. In the OT it often relates to the brightness of a theophany (physical appearance of God). Note Psa 50:2; Psa 94:1, as well as the Shekinah cloud of glory during the exodus and wilderness wandering period (i.e., Exo 13:21-22; Exo 33:9).
God is light – Psa 27:1; Isa 60:20; Mic 7:8; Jas 1:17; 1Jn 1:5
Jesus is light – Isa 9:2; Joh 1:4; Joh 8:12; Joh 12:35; Joh 12:46
believers are light – Mat 5:14-16; Joh 8:12 b
Psa 80:2 There is some question why only these tribes are mentioned. From Num 2:18-24 we know they camped together on the west side of the tabernacle as they traveled through the wilderness.
Ephraim and Manasseh were the children of Joseph. Joseph and Benjamin were the sons of Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel.
Joseph’s children were fully adopted by Jacob (i.e., thirteen tribes) and became the largest tribe when the united monarchy (i.e., Saul, David, Solomon) split in 922 B.C. They became the leaders of the northern coalition known as Israel, Samaria, or Ephraim. The first leader/king was an Ephraimitic labor leader, Jeroboam I.
Benjamin became part of the southern coalition of Judah along with most of the Levites. Simeon had earlier been incorporated into Judah, therefore, it may be a way of referring to all the covenant people.
Psa 80:3 This refrain (cf. Psa 80:7; Psa 80:19) shows that this Psalm was written during a time of national difficulty. If Psalms 77-80 by Asaph come from the same historical period, then this is possibly related to the invasion of Judah by Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar. He invaded several times (i.e., 605, 597, 586, 582 B.C.), but it is possible to see this Psalm as relating to the fall of Israel in 722 B.C., when Samaria fell after a three year siege by Assyria. The Jewish Study Bible (p. 1372) suggests that it was originally written for the fall of Samaria but was reworked to refer to the fall of Jerusalem because of the proximity and phrasing connections to Psalms 79, which is obviously 586 B.C.
Because Psa 80:14 uses the same imperative (BDB 996, KB 1427), some scholars see it as an additional refrain, thereby having each strophe close the same. However, Psa 80:14 is not the same, even the same verb is a Qal not Hiphil.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
upon Shoshannim-Eduth. The testimony relating to the Feast of the second Passover (Num 9:5-14. Compare 2Ch 29:25-35; 2Ch 30:23. The other of the two Psalmsthus called is Psalm 59. See App-65.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 80:1-19
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine foRuth ( Psa 80:1 ).
God’s dwelling between the cherubim. Actually, in the book of Revelation John describes the throne of God with the four cherubim round about the throne crying, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty ceasing not to declare the greatness and holiness of God, night and day.”
Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up your strength, and come and save us. Turn again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. O LORD God of hosts, how long will you be angry against the prayer of thy people? You feed them with the bread of tears; you give them tears to drink in great measure. You make us a strife unto our neighbors and to our enemies: they laugh among themselves. Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: you have cast out the heathen, and planted it ( Psa 80:2-8 ).
The vine out of Egypt, of course, is the nation Israel. “You’ve brought it out of Egypt, and You’ve prepared it in this land.”
You’ve prepared room before it, you did cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land ( Psa 80:9 ).
And so the people of God filled this land of Israel.
The hills were covered with the shadow of it, the boughs thereof were like goodly cedars. She sent out her boughs into the sea, her branches to the river. Why have you then broken down her hedges, so that they all which pass by the way do pluck her? The boar out of the woods doth waste it, the wild beast out of the fields doth devour it. Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine ( Psa 80:10-14 );
And so the nation Israel typified as a vine. This is a symbolism that is used also in the prophet Isaiah. God speaks of His vineyard, how He planted it, and cultivated it, and put the winepress in it, but it never did bring forth the fruit that He desired.
And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, the branch that thou hast made strong for thy self. It’s burned with fire, it’s cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance. Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, and upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself. So will not we go back from thee: quicken us [or make us alive], and we shall call upon thy name. Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved ( Psa 80:15-19 ).
“O God, turn to us once more, cause Your face to shine.” For God had forsaken the nation Israel, because they had forsaken God. And as Asa was told by the prophet, “The Lord is with you while you’ll be with Him. And if you seek Him, He’ll be found of you. But if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.” So the nation Israel forsook God; God forsook them. But I can think of no greater tragedy in life than to be forsaken by God. And thank God it is an experience that none of us need to go through. On the cross Jesus cried, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” There on the cross Jesus was forsaken of the Father in order that you never need be forsaken by God. And thus, “Turn, O God, remember Your people. Bring Thy salvation.”
Shall we pray.
Father, we thank You for the opportunity of studying Your Word. May we learn from the lessons that are here, Father. Oh God, may we really apply the truths to our own situations, and may we walk, oh Lord, with Thee. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Shall we stand.
David said, “I will hide Thy Word in my heart that I might not sin against Thee.” And may you do likewise. May you go forth and let the Word of God dwell in your hearts richly through faith. That you might be able to comprehend how much God does love you, how much God is concerned with your well being, how much God wants to help you and strengthen you. And thus, may you walk with Him this week in a renewed consciousness of His love and of His power and of His goodness. And may He strengthen you for every test and trial that you might face. And may you walk in the victory of Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit, living a life that is acceptable and pleasing unto Him. In Jesus’ name. “
Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary
Psa 80:1-3. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us. Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
To whom could Israel go, in times of distress, but unto her God? It was well that her psalmists should teach her thus to pray. Notice the form of this prayer: Come and save us. Turn us again, O God. We cannot be saved except by being turned from the ways of sin into the path of holiness.
But who shall turn us? What power can reverse the current of the human soul? As well might Niagara begin to ascend of its own accord as for man to turn to God except as God turns him.
Psa 80:4-7. O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people? Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure. Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves. Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
Israel was evidently in very deep distress, yet still Gods own. It is no evidence of our having ceased to be Gods people that we are made to drink deep draughts of tears. We are not to imagine that God has cast us off because he chastens us; nay, rather are we to argue the other way, for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.
Psa 80:8-15. Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land. The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars. She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river. Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her? The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it. Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine; and the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.
Notice how a soul, in deep distress, usually gets to God. Under some aspect or other, by some way or another, the heart gropes its way till it finds him out. If poor Israel be as a vineyard given up to the wild boar of the wood, there is still hope through that righteous Branch of whom the Lord said to Jeremiah, In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely.
Psa 80:16-17. It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance. Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.
If thou wilt not hear us, yet hear him. If thou wilt put no honour upon us, we will ask thee to put the highest honours upon him. Save us for his sake. Deliver thy vineyard from the wild boar and restore the hedges that have been broken down, for is not this the vineyard of red wine which all belongs to him?
Psa 80:18-19. So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name. Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
This exposition consisted of readings from Psalms 80; and Mat 9:36-38; Matthew 10.
Fuente: Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible
Psa 80:1-7
Psalms 80 THE ANGUISHED CRY OF A DESOLATE NATION
PROBLEMS OF THE CORRUPT VINE
The first of these titles we have taken from Leupold, and the other is our own, based upon the fact of the “rather full development of the figure of Israel as a vine of God’s planting.
There are two divisions in the psalm: (1) a prayer (Psa 80:1-7); and (2) the metaphor of the vine.
The occasion of the psalm is difficult, if not impossible, to determine. Barnes summarized various views as follows:
“This psalm strongly resembles Psalms 74 and Psalms 79, and is generally supposed to refer to the same period, namely, that of the Babylonian captivity. Others have referred it to the times of Antiochus Epiphanes, or to those of Jehoshaphat, or to the period following the fall of Samaria and the loss of the northern kingdom.
In any case, the occasion was a period of hardship and disaster for the entire Hebrew nation.
Psa 80:1-7
THE PRAYER
“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock;
Thou that sittest above the cherubim, shine forth.
Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up thy might,
And come to save us.
Turn us again, O God,
And cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
Oh Jehovah, God of hosts,
How long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?
Thou hast fed them with the bread of tears,
And given them tears to drink in large measure.
Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbors;
And our enemies laugh among themselves.
Turn us again, O God of hosts;
And cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.”
Barnes stated that there are two prayers here (Psa 80:1-3 and Psa 80:4-7), but there are similarities. God is petitioned for salvation in both; He is requested to “Turn us again” in both (Psa 80:3; Psa 80:7); and the reference to the Aaronic blessings of Num 6:25, “Cause thy face to shine,” is in both (Psa 80:3; Psa 80:7).
The problem in these verses is the mention of Ephraim and Manasseh and Benjamin with no specific reference to any other of the tribes of Israel. Some have made this the basis of supposing that the falling away of the northern Israel was the occasion of the psalm; but Benjamin did not belong to the ten tribes who rebelled against the house of David.
Barnes’ explanation here of how these three names came to be mentioned is: (1) “Thou leadest Joseph like a flock” was a common reference to God as the leader of all Israel. (2) This came about because of the vital part Joseph had in preserving the life of the nation from the famine and for his favorable location of Israel in the Nile Delta. (3) “Ephraim and Manasseh seem to be mentioned here because Joseph their father had been referred to in the previous verse; and it was natural in speaking of the people to refer to his sons. Benjamin was mentioned because he was the brother of Joseph, and all three of these constituted the whole Rachel branch of the Twelve Tribes.
It appears to us that there is also another good reason. The two half-tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh represented the northern Israel, and the tribe of Benjamin represented the southern Israel, where they remained faithful to the house of David. How beautifully all of this fits! God is the “Shepherd of Israel,” who leads Joseph like a flock, not merely part of Joseph (standing for Israel) but all Israel, as represented by the three descendants of Jacob through Rachel.
“Thou hast fed them with the bread of tears” (Psa 80:5). This is a reference to the times of extreme sorrow, disappointment, and suffering through which Israel was passing at the time this psalm was written.
THE METAPHOR OF THE VINE
This metaphor of Israel as a vine is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament.
“My well-beloved had a vineyard in a very fruitful hill; he digged it, gathered the stones out of it, and planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in the midst of it, hewed out a winepress; and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes” (Isa 5:1-2).
“I had planted thee a noble vine, a wholly right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate branches of a foreign vine unto me? (Jer 2:21). An alternative reading here for `degenerate vine,’ is `corrupt vine.’
It is this background teaching of Israel as God’s vine that illuminates the declaration of Jesus Christ that, “I am the true vine” (Joh 15:1). This means that Christ is the True Israel of God, and that there is none other.
The historical Israel never developed as the vine God had intended; only in Jesus Christ did there appear the Noble Vine of God’s intentions. It is in the full realization of these facts that we have the understanding that Jesus’ holy Church, which is “in him,” is therefore a part of his spiritual body, the New Israel which has replaced the Old Israel. God’s Church in Christ is the True Israel of God. The New Testament eloquently bears witness of this epic truth. Paul referred to Christians in Gal 6:16 as, “The Israel of God.”
PROBLEMS OF THE CORRUPT VINE
In the times when this psalm was written, the degenerate vine had brought forth a sufficient crop of “wild grapes,” to fully justify God’s rooting them out of Canaan where God had planted them. The balance of this chapter describes what was happening to the doomed degenerate vine of Ancient Israel.
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 80:1. Having referred to the Israelites as sheep in the preceding chapter, David here termed the Lord as a shepherd. Joseph was not the head of the nation, but he was the son who first lived in Egypt and through whose means the whole family settled there. It was fitting, therefore, that he be referred to in this affectionate way. He is thus mentioned in other parts of the Bible. Besides the one in the present verse, he is referred to in Exo 1:8; Psa 78:67; Psa 8:1; Amo 6:6; Oba 1:18. Between the cherubims had reference to the objects on the mercy seat where the high priest met with the Lord on the great day of atonement. (Exo 25:18-22.)
Psa 80:2. Ephraim and Manasseh were sons of Joseph, who was considered in the preceding verse. This is not a repetition of that statement, for he alone was named there. In this place the next generation is considered and thus the writer names 3 of the separate tribes. The whole idea is that David wished for God to give full recognition to the nation from every standpoint.
Psa 80:3. Face to shine is a figurative signal of the favorable countenance of God. It would indicate that the trials to which the Lord had subjected his people would be discountinued or at least be made lighter.
Psa 80:4. This is one of the supplicating petitions that David often presented to God. God of hosts means he is at the head of vast numbers of warriors and other servants who were ready to do the will of their Commander.
Psa 80:5. God will see that his people are supplied with food, but they must eat it in connection with hardships when the Lord sees fit to chastise them in that way.
Psa 80:6. The neighbors or surrounding nations looked upon the hardships being endured by the Israelites and regarded them as conflicts among themselves. They would naturally be elated over seeing what they thought was internal trouble and would laugh.
Psa 80:7. This is a practical repetition of Psa 80:3.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Again we have a song out of the midst of distress. There is far more light and colour about it than in the previous one. The circumstances do not seem to be any more favourable than those described before. There is this difference however, between the two psalms. The first is mainly occupied with the disastrous conditions; this one begins with a prayer which is a recognition of the past relationship of God to His people.
This is therefore a great song of God as Shepherd. The aspects of the shepherd nature dealt with are those of His guidance and care protection. The Shepherd of glory, Who by the shining saves from danger, is appealed to. Then the figure is changed, and God is the Husbandman. His vine, which He planted and which flourished so perfectly has become a prey to the ravages of wild beasts and fire. Suddenly the figure ceases, and its meaning is revealed in the words,
Let Thy hand be upon the man of Thy right hand, Upon the son of man whom Thou madest strong for Thyself.
The burden of the psalm is expressed in the thrice repeated prayer (vv. Psa 80:3; Psa 80:7; Psa 80:19). The suffering of the people is due to their own sin in turning away from God as Shepherd, Husbandman, and King. Their restoration can only come as He turns them back to Himself. Notice the ascent in these verse in the names which the singer uses for God. God, God of hosts, Jehovah God of Hosts.
Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible
Turn Us Again, O God
Psa 80:1-7
The ten tribes were in captivity, and the hearts of their brethren, still living at Jerusalem under the reign of Davids line, seem to have turned with great longing toward them. This psalm is full of intercession on their behalf. Three times, at the turning-points of the psalm, the refrain is repeated that God would turn them again and cause them to be saved, Psa 80:3; Psa 80:7; Psa 80:19. Note the ascending climax: God; God of Hosts; Jehovah, God of Hosts.
In Jacobs blessing of Joseph, God is appealed to as Shepherd, Gen 48:15; Gen 49:24. To sit enthroned above the cherubim is an emblem of omnipotence. Notice how the gentleness of the Shepherd blends with His almightiness. In the Wilderness march the three great tribes of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh immediately followed the Ark, which was borne by the priests. This ancient litany surely befits the present condition of the Church, when she is rent by internal divisions, or infected with a spirit of skepticism and unable to exorcise the demons that possess society. Let us plead with God to enlighten us by His face and quicken us by His Spirit. God must defend His cause, else there is no help for it.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Psalm 80
Looking to Heaven for Help Through the Man at His Right Hand
1. Calling to the Shepherd (Psa 80:1-4)
2. The ruin of His inheritance (Psa 80:5-16)
3. The Man of the right hand (Psa 80:17-19)
This Psalm continues the same theme. They call now definitely to the Shepherd, He who is enthroned in glory between the Cherubim. They ask Him to shine forth, to manifest Himself in glory and power for their salvation, to answer their cries for help. Three times they plead, Turn us again, O God, and cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. Ancient Jewish comments on this verse say that the face which shines upon Israel is the Messiah. Even so when His face shines, when He is manifested in glory His earthly people will be saved. And they know Him. They speak of Him as the Man of Thy right hand, as the Son of Man whom Thou madest strong for Thyself. It is our Lord who sits at the right hand of God, waiting till His enemies are made the footstool of His feet (Psa 110:1-7). Criticism refuses to accept this. They say, Of course Israel is meant (Century Bible on the Psalms, p. 88).
Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)
Shoshannim
See title note; (See Scofield “Psa 45:1”).
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
A Psalm: This Psalm is generally supposed to have been written during the Babylonian captivity; but some think it refers to the desolations made by Sennacherib.
of Asaph: or, for Asaph
Give ear: Psa 5:1, Psa 55:1
O Shepherd: Psa 23:1, Psa 23:2, Isa 40:11, Eze 34:23, Joh 10:14, Heb 13:20, 1Pe 2:25, 1Pe 5:4
leadest: Psa 77:20, Psa 78:52, Isa 49:9, Isa 49:10, Isa 63:11, Joh 10:3, Joh 10:4
dwellest: Psa 99:1, Exo 25:20-22, 1Sa 4:4, 2Sa 6:2, 2Ki 19:15, Eze 1:13, Eze 10:4
shine: Psa 80:3, Psa 80:7, Psa 80:19, Psa 50:2, Psa 94:1, Deu 33:2, Job 10:3, Isa 60:1, Eze 43:2, Dan 9:17, Rev 21:23
Reciprocal: Gen 3:24 – Cherubims Gen 49:24 – the shepherd Exo 15:13 – led Exo 25:22 – between Exo 37:7 – General Lev 9:24 – there came a fire Num 2:18 – camp of Ephraim Num 6:25 – The Lord Num 7:89 – two cherubims Num 9:17 – when the cloud Num 10:22 – the camp Deu 32:12 – the Lord 2Sa 22:11 – a cherub 1Ki 6:23 – two cherubims 1Ki 8:6 – under the wings 1Ch 6:39 – Asaph 1Ch 13:6 – that dwelleth 1Ch 25:2 – Asaph 1Ch 28:18 – the chariot Psa 4:6 – lift Psa 45:1 – Shoshannim Psa 67:1 – cause Psa 81:5 – in Joseph Psa 95:7 – people Psa 119:135 – Make Ecc 12:11 – given Son 1:7 – thou feedest Isa 37:16 – dwellest Isa 60:2 – the Lord Isa 63:12 – with Jer 13:17 – because Eze 10:6 – General Eze 34:11 – search Eze 34:31 – ye my Eze 37:24 – one Hag 2:7 – I will fill Joh 10:2 – the shepherd Joh 10:9 – and shall Joh 10:11 – the good Heb 9:5 – over
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Revival sought and restoration of the glory of God through the Revived Branch, the Man of His right hand.
To the chief musician upon Shoshannim-Eduth: a psalm of Asaph.
{Verses 1 & 2 ‘leddest’ & ‘sittest’: present participles in both cases -“leading,” “sitting”: but the reference is to the past.}
The outburst in the eightieth psalm is singularly beautiful. It is still a prayer, and as to much of it a lamentation, but Israel has caught sight of the way of blessing, and is proportionately expectant of the blessing itself. Even the Targum finds Messiah in it, and the title “upon Shoshannim-Eduth,” or “concerning the lilies of testimony,” reminds us of what we have had, with some variations, in the forty-fifth, sixtieth, and sixty-ninth psalms, already. Christ and His people are here together again; and their testimony, while so different as to the witnesses themselves, combines in absolute perfection in the final result, in which God does indeed, according to the burden of the repeated prayer, “shine forth,” -and for more than Israel. Her revival -the turning of her heart to Him, -and the preparation of the Branch in and through which the nation alone revives, -are all of Him. He is the Saviour-God, the God and Father of Him in whom salvation is wrought out and comes into their possession; as into ours.
1. The psalm opens with a cry to the Divine Shepherd who of old led Joseph like a flock. The reference is to the wilderness journey to the promised land, and the mention of Joseph in this prominence has nothing to do with the divided kingdom of Israel long afterward, which by the fact of its division separated itself from the cherubic throne as here referred to. The true reason of Joseph’s prominence has been already shown in the seventy-eighth psalm. After Reuben’s loss of the birthright for his sin, it came naturally to Joseph, Rachel’s first-born; the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh being the two-fold witness of this, as well as the tabernacle in Shiloh in the land of Ephraim. This lasted till the captivity of the ark in Eli’s time, when Ichabod was written upon the nation; and out of this ruin emerged a new state of things, the prominence of Judah and the divine choice of Zion and David. It is no wonder, therefore, that Asaph, going back to the beginning of the nation; as he does, should make Joseph prominent. With the kingdom of the ten tribes, with which many would for this reason connect these psalms, Asaph had nothing to do.
It is natural for the psalmist to go back to the wilderness, when the tribes advancing under their Almighty Leader were preparing to take possession of their land. He is looking now to another possession of it, when the whole nation would come into line once more, following their great Shepherd. But for this He must take the throne as of old, and in the old relationship, as when the ark went before the tribes of Rachel’s offspring, its accustomed place. But for this they too must be turned to Him; and, (just because they are in fact turning, but in the consciousness of their own feebleness of will and waywardness, with their old history facing them -starting aside as a deceitful bow,) they ask, in the person of the psalmist, to be turned. God alone could make effective this desire of theirs. The work in them, as the work for them, must be His: the two, therefore, are joined together in the cry, “Turn us again, O God! cause Thy face to shine on us, and we shall be saved.”
But with this comes also the consciousness of His present and long-continued anger. How long shall it continue to smoke against those who cry to Him? Their present circumstances are a sorrowful contrast to that glorious time to which they are looking back.
2. This leads to a sorrowful pleading of their condition. He who was once their Shepherd has fed them with the bread of tears, and given them in abundance tears to drink. And this breach has made them a matter of contention to their neighbors, a derision to those hostile to them. And again they utter their sad, yet expectant cry: “Turn us again; O God of hosts; and cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.”
3. This is, however, but a preface to a longer pleading, in which their case is set before God. They go back to the deliverance out of Egypt, in which He had separated them to Himself for fruit. The vine is good for nothing else but fruit, and with its trailing branches is the very image of dependence. The prophet Isaiah (Isa 5:1-30) uses the same figure in the same way, although speaking from the divine side, as the psalmist does from the human; and the brief appeal in Jeremiah (2: 21) is similar to Isaiah. Here the appeal is to God on the ground of what He had done for them, that that work should not be in vain.
He had brought a vine out of Egypt. -brought it out, as is implied, to yield Him fruit: shall it not yield Him fruit? He had dispossessed nations, to make way for it; and He having made room, it rooted itself and filled the land. Next, we see its glory: it rose, shadowing the mountains, with a growth as solid as the mighty cedars. Lastly, we have its extension to the sea and to the River (Euphrates), -in these directions its divinely-given boundaries.
4. But in spite of all this progress, ruin had followed where success seemed fully assured. The causes of this are shown in Isaiah to be moral and spiritual failure on the part of the people. It was not possible that the failure could be in God. He could appeal to themselves whether He could have done anything for His vineyard that He had not done. Yet when He looked for His vine to bring forth grapes, it brought forth wild grapes. All His care and cultivation of it had gone for nothing in the result: why, then, should He go on with it? He tells them; therefore, what He will do in consequence of all this: “I will take away the hedge thereof,” He says, “and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down; and I will lay it waste.” It is this action of God which the psalmist sees, and which he laments. He says nothing directly of the moral causes: they are implied, no doubt, in the very need which they now have of Him; but his argument goes back of all this, to the Immutable God and His purposes. He leaves out the people, as if they were of no account. Certainly, when God took them up, He knew what was in man: He could not be deceived. He had brought this vine out of Egypt; He had taken abundance of pains with it. He had linked Himself openly, before the eyes of men; with this people of His choice. After all, could He be defeated? It is the argument of Moses in the wilderness, when God proposes to him that the people should be consumed as a stiff-necked people, and He would make of Moses himself a great nation. Nay, says Moses, “then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for Thou broughtest up this people in Thy might from among them,) and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land, . . . and the nations that have heard the fame of Thee will speak, saying, Because Jehovah was not able to bring this people into the land which He sware unto them, therefore He hath slain them in the wilderness” (Num 14:13-16).
Here is the same effectual argument, in which the sin of the people itself is omitted, to plead with God as to the undoing of His own acts, as if it were mutability in the Immutable, or powerlessness in the Omnipotent. “Why hast Thou broken down its enclosure, so that all who pass by the way may pluck it? The boar out of the wood doth ravage it, and the wild beasts of the field feed on it.”
So he cries now to God as the all-powerful, “the God of hosts” ready at all times to execute His will, to return and visit this vine, which through His power alone had been all that it had ever been -“the stock which Thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that Thou madest strong for Thyself.” It is here that the Targum renders,” and upon the King Messiah, whom Thou hast established for Thyself.” Literally it is “the son,” but which in relation to a vine would be a branch, according to Hebrew usage. Delitzsch and Moll apply it still to the nation; as they do also the expressions in verse 18; the Christian here falling behind the Jewish expositor, and the point and power of the closing appeal being lost. The psalm thus becomes tame and colorless enough.
Doubtless, “the Son of man; whom Thou madest strong for Thyself,” is intended to remind us of the previous “branch” or “son; whom Thou madest strong for Thyself”: but the argument can work also the other way. God does, as we know, call Israel His son; and the first passage could in that way be explained of the nation; but the Son of man; and Man of God’s right hand, cannot be made so to apply according to Scripture, while the first title expressly and the second by the easiest possible inference apply to Christ: who is also as plainly the “Branch” which is strengthened of God for Himself. And here is Israel’s hope, as well as the hope of any. The place of the psalm in this series, and the numerical structure also, are in the fullest confirmation of this application, which alone gives worthy meaning to the whole.
Yet the “branch” of verse 15 may not be directly Christ, but David’s house,with the desolation of which the promise connected with it would seem in danger of being lost; and this interpretation preserves consistency throughout. With the seed of David the national hope is plainly identified; and Christ is, according to the flesh, the seed of David.
All seems to be over: “it is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of Thy countenance.” God seems to be against Himself, undoing the work which He has done. But it is the sense of man’s ruin which, after all, enables the soul to rise to the conception of the divine thoughts, and the psalmist concludes with renewed confidence.
5. The number 5, in its essential significance of “man with God,” breathes here, assuredly, the Name of Names, Immanuel.” And it is with this that the fifth section begins. While the language is still that of prayer, yet faith has risen to clear sight of the answer. “The Man of Thy right hand” may connect itself with Benjamin; but only as Benjamin is connected typically with Christ. Benjamin speaks indeed, as we have elsewhere seen; of Christ in power upon earth, and God’s hand upon Him cannot surely be in wrath, as some have suggested, but to strengthen or put Hint in the place which is His due. The direct reference is to the 110th psalm; “Sit Thou on My right hand,” for Christians a scripture easy enough to read in this connection, even if we had not the confirmation of the latter half of the verse.
“The Son of man” was, as we know, the title which the Lord most commonly assumed. It was that which proclaimed Him in wider sympathy than merely with the Jew, His nature truly human; and come into humanity by the lowly entrance by which other men come, though that for Him indeed implied a miracle. Thus He was fit to be also the Judge of men (Joh 5:27), and as such comes in the clouds of heaven to His kingdom. Here is One whom God has indeed “made strong for Himself”; and God’s hand setting Him in His place is the proclamation of the hour that strikes for Israel’s deliverance.
Thus all is in harmony. Power is in His hands for them, and in His hands only who has made atonement in the Manhood He has taken; and in Him, too, is security for the future which nothing else could give. Saved with so marvelous a salvation; they may now say without self-confidence, “So will we not go back from Thee”; and in recognition of the need of the Spirit’s work, -“quicken us, and we will call upon Thy Name.”
Once more the cry, but with increased confidence to Him who has made the Son of man strong for Himself: -“Turn us again, Jehovah, God of hosts! make Thy face to shine on us, and we shall be saved.”
Fuente: Grant’s Numerical Bible Notes and Commentary
Psa 80:1. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel O thou who hast undertaken to feed and govern thy people of Israel, as a shepherd doth his flock, now perform thine office, and rescue thy flock from those grievous wolves which devour and destroy them; thou that leadest Or, didst lead, formerly; Joseph That is, the children of Joseph, or of Israel, as he now said. The name of Joseph, the most eminent of the patriarchs, for his dignity and piety, as well as the right of primogeniture, transferred upon him from Reuben, is frequently elsewhere put for all the ten tribes. Thou that dwellest between the cherubim Those two sacred emblematical figures, which were set in the most holy place, upon the mercy-seat, before which the high-priest sprinkled the blood upon the great day of atonement. By this title the psalmist prudently and piously reminds the ten tribes of their revolt from God, and of the vanity of their superstitious addresses to their calves, at Beth-el and Dan, and of the necessity of their returning to the true worship of God before the ark, at Jerusalem, if they desired or expected any relief from him. And by this title it seems more than probable that this Psalm was not written, as some have supposed, upon occasion of the Babylonish captivity, in and after which time there was no ark, nor cherubim; nor does Daniel, or any of the prophets, then address God by that title. Shine forth Out of the clouds, wherein thou seemest to hide thyself. Show forth thy power and goodness to, and for, thy poor oppressed people, in the face of thine and their enemies.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Though we know not the occasion on which this song was composed, yet as the tribes still inhabited the land, it probably was written on the same occasion as the preseding, and prays for the same salvation.
Psa 80:1. Thou that dwellest between the cherubims. In allusion to the shekinah, or visible glory, which dwelt upon the mercy seat, above the ark, and was overshadowed by the cherubim.
Psa 80:2. Before Ephraim, and Benjamin, and Manasseh. The twelve tribes in the wilderness encamped about the ark, forming a square whose sides were each twelve miles. The above three are mentioned here, because, according to the order of the march, these immediately followed the ark.
Psa 80:7. Turn us, oh Godand we shall be saved. This is a prayer of confidence, that God would revive Judah and her allies after the double stroke of Shishak and Jeroboams most bloody wars.
Psa 80:15. And the branch. This is a frequent emblem of the Messiah. Isa 11:1. Jer 23:5. Zec 3:8; Zec 6:12. But the Hebrew here is al ben, upon the SON. The LXX and the Vulgate have the Son of man; and the Chaldee, upon the King Messiah, whom thou madest strong for thyself. It is rendered literally at Psa 80:17, the man of thy right handthe Son of man, that is Christ Jesus. Psa 110:1. Heb 1:13.
REFLECTIONS.
This, in some few copies, is not divided from the preseding psalm. The substance of the prayer is twofold. The first part of it pleads for restoring grace, under the idea that Messiah was the compassionate shepherd of Israel. The second, by the beautiful and well-supported allegory of the vine, moves the Lord to pity his once favourite vineyard. The late C. Wesley has admirably preserved the spirit of the original.
Surely, oh Lord, we once were thine, Thou hast for us thy wonders wrought, A generous and right noble vine, When newly out of Egypt brought. Thou didst the heathen stock expel, The hardened race received their doom, Druids and all the brood of hell, And monks of antichristian Rome.
Planted by thy Almighty hand, Watered with blood, the vine took root, And spread throughout the happy land, And filled the earth with golden fruit.
The hills were covered with her shade, Her branchy arms extended wide, Her fair luxuriant honours spread, And rivalled all the cedars pride.
Why hast thou then abhorred thine own, And cast thy pleasant plant away, Broke down her mounds, her fence oerthrown, And left her to the beasts a prey.
All that go by pluck off her grapes, Our Zion of her children spoil, While error in ten thousand shapes, Assays the simple to beguile.
The boar out of the German wood, Tears up her roots with ruthless power, The lion roaring for his food, And all the forest beasts devour.
Look on them with thy flaming eyes, The sin-consuming virtue dart; And bid our fallen church arise, And make us after thy own heart.
Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
LXXX. Then and Now. The Messianic Hope.The Ps. depicts Judahs forlorn condition, first directly (Psa 80:1-7) and then under the figure of a vine (Psa 80:8-19). It is divided into strophes by the refrain in Psa 80:3; Psa 80:7; Psa 80:19. (In Psa 80:3 insert of hosts (LXX) as in Psa 80:7; Psa 80:19.) Probably also the refrain has fallen out after Psa 80:13.
Psa 80:1 c. A rhetorical reminiscence of the time when the Ark (1Sa 4:4, 2Sa 6:2) represented Yahweh and was carried out to battle.
Psa 80:2. The Psalmist looks forward to the recovery of the northern tribes and their union with Judah before the advent of the Messianic age.
Psa 80:4. Translate, Wilt thou fume at the prayer?
Psa 80:5. Read with LXX, fed us, given us.
Psa 80:6. strife: i.e. an object of contention, such as, e.g., Poland or the Italian States have been to the greater powers.among themselves: read, at us.
Psa 80:8-11. The vine in its glory. For the allegory cf. Gen 49:22, Isa 5:1-7, Jer 2:21.
Psa 80:10. cedars of God: i.e. so great that they are in a special sense due to Divine action.
Psa 80:11 gives the ideal boundaries of the Davidic kingdom, viz. the Mediterranean and the Euphrates.
Psa 80:12 f. The vine in its abandonment.
Psa 80:14-19. Prayer for revival.
Psa 80:15. stock: a word of uncertain meaning.
Psa 80:15 b is the original, Psa 80:17 b is an inferior variant. The context shows that the son of man whom thou madest so strong for thyself is primarily Israel personified.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
PSALM 80
A threefold appeal to God to restore and save His people from their enemies (vv. 3, 7, 19)
(vv. 1-3) The last psalm closed with the plea that the people of Israel, however low they may have fallen, are still the Lord’s people, and the sheep of His pasture. In this psalm the godly, while still confessing the sin of the people, rise higher in their appeal. If Israel are the Lord’s sheep, it follows the Lord is the Shepherd of Israel, the One to whom the sheep should look. Thus the cry goes up to the Shepherd of Israel who once led His people like a flock, and dwelt in their midst between the cherubim, to once again shine forth before the tribes; to come in His strength to deliver them from their enemies, and cause His face to shine in favour upon them.
(vv. 4-7) They confess that their present low condition is the result of their sins and the consequent chastisement of the Lord. As in the previous psalm they ask, How long? Faith realizes that there must be a limit to God’s chastenings. Can God be deaf to the prayers of His people: indifferent to their tears, or unmoved by their sufferings at the hands of men, to whom they are a bone of contention and an object of derision?
Again they appeal to the God of hosts to restore them, show His favour, and save them.
(vv. 8-16) Furthermore they plead they are God’s vine, brought out of Egypt, separated from the world, and planted in the land. Why, then, if Israel is God’s vine, has God broken down the hedges and allowed the nations to trample them underfoot? They beseech God to look down from heaven and visit His vine – the vine that God had planted and the branch that God made strong for Himself. In the branch may there not be an allusion to David and his family, of whom according to the flesh, Christ came? They admit all this sorrow has come upon them at the rebuking of the Lord, involving a confession of their own sin that called for rebuke.
(vv. 17-19) Here they make their highest appeal. Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou makest strong for thyself. This surely is an allusion to Christ, the One who is the resource of God, available for the need of man and the maintenance of the glory of God.
When brought into blessing through Christ, the people will not go back from Jehovah. Thus for the third time they repeat the refrain, Restore us, O Jehovah, God of hosts; cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. Their first plea is that God is the Shepherd of Israel; their second plea, God cannot be indifferent to their sufferings; the last plea is Christ, the Man of God’s right hand.
Fuente: Smith’s Writings on 24 Books of the Bible
80:1 [To the chief Musician upon Shoshannimeduth, A Psalm of Asaph.] Give ear, {a} O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest [between] the {b} cherubims, shine forth.
(a) This Psalm was made as a prayer to desire God to be merciful to the ten tribes.
(b) Move their hearts, that they may return to worship God properly, that is, in the place you have appointed.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Psalms 80
Again Asaph called on God to deliver and restore Israel. The nation was downtrodden and needed Yahweh’s salvation. This community lament psalm is unusual because of the figure the psalmist used to describe Israel. He pictured the nation as a grape vine (Psa 80:8-16). The fall of Samaria in 722 B.C. may be in view. [Note: Kidner, Psalms 73-150, p. 288.] Psalms 77, 81 also lament the destruction of Samaria, the former capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
"Except for the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations, the psalms have more to say about tears than any other book in the Bible." [Note: Armerding, p. 116.]
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
1. An appeal to Israel’s Shepherd 80:1-3
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
The psalmist appealed to Yahweh as the Shepherd of His people Israel (cf. Psa 23:1; Psa 28:9); "shepherd" was a common title of the king in the ancient Near East (cf. Psa 78:71). He also referred to Him as sitting enthroned above the cherubim in the temple (cf. Psa 99:1). Ephraim was the leading tribe in the north and Benjamin was the leader in the south. Manasseh was the leader in Transjordan in the east.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 80:1-19
THIS psalm is a monument of some time of great national calamity; but its allusions do not enable us to reach certainty as to what that calamity was. Two striking features of it have been used as clues to its occasion-namely, the designation of the nation as “Joseph,” and the mention, of the three tribes in Psa 80:2. Calvin, Delitzsch, Hengstenberg, and others are led thereby to regard it as a prayer by an inhabitant of Judah for the captive children of the northern kingdom; while others, as Cheyne, consider that only the Persian period explains the usage in question. The name of “Joseph” is applied to the whole nation in other Asaph psalms. {Psa 77:15; Psa 81:5} It is tempting to suppose, with Hupfeld, that this nomenclature indicates that the ancient antagonism of the kingdoms has passed away with the captivity of the Ten Tribes, and that the psalmist, a singer in Judah, looks wistfully to the ideal unity, yearns to see breaches healed, and the old associations of happier days, when “Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh” encamped side by side in the desert, and marched one after the other, renewed in a restored Israel. If this explanation of the mention of the tribes is adopted, the psalm falls in some period after the destruction of the northern kingdom, but prior to that of Judah. The prayer in the refrain “turn us” might, indeed, mean “bring us back from exile,” but may as accurately be regarded as asking for restored prosperity-an explanation which accords better with the rest of the psalm. We take the whole, then, as a prayer, for the nation, conceived of in its original, long-broken unity. It looks back to the Divine purpose as expressed in ancient deeds of deliverance, and prays that it may be fulfilled, notwithstanding apparent thwarting. Closer definition of date is unattainable.
The triple refrain in Psa 80:3, Psa 80:7, Psa 80:19, divides the psalm into three unequal parts. The last of these is disproportionately long, and may be further broken up into three parts, of which the first (Psa 80:8-11) describes the luxuriant growth of Israel under the parable of a vine, the second (Psa 80:12-14) brings to view the bitter contrast of present ruin, and, with an imperfect echo of the refrain, melts into the petitioning tone of the third (Psa 80:15-19). which is all prayer. In the first strophe “Shepherd of Israel” reminds us of Jacobs blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh in which he invoked “the God who shepherded me all my life long” to “bless the lads,” and of the title in Gen 49:24, “the shepherd, the stone of Israel.” The comparison of the nation to a flock is characteristic of the Asaph psalms, and here refers to the guidance of the people at the Exodus. Delitzsch regards the notions of the earthly and heavenly sanctuary as being blended in the designation of God as sitting throned on the cherubim, but it is better to take the reference as being to His dwelling in the Temple. The word rendered “shine forth” occurs in Psa 50:2, where it expresses His coming from “Zion,” and so it does here. The same metaphor underlies the subsequent petition in Psa 80:3. In both God is thought of as light, and the manifestation of His delivering help is likened to the blazing out of the sun from behind a cloud.
In reference to the mention of the tribes in Psa 80:2, we need only add to what has been already said, that the petitions of Psa 80:1, which look back to the wilderness marches, when the Ark led the van, naturally suggested the mention of the three tribes who were together reckoned as the “camp of Ephraim,” and who, in the removal of the encampment, “set forth third”-that is, immediately in the rear of the tabernacle. The order of march explains not only the collocation here, but the use of the word “Before.” Joseph and Benjamin were children of the same mother, and the schism which parted their descendants is, to the psalmists faith, as transient as unnatural. Once again shall the old unity be seen, when the brothers sons shall again dwell and fight side by side, and God shall again go forth before them for victory.
The prayer of the refrain, “turn us,” is not to be taken as for restoration from exile, which is negatived by the whole tone of the psalm, nor as for spiritual quickening, but simply asks for the return of the glories of ancient days. The petition that God would let His face shine upon the nation alludes to the priestly benediction, {Num 6:25} thus again carrying us back to the wilderness. Such a flashing forth is all that is needed to change blackest night into day. To be “saved” means here to be rescued from the assaults of hostile nations. The poet was sure that Israels sole defence was God, and that one gleam of His face would shrivel up the strongest foes, like unclean, slimy creatures which writhe and die in sunshine. The same conviction is valid in a higher sphere. Whatever elevation of meaning is given to “saved,” the condition of it is always this-the manifestation of Gods face. That brings light into all dark hearts. To behold that light, and to walk in it, and to be transformed by beholding, as they are who lovingly and steadfastly gaze, is salvation.
A piteous tale of suffering is wailed forth in the second strophe. The peculiar accumulation of the Divine names in Psa 80:4, Psa 80:19, is found also in Psa 59:5; Psa 84:8. It is grammatically anomalous, as the word for God (Elohim) does not undergo the modification which would show that the next word is to be connected with it by “of.” Hence, some have regarded “Tsbhaoth” (hosts) as being almost equivalent to a proper name of God, which it afterwards undoubtedly became; while others have explained the construction by supposing the phrase to be elliptical, requiring after “God” the supplement “God of.” This accumulation of Divine names is by some taken as a sign of late date. Is it not a mark of the psalmists intensity rather than of his period? In accordance with the Elohistic character of the Asaph psalms, the common expression “Jehovah of Hosts” is expanded; but the hypothesis that the expansion was the work of a redactor is unnecessary. It may quite as well have been that of the author.
The urgent question “How long?” is not petulant impatience, but hope deferred, and, though sick at heart, still cleaving to God and remonstrating for long-protracted calamities. The bold imagery of Psa 80:4 b cannot well be reproduced in translation. The rendering “wilt Thou be angry?” is but a feeble reproduction of the vigorous original, which runs “wilt Thou smoke?” Other psalms {e.g., Psa 74:1} speak of Gods anger as smoking but here the figure is applied to God Himself. What a contrast it presents to the petition in the refrain! That “light” of Israel has become “as a flaming fire.” A terrible possibility of darkening and consuming wrath lies in the Divine nature, and the very emblem of light suggests it. It is questionable whether the following words should be rendered “against the prayer of Thy people,” or “while Thy people are praying” (Delitzsch). The former meaning is in accordance with the Hebrew, with other Scripture passages, and with the tone of the psalm, and is to be preferred, as more forcibly putting the anomaly of an unanswering God. Psa 80:5 presents the national sorrows under familiar figures. The peoples food and drink were tears. The words of a may either be rendered “bread of tears”-i.e. eaten with, or rather consisting of tears; or, as above, “tears [as] bread.” The word rendered “in large measure” means “the third part”-“of some larger measure.” It is found only in Isa 11:12. “The third part of an ephah is a puny measure for the dust of the earth [but] it is a large measure for tears” (Delitzsch, in loc.). Psa 80:6 adds one more touch to the picture-gleeful neighbours cynically rejoicing to their hearts content (lit., for themselves) over Israels calamities. Thus, in three verses, the psalmist points to an angry God, a weeping nation, and mocking foes, a trilogy of woe. On all he bases an urgent repetition of the refrain which is made more imploring by the expanded name under which God is invoked to help. Instead of the simple “God,” as in Psa 80:3, he now says “God of Hosts.” As sense of need increases, a true suppliant goes deeper into Gods revealed character.
From Psa 80:8 onwards the parable of the vine as representing Israel fills the singers mind. As has been already noticed this part of the psalm may be regarded as one long strophe, the parts of which follow in orderly sequence, and are held closely together, as shown by the recurrence of the refrain at the close only. Three stages are discernible in it-a picture of what has been, the contrast of what is now, and a prayer for speedy help.
The emblem of the vine, which has received so great development in the prophets, and has been hallowed forever by our Lords use of it, seems to have been suggested to the psalmist by the history of Joseph, to which he has already alluded. For, in Jacobs blessing, {Gen 49:22 seqq.} Joseph is likened to a fruitful bough. Other Old Testament writers have drawn out the manifold felicities of the emblem as applied to Israel. But these need not concern us here, where the point is rather Gods husbandry and the vines growth, both of which are in startling contrast with a doleful present. The figure is carried out with much beauty in detail. The Exodus was the vines transplanting; the destruction of the Canaanites was the grubbing up of weeds to clear the ground for it; the numerical increase of the people was its making roots and spreading far. In Psa 80:10 b the rendering may be either that adopted above, or “And the cedars of God [were covered with] its branches.” The latter preserves the parallelism of clauses and the unity of representation in Psa 80:10-11, which will then deal throughout with the spreading growth of the vine. But the cedars would not have been called “of God,”-which implies their great size-unless their dimensions had been in point, which would not be the case if they were only thought of as espaliers for the vine. And the image of its running over the great trees of Lebanon is unnatural. The rendering as above is to be preferred even though it somewhat mars the unity of the picture. The extent of ground covered by the vine is described, in Psa 80:11, as stretching from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates. {Deu 11:24; 1Ki 4:24} Such had been the glories of the past; and they had all been the work of Gods hand.
In Psa 80:12 the miserable contrast of present desolation is spread before God, with the bold and yet submissive question “Why?” The vineyard wall is thrown down, and the vine lies exposed to every vagrant passenger, and to every destructive creature. Swine from the woods burrow at its roots, and “whatever moves on the plain” {Psa 50:11, the only other place where the expression occurs} feeds on it. The parallelism forbids the supposition that any particular enemy is meant by the wild boar. Hupfeld would transpose Psa 80:16 so as to stand after Psa 80:13, which he thinks improves the connection, and brings the last part of the psalm into symmetrical form, in three equal parts, containing four verses each. Cheyne would put Psa 80:14-15, before Psa 80:12-13, and thereby secures more coherence and sequence. But accuracy in these matters is not to be looked for in such highly emotional poetry, and perhaps a sympathetic ear may catch in the broken words a truer ring than in the more orderly arrangement of them by critics.
Psa 80:14 sounds like an imperfect echo of the refrain significantly modified, so as to beseech that God would “turn” Himself even as He had been implored to “turn” His people. The purpose of His turning is that He may “look and see” the condition of the desolated vineyard, and thence be moved to interfere for its restoration. The verse may be regarded as closing one of the imperfectly developed strophes of this last part; but it belongs in substance to the following petitions, though in form it is more closely connected with the preceding verses. The picture of Israels misery passes insensibly into prayer, and the burden of that prayer is, first, that God would behold the sad facts, as the preliminary to His acting in view of them.
The last part (Psa 80:15-19) is prayer for Gods help: into which forces itself one verse (Psa 80:16), recurring to the miseries of the nation. It bursts in like an outcrop of lava, revealing underground disturbance and fires. Surely that interruption is more pathetic and natural than is the result obtained by the suggested transpositions. The meaning of the word in Psa 80:15 rendered above “protect” is doubtful, and many commentators would translate it as a noun, and regard it as meaning “plant,” or, as the A.V., “vineyard.” The verse would then depend on the preceding verb in Psa 80:14, “visit.” But this construction is opposed by the copula (and) preceding, and it is best to render “protect,” with a slight change in the vocalisation. There may be an allusion to Jacobs blessing in Psa 80:15 b, for in it {Gen 49:22} Joseph is called a “fruitful bough”-lit., “son.” If so, the figure of the vine is retained in Psa 80:15 b as well as in a.
The apparent interruption of the petitions by Psa 80:16 is accounted for by the sharp pang that shot into the psalmists heart, when he recalled, in his immediately preceding words, the past Divine acts, which seemed so contradicted now. But the bitterness, though it surges up, is overcome, and his petitions return to their former strain in Psa 80:17, which pathetically takes up, as it were, the broken thread, by repeating “right hand” from Psa 80:15 a, -and “whom Thou madest strong for Thyself” from Psa 80:15 b. Israel, not an individual, is the “man of Thy right hand,” in which designation, coupled with “son,” there may be an allusion to the name of Benjamin (Psa 80:2), the “son of the right hand.” Human weakness and Divine strength clothing it are indicated in that designation for Israel “the son of man whom Thou madest strong for Thyself.” The inmost purpose of Gods gifts is that their recipients may be “the secretaries of His praise.” Israels sacred calling, its own weakness, and the strength of the God who endows it are all set forth, not now as lessons to it, but as pleas with Him, whose gifts are without repentance, and whose purposes cannot be foiled by mans unworthiness or opposition.
The psalm closes with a vow of grateful adhesion to God as the result of His renewed mercy. They who have learned how bitter a thing it is to turn away from God, and how blessed when He turns again to them, and turns back their miseries and their sins, have good reason for not again departing from Him. But if they are wise to remember their own weakness, they will not only humbly vow future faithfulness, but earnestly implore continual help; since only the constant communication of a Divine quickening will open their lips to call upon Gods name.
The refrain in its most expanded form closes the psalm. Growing intensity of desire and of realisation of the pleas and pledges hived in the name are expressed by its successive forms, -God; God of Hosts; Jehovah, God of Hosts. The faith that grasps all that is contained in that full-tone name already feels the light of Gods face shining upon it, and is sure that its prayer for salvation is not in vain.