Psalm 80
This Psalm was written by Asaph as a hymn for worship in the Temple. It asks God to restore the people of Israel and save them.
Verses 1 and 2 are a prayer to God that He would hear the prayer of His people. God is called a Shepherd, because He led the Children of Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land and because He leads the believers on their pilgrimage to heaven. God is pictured as “dwelling between the cherubim,” that is, as the one who rules over the angels in the glory of heaven. Ephraim, Benjamin, and Mennasseh are of the northern tribes of Israel. Ephraim and Mennasseh were the sons of Joseph, born to him in Egypt. From these tribes came many of the kings of Israel. King Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin. The prayer is that God would “stir up His strength, and come and save us!” Believers of every age need to make such a request, for their enemies are always ready to devour them.
The words of verse 3 are repeated twice more in this Psalm (verses 7 and 19). The word “restore” pictures a situation where people have gone astray in sin or error and need to be delivered from their sins. God’s mercy is pictured by the phrase “cause Your face to shine.” When believers experience troubles in this world it seems as if God is frowning on them, has deserted them, or a cloud has covered over His face. But if God’s mercy shines forth, we shall be saved. The word saved means rescued, delivered. Through faith in Christ, God delivers us daily from sin and every evil.
This prayer seems necessary because verses 4-6 speak about God’s anger towards Israel. God is called “the Lord of hosts” because He is the ruler of the angels who are ranked as an army of helpers. The Children of Israel have experienced God’s anger on account of their sins. This has meant that their prayers seem to be unanswered, that people have endured many sorrows, so that even food and drink do not satisfy. God is said to be the cause of the strife with their neighbors. Their enemies laugh at their weakness and their trust in God.
The prayer again is for God to restore them to their former relationship with Him. This can only be accomplished through faith in the Messiah whom God promised to send to save them from their sins.
Verses 8 to11 remind God of His blessings in leading Israel from Egypt. Israel is often pictured as God’s vine, which He transplanted from Egypt and planted in Canaan, where He “caused it to take deep root” and fill the land. It also recounts the glory of David and Solomon’s reigns when their power extended to the Mediterranean Sea and the Euphrates.
So why has God now broken down the hedges of the vineyard so that their enemies can devour them?
Verses 14-18 asks God to look from heaven at the vineyard He planted and to see how His people are troubled and perish. Verse 17 is a prayer for the king to make Him strong in faith.
The Psalm ends with a promise not to turn away from God and to call upon His name, trusting in the Messiah who will save them from sin.
When God gives us faith in Jesus, we are saved (delivered) from our sins and from hell.
