Psalm 80 Commentary
Restore Us, Oh God.
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KEY THOUGHT: Restore us, O Lord God of hosts [Psalm 80:19b NKJV]
Kindly read your Bible before going through the commentary!
Psalm 80 NKJV
Prayer for Israel’s Restoration
To the Chief Musician. Set to [a]“The Lilies.” A [b]Testimony of Asaph. A Psalm.
80 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
You who lead Joseph like a flock;
You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!
2 Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,
Stir up Your strength,
And come and save us!
3 Restore us, O God;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!
4 O Lord God of hosts,
How long will You be angry
Against the prayer of Your people?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears,
And given them tears to drink in great measure.
6 You have made us a strife to our neighbors,
And our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!
8 You have brought a vine out of Egypt;
You have cast out the [c]nations, and planted it.
9 You prepared room for it,
And caused it to take deep root,
And it filled the land.
10 The hills were covered with its shadow,
And the [d]mighty cedars with its boughs.
11 She sent out her boughs to [e]the Sea,
And her branches to [f]the River.
12 Why have You broken down her [g]hedges,
So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit?
13 The boar out of the woods uproots it,
And the wild beast of the field devours it.
14 Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts;
Look down from heaven and see,
And visit this vine
15 And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted,
And the branch that You made strong for Yourself.
16 It is burned with fire, it is cut down;
They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.
17 Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand,
Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself.
18 Then we will not turn back from You;
Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.
19 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!
Footnotes
a. Psalm 80:1 Heb. Shoshannim
b. Psalm 80:1 Heb. Eduth
c. Psalm 80:8 Gentiles
d. Psalm 80:10 Lit. cedars of God
e. Psalm 80:11 The Mediterranean
f. Psalm 80:11 The Euphrates
g. Psalm 80:12 walls or fences
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Psalm 80 Commentary
The timing of this psalm is sometime after 587 BC, after the destruction of Jerusalem. It is a petition. The psalmist prays for restoration.
God is the Shepherd of Israel. The mention of Joseph creates a picture of God’s relationship with Israel. The palmist wants us to think about the rich patriarchal blessings of Joseph. The double potion and everything.
Where are we in the light of the blessing of prosperity, strength, and fruitfulness?
Could we think of Israel’s experiences in the same light as Joseph’s experiences? Hatred, the pit experience, slavery, and injustice, could these difficulties be part of God’s grand plan for Israel’s elevation, as was the case for Joseph?
Regardless, the psalmist calls for restoration.
But the circumstances are different. Joseph was righteous. Israel isn’t. Joseph could petition heaven from a strong position. Israel’s position is weak. Israel’s godlessness makes prayer very difficult.
Probably this point.
The petition by itself is an admission that Israel cannot restore itself. Only God can. Humanity can destroy itself, but it cannot ‘undestroy’ itself. It’s a fallacy when men and women think they can undo their own corruption!
In the statement that the LORD has fed them with the bread of tears, the modern reader may accuse the psalmist of blaming God.
We need to be patient. These psalms were written by the remnant – a group of people who feared God. If Israel fitted the description of the remnant, the nation would never have arrived at this point! This psalm would be needless!
We are a team as humanity. We have lost the game as a team. Those of us with a sense of duty can see how deeply offended our LORD is. Saints can begin to think of God’s anger and focus less on their “little” righteousness.
Let prayer be said from this position. It’s a prayer for restoration. Then humanity can be saved.
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