God, Shine Forth and Save!
We continue to work through Psalms that are connected with Asaph. This section started in Psalm 73 and goes through 83. There have been themes of lament and remembrance (often connected with the lamenting). This Psalm is also categorized as a corporate lament. But there are a couple unique elements to it, including it’s description of God, and it’s description of Israel.
The basic structure of the psalm is this:
v.1-3 - Appeal for God to Hear and Save
v.4-7 - A lament of God’s current anger toward his people
v.8-13 - A lament of God’s protection being removed from his people
v.14-19 - Appeal for God to See and Save
As we walk through this Psalm we are going to do a couple things. We will be looking at several larger chunks of scriptures to help fill out the context that brings this Psalm together. We are also going to walk through this Psalm mainly through the lens of what we learn about God. So as we walk through the outline just mentioned, we are going to focus on three things. In the first section we will look at the Description of God. In the next two sections that are the main lament, we are going to look at the Love of God. And in the last section, we are going to look at the Answer from God.
Let’s pray.
Father, show us a glimpse of your glory this morning. Give us understanding, encouragement, and confidence in your love for us as we spend time in your Word together.
Appeal for God to Hear and Save (verses 1-3).
He opens by saying “Give ear” to our cries. He wants God to hear them out in their trouble and he addresses God in three different ways.
1. “Give ear…O Shepherd of Israel.”
This is an important theme for Asaph. Psalm 23, which is of David is probably the most famous Psalm regarding the Lord as a shepherd for his people. But in this series of Psalms related to Asaph, this is a theme he returns to again and again.
Psalm 77:20,
“You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”
Psalm 78:52,
“He led out his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.”
Psalm 79:13,
“But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever.”
Psalm 80:1,
“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock.”
This is more than just a good illustration, there is an enduring likeness the Psalmist sees between us and sheep. The illustration might be the most acute as Israel was led in the wilderness, but there are several enduring realities from this analogy.
We like sheep, are dependent on God, on our Shepherd to guide and lead us. We like sheep, are weak and need to be protected and defended. We see that this theme of sheep and a shepherd further carries on into the new testament. Jesus sees the crowds as sheep without a shepherd. Pastors are called to shepherd the the flock of God, under the chief Shepherd.
This illustration wasn’t just for God’s guidance throughout the wilderness, it is relevant to how we approach God even today.
So the Psalmist first appeals to God, the shepherd of his flock, to hear the cry of his sheep. And he carries the metaphor through the whole Psalm as he talks about us being fed by God, and for him to restore them and turn them back. God our Shepherd, Guide us back to you, we need your help.
2. The Lord God of Hosts
Verse 3,
“Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!”
Verses 4, 7, 14, and 19 all describe God as the God of Hosts. God is the commander and leader of the armies of heaven, of the hosts of heaven, God almighty is a similar description. God has power and authority to change the situation, to rescue at any point he pleases to.
And we know his authority is not limited to the heavenly realm. Every week in the commission at the end of our service, we are reminded “that all authority in heaven and earth has been given to [him].”
God of angel armies, restore us and save us, make your face to shine upon us.
3. “[The one] who is enthroned upon the cherubim
Verse 2,
“You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.”
He brings to mind the Ark of the Covenant, specifically the top cover of it, where God dwells and speaks to his people. This is bringing an image of authority and power, but also several other things…
It conveys God’s Holiness and Presence. The ark was guarded very carefully because God’s Holy presence was there, and it needs to be kept separate from a sinful people.
It also is where the cloud and pillar would rest when he would speak with Moses. He is described as enthroned upon and among the cherubim, because that is the place where his voice was heard.
It conveys God’s Glory and Goodness. He asks God to “shine forth.” Show us your glory and power as you come to the aid of your people. He is an enthroned king who rules with power and authority. He is: The Lord of Host who is enthroned upon the Cherubim. These often are seen together in scripture.
And if he is enthroned, there is a seat there that He hears and speaks from, and it is called the mercy seat.
Exodus 25:17–22, God instructs Israel,
“You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends.
The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.”
The Lord God almighty, the Lord of hosts, the Shepherd of Israel — this God hears and speaks to his people from above the mercy seat.
The Psalmist pleads,
“Hear us, let your glory shine forth, stir up your might, come to save us, have mercy on us! Come and answer us from the mercy seat.”
One possibility on why he mentioned Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin is that he may be recounting what it was like when God led Israel through the wilderness. When they were on the move, these were the three tribes that would follow directly behind the ark as the camp moved out. They were also the offspring from Rachel, and were given great blessing from God.
So the Psalmist addresses God as the Lord of Host, who is enthroned upon the Cherubim, who is also the Shepherd of his flock, Israel.
2. Lament of the current destruction (verses 4-13).
He mourns the current treatment and circumstance of God’s people using two illustrations. He continues the description of Israel as a flock, and he also describes Israel as a nurtured vine. And in the midst of this, he address God with two questions.
How long will you be angry with your sheep?
Psalm 80:4–6,
“O LORD God of hosts,
how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
You have fed them with the bread of tears
and given them tears to drink in full measure.
You make us an object of contention for our neighbors,
and our enemies laugh among themselves.”
Up to this point God’s favor has been removed, he has removed his provision from them, his face is turned away from them.
Their food and drink is their tears. No green pastures, no still waters. Their neighbors and enemies are hostile towards them, and mock and ridicule them. No comfort from the protection of God rod and staff. No meal prepared for them in the presence of their enemies.
This is an especially bitter scenario, that God is described as having turned his face away even from the prayers of his people. This could be a description illustrating how silent God has been to answer them, or could be related to the nature of their prayers.
They pray insincerely. Psalm 78:36–37,
“But they flattered [God] with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.”
He is poetically describing that God has not answered them, with favor and provision. God’s response has been a lack of sustenance and an object of contention and conflict with our neighbors. “We have asked to be saved, and…” Verses 5-6,
“You have fed them with the bread of tears and given them tears to drink in full measure. You make us an object of contention for our neighbors, and our enemies laugh among themselves.”
So that’s question 1, how long will you be angry with your flock?
2. Why have you removed your protection from your vine? (Only psalm)
Psalm 80:8–13,
“You brought a vine out of Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it.
You cleared the ground for it;
it took deep root and filled the land.
The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches.
It sent out its branches to the sea
and its shoots to the River.
Why then have you broken down its walls,
so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
The boar from the forest ravages it,
and all that move in the field feed on it.”
He recounts God’s special care for his vine. And as he moves from one description to the other, he is appealing not to their worthiness, but to God's love.
God’s love is on full display here.
Isaiah gives us another detailed description of God’s extraordinary love for his vine, and also an explanation for why it is being destroyed.
Isaiah 5:1–7,
“Let me sing for my beloved
my love song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
on a very fertile hill.
He dug it and cleared it of stones,
and planted it with choice vines;
he built a watchtower in the midst of it,
and hewed out a wine vat in it;
and he looked for it to yield grapes,
but it yielded wild grapes.
And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem
and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.
What more was there to do for my vineyard,
that I have not done in it?
When I looked for it to yield grapes,
why did it yield wild grapes?
And now I will tell you
what I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove its hedge,
and it shall be devoured;
I will break down its wall,
and it shall be trampled down.
I will make it a waste;
it shall not be pruned or hoed,
and briers and thorns shall grow up;
I will also command the clouds
that they rain no rain upon it.
For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts
is the house of Israel,
and the men of Judah
are his pleasant planting;
and he looked for justice,
but behold, bloodshed;
for righteousness,
but behold, an outcry!
The rhetorical question lands hard. Against all odds, this vine bore bitter, sour grapes. It had everything going for it and still it bore bad fruit and acted wickedly.
Not only did he provide every possible thing necessary for the vine to bear good fruit, but God went even farther for his flock and for his vine.
The refrain that appears through out the Psalm borrows language from the Aaronic blessing,
“Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!”
Here is what the Lord commanded Aaron and his sons to do, Numbers 6:22–27,
“The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”
God commissioned a whole group of men to bless the people of Israel, and remind them of the favor and grace and peace He is ready to give them.
Not only did God lavishly care for and provide for this vine, but he even commission Aaron and his sons to proactively speak a blessing over the people, and ask for His favor so that He would come and bless them. Just in case they are slow to ask for themselves, God sent out a group of people to ask on their behalf, so that He could come and bless you even if you were slow or reluctant to ask yourself.
This is going the extra mile to say the least. This has been fresh for me this week. Each night I pray this blessing over my children swapping in the name of Jesus at points.
What has been fresh is to remember: God gave us these words for us to use on behalf of others so that he may bless them. The vivid image of them being spoken to a God who hears, and answers from the mercy seat. His answers flows from His love and mercy, not from our worthiness. The Lord of Hosts, who is enthroned upon the Cherubim, above the mercy seat, hears me speaking back to Him the words he gave us!
But we see, despite all of this, the vine only bore wild fruit. With everything going for it, it somehow managed to bear only wild, sour fruit. The vine was a delight in God’s eyes, and when he came looking for justice he found bloodshed; when he came looking for righteousness, he found none.
A few years back my wife made a fairy garden in one of our big planters in the back on our deck. We planted a few small plants in there but one day a sunflower seed sprouted. We staked it, weeded around it, it was just starting to bloom, then one morning we woke up and it was gone…a squirrel, proportionally the equivalent of a wild boar, destroyed that flower.
In the end, I felt what the psalmist wants God to feel, don’t let your vine get totaled, destroyed.
What was all the work for?
3. Appeal to God to See and Save (verses 14-19).
Verse 14,
“Turn again, O God of Hosts! Look down and have regard for this vine,”
He appeals to God to not let all his work get ruined, all his care go to waste. Have mercy on us and restore the works of your hands. You love your flock, you love your vine. You have led it in the past, you have planted and cared for the vine. Take notice of the destruction to your vine, bring back your sheep, give us life that we may call upon your name. Let your face shine that we may be saved.
And if God were to look on his people, two things would happen. The turning of His face is both terror, and salvation.
Terror for those who take advantage of the vulnerability of the vine.
Verse 16,
“They have burned it with fire; they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of your face!”
Back to the squirrel who demolished our sunflower plant… When I see the squirrel, it’s over for him, the games up. The wicked and the wild bore had their moment, but when God’s face turns, it’s over. The enemy can only do what it is granted for a season to do. Terrified, the wicked flee at the turning of His face toward them… Salvation for the vine that he once again smiles upon. With God’s face come his attention, with God face comes his strength and energy, with his face comes his glory and favor for His people.
As God’s favor goes, so it all goes. When God’s favor is on his people, no circumstance can hinder them. “If God be for us, who can be against us?”.
His favor can rescue us from trial, or make us prosper through trial. His favor can be seen through trial.
Exodus 1:8–12, after Joseph died,
“Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, ‘Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.’ Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel.”
If God is with his people and his face is towards them, then they will be alright.
The prayer for God to hear, to see, to turn his face towards his people has been answered again and again for his people, and has ultimately answered through God sending Jesus.
And God’s ultimate answer is Jesus.
Jesus is the man of God’s right hand who came to save his people. The Son of Man that God has strengthened to provide salvation.
The psalmist asks, Psalm 80:17,
“But let your hand be on the man of your right hand, the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!”
Psalm 2:7–9,
“I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.’”
Psalm 110:1,
“The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.’”
They were looking for salvation to come from a king, whether that was David, or Solomon, or the long list of kings after them. And that hope was fulfilled in Jesus who is the king who will reign forever and is the man of God’s right hand.
And isn’t it interesting that so many people do that same thing today? With all of our self-expression, self-discovery, self-sufficiency, self-worship. Yet so many people are still looking for one person to save them. Whether that be a president, or a king, or some other leader.
This testifies to how we are made.
They look (and we can look) to the wrong person to save us from the wrong things. What we really need is Jesus to save us from our sin. The true savior for the true problem. Jesus is the son of man with God’s favor on him to rescue his people.
Jesus is the true vine, that bears good fruit.
Israel failed to be the vine that brought blessing to the nations. Jesus picks up this theme in John 15. The Father all along has been the vinedresser, the owner of the vineyard, but what is new is that Jesus declares is that HE is the vine.
John 15:1–5,
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
The true vine is not those who are connected to Israel, the true vine is those that are connected to Jesus. Jesus takes it upon himself to be the vine that bears good fruit for the blessing of Israel and ultimately the blessing of the nations.
We get it wrong, when after Jesus saves us, we then look to ourselves, or the church to be the vine, and not to Jesus. You cannot do it on your own, or you will fail again and again like Israel. The branches must depend on the vine to supply them with sustenance. The sheep must depend on the shepherd to lead them.
Both metaphors have ongoing relevance. Nor, can you look to the church instead of Jesus.
The church is Christ’s body, and is an amazing blessing, and a place where a bunch of branches hang out, but Jesus is still the vine. When we look to the church to be everything Jesus should be for us, we will always find something wrong, or something missing, and we won’t ever be satisfied.
But it’s because we have looked to it to be the vine instead of Jesus.
Jesus is the true vine, and by being connected to Him, He will ensure that we bear good fruit instead of bitter fruit. He saves us and supplies us.
Jesus is the God who sits enthroned on the true mercy seat in heaven. He hears and speaks from there, seated at the right hand of the father in heaven. He has made full, complete atonement for all who take refuge in Him, any who will abide in him, in His love, in His grace, in His forgiveness. We need not be shy to ask him for help for apart from him we can do nothing. We need not fear bringing messes to him, He answers from His throne of mercy.
There has never been a time where He answered you because you deserved it. It’s not: “sometime I earn it, and sometime I don’t.” You NEVER earn it, it’s ALWAYS Grace.
When we ask for him to see us, shine on us, revive us, save us, it is according to his steadfast love and mercy. God answered his people before Christ, He answered his people with Christ, and he continues to answer his people through Christ.
Forgiveness and help is not granted because we deserve it, but because God opens wide his arms and says come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden. So come to him, undeserving as your are, believe in the king of heaven, who has all authority in heaven and earth, and sits on the mercy seat. Ask Him to shine on you.
Let’s pray,
Father, if there are any who do not know you this morning, would you let them see your glory and goodness, that you came to rescue us from ourselves, to give us life forever with you. Father, we ask that you would bless us, and keep us, would you make your face to shine upon us and be gracious to us. Would you lift up your countenance towards us, and give us peace. We ask this through the merit of Jesus on our behalf, Amen.
The Table
This table reminds us that we now can have confidence to enter into the true Holy places in heaven, where Jesus sits because of His blood that was shed for us.
