Psalms 80

Psalm 80 is a fervent prayer for divine restoration, lamenting Israel's suffering and God's apparent anger. The psalmist appeals to God as the Shepherd of Israel, urging Him to "turn us again" and cause His face to shine for their salvation. The nation is depicted as a vine brought from Egypt, now broken down and devoured by enemies, prompting a plea for God to visit and revive His chosen people.

Psalm 80 is a communal lament and petition for God's intervention and restoration of Israel. The psalmist implores God, addressed as the Shepherd of Israel who dwells between the cherubims, to manifest His strength and save His people, particularly Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. The psalm expresses distress over God's prolonged anger, describing the people's sustenance as "bread of tears" and their condition as a source of derision for their neighbors. A central metaphor portrays Israel as a vine brought out of Egypt, which God planted and caused to flourish, spreading its branches widely. However, the psalmist questions why God has now broken down its hedges, allowing wild beasts to devastate it. The plea reiterates the desire for God to "turn us again" and for His face to shine, culminating in a request for God's hand to be upon "the man of thy right hand" to quicken them and prevent apostasy.

Psalm 80 is a poignant prayer of lament and petition from the community of Israel, appealing to God for restoration and deliverance from their distressed state. The psalm opens with an earnest invocation to God as the Shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock and dwells between the cherubims, imploring Him to shine forth and stir up His strength to save His people, specifically mentioning Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. A recurring refrain throughout the psalm is the desperate plea, "Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved." The psalmist questions the duration of God's anger against the prayers of His people, describing their suffering as being fed with "the bread of tears" and made a "strife unto our neighbours," who mock them. A significant portion of the psalm employs the powerful metaphor of Israel as a vine. The psalmist recounts how God brought this vine out of Egypt, cast out the heathen, and planted it firmly, allowing it to take deep root and fill the land, its shadow covering the hills and its branches extending from the sea to the river. This imagery highlights God's past faithfulness and Israel's former prosperity under divine care. However, the tone shifts to lament as the psalmist asks why God has seemingly broken down the vine's hedges, leaving it vulnerable to plunder by passers-by and devastation by the "boar out of the wood" and "wild beast of the field." The vine is described as burned with fire and cut down, perishing at the rebuke of God's countenance. The psalm concludes with a renewed, fervent plea for God to return, look down from heaven, and visit this vine and the branch He made strong for Himself. It specifically requests God's hand to be upon "the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself," implying a desire for a divinely appointed leader or a renewed divine presence to guide them. The psalmist expresses the hope that if God quickens them, they will not turn back from Him, reiterating the central petition for God to "Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved."