January 21
Reading: Psalm 80
To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. A Testimony. Of Asaph, a Psalm.
1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock.
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.
2 Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh,
stir up your might and come to save us!
3 Restore us, O God;
let your face shine, that we may be saved!
4 O LORD God of hosts,
how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears
and given them tears to drink in full measure.
6 You make us an object of contention for our neighbors,
and our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved!
8 You brought a vine out of Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it.
9 You cleared the ground for it;
it took deep root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches.
11 It sent out its branches to the sea
and its shoots to the River.
12 Why then have you broken down its walls,
so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
13 The boar from the forest ravages it,
and all that move in the field feed on it.
14 Turn again, O God of hosts!
Look down from heaven, and see;
have regard for this vine,
15 the stock that your right hand planted,
and for the son whom you made strong for yourself.
16 They have burned it with fire; they have cut it down;
may they perish at the rebuke of your face!
17 But let your hand be on the man of your right hand,
the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!
18 Then we shall not turn back from you; give us life,
and we will call upon your name!
19 Restore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved!
Psalm 80 is a prayer to be sung to the tune of “El Shoshannim,” translated “the Lilies.” We do not know the tune, but the tone of this psalm is pleading. We look to the Lord begging Him to change His mind toward us, to restore us, to bring us back to Him. This is the desire of the faithful people of God in Babylon. It is our desire as well.
The literary structure of the psalm captures its emphasis.
The prayer-song has three verses:
vss. 1-3 “O, give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock…”
vss. 4-7 “O Lord God of Hosts, how long will You be angry…”
vss. 14-19 “O God of Hosts, turn again, look down from heaven and see…”
And it has a bridge:
vss. 8-13 Why did you plant us only to uproot us?
At the end of each of the verses the repeated prayer is made explicit:
vs. 3 “Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!”
vs. 7 “Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved!”
vs. 19 “Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved!”
What does it mean for God’s face to shine on us? It is that we want Him to look at us with a smile and bless us, like a loving father does his children.
Are you struggling? Are you feeling abandoned, distant from God? Is it because of your sin, your ignoring God? Do you need the Lord to restore you, to bring you back into fellowship with Him?
This is a good prayer to pray. Think about each line as you pray it.