commentary by Kevin Watson, Ph.D.

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 Lord God of hosts!
    Let your face shine, that we may be saved!

Teachers often say that repetition is a helpful tool in teaching and learning. You repeat what you most want students to understand or remember. Did you notice what was repeated in this Psalm?

Read it again and look for what is repeated:

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 Lord God of hosts!
    Let your face shine, that we may be saved!

One verse, in particular, is used as a refrain in the Psalm (v 3, 7, and 19).

 Restore us, O God;

     Let your face shine, that we may be saved!

Each time the line is repeated, the reference to God is added to.

 v. 3: Restore us, O God

 v. 7 Restore us, O God of hosts

 v. 19 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts

The Psalmist is in agony, so much so that their diet is eating and drinking their tears. The language potently conveys the extent of their pain and suffering.

One of the most painful things in the midst of suffering is the sense of distance or separation from the Lord. And so, the Psalmist cries out to God, asking God to restore his presence. How?

 Let your face shine, that we may be saved!

Did you notice verse 17?

Christians cannot help but think of Jesus Christ when we read of the prayer for God’s hand to be “on the man of your right hand, the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!”

If you find yourself identifying with the suffering in this Psalm as you read it, pray it as your own. Ask from the depth of your pain for God the Father to restore you, to let his face shine on you, that you would experience his salvation afresh today.

If this is not you, who do you know who is suffering? Pray for God’s face to shine on them today.