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.
Turn again, O God of hosts!
Look down from heaven, and see;
have regard for this vine,
the stock that your right hand planted,
and for the son whom you made strong for yourself.
They have burned it with fire; they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of your face! But let your hand be on the man of your right hand,
the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!
Then we shall not turn back from you;
give us life, and we will call upon your name!
Restore us, O LORD God of hosts!
Let your face shine, that we may be saved!
Comment: There seem to me four divisions of this portion of Ps 80. 1.The past. This tells of God preparing a field (Canna) and planting a vineyard (Israel). The vine flourished and became very productive. There is besides this passage in Psalm80, references to Israel as a vine or vineyard in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea and Ezekiel. Christ used this imagery more than once in His ministry. 2. The Present. Asaph is talking about what he was seeing around him. I think that he is selective in his blaming a) God for causing the destruction (although God is Sovereign). b) Surrounding nations, describing them as boars, arsonists, thieves, and c) forgetting that the people themselves had done much of the ruining by idolatry, sexual immorality, unjust scales etc! It seems to me to be very human (I am a human) to try and pass the blame onto someone else! The reference to God preparing the vineyard for ‘His son’ probably refer to Israel as God’s son, but …… 3. Who is the Son? The OT has very many Messianic references! ‘let your hand be on the man of your right hand, the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!‘ One of Jesus’ favourite names for Himself was ‘Son of man’. Who is now sitting on the right hand of God? This section calls for restoration and promises future fidelity! 4. A call for light shining on the present and into the future. John 1 certainly names Jesus as the Light!
John 1: 1-5 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Prayer: Lord, I come gladly and thankfully singing…
Lord, I come to Your awesome presence
From the shadows into Your radiance
By the blood, I may enter Your brightness
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness
Shine on me, shine on me. Amen and Amen.