December 26, 2024 • 15 mins
In this psalm, which is technically a communal lament, the psalmist asks God several times to save the people (i.e., Israel). At first, it is unclear from what the people are to be saved. Eventually, it is either from a severe military defeat or the Exile. Several times in this psalm, God is implored to make His face shine, positively on Israel and negatively on Israel’s enemies. Toward the end of the Psalm, the psalmist points out that should salvation appear in the form of victory, God will be invoked.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
The Bible is full of stories that we all know
and love, But how well do we know? That the
answer might surprise you. The Bible you thought you knew
is going to dive deep into the exquisite details of
the Biblical stories that make them fascinating and transforming. In
this week's broadcast, we are going to treat a psalm,
(00:27):
namely Psalm eighty. Its title does not provide much in
the way of context. The title reads to the choir master.
According to Lilies. At least that title tells us that
at some point this song was likely put to music.
Lilies may even indicate the melody or tune. The rest
(00:50):
of the title is equally vague. We are told that
this psalm is a testimony of asaff, but we have
no idea who that might be. The conclusion of the
title is hardly helpful. We are informed that what we
are about to read is quote unquote a psalm, But
(01:11):
the body of the psalm is quite riveting. It begins
by addressing God as the quote unquote Shepherd of Israel.
That's verse one in the English versification. The second parallel
part of that description address the deity as quote you
who lead Joseph like a flock.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
End of quote.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
The parallelism in this first verse is quite simple. Two
terms are used for God, shepherd and one who leads
a flock, of course, a flock of sheep. Two parallel
terms are also used for the community Israel and Joseph.
(01:57):
This suggests that the entirety of Israel, God's elect people,
are in view. Of course, the depiction of God as
a shepherd, as one who leads the flock called Israel,
is a trope in the Old Testament. One of the
best known psalms, Psalm twenty three, famously begins with the
(02:19):
words the Lord is my shepherd. Being a shepherd of
God's flock was also a name Jesus used for himself
in the Gospel of John, where Jesus was, of course
the good Shepherd. The last part of the first verse
(02:40):
notes that God is a deity enthroned on the Cherubim.
Cherubim are fantastic creatures that are part of the so
called heavenly host. Once God has been identified as a
shepherd and as one who leads the flock, and as
(03:00):
one enthroned on the Cherubim, we encounter the psalm's first
petition addressed to that God shine forth. This imperative is
used only here, something that the medieval scholars called massarets
marked in the text. This particular imperative fits better with
(03:23):
the enthroned on the Cherubim metaphor than with the shepherd metaphor.
But in any case, this is what God is called
to do, shine forth, regardless of its precise meaning. In
this context, God is being summoned to action. We immediately
(03:45):
know where that shining is to take place. The shining
fourth is to happen before Ephrium, Benjamin, and Manassa. These
three tribal units stand for the entirety of Israel, God's
like people.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Whatever God is.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Being asked to do in this psalm, those who will
be affected is abundantly clear. This is a community prayer.
The community is Israel. Before this verse is concluded, we
realize why God is being addressed. God is being called
(04:23):
on to stir up divine power and quote, come to
save us end of quote from. What Israel is to
be saved is not yet clear, but there is no
mistaking the plea divine power is needed to save Israel
from something. That imperative, with a slight change is repeated
(04:46):
In the third verse, restore us, O, God, let your
face shine. A different Hebrew word is being employed in
this verse, and that we may be saved again from
what Israel is to be saved is not yet clear,
(05:07):
but being saved is the primary purpose of the entire psalm.
In verse four, the mood shifts. Now the psalmist wants
to know how long God will be angry with the
people's prayers. The divine anger is directed toward the people's
prayers rather than the people themselves. It is as though
(05:31):
the people should not be asking for God to save them.
In this same vein the lament continues, the psalm insists
that God has fed the people with food and drink
of tears. This seems to mean that the people have
been sated not with nourishing food or drink, but with tears.
(05:55):
What has caused these tears? We get an indication of
the answer to that question in the next verse, when
God is accused of making the people the strife of
our neighbors. That is difficult Hebrew, But the second part
of the line is more understandable. God has been responsible
(06:18):
for the people's enemies to laugh among themselves. That's in
verse six, perhaps it is enemies from whom the people
are asking God to save them, but the text verse
does not explain further from what the people are to
be saved. Instead, another imperative is addressed to God, restore us, Oh,
(06:42):
God of hosts. The second line of the verse returns
to the metaphor of God's face shining on the people.
Should that happen, the people will be saved. That's in
verse seven. Since God is here referred to as the
quote unquote God of armies, that is a hint that
(07:04):
defeat by enemies has prompted the psalm. The next section
of the Psalm goes a long way in explaining what
it means for God to save the people. This section
rehearses the time when God famously rescued Israel from Egypt
and also led the way for Israel to defeat enemies
(07:27):
as they inherited the promised to land. In this imagery,
Israel is a vine that God brought out of Egypt. Subsequently,
God planted that vine in the Land of Promise after
having defeated the nations occupying that land. That's in verse eight.
(07:49):
As this section continues the metaphor of Israel as a
vine is explicated further, God cleared the ground into which
the vine would be planted, allowing it to take root
and spread over the land. That's in verse nine. The
growth was so spectacular that the mountains were eventually covered
(08:12):
with the shade from this vine. Though a mere vine, however,
it provided shrey shade even for the mighty cedars. Indeed,
this vine extended to the sea and its shoots to
the river. These geographical references are likely to the Euphrates
(08:34):
River and the Mediterranean Sea. These were idealistic.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Boundaries for Israelite territory.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
Still, God is credited for giving Israel these borders.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
That's in verse ten. Then there is a whiplash.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
God had provided rescue from Egypt, had defeated those who
occupied the Promised land, and given the people these wonderful boundaries.
But God is no longer doing that. To the contrary,
God has broken down Israel's walls and made it vulnerable
to any.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Who passed by.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Israel has now become low hanging fruit. The bores from
the forest are able to ravage the land. Anything that
moves in the field can easily feed on Israel's crops.
This metaphor suggests serious military defeat that's in verses twelve
(09:37):
and thirteen. We cannot be sure, but this is either
a reference to the exile that occurred in the early
sixth century or a very sobering military defeat. It could
possibly be a reference to the exile of the Northern Kingdom,
although I'm suspicious about that because of the reference to Benjamin,
(10:02):
which is typically thought of as part of the Southern Kingdom.
The psalm then doubles down on appeals to God to
save the people, but this time the vine metaphor continues
quote turn again, Oh, God of hosts end of quote. Again,
(10:22):
keeping in mind God's military prowess, that's in verse fourteen.
This God is implored to look down from heaven and
have regard for quote unquote this vine. Of course, this
is the vine that God once rescued from Egypt and
planted in the Land of Promise. Again, the vine is
(10:44):
referred to as the vine which quote your right hand
end of quote had planted. This line in the Hebrew
contains a difficult statement. This is because right after the
plea that God have regard for the vine in which
your right hand planted, God is also implored to look
(11:04):
upon the sun, whom you have reared for yourself. That
suggests an Israelite king who was often regarded as God's son.
In any case, the imagery of the vine continues, but
this time it has a negative connotation and indefinite. They,
(11:24):
presumably Israel's enemies, have burned this vine with fire that's
in verse sixteen. For that reason, the Psalmist ask God
to make the enemies perish at the rebuke of your
countenance or face. The next verse is a little clearer
(11:45):
that an Israelite king is in the psamis imagination. The
Psalmist wants God's hand to be upon the man of
your right hand. That's in verse seventeen. Typically, in poetic immatsenation,
the king is depicted as seeding sitting on God's right side.
(12:08):
This is the source of the king's strength. The Psalmis
seems not to be asking for a miracle, but for
strengthening Israel's military resources. This royal figure is also someone
whom God has made strong for yourself. As the Psalm
(12:31):
comes to a conclusion, the Psalmis hints about a reason
that Israel either suffered a military reversal or the exile itself.
Should God respond to this prayer. The Psalmist promises that
quote we will never turn back from you end of quote,
(12:52):
That suggests a communal sense of guilt for various covenant violations.
The last line of the verse settles the matter, quote
give us life, and we will call on your name
end of quote. The Psalmis is assuring God of a
restored relationship should God respond respond positively.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
To the prayer. That's in verse eighteen.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
The last verse returns to the wonderful metaphor of God's
restoring the people by letting the divine face shine. Here again,
the Lord is referred to.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
As the God of armies or hosts.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
When God's face shines on the people, then they can
count on being saved.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
That's in verse nineteen.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
With this emphasis on God's countenance or face shining on
the people as a prelude to salvation in this instance
a literal military victory, or subsequently, perhaps a figurative moral
or spiritual victory, it is still difficult to ignore the
ironic blessing in number six. The Lord bless you and
(14:10):
keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and the Lord be gracious to you. The Lord lift
up his countenance upon you and give you peace that
is found in number six, verse twenty two and following.
Let me encourage you to go to my website Faspoena
(14:33):
dot com. Take a look at it.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
Let me know what your email is.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
If you'd like me to answer a question and a
subsequent Q and a session, email me at f Spina
one zero six at gmail dot com. I want to
thank you so very much for listening to the Bible
You thought you Knew.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
I have a question for you.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Do you have a question or topic that you'd like
me to cover on the podcas If so, all you
need to do is head over to Apple Podcasts and
do two simple things. One, leave a rating and review,
telling me what you think of the podcasts. Two. In
that review, ask anything you want related to the Bible.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
That's all you have to do.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Then listen in to hear your question answered on a
future episode. Join us next time on the Bible You
Thought you Knew when we discuss Jesus' personal Bible God
bless
The Bible is full of stories that we all know
and love, But how well do we know? That the
answer might surprise you. The Bible you thought you knew
is going to dive deep into the exquisite details of
the Biblical stories that make them fascinating and transforming. In
this week's broadcast, we are going to treat a psalm,
(00:27):
namely Psalm eighty. Its title does not provide much in
the way of context. The title reads to the choir master.
According to Lilies. At least that title tells us that
at some point this song was likely put to music.
Lilies may even indicate the melody or tune. The rest
(00:50):
of the title is equally vague. We are told that
this psalm is a testimony of asaff, but we have
no idea who that might be. The conclusion of the
title is hardly helpful. We are informed that what we
are about to read is quote unquote a psalm, But
(01:11):
the body of the psalm is quite riveting. It begins
by addressing God as the quote unquote Shepherd of Israel.
That's verse one in the English versification. The second parallel
part of that description address the deity as quote you
who lead Joseph like a flock.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
End of quote.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
The parallelism in this first verse is quite simple. Two
terms are used for God, shepherd and one who leads
a flock, of course, a flock of sheep. Two parallel
terms are also used for the community Israel and Joseph.
(01:57):
This suggests that the entirety of Israel, God's elect people,
are in view. Of course, the depiction of God as
a shepherd, as one who leads the flock called Israel,
is a trope in the Old Testament. One of the
best known psalms, Psalm twenty three, famously begins with the
(02:19):
words the Lord is my shepherd. Being a shepherd of
God's flock was also a name Jesus used for himself
in the Gospel of John, where Jesus was, of course
the good Shepherd. The last part of the first verse
(02:40):
notes that God is a deity enthroned on the Cherubim.
Cherubim are fantastic creatures that are part of the so
called heavenly host. Once God has been identified as a
shepherd and as one who leads the flock, and as
(03:00):
one enthroned on the Cherubim, we encounter the psalm's first
petition addressed to that God shine forth. This imperative is
used only here, something that the medieval scholars called massarets
marked in the text. This particular imperative fits better with
(03:23):
the enthroned on the Cherubim metaphor than with the shepherd metaphor.
But in any case, this is what God is called
to do, shine forth, regardless of its precise meaning. In
this context, God is being summoned to action. We immediately
(03:45):
know where that shining is to take place. The shining
fourth is to happen before Ephrium, Benjamin, and Manassa. These
three tribal units stand for the entirety of Israel, God's
like people.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Whatever God is.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Being asked to do in this psalm, those who will
be affected is abundantly clear. This is a community prayer.
The community is Israel. Before this verse is concluded, we
realize why God is being addressed. God is being called
(04:23):
on to stir up divine power and quote, come to
save us end of quote from. What Israel is to
be saved is not yet clear, but there is no
mistaking the plea divine power is needed to save Israel
from something. That imperative, with a slight change is repeated
(04:46):
In the third verse, restore us, O, God, let your
face shine. A different Hebrew word is being employed in
this verse, and that we may be saved again from
what Israel is to be saved is not yet clear,
(05:07):
but being saved is the primary purpose of the entire psalm.
In verse four, the mood shifts. Now the psalmist wants
to know how long God will be angry with the
people's prayers. The divine anger is directed toward the people's
prayers rather than the people themselves. It is as though
(05:31):
the people should not be asking for God to save them.
In this same vein the lament continues, the psalm insists
that God has fed the people with food and drink
of tears. This seems to mean that the people have
been sated not with nourishing food or drink, but with tears.
(05:55):
What has caused these tears? We get an indication of
the answer to that question in the next verse, when
God is accused of making the people the strife of
our neighbors. That is difficult Hebrew, But the second part
of the line is more understandable. God has been responsible
(06:18):
for the people's enemies to laugh among themselves. That's in
verse six, perhaps it is enemies from whom the people
are asking God to save them, but the text verse
does not explain further from what the people are to
be saved. Instead, another imperative is addressed to God, restore us, Oh,
(06:42):
God of hosts. The second line of the verse returns
to the metaphor of God's face shining on the people.
Should that happen, the people will be saved. That's in
verse seven. Since God is here referred to as the
quote unquote God of armies, that is a hint that
(07:04):
defeat by enemies has prompted the psalm. The next section
of the Psalm goes a long way in explaining what
it means for God to save the people. This section
rehearses the time when God famously rescued Israel from Egypt
and also led the way for Israel to defeat enemies
(07:27):
as they inherited the promised to land. In this imagery,
Israel is a vine that God brought out of Egypt. Subsequently,
God planted that vine in the Land of Promise after
having defeated the nations occupying that land. That's in verse eight.
(07:49):
As this section continues the metaphor of Israel as a
vine is explicated further, God cleared the ground into which
the vine would be planted, allowing it to take root
and spread over the land. That's in verse nine. The
growth was so spectacular that the mountains were eventually covered
(08:12):
with the shade from this vine. Though a mere vine, however,
it provided shrey shade even for the mighty cedars. Indeed,
this vine extended to the sea and its shoots to
the river. These geographical references are likely to the Euphrates
(08:34):
River and the Mediterranean Sea. These were idealistic.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Boundaries for Israelite territory.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
Still, God is credited for giving Israel these borders.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
That's in verse ten. Then there is a whiplash.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
God had provided rescue from Egypt, had defeated those who
occupied the Promised land, and given the people these wonderful boundaries.
But God is no longer doing that. To the contrary,
God has broken down Israel's walls and made it vulnerable
to any.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Who passed by.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Israel has now become low hanging fruit. The bores from
the forest are able to ravage the land. Anything that
moves in the field can easily feed on Israel's crops.
This metaphor suggests serious military defeat that's in verses twelve
(09:37):
and thirteen. We cannot be sure, but this is either
a reference to the exile that occurred in the early
sixth century or a very sobering military defeat. It could
possibly be a reference to the exile of the Northern Kingdom,
although I'm suspicious about that because of the reference to Benjamin,
(10:02):
which is typically thought of as part of the Southern Kingdom.
The psalm then doubles down on appeals to God to
save the people, but this time the vine metaphor continues
quote turn again, Oh, God of hosts end of quote. Again,
(10:22):
keeping in mind God's military prowess, that's in verse fourteen.
This God is implored to look down from heaven and
have regard for quote unquote this vine. Of course, this
is the vine that God once rescued from Egypt and
planted in the Land of Promise. Again, the vine is
(10:44):
referred to as the vine which quote your right hand
end of quote had planted. This line in the Hebrew
contains a difficult statement. This is because right after the
plea that God have regard for the vine in which
your right hand planted, God is also implored to look
(11:04):
upon the sun, whom you have reared for yourself. That
suggests an Israelite king who was often regarded as God's son.
In any case, the imagery of the vine continues, but
this time it has a negative connotation and indefinite. They,
(11:24):
presumably Israel's enemies, have burned this vine with fire that's
in verse sixteen. For that reason, the Psalmist ask God
to make the enemies perish at the rebuke of your
countenance or face. The next verse is a little clearer
(11:45):
that an Israelite king is in the psamis imagination. The
Psalmist wants God's hand to be upon the man of
your right hand. That's in verse seventeen. Typically, in poetic immatsenation,
the king is depicted as seeding sitting on God's right side.
(12:08):
This is the source of the king's strength. The Psalmis
seems not to be asking for a miracle, but for
strengthening Israel's military resources. This royal figure is also someone
whom God has made strong for yourself. As the Psalm
(12:31):
comes to a conclusion, the Psalmis hints about a reason
that Israel either suffered a military reversal or the exile itself.
Should God respond to this prayer. The Psalmist promises that
quote we will never turn back from you end of quote,
(12:52):
That suggests a communal sense of guilt for various covenant violations.
The last line of the verse settles the matter, quote
give us life, and we will call on your name
end of quote. The Psalmis is assuring God of a
restored relationship should God respond respond positively.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
To the prayer. That's in verse eighteen.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
The last verse returns to the wonderful metaphor of God's
restoring the people by letting the divine face shine. Here again,
the Lord is referred to.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
As the God of armies or hosts.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
When God's face shines on the people, then they can
count on being saved.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
That's in verse nineteen.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
With this emphasis on God's countenance or face shining on
the people as a prelude to salvation in this instance
a literal military victory, or subsequently, perhaps a figurative moral
or spiritual victory, it is still difficult to ignore the
ironic blessing in number six. The Lord bless you and
(14:10):
keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and the Lord be gracious to you. The Lord lift
up his countenance upon you and give you peace that
is found in number six, verse twenty two and following.
Let me encourage you to go to my website Faspoena
(14:33):
dot com. Take a look at it.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
Let me know what your email is.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
If you'd like me to answer a question and a
subsequent Q and a session, email me at f Spina
one zero six at gmail dot com. I want to
thank you so very much for listening to the Bible
You thought you Knew.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
I have a question for you.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Do you have a question or topic that you'd like
me to cover on the podcas If so, all you
need to do is head over to Apple Podcasts and
do two simple things. One, leave a rating and review,
telling me what you think of the podcasts. Two. In
that review, ask anything you want related to the Bible.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
That's all you have to do.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Then listen in to hear your question answered on a
future episode. Join us next time on the Bible You
Thought you Knew when we discuss Jesus' personal Bible God
bless
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