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For the director of music. To the tune of The Lilies. A testimony of Asaph. A psalm.
(80-2) Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth
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(80-3) before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh! Awaken your might; come and save us.
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(80-4) Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.
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(80-5) LORD God Almighty, how long will your anger smolder against the prayers of your people?
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(80-6) You have fed them with the bread of tears; you have made them drink tears by the bowlful.
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(80-7) You have made us an object of contention to our neighbors, and our enemies mock us.
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(80-8) Restore us, God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.
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(80-9) You transplanted a vine from Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.
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(80-10) You cleared the ground for it, and it took deep root and filled the land.
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(80-11) The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches.
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(80-12) It sent out its branches to the sea, its shoots as far as the River.
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(80-13) Why have you broken down its walls so that all who pass by pick its grapes?
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(80-14) Boars from the forest ravage it, and insects from the fields feed on it.
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(80-15) Return to us, God Almighty! Look down from heaven and see! Watch over this vine,
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(80-16) the root your right hand has planted!
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(80-17) Your vine is cut down and burned with fire; may they perish at the rebuke of your face!
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(80-18) Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself.
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(80-19) Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name.
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(80-20) LORD God Almighty, restore us; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.
🕊️🙏📖 Summary of Psalm 80 – “Restore Us, O God!”
Psalm 80 is a national intercessory prayer, written by Asaph, asking God to restore Israel, which was broken and oppressed. The main image in this psalm is Israel as a vine once planted and cared for by God, but now ruined because of the Lord’s anger.
Three times the psalmist repeats the plea: “Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.” This is a cry of faith longing for restoration, not only from enemies, but especially in relationship with God Himself.
📌 1. A Call to the Shepherd of Israel (verses 1–3)
➡️ God is called the “Shepherd of Israel” who leads Joseph and shines forth from between the cherubim.
➡️ The plea: “Awaken your might and save us!”
🎯 This prayer acknowledges that only God, the true Shepherd, can save His people from destruction.
📌 2. Lament over the Lord’s Anger (verses 4–7)
➡️ The Lord is angry and gives His people tears as food.
➡️ The people become an object of mockery among the nations.
🎯 Sometimes suffering is not only because of enemies, but because the Lord Himself is correcting a wayward people.
📌 3. The Parable of the Vine (verses 8–13)
➡️ Israel is pictured as a vine brought from Egypt, planted, and made to grow strong.
➡️ But now its protective wall has been broken down, and enemies are destroying it.
🎯 God once blessed His people abundantly, but blessing can be taken away when the people forget its source.
📌 4. A Plea for Restoration and Protection (verses 14–19)
➡️ A cry for God to turn back and protect His vine.
➡️ “Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand…”
🎯 The only hope is God’s grace — if His face shines, then His people will be saved.
📖 Key Teaching
- God is His people’s Shepherd, but He can also be Judge when His people are unfaithful.
- Israel’s history teaches that blessing must not be taken lightly — our relationship with God must be guarded.
- The threefold cry “Restore us…” shows the importance of longing for spiritual restoration, not only outward restoration.
- God cares for His people and hears the cries of those who repent and fully rely on Him.
- The symbol of the “vine” reflects God’s people, who should bear fruit for Him.
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
📖 John 15:1
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.”
➡️ Jesus fulfills the picture in Psalm 80 — He is the true vine who brings true restoration.
📖 Luke 15:20
“…but while he was still a long way off, his father saw him…”
➡️ The cry in this psalm reflects the heart of a child longing to return — and God longs to restore.
📖 2 Corinthians 4:6
“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’…”
➡️ “Make your face shine…” is the hope that God will once again shine on His fallen people.
📖 Hebrews 13:20
“Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep…”
➡️ Jesus is the fulfillment of Psalm 80’s hope for the true Shepherd.
🕊️ “Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.” – Psalm 80:3, 7, 19
🕊️ “You brought a vine out of Egypt…” – Psalm 80:8
🕊️ “Why have you broken down its walls?” – Psalm 80:12
🕊️ “Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand…” – Psalm 80:17
🕊️ “We will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name.” – Psalm 80:18
