Restore Us, O God – Psalm 80
Posted by Chris on November 28, 2011 under Sermons
Restore us, God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved. – Psalm 80
This tribal hymn of old Israel comes from the Joseph and Benjamin clans. We could fit this prayer-song into a few different historical contexts: A plea of the people when they found themselves in exile because of the Babylonian army makes the most sense.
The story of the vine that God planted and nurtured, but then was ravaged and attacked by wild beasts certainly reaches back to the exodus and then the exile. One phrase becomes a chorus or refrain throughout the psalm: Restore us, God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.
We might talk about what that refrain meant to them – and we may at another time – but this morning let us ask what this phrase means to us. For this is a psalm “of the people” – not simply an individual’s quiet talk with God, but a song of God’s people who cry out for restoration, favor, and salvation. I think we find ourselves in that same need as a people whether we care to admit it or not. Read more of this article »