READ: Psalms 79-81
Psalm
79 is a plea for mercy and help from God. The nation of Israel is again in a
desperate situation and they are crying out to the Lord for assistance. Verse 9
begins an interesting twist to the plea for help. Up until this point the cry for
help has been about them. Now, however, they are calling on God to save them,
not because of His love for them, but to save His own reputation! God has
changed His mind based on this kind of reasoning before (Exodus 32:11-14). It
is important to God that both His people and those who don’t follow Him
understand both His love and His wrath. He wants people to know He is holy and
won’t stand for sin even for a moment. But He also wants people to see that He
extends special blessing, covering, and deliverance for those who follow Him.
This is what the Psalmist is speaking to in this Psalm. Finally, the psalm ends
with a commitment to praise Him forever and to tell this story from generation
to generation so His glory will be known in the years yet to come.
Verse
3, 7 and 19 of Psalm 80 are essentially the same verse. This is noteworthy. In
the days these psalms were written, repeated words were not actually written
down unless they held significant meaning. It was too costly, and took too much
time to write out something that had already been said. So why is this so
important? It is a prayer of deep humility. We know from other Scripture (Psalm
18:27, 138:6 for example) that God rescues the humble. These verses demonstrate
that humility. First they are asking for restoration. One cannot be restored
unless one has left or been taken away. So to ask for restoration is an
admission that they have left the safety of God’s ways. They’ve lived in
rebellion and need to be brought back. Secondly, this verse asks for God’s
favour. When the psalmist asks for God’s face to shine on them the deepest
request here is that God would look on them without the marring of their sin.
This is another way to say, please forgive us. The third demonstration of
humility is the truth stated regarding their salvation. There is clear
recognition that unless God is the One who gives favour, there will be no
salvation. It is not something they can do in their power. They must, and do,
rely on God for it.
Psalm
81 is a song of praise. This song recounts the wondrous things God did for them
in the desert trek from Egypt to the Promised Land. This song is a call to
celebration and remembrance. The whole purpose of the celebration is the list
of things God has done for them. Many times in our celebrations we conveniently
‘omit’ the not-so-good parts of our history or testimony. This song makes it
quite clear in verse 11 and 12 that not only were they rebellious and
unsubmissive, but that God dealt with them quite severely. It is noteworthy
that this admission of guilt comes in the midst of a song of celebration. The
very thing that might make us cringe, and that might humiliate the Israelites,
is the very thing we celebrate: A God who wants to bless and pours out His love
and forgiveness even to a people with such rebellious hearts. Is that not a
fantastic reason to celebrate?!
JOURNALING AND
PRAYER
1. Ask the Lord if
you live your life in such a way that other people can see His work and do they
actually know what He’s doing in your life (miracles, discipline, testing,
blessing, etc.)? Ask the Lord if the way you live your life (the words you
speak, attitudes you have, and actions you carry out) improve God’s reputation
in the world around you or detract from it. Confess if necessary. Pray a
commitment to increase His reputation with His help.
2. Ask the Lord to
bring to mind a sin you have committed this week, or an habitual sin you may
need to confess. Using the structure of Psalm 80:3, 7, and 19, pray a prayer of
confession and repentance, humbling yourself again before the Lord.
3. When was the last
time you personally celebrated the wonderful deeds of the Lord in your life?
Take a few moments now to thank Him. Consider planning a special time with
friends or family, to have a celebration for the things the Lord has done. Use
this as a time to celebrate, build relationships, and acknowledge the Lord in
all things. Ask the Lord for steps and ideas on planning this small but special
event.
