Psalm 80 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Psalm 80 Short Summary:

In Psalm 80, the psalmist compares the nation of Israel to a vine. The vine once flourished in the care of God, but God had turned His back on the vine, leaving it to be burned, because of the sins of the people. The psalmist, sensing that Israel was ready to repent, asked God to restore the vine and to make His face shine on His people once again.

Psalm 80 Summary

AUTHOR:

• Psalm 80 was written by Asaph.

NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:

• No Known New Testament References.

THEMES:

• Israel was a vine planted and protected by God.

• But the vine rejected God and suffered the consequences.

• Israel was ready to repent, and the psalmist’s prayer was for God to restore the vine.

DEFINITIONS:

• Cherubim (80:1) – Cherubim are winged heavenly beings that dwell with God. In 1 Kings 6, Solomon constructed two images of cherubim, each 10 cubits tall, whose wings spread out over the Ark of the Covenant in the Temple’s Most Holy Place.

• Let Your Face Shine Upon Us (80:7) – We don’t use this terminology much in modern vernacular, but it appears several times in the Bible. This was a request for God to look favorably on His people. They didn’t want to see the shadow of a frown on God’s face when they looked at Him, they wanted to see Him glowing at them, His face shining with joy.

OUTLINE:

• ISRAEL, A HUMILIATED NATION (80:1-7):

  • In content, Psalm 80 is similar to Psalm 79. Both psalms contain a prayer to God to help His oppressed people.

  • Asaph asked God, who he referred to as the “Shepherd of Israel,” to incline His ear to hear his prayer.  

  • He asked God to come down from His thrown and display His power to bring salvation to the people of Israel.

  • It appears God had allowed Israel’s enemies to oppress them as punishment for Israel’s disobedience.

  • The discipline was effective. Asaph wrote, “You have fed them [Israel] with the bread of tears and given them tears to drink in full measure” (80:5).

  • Israel’s neighbors were laughing at them in their humiliation.

  • Asaph prayed for God to restore the nation.

• ISRAEL, GOD’S VINE (80:8-19):

  • In verse 8, Asaph puts forth a metaphor, comparing Israel to a vine planted by God.

  • Psa 80:8-11 - “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.”

  • The vine flourished under God’s care and protection.

  • But the vine was no longer healthy.

  • Asaph continued, “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… They have burned it with fire; they have cut it down.” (80:12-13,16).

  • The vine became the victim of every passerby, just as Israel had become the victim of every nation that wanted to oppress them.

  • Asaph’s prayer was that God would restore the vine and make it strong again.

  • He promised that Israel would not return to their sins if God would help them.

APPLICATION:

• What is planted and grown by God will not continue to flourish if God is removed from the picture.

• When a person starts something from the ground up, maybe it’s a project, a church plant, a YouTube channel, a career, that person is often very keenly aware of their dependent on God in the early days.

• They feel their dependence because they’ve not experienced a lot of success yet.

• Unfortunately, when success comes, people often forget their need for God because their tempted into thinking they’re the secret to success.

• This is what happened to Israel. Men like David were deeply dependent on God, but after the nation rose to world prominence, the people and their kings forgot about God.

• The vine grew when God was its source of life, but it withered when God’s help was no longer welcomed.  

• Israel thought they could continue to succeed without God, and they were wrong.

• Let’s not fall for the same deception when it comes to our work.

• If God was required in the building, God is required in the sustaining.