Psalm 80
God, send the cavalry
We need a comeback
For the music leader. To the tune of “Lilies.” [1] A psalm of Asaph. [2]
1Please listen, shepherd of Israel,Leading Joseph’s flock of descendants.
You sit glowing on your throne among cherubim, [3]
2Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. [4]
Come here and use your power to save us.
3Make us a comeback story, God.
Smile on us the smile that will save us.
We eat and drink tears
4LORD God of heaven’s army, [5]How much longer will our prayer make you angry?
5You have fed your people on tears.
You made them drink tears, as well,
Big gulps of tears, drink after drink.
6Because of you, our neighbors fight over us
And our enemies make fun of us, too.
7God in charge of armies,
Rescue and restore us.
All you have to do is smile on us.
When you do, we’ll be saved.
8You took a little vine from Egypt. [6]
Then you carried it to another land.
Then you drove out the people
And planted the vine.
You planted this vine
9You cleared the ground around it.And the vine grew deep roots,
And spread through the land.
10Mountains sat in shadows of vine.
So did limbs of mighty cedars.
11The vine sent branches toward the sea
And shoots to the Euphrates River.
12Why have you torn down its fence of hedges,
Letting anyone to plunder its fruit?
13Wild pigs from the woods devour it.
Critters of the field join the feast.
God, about face
14God of armies, about face.Turn around and look down from heaven.
It’s time to take care of this vine.
15You planted this vine with the strength of your hand.
You claimed this vine as your child.
16Invaders hacked it down and burned it.
May the anger on your face
Kill them where they stand.
17Lift up the one you have chosen,
The child you have raised as your own.
18We’re not going to leave you.
Save us now, so we can call you by name again.
19LORD God of heaven’s army
Come rescue and restore us.
Smile on us the smile that will save us.
Footnotes
It’s unclear what the Hebrew phrase means: shoshannim eduth. The word shoshannim means “lilies,” but not necessarily the flowers. Some scholars say it might refer to lily-shaped trumpets or to some other instruments. Eduth could refer to a contract agreement or someone’s testimony. It’s sometimes used in the company of the Ten Commandments. So, some scholars translate the phrase as “lily of the covenant” and “lily of the testimony.” How about “trumpet of the contract” perhaps? The phrase may have been the name of a well-known song.
The subtitle wasn’t part of the original psalm. And the possible byline “of Asaph,” isn’t necessarily a byline. The vague phrase could mean the song was written by Asaph, about Asaph, or was inspired by Asaph. Asaph led a musical family in the tribe of Levi, one of the 12 tribes that made up the original nation of Israel. Levite families worked as priests and worship leaders and worship assistants for the Jewish nation. Asaph was a leader of worship music during the time of King David (1 Chronicles 16:5). His family carried on the musical tradition, showing up five centuries later, when a Jewish man named Nehemiah, in the 500s BC, helped rebuild Jerusalem after Babylonian invaders from what is now Iraq leveled Jerusalem in 586 BC.
Jews taught that God’s footrest was the lid on the Ark of the Covenant, the gold-covered chest that held the Ten Commandments (1 Chronicles 28:2). Two winged beings called cherubim rested at each end of the lid.
These tribes seemed to represent the best of Israel because they came from the favorite sons of Jacob, the only sons born to his favorite wife, Rachel. Benjamin was Jacob’s youngest son. Ephraim and Manasseh were Jacob’s grandsons, and the sons of Joseph, Rachel’s first son.
Literally “of hosts,” which could mean “army,” “many angels,” “all of creation,” “sun, moon, and stars.”
The story of Moses leading the exodus out of Egypt to the Promised Land in what is now Israel and Palestinian Territories.
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