Devotional Short Note to Psalm 80:
Although Asaph’s name appears here, it could have been written by David. A Davidic
fingerprint can be seen in the use of the “Shepherd of Israel” expression
ringing a bell with Psalm 23 “the Lord is my shepherd”. The Psalm is casted in
a form of a song since a chorus reappeared a number of times. David took words
of Moses in Numbers 6:25 and pleaded that God should restore them and cause His
face to shine upon them that they can be saved (80:4, 8, 15, 20). This phrase
from Moses used by David was reused by Daniel in his prayer in Daniel 9:25.
They all knew about the same data. Nothing new for Daniel or David or Moses. It
is us who think that if no data is mentioned by Moses or no data is found by
David that he did not know what Daniel did. That is what Walther Eichrodt did
with his Theology of the Old Testament and this is the methodological fallacy of
his products. No data, no knowledge. Absence of data does not prove absence of
concepts. David has a very developed eschatology
and view of God in His sanctuary in heaven. “Sitting the cherubim, shine forth”.
David knew about the Son of Man in the
Trinity before Daniel mentioned it in Daniel 7:13 “One like the Son of Man was
coming” which David also understood more than 425 years before Daniel in the
same manner: “Let Your hand be upon the Man of Your right hand, upon the Son of
Man You have made strong to Yourself” (80:18). Better Christology you cannot
get. It is Jesus Christ’s role as Messiah within the Trinity. This theme will
pop-up in Psalm 110 by David as well and Judaism noticed it but changed the
original in Psalm 110 to sidestep Jesus Christ as Son of God and Lord. They did
the same with Isaiah 53 as the Targum indicates. None of the versions
translated this verse in a tricky way. The Vetus Latina (190 A.D.); Origen’s
Hexapla; socalled Greek byzantine manuscripts of the LXX; Jerome’s Vulgate,
Syriac, Coptic they all translated this verse exactly as the original Hebrew.
There is thus no excuse for not understanding the theology imbedded in this
verse by the Holy Spirit. David talks about the remnant of God as
a vine that “You plucked up a vine out of Egypt” in 1450 BCE with the Exodus
(80:9). God drove out the squatters and migrants from a mixture of other
nations in Palestine and planted the Israelites there between 1410-1405 BCE
(80:9b). There is no need to argue for an anti-Colonialism Theology because
Israel is presumed to have illegally take Canaan from the Arabs. No Arabs were
in Canaan since they were in the deserts as nomads. Canaan is an Egyptian call
name for those Hittites, Hurrians, Aramaeans, Egyptians, Kassites and other
nations migrating there from time to time. There is no Canaanite language and culture
that are uniform except that fashions, like today in our age, were sweeping
back and forth over the hills and valleys mixed with some local practices, not
because it is culture, but because it is conveniently available like Samsung
refrigerators in a Department Store all over the world. Early Bronze pots and
decoration from Sumer is showing up at Amsa-dong next to the Han River in Seoul
from the same age! The remnant of God took root in the
country (80:10) and they filled the land. They multiplied (80:11). She (vine =
remnant) sent out her branches unto the Mediterranean Sea and shoots unto the
River of Euphrates in the east (80:12). The period of the Judges were for the
remnant like “broken down [her] fences” (80:13) and everyone that passed by “do
pluck her” (80:13). David asked “why?” but according to the Old Testament it is
because of their sins. The vine of the Lord is plundered by a
boar (80:14). A great lecture is online by Chuck Swindoll on “Boars in God’s
vineyard”. He is talking about “fighters” in God’s church. David wants God to be mindful of His
remnant (80:15). God must “look from heaven, and behold and be mindful of this
vine”. It’s origin is of God since He planted it. “That You made strong for
Yourself” (leka) (80:16b). This is important since it means that the remnant
exists not for itself but for God. There is not a spiritual Israel for
spiritual Israel’s sake, but for God’s sake. Too many people sing their
patriotic songs of their countries: “we will live and we will die for you our
dear country”. No. We will live and die for God’s sake. This is the biblical
principle. This is no suicide bomb scenario, it is a pro-life commitment. When God rebuke the remnant due to their
sins, “it is burnt with fire, it is cut down” (80:17). They perish “at the
rebuke of Your countenance” (80:17b). The result of the work of the Son of Man
appearing before the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:13) is that the Investigative
Judgment is in heaven since 1844 and as Highpriest the result of this action of
Christ “on behalf of the saints of the Most High” is that “we shall not turn
back from You” (80:19a). Why? Because when the Door of Mercy closes, perfection
is granted to the saints and they will not turn from the Lord.
David wants them to be quickened and by this
action, the Latter Rain experience, “we will call upon Your name” (80:19b).
This is a future event for the remnant.