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.