Thoughts on Psalm 80
This Psalm of Asaph is a prayer of Restoration.
Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth
Psalms 80:1 NIV
The psalmist testified to the mighty hand of God on Israel, referred to as His vine in bringing Isreal out of slavery in Egypt, driving out nations who knew not God, to settle Israel in their lands in fulfilment of His promise to their fathers(Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) .
Once settled in their land, God also set His hedge of protection around them to wade off their enemies.
The same promise is extended to everyone who have come to Him through faith in Jesus. Having predestined us to adoption as sons , we are rescued from the kingdom of darkness and translated to the kingdom of the Son whom He loves.
In verses 12 and 13, which is reminiscent of Isaiah 5:5 -6, the psalmist bemoaned how the hedge around his people was broken, and they had become preys to destructive forces. Unless the Lord visits His people and mercifully restores this hedge, they will perish.
Every child of God has a spiritual force-field around him, a hedge of protection that repels the enemy. Meditating upon today’s Psalm therefore, we are awakened to the necessity placed on us who have inherited salvation through faith, and are heirs of God’s promises, to stand our watches, and ensure that nothing breaks the hedge God has placed around us.
As it was then, the consequences of a broken hedge to the believer today is dire as revealed in Ecclesiastes 10:8
One of the ways we can breach God’s hedge around us is by our Negative confessions.
For example, in the story of Job, Satan alluded to being unsuccessful in attacking Job because God made a hedge about him and all that he had (Job 1:10).
However, when there was a breach in the life of Job, the hedge was broken. The breach came through his negative confession and Satan’s opportunity to attack was then open (Job 3:23-26).
Though Job lost all he had, God however restored all to him. The Lord gave him twice as much as he had before (Job 42:10).
God can repair every broken hedge around us and restore whatever grounds we may have lost to the enemy if we can pray. Calling on him like the Psalmist in verse 19
Prayer:
1. Restore us, O Lord God of hosts in Jesus name
2. Father please cause Your face to shine upon us and we shall be saved in Jesus name
Amen 🙏🏾
