Bible Commentaries
Psalms 80

Verses 17-19

DISCOURSE: 636
THE EFFICACY OF PRAYER

Psalms 80:17-19. Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself. So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name. Turn us again, O Lord God of Hosts; cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

THIS psalm appears to have been written about the time when Sennacherib had invaded the land of Judah, and threatened the two remaining tribes of Judah and Benjamin with the same utter destruction as had already been inflicted on the ten tribes or Israel. The writer, whoever he was, addresses Jehovah in nearly the same terms as Hezekiah did on that occasion, even as “the Lord of Hosts that dwelt between the cherubim [Note: ver. 1. with Isaiah 37:15-17.].” And when he says, “Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up thy strength, and come and save us;” he merely desires that God would afford them now the same protection as he had formerly afforded to all his people in the wilderness; which protection these three tribes had better opportunities of discovering than others; because, whilst three tribes preceded the ark, and three marched on either side, these three brought up the rear, and consequently were in a better situation for noticing the various interpositions of Jehovah in their behalf. The disconsolate state of the country at that time is set forth by the Psalmist under the figure of a vine, which had been planted there by Jehovah himself, and had flourished so as to fill the whole land; but now it was exposed to all the rage of the enemy, who “wasted and destroyed it;” and it would shortly be entirely rooted out, if God did not speedily interpose for its protection [Note: ver. 8–16.]. By “the man of God’s right hand, and the Son of Man whom God had made strong for himself,” I suppose the Psalmist intended to specify king Hezekiah, whom he entreated God to make his instrument for effecting the desired deliverance: and in the latter verses of my text he promises, in behalf of the nation at large, that the mercy shall not be lost upon them, but shall be requited by them in the way which God will approve, even by greater steadfastness in their future adherence to him, and a more entire obedience to his commands.

In this view, I conceive, the psalm may properly be applied either to the Church, or to any individual Believer in a season of deep distress: and “the Son of Man, whom Jehovah has made strong for himself,” may be understood as designating the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the King of Israel, and whom in that capacity Hezekiah especially prefigured.
Let the afflicted Believer then see in this passage,

I.

How to approach God in a season of trouble—

We are especially invited to “go to God in a time of trouble.” But in what way shall we approach him?
The Lord Jesus Christ is the appointed Head of God’s Church and people—
[Even whilst he was yet on earth, “all power in heaven and on earth was given to him [Note: Matthew 27:18.]:” and, on his ascension to heaven, he was constituted “Head over all things to the Church [Note: Ephesians 1:22.],” and had all fulness committed to him [Note: Colossians 1:19.], “that he might fill all things [Note: Ephesians 4:10.],” and be the one source of light and life to the spiritual world, as the sun in the firmament is to this material globe on which we live. To this the Psalmist bears testimony, when he says, “Thou spakest in vision to thy Holy One, and saidst, I have laid help upon One that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people. I have found David my servant: with my holy oil have I anointed him: with whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him [Note: Psalms 89:19-21.].” In this passage there is no doubt but that the Lord Jesus Christ is spoken of precisely in the view in which I suppose him to be spoken of in the psalm before us. He is that David whom God has anointed to rule over his Church and people, and through whom he will shew himself at all times mighty to save.]

Through Him, then, we must seek for God’s effectual help—
[Through him must we look for the acceptance of our prayers; and from him must we expect those communications which God has promised to his believing people. “God has made him strong,” not for us only, but “for himself” also; seeing that in this mode of dispensing his blessings he is particularly glorified. This is the account given us by an inspired Apostle: “Him hath God highly exalted, and given him a name above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father [Note: Philippians 2:9-11.].” And to the same effect our Lord himself also says, “Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son [Note: John 14:13.].” Let not any one, then, hesitate to look thus to Christ, from an apprehension that, in so honouring the Son, he should dishonour the Father: for God would have “all men to honour the Son even as they honour the Father:” and he declares, that “he who honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father who hath sent him [Note: John 5:23.].” Be it remembered, then, that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life; and that no man cometh unto the Father, but by him [Note: John 14:6.].”]

From the passage before us we may further learn,

II.

What we should seek for at His hands—

Doubtless we are permitted to ask for deliverance from trouble. But there are other things which we are far more concerned to ask, even things for the production of which affliction itself is sent us. We should seek,

1.

The communications of God’s grace—

[These are of infinitely more importance than any temporal deliverance. With these, every affliction is light: without them, no enjoyment whatever is of any real value. Whatever be our state as it respects ease or trouble, we are dead, and need to be “quickened;” we are rebellious, and need to be “turned.” The first thing, then, that we should seek, should be quickening and converting grace. Every creature in the universe stands in need of these; and on the attainment of it depends our everlasting welfare. Let every one, then, pray, “Quicken me, O Lord!” Oh! turn me, for thy mercy’s sake! “Turn thou me, and I shall be turned.”]

2.

The manifestations of his favour—

[We should never rest without an evidence in our own souls that we are the Lord’s. While our interest in his favour is doubtful, what happiness can we enjoy? There must always be a secret fear and misgiving, that ere long we may become monuments of his righteous indignation. We should therefore entreat of God to “lift up the light of his countenance upon us,” and to give us a spirit of adoption, testifying that we are his. It is not the sun of outward prosperity that we are to desire, but that inward light, by which we can discern our adoption into his family, and our title to his glory. This will make every “yoke easy, and every burthen light.”]
But the text itself leads us to consider,

III.

The fruit and consequence of accepted prayer—

These blessings once obtained, we shall assuredly, possess,

1.

Stability in God’s ways—

[Thousands there are who “run well only for a season,” and who, by turning back from God, make “their latter end worse than their beginning.” But real conversion, especially when it issues in a peaceful walk with God, produces a decision of character which nothing can shake. I mean not to say that any man has strength of his own, whereby he can stand: even St. Paul himself needed incessant care and watchfulness, lest, “after having preached to others, he himself should become a cast-away.” But a sense of God’s love in the soul confirms our confidence in him; and enables us, in dependence on his grace, to hurl defiance at all the enemies of our salvation, and to rest assured that “none shall ever prevail to separate us from his love.”]

2.

The everlasting enjoyment of his favour—

[Thrice is this repeated, and each time with increasing earnestness: “Turn us again, O God, and we shall be saved: turn again, O God of Hosts, and we shall be saved: turn us again, O Lord God of Hosts, and we shall be saved [Note: ver. 80:7, 19.].” If we commit ourselves truly to the Lord Jesus Christ, “none shall ever pluck us out of his hands;” but that promise shall be fully verified, “Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation; ye shall not be ashamed or confounded world without end [Note: Isaiah 45:17.].”]

Hence we may See,
1.

How little reason there is for any man to despond—

[Who can be in a more desperate state than that depicted in the psalm before us? Yet for them was relief solicited and obtained. And is there not the same help for us? Is not the Saviour as mighty as ever? Is his hand shortened at all, that it cannot save? or his ear heavy, that it cannot hear? Let, then, the same means be used, and the same result may assuredly be expected. I will suppose that the enemy has “overflowed even to the neck,” and is even now exulting in his triumphs. Spread but your case before the Lord, as Hezekiah did, and you may adopt the language which was put into his mouth; “The virgin, the daughter of Israel, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee [Note: Isaiah 37:22.].” Sooner shall heaven and earth pass away, than one praying and believing soul be left to perish.]

2.

How little ground there is for any one to glory—

[I will suppose that any one of you is now flourishing like the vine, of which the Psalmist speaks, in all its glory. Whence came you? Know that you were once in Egypt, and were brought out thence to the place in which you stand. And who has kept you from being trodden down and devoured by the beasts of the field? It is God alone who has kept you, even to the present hour. It is He who gave you his converting grace; He who infused peace into your soul by the light of his reconciled countenance. And when you shall arrive at the realms of glory, it is to Him that you must ascribe your salvation, from first to last. If any man be disposed to glory, I would ask, “Who made thee to differ? And what hast thou, which thou hast not received?” Whilst you are building on the true foundation here, you must say continually, “By the grace of God, I am what I am [Note: 1 Corinthians 15:10.]:” and when “the headstone shall be brought forth with shoutings,” you must spend eternity in crying, “Grace, grace unto it [Note: Zechariah 4:7.]!”]